Your thoughts on paddling pools?

[possum34]

I love the idea of them. Seeing kids happily playing all day in their own garden. In reality they give me the ick. How do you keep them clean? We also have dogs that would probably attack/pop them.
Is it easier to just take the kids swimming or to a public paddling pool?

They're great.

Our dog stayed well clear.

Well, we never had a dog which might have helped.

Never worried about keeping them clean.

Far, far easier than taking kids out. Kids loved them.

They can be great but also can be very slippery.

Mine are in there all day when it's sunny. I am thinking of getting a 'proper' one that needs a filter etc because they love water and so do 😁

Top tip - Get a dog paddling pool! The pblow up ones kept breaking and leaking, beed replacing all the time. The dog ones come in all sizes, from a very small paddling pool to one big enough for a family of 4 or 5 to splash in

Rowing with dh over it as he thinks they are pointless and I'm fed up with having to constantly take the dc out to keep them occupied because we can't use our own garden because of his unruly dog!
They do give me the ick a bit in terms of the water just sat there for days on end though.

The idea of one is always better than reality! Seems idyllic to pop one in the garden on a hot day and let the kids play but really it never ends up going well. Always too cold so kids don’t actually want to go in and gets dirty within minutes. It’s impossible to keep the water clean without constant emptying. From experience they always take a longer time to inflate and fill than the kids will actually spend playing in it!

I’d just go with a proper swimming pool trip OP - less hassle and more fun

Squirt a bit of hydrogen peroxide in and the water stays nice for days

Dangerous unless empty and filled each time they are used

I don’t think most people let the water sit in there for days on end apart from with the very big ones, everyone I know empties it at the end of the day and refills it next time they want to use it.

Why does it matter if a bit of dirt gets in? I would empty it after a few days anyway. Or put some bleach in. Otherwise it goes green and very slippery. Going to a swimming pool is hardly the same

Love ours. DS is in it/ putting his toys in it most days he’s home and the weather is hot (so this summer only recently!). We have a hard plastic one that’s also the lid to our sand pit (so not inflatable). I fill it up with the hose pipe and then tip it out at the end of the day. If it’s nice again the next day, I fill it up again.

I’ve never let the water sit. I empty it each day (watering all my plants!) and refill.

Yes, a day or two at most.

So what if it's gets mucky? It's the same dirt/grass/whatever that they're running and rolling around in anyway...?

I never let water sit in mine, either. I would empty it at the end of the day and then prop it upside down to dry out.

Mine were always happy with a plastic toy tub or similar filled with water, nothing to puncture then.............and I'd get them to water the plants with it at the end of the day, kept them happy for hours with mini watering cans and buckets. Refilled next time required🤷‍♀️

Last time I got a paddling pool (my kids are older teens now), it was a big one that held a lot of water. I remember buying chlorine tablets, which went in a slow release container in the pool. A lid definitely helps! Might help to make it feel less icky.

What?! Why does the dog have priority?

Could you get a sprinkler pad? Still water play and very cooling but no water sat around.

Oh get one it will make your kids so happy 😀

I’ve had 6 kids in my little 3 foot paddling pool today, yes it gets filthy and a few of them probably pee’d in it but it’s been a gorgeous sunny day and it’s food for the soul to see kids playing, there are soooooo many threads about should kids have tablets etc so go for the pool and embrace the dirt that comes with it

This

They do give me the ick a bit in terms of the water just sat there for days on end though.

Er... why are you leaving the water there for days ?
We would water the plants with it at the end of the day and start afresh next time.

We used to water the garden with the water each evening and then refill the next day. Our dogs used to play in it with the kids and never damaged it. Let them have fun.

If it looked clean, would leave the water in for a couple of days. We had a rectangular pool, so I put an elasticated single bedsheet over it to keep things from falling in.

I bought one for £10 on sale in tesco on Monday its better than I thought it would be and big enough for my 2 kiddos, my thinking was if they only get today out off it its cheaper than a day out, anyway they have played for hours in it everyday. I just empty it once they come In then hose it down in morning before refilling. Saved a fair amount off money this week not having to take them on expensive days out. As its not huge its easy just to empty of evening and refill next day no slimey green water etc.