10 best paddling pools and splash parks for a whole summer of fun
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MAKE this summer one to remember by finding the perfect paddling pool for your back garden.
Whether you’re looking for somewhere safe for the kids to splash about or a large pool for the whole family to cool off in, we’ve found the best paddling pools for your summer of fun.
It goes without saying that children should always be supervised when playing in water, but the age of your children may determine the depth of pool you choose. Whereas little ones may prefer a shallow splash pad for playing in, older kids may favour a larger, deeper pool which they can dive about in. If adults want to join in the fun, keep in mind that you'll need plenty of legroom and sturdy inflatable walls.
Many paddling pools also come with a range of accessories and extras, which can all add to the comfort and fun. From inbuilt sun shades and cupholders, to sprinkler systems and water slides, consider what you want from your paddling pool and whether it’s worth looking beyond the basic two-ringed inflatable.
Best paddling pools at a glance:
- Best overall: Bestway Sunsational Family Fun Pool
- Best value: Summer Waves 4.2ft 2 ring pool
- Best mid-range: Bestway Sunsational Family Fun Pool
- Best premium: Plum Water Park Splash Station
- Best for very young children: Swimming Pool with Canopy
- Best for travel: Nabaji Swimming Pool
- Best for smaller gardens: Intex Kids Play Box Pool
Nabaji Swimming Pool
Nabaji Swimming Pool, £27.99 from Decathlon
Pros: Doesn’t need an outdoor hose, instant set up, well priced, portable
Cons: Smaller than other pools on the list, aimed at younger kids
Rating: 5/'5
This unassuming little pool has so much clever functionality and is sure to be the paddling pool you return to time and time again.
Firstly, this pool does not need inflating so you can instantly pop it up, simply by sliding it out of its travel bag and filling with water, which takes around 20 minutes for a decent splash level.
That travel bag also comes in handy if you don’t have an outdoor tap or are out and about (at the beach, with little ones who don’t like waves, for example).
You can fill the bag with water, carry it back to your pool and empty it in – genius! The sides of the pool aren’t quite as soft and squidgy for leaning on as inflatable pools, but they are soft enough not to hurt if little ones fall into them.
Our two testers loved it and had plenty of space for splashing and playing. Once packed away this pool is easy to store and small enough to slip into a suitcase for holidays.
Age suitability: 1 – 6 years ; Size: 120 x 120 x 24cm
Summer Escapes 9ft Octagonal Family Paddling Pool
Summer Escapes 9ft Octagonal Family Paddling Pool, £36 from Argos
Pros: Big enough for the whole family, sturdy, cup holders!
Cons: Requires lots of water, needs a pump (not included)
Rating: 4/5
Pool party time! This amazing octagonal pool was made for socialising. It took around 15 minutes to inflate with a pump (not included) and a further 30 minutes to get a decent level of water.
We really loved the gradient blue colour, which felt slightly more grown-up than some of the other pools, although our kiddy testers loved this pool too.
The PVC feels thick and durable, plus it’s comfortable to lie against.
However, as this pool has such a large capacity (1318L) we’d recommend getting a pool cover with it too as it is a lot of water to empty and refill continually.
Age suitability: all ages; Size: 279 x 279 x 56cm.
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Swimming Pool with Canopy
Swimming Pool with Canopy, £28 from Kidly
Pros: Sun shade, inflatable floor, quick to inflate
Cons: Only for little ones
Rating: 4/5
There’s so much to love about this beautiful little baby pool. From the subtle-yet gorgeous apricot colour, to the soft, plump sides, to the large canopy, which provides plenty of shade to keep little ones cool and safe in the scorching sun.
However, the best thing has to be the luxuriously squidgy inflatable floor, which means your child can comfortably play in their pool for hours on end. We blew this pool up manually and it took less than half an hour to get it up, filled and ready.
Our 18-month old tester was very happy splashing about in their pool and we liked that the sides weren’t too high so they could step in and out the pool without tripping.
