Spray bottle makes cool (and water-saving) fun during the summer

Annmarie's hack uses far less water than the kiddie pool or the sprinkler:

Buy a 24oz empty spray bottle and fill it with water. [Check the bottle to make sure the trigger is easy for small hands to pump. -- Ed.] Let them spray all the plants, bushes, windows, matchbox cars, etc... outside. My 2 year-old will spray for hours on a hot day. And, it takes forever to get through the entire bottle of water!

Spray bottles make great portable air conditioning as well. Quick way to cool the kids off on a hike or a hot car ride. For longer cooling, get the kid's hat good and damp (that was always our trick on long hikes when I was a kid).

Related: No-mess watercolor: Dampen the paint with a spray bottle

Comments

[PsychMamma]

I love this hack and can't wait to try it with my 2 y/o. She constantly wants to help clean inside, and wants to "skirt" (squirt) and wipe. I give her a spray bottle of water inside to spray windows, refrigerator, etc, but never thought of spraying outside! Brilliant!

http://psychmamma.wordpress.com

[Christina]

I always carry a spray bottle with water in my stroller. Not only is it great to cool down my 11 month old on hot days. But she likes to squirt the water in her mouth, so it doubles as a sippy cup. And it is great to wash hands after a sticky snack or getting in the dirt when we are out at the park.

[Kate]

Am so jealous. My two year old quickly figured out how to unscrew the top and pour the water out!! The bottle lasts about 15 seconds. :(

[Alexandra Hancock]

I can't believe I haven't tried this yet.

I put my 7 month old in the jogging stroller for our daily run and it gets hot here in Florida. I put pounds of sunscreen, some shorts, and a hat on him which makes him sweat.

I know there has got to be an empty spray bottle around here somewhere that I can use. I've been looking for something to help cool him off because if we don't go outside it's GAME OVER for me. :)

Thanks Annmarie for the hack!

[DadNumberOne]

This is so obvious, I can't believe I haven't thought of it. Thanks! And the 10,000 gallons of water thank you.