8 best kids’ watering cans to encourage your little one’s green fingers

Best: Kids’ watering can overall

Made from durable, recyclable plastic, the cana is BPA-, latex- and phthalate-free, and, somewhat deceptively, holds up to a litre of water. There is a smaller 500ml version available, but our five-year-old tester had no problem carting around the large one, mainly thanks to the child-friendly built-in handle.

Unlike the other watering cans we tested, this has two functions. The left side has a spout allowing the water to pour out, and the right side has a “rose” patch of small holes that creates a spray. Our reviewer loved switching between the functions, and it also makes it great as a bath toy. It’s available in three striking colours too.

Best: Folding kids’ watering can

A watering can you can fold? Now we’ve seen it all. In fact, it can be squished, bent, and rolled up without ever losing its shape – handy when there are heavy-handed children involved. Made from food-grade recyclable silicone, the Scrunch watering can holds up to 800ml of water, although with its large, open design we’d recommend less than this. It’s incredibly strong and durable, and is so portable that it makes a great beach toy too.

Best: Decorated kids’ watering can

Our five-year-old tester nominated this as the prettiest watering can, and we can see why – it’s like a sunny spring day with blossoming flowers. It’s the largest one too, and we tested it with a litre of water – any more would be a bit heavy for a five-year-old to use independently – but there’s room for more. The cute flower spout scored points with our mini gardener and the rose top caused an effective showering, while the handle seemed comfortable enough to hold.

Best: Robust kids’ watering can

Danish brand Liewood creates some wonderful products for the whole family. Its products are known for being sustainable, and the same green approach can be expected with the Lyon watering can, which is made from 100 per cent silicone. Designed to last, this watering can is the most robust of those we tested, but while the silicone composition is soft and flexible we also found it pretty heavy – particularly when filled with water. When testing with our five-year-old gardener we made sure we only filled it halfway (capacity is around a litre), but the handle seemed very comfortable and the adorable panda face is a sweet addition.

Best: Fun kids’ watering can

It’s unlikely that this chameleon watering can will blend into your garden with its bright colours, but mini gardeners will love having this item in their clutches. The design is full of fun, and our tester loved grabbing hold of the animal’s tail and watching the water pour out of the spouting branch that they cling on to.

Best: Capacity kids’ watering can

Bring a touch of the rainforest into your garden with this toucan watering can, which was quickly in the clutches of our five-year-old tester. It’s great fun, with water pouring out of its long orange beak. It holds a mega 1.5l of water and will guarantee plenty of giggles in the garden.

Best: Kids’ gardening set

This set from French brand Janod will take their gardening game to new levels. This isn’t just a watering can: you’ll get a rake, shovel, and a pair of gloves too! We love that all of the tools are made using solid wooden handles and steel, while the handy gloves are made of cotton – all materials which are kinder to the planet than plastic, and super robust too. The watering can, with a sweet hedgehog illustration, was a good size for our five-year-old tester, and we were impressed with how well made all elements were.

Best: Watering can for toddlers

Before your little one takes on garden tasks of their own, they may need a little encouragement and practice. We tried out this New Sprouts set from Learning Resources with our soon-to-be three-year-old tester, and it’s been a real hit. The nine-piece set includes a watering can, two flowers, a carrot, radish, shovel and three pots, allowing you to mix and match, which is great for little imaginations. The watering can is a great item for transitioning to watering real garden flowers, as it doesn’t fit much water but is a great size and shape for toddlers.