How To Set Up An Inflatable Pool

The Best Kiddie Pools for Every Backyard

Our favorite is the Intex Rainbow Ring Inflatable Play Center

Updated on 04/05/22

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The Spruce / Chloe Jeong

There's no better place to beat the estrus (and have some fun) than in a kiddie pool. We've spent hours researching pools from the almost popular brands, evaluating ease of setup and maintenance, immovability, and overall value.

Our favorite, the Intex Rainbow Band Inflatable Play Center, is an affordable option with features like a water slide, a congenital-in sprayer, and a ring toss game.

Here are the best kiddie pools available online.

Dimensions: fifteen.98 10 fifteen.98 x five.51 inches | Shape: Ring | H2o Capacity: 77 gallons | Frame: PVC | Set-Upwardly Time: 5 to 7 minutes

What We Like

Large size
Piece of cake installation
Comes with a lot of fun features

What We Don't Like

Doesn't come up with a blower for inflation

For kids who are looking for a little more water activity, there's this bright, inflatable play heart that will keep them busy for hours. It comes with a h2o slide, wading pool, ring toss game and a ball roller game, complete with balls and rings. Information technology likewise comes with a water sprayer, which tin exist attached to a garden hose, for extra wet fun.

It measures xv.98 ten 15.98 ten five.51 inches and holds up to 77 gallons of water. Recommended for ages iii-7, there's room for several kids to play at a time. Customers rave virtually this product and say information technology's easy to set up and kids love it.

Dimensions: 58 x 58 x 13 inches | Shape: Round | H2o Chapters: 203 gallons | Frame: Vinyl | Set-Upward Fourth dimension: xv to 20 minutes

What We Like

Easy installation
Has cushioned flooring
Pocket-sized size is great for younger kids

What We Don't Like

May puncture easily

What better way to cool off your kid on a hot summer 24-hour interval than in a cute trivial pool made just for them. This pool measures 58 x 13, though you lot only need a few inches of water to provide your fiddling one with the relief. The lesser of the pool gets inflated to provide some cushioning against the hard ground or rocks. The puddle takes minutes to gear up and just a few minutes to fill. Equally with all kiddie pools, never leave your child unattended.

Your kid will enjoy this for years past as a prissy place to sit down back and relax. If you lot plan on hosting any barbecues yous could fifty-fifty fill it with ice every bit an impromptu cooler.

Dimensions: 98 x 75 x 43 inches | Shape: Rectangular | Water Capacity: 72 gallons | Frame: Vinyl | Set-Up Time: 10 to 30 minutes

What We Similar

Portable
Comes with a lot of fun features
Includes a repair kit
Has a drain plug

What We Don't Like

No warranty

For the tiniest toddlers, this friendly dino will provide a splishin' splashin' good time. Designed for kids ages two and up, it's a great introduction to water earlier they're ready to dive into a bigger puddle.

Information technology measures 98 x 75 x 43-inches and holds upwards to 57 gallons of water, so information technology'southward just big enough to sit down and play, just light and portable plenty to move around or take to the park, beach, or pool. It also comes with 6 plastic balls and a patch in example information technology springs a leak. Also, did we mention how adorable it is?

Dimensions: 156 x 118 ten 100 inches | Shape: Rectangular | Water Capacity: 72 gallons | Frame: PVC | Set-Up Fourth dimension: 10 to 30 minutes

What We Like

Great for block parties
Puncture-resistant
Includes a carrying bag

What Nosotros Don't Like

Doesn't come with a blower for inflation

If your kids are into action, this slide is a must-have! Your children will have to scale up an inflatable wall to become to the top of the slide where they fly down into a kiddie puddle. Before they become back up they tin swim around in the h2o and complete the whole cycle once more and again.

This pool is certain to exist the hit of the neighborhood. But exist enlightened that it has a 300-pound weight limit so you can't take all the kids from the block on it.

Dimensions: 40 x twoscore x 35 inches | Shape: Round | H2o Capacity: 12 gallons | Frame: Vinyl | Set-Up Time: ten minutes

What Nosotros Like

Congenital-in shade
Has cushioned flooring
Includes repair kit
Like shooting fish in a barrel installation
Can be used indoors and outdoots

What We Don't Like

Top can sometimes fall over

Made for keeping your little ones protected from the dominicus, this Mushroom Baby Pool from Intex is fun and adorable. Complete with a mushroom sunshade, and matching mushroom buddy, your tot volition stay cool and protected in the shade as they splash around. Designed for ages one through three, information technology as well features a soft inflatable flooring designed for actress comfort.

Measuring only 40 x 35 inches, this pool is perfect for smaller spaces, and comes consummate with a repair patch for long-term utilize.

