Giant paddling pools, are they worth it?

[elliejjtiny]

Looking for something to entertain the dc at home and tire them out. We already have a trampoline and a climbing frame/swing.

Are those giant paddling pools that you can just about swim in worth it? Is it likely to get ruined by my cat? Is it going to be more hassle than it's worth?

Budget is about £250, happy to buy second hand.

How big are you thinking and how big us your garden ?
We had an 8ft one during lockdown ,we have a very small garden nobody could really swim in it but it was big enough to float around on floaties ,obviously there are much bigger ones but you have to think about heating it and keeping it clean.

Moderate hassle.

my cats avoided.

you need to put them up for the summer really as it’s a big job filling them or emptying them and putting away.

we got one that came with a filter so you just plugged it in and it kept the water cleanish.

you can get heaters for them but then they start getting pretty expensive pretty quickly.
it got used a lot most summers. Buy a couple of inflatable things to lie in and they can have inflatable battles. Hours of fun.

Thankyou. Garden is huge. Very old house and we are rural so built in the days when there was a lot more space.

Maybe an inflatable hot tub would be a better option
My son is severely autistic and he loves his they are more expensive though although you could probably get one for £250

We have one in a big garden and it
provides hours of fun during the summer. Often filled with multiple children after school

invest in a decent solar cover (well fitting to prevent leaves and debris) and it’s worth looking into a heater to at least get your started. A decent filter is a must.

w picked ours up on market place and saved a fortune. Inflatables are a must too!

For safety's sake you do need to use swimming pool chemicals to sanitise the water though, and if you have a ladder, then turn it round with the rungs on the inside of the pool when not in use. Not only does it stop random kids from climbing in when you're not looking, it also helps wildlife to climb out. I know someone who had to fish their neighbour's drowned cat out of theirs. Very sad.

We bought a 16ft one during Covid, it was a godsend (even though the youngest was still coming to school with me, we were bubbled up!) - had a lovely few months with it until dh strimmed the side of the fucking thing when he was doing the lawn and a ‘quick tidy up’ around the edges of it 😤
We had a solar cover thing, he kept it clean with the chemicals but it did have a filter and we eventually got a heater for it too. We also got some pretty lights to go around the edge! All of us loved it and when were allowed we had cousins round to play in it too. Such a great time was had in it. The grass underneath recovered just fine too.
An excellent purchase if you’ve got space and time for the tinkering about.

We use ours a lot and it makes you feel like you are on holiday in your own garden. You need a filter and chemicals, but that is all pretty easy. Running the filter is cheap.

Does the climbing frame have a slide? The absolute favourite in our house was a massive sheet of plastic at the bottom of the slide. Water down slide. Maybe a drop of washing up liquid for extra slipperiness. Hours of fun.

They are great but do need to be looked after. Chemicals, testing strips, and a good filter pump, a solar and insulating cover, and skimming net. Ours would go up before May half term for the whole summer. Oh and your DC need to be hardy!

go as big as you dare. Think ours was 10ft diameter, but I’d go for a large rectangle.

Jeezo, it was snowing a little where i live and horrid icy winds 🥶. Where do you live? If you buy a big pool can I get a shot? 😆 🤣 😂

yep I would say they are a great investment , we put the trampoline next to ours and the kids jump in from there , hours of fun when the sun is out

Just to give a contrasting view- a loaf of effort and then too freezing for the children to enjoy gor more than a few mins at a time

They're a bit older this year so may invest in a big one with a heater and hope for better times

They are quite hardy, they will go in the river at Easter. Youngest is 11 so they aren't little ones.

We did it and it was a ball ache.

Firstly the ground wasn't as level as we thought so had a 'deep end' 🙄 Not so bad you'd think but we didn't want a third of the pool to be shallow.

Filling and emptying takes thought. You can't just flood the garden.

Keeping the water nice:
You need chemicals.
You need a cover.
You need to know that every time you mow the lawn loads of bits of grass will stick on feet and end up in the water.
If the pool's on grass and the kids kids keep running round the pool and getting in and out you end up with just mud all round it and in the water.

Lastly - and this is a biggy - when we emptied and deflated ours at the end of summer the ground underneath STANK!! It was slimy and horrible and took over a year to recover 🤮

Shortie wetsuits can be helpful if your kids aren’t hardy.

if your kids are going in rivers at Easter they’ll be fine

I agree with PP that you need to get all the kit as well - filter, chemicals, cover etc. and be religious about covering it or it gets load of debris in it and goes manky.

We had one and I got rid after one summer because the DC never used it. But then, it wasn’t a super hot summer and our garden is titchy so it was only worth it if it got a LOT of use. Not the same equation for you.

We use ours a lot, but it's on the patio (protective mats underneath) and we make sure they chemicals are right and cover it religiously. We have a dip tray for our feet to minimise grass and debris.

My mum had one up in her garden when my children were children , it had a filter / heated cover thing and to all intents and purposes was treated like a proper swimming pool with chemicals etc . It was 15’ I think , our eldest had a party when he finished yr 6 using it and all the kids seemed to enjoy it . The most memorable moment was when my sister emptied it and it caused a tsunami onto the patio .

Ours gets good use every summer, has been a great investment much more use than the trampoline. Inflatables are a bit of a must and a cover is very worthwhile.