If you don’t have the space or the money to get a swimming pool, and you have kids that love to splash about, then you may want to just get a paddling pool for the summer to take some of the heat off! There are many options available and you can get a range of paddling pools from small cheap, easy to fill ones, to paddling pools that come in the shape of animals etc.
What you really want to keep an eye out for is to make sure you get a paddling pool that is suitable for the age of the children who are going to use it. You can check on the packaging which age group each paddling pool is intended for. most paddling pools specify that they should not be used by children under 3 so you should be aware of this. However, if you have a baby or toddler who is fond of the water (like I do!) then a small paddling pool where you are constantly supervising them (i.e. preferably always in the water with them), could be an answer. You should NEVER leave a small child alone in a paddling pool as they could drown in the smallest amount of water – this information is printed on all paddling pools just to reinforce the message.
If you live somewhere where it is really quite hot then you may want to invest in a paddling pool that also has a cover built in. This will stop the heat of the sun beating down on the children although obviously sunscreen should still be applied. There are many pools that come with detachable shade covers or you could put the paddling pool under a gazebo style structure.
With paddling pools, it’s like anything, you get what you pay for. If you want a better quality pool that will last longer you may need to go for a pool with thicker plastic to prevent holes and leaks. Check the weight of the plastic on the packaging.
You can also get pools with small slides attached which can be really fun for the kids. With kids hitting the bottom of the pool at speed you might want to put some rubber mats under the pool to also stop anything puncturing the pool and causing leaks – you can get hold of rubber jigsaw style mats that can be used for many things – although often these are not that cheap.
If you are looking for a paddling pool for the summer then check out some of our picks below – we have chosen some options for both the UK and the US readers so you can see a few things that are available:
US readers have a massive selection of baby pools and family pools at really cheap prices – in fact it is really difficult to pick just a few options but here are some we have chosen:
For UK readers there is also a good selection although not always as cheap as the US!