Dimensions: 180 ten 180 x 108 inches | Shape: Rectangular | Water Capacity: Due north/A | Frame: PVC, ABS Plastic | Ready-Up Fourth dimension: three minutes

What We Like

Great for older kids
Comes with a lot of fun features
Durable
Piece of cake installation

What We Don't Like

Expensive

If your space and budget allow something over the top, this inflatable kiddie pool and water park is for you lot. With information technology they'll get a slide, h2o blasters, a climbing wall, a pool and much more.

While y'all might not want to have this set up every day in your backyard, this is a groovy choice to pull out for warm, sunny days when you need your kids to stay entertained for a few hours at a time. Perfect for ages five through twelve.

Dimensions: 54 10 54 ten 1.8 inches | Shape: Round | Water Capacity: N/A | Frame: PVC | Set-Up Time: 10 minutes

What We Like

Groovy for small spaces
Inexpensive
Just requires a hose for set up

What We Don't Like

Can exist very glace and cause falls

If your lilliputian one isn't quite ready to swim but all the same wants to splash around in the water, The Banzi Sprinkle & Splash Play Mat is a perfect selection for them. Featuring an adorable design of little ocean creatures, its squishy water-filled border acts like a sprinkler, while the pool itself is filled with only enough water for your piddling one to enjoy.

Perfect for ages xviii months and up, the playmat is easy to gather and merely requires your garden hose. It's merely 54 inches in diameter, so it'south perfect for any sized backyard.

Final Verdict

For a kiddie pool that can keep your children entertained for hours without breaking the bank, pick upward our best overall selection the Intex Rainbow Band Inflatable Play Center (view at Amazon). Complete with a slide, band toss, and more, your kids are certain to enjoy this all-in-one toy. But if you're looking for a larger swimming pool the whole family tin bask, then the Intex Metal Frame Pool with Filter Pump is correct for you. This spacious inflatable pool features a water filter to keep the pool clean for hours.

Size

The size of your kiddie pool is important consideration to remember. Non only does the size of your yard affect the size of your pool, but the age of your children should affect the size of the puddle as well. Younger kids will demand smaller, shallower pools to reduce the risk of drowning, while older kids can handle pools that are deeper and wider.

Durability

Inflatable kiddie pools will but last a season or ii, as they're prone to puncturing or tearing. Withal, this may exist okay if yous're buying the pool for growing children who volition need a differently sized pool in a couple years anyways. Meanwhile, harder plastic kiddie pools tin can last at least a few years, only they're more expensive. These types of kiddie pools are a proficient selection for elementary-schoolers and up who aren't growing equally fast as toddlers and preschoolers do.

Accessories

Many kiddie pools are nothing more than that: kiddie pools. Yet, there'southward a broad globe of kiddie pools with accessories galore, like sunshades, slides, and even climbing walls. If you lot're looking for a kiddie pool with a little something extra, consider kiddie pools with these additional features. However, yous'll exist pressed to discover difficult plastic pools that come with these accessories, equally nigh accessorized kiddie pools are inflatable.

FAQ

How practice you proceed a kiddie pool clean?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, pocket-size inflatable pools should be emptied at least once a day to preclude spreading bacteria. After emptying out the h2o in the pool, remove any backlog dirt or droppings. You'll desire to launder it downward with soapy h2o (a bit of mild dish soap with work), rinse, and allow information technology air dry. For larger pools, you may need to invest in a filtration system and a practiced puddle cleaner.

When not in use, information technology'southward also a skilful idea to cover your kiddie pool. This will help keep it cleaner and protect it from things like bugs and larger debris.
How long do you exit water in a kiddie pool?

If you cull not to use chemicals in your pool, the water should be drained after use within 24 hours. Although this ways refilling the pool with fresh water every day you utilise it, it'due south the best style to prevent infection and waterborne diseases from forming. Using chlorine tablets or minor amounts of bleach in your pool to keep the water safer isn't a proficient idea either. Information technology's likewise catchy to determine the correct dose in gild for it to be effective, especially if in that location are multiple children using the puddle. To proceed your pool every bit condom as it can be, it's best to stick to emptying and washing it out later on every use.
How do you shop a kiddie pool?

You'll want to go your kiddie pool its own large, air-tight storage bin and keep it in there after thoroughly cleaning it and letting it completely air dry. Keeping it in its own storage tub will also foreclose any holes from forming and will keep it away from the elements. When taking it out of storage, y'all should also clean it thoroughly again for using information technology.

This commodity was written by Julie Evans, a author who has been researching home products for The Spruce since 2022. She has extensive experience covering products for children, including toys and gifts. For this commodity, Julie considered budget, a child's age, and several additional features, like slides and umbrellas. Additional reporting was done by Rabekah Henderson, a freelance design and decor writer whose piece of work has appeared on MyDomaine, Atomic Ranch, Cary Magazine, and American Farmhouse Manner.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our manufactures. Read our editorial procedure to larn more near how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

"Inflatable and Plastic Kiddie Pools | Healthy Swimming | Healthy Water | CDC," September 23, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/swimmers/inflatable-plastic-pools.html.