Water bead water bed

After making these baby-safe water bead activities I decided to upsize the sensory bag to make a giant water bead water bed... And it was just in time for the gorgeous weather last week - the perfect way to keep cool but without getting wet!

It was really simple to make and all you need is:
- some plastic sheeting (I used a disposable tablecloth from Poundland)
- some hydrated waterbeads
- duct tape
- water

I folded the tablecloth so it was 3 layers thick (I didn't trust Poundland to provide tough enough plastic sheeting for £1!!) and then duct taped three of the sides (tape-to-tape). I then put the water beads inside and duct-taped the last edge about 80% closed. Through the small opening I added some water and once there was enough added extra duct tape to close it off securely. And that's it! How simple? It felt very cool to lie on and you could feel the squishy beads through the plastic.

Next time I'm going to try and find some clear (but strong) plastic as it would be even cooler if you could see the coloured beads inside.

Tip: If you have someone else with you to help then I'd recommend filling with water at the same time as the beads and then duct-taping the last side in one go - this ensures there will be no small holes for water to leak out through.
  

How lush do these look? So fun to squidge!

Adding the water beads

Only *just* had enough duct tape to finish it!

The small opening for the water - I used a jug to pour it in

The finished product

Big enough for 2 :)

Fun to squish

Perfect for a sunny day

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Disclaimer: as with any activity involving your baby, use your own judgement and common sense. I always closely supervise any sensory play and always inspect items for wear/tear carefully before each playing session. Some plastic bags will be stronger than others, and some people will use duct tape more successfully. Always make sure you are confident with the safety of whatever your baby is playing with.