Age suitability: 1 – 3 years ; Size: 100cm round
Plum Water Park Splash Station
Plum Water Park Splash Station, £239.99 from Plum Play
Pros: Fun accessories, sturdy, year round use
Cons: Expensive, younger kids only
Rating: 4/5
This incredible piece of play equipment is the perfect addition to your garden for a whole summer of fun. Featuring a slide, splash pad with sprinklers, plus a water blaster, bubble blower and eight-pattern sprinkler.
The build instructions were clear and easy to follow and It took two adults just over half an hour to construct.
Our young testers (a couple of two-year olds) were the ideal age for this splash park and spent literally all day sliding down into the sprinkler pool, playing in the bubbles and painting the fabric wall with water, which revealed some underwater creatures when wet.
The steps and platform are both slightly textured, so they’re not slippery even when soaked by a water blaster and the whole thing felt really well considered and safe.
Take away the splash pad and water attachments and the slide and steps can be used all year round too.
Age suitability: 18 months – 6 years ; Size: 190 x 240 x 142cm
Intex Kids Play Box Pool
Intex Kids Play Box Pool, £16.99 from Amazon
Pros: Inflatable floor, robust design, suitable for smaller gardens
Cons: Younger kids only, smaller size
Rating: 4/5
Need a paddling pool that you can quickly inflate? This smart little square pool is easy to blow up and fills up super speedily.
In fact, if you don’t have an outdoor tap, a few buckets of water should do the job. The sides of this pool are quite high and offer some support for unsteady little ones and the inflatable bottom means it’s cushiony soft to sit in.
We loved how quick and easy it was to fill and empty and that it could be used in any sized outdoor space.
Age suitability: 1–3 years ; Size: 86 x 86 x 25cm
Bestway Sunsational Family Fun Pool
Bestway Sunsational Family Fun Pool, £52 from B&Q
Pros: Huge family pool, clever design
Cons: Takes some time to fill, needs a pump
Rating: 4/5
Want to be instantly transported to a glorious outdoor pool in the Tuscan sunshine (well, almost)? This large family pool has a 1207L capacity and with its mosaic patterned floor and built-in cup holders you can lie back with an Aperol Spritz and dream of Italian holidays.
The pool has two curved edges on each end, which brilliantly, allows for two adults to lounge across the pool and leaves the middle free for kids to play. The pool took about 20 minutes to inflate with a pump (not included) and a further 30-45 minutes to fill with water.
Ideally you’d probably want to buy a cover for this pool as continually emptying and refilling would be a bit of a faff. The PVC feels thick and robust, and this pool also comes with a heavy duty repair kit in case of punctures.
Age suitability: all ages; Size: 305 x 305 x 460cm
Happy Hop Bouncy Castle with pool and slide
Happy Hop Bouncy Castle with pool and slide, £169.99 from Plum Play
Pros: Well-priced, easy to inflate, incredible fun!
Cons: Needs an electrical point, too big for smaller gardens
Rating: 4/5
This spectacular bouncy castle with an attached paddling pool elicited several shrieks of delight from our testers when we revealed it in the garden.
It takes literally seconds to inflate; you simply plug the included air blower into a powerpoint and watch it spring up. It then just needs to be secured to the ground with a couple of pegs.
The pool at the bottom is quick to fill and there’s also a sprinkler attachment over the slide which makes it more slippery and fun. It comes with a few balls too for added games, or you can forgo the water completely on cooler days.
We loved how neatly it packed away in its storage bag and any accidents can be quickly mended with the included repair kit.
Age suitability: 3 years+ ; Size: 365 x 200 x 190cm
Slip ‘n’ Slide Splash Park
Slip ‘n’ Slide Splash Park, £29.99 from TP Toys
Pros: Affordable, lots of fun
Cons: Needs a large garden, smaller pool
Rating: 3/5
If you’re looking for something a bit more exciting than your standard paddling pool, this slip ‘n’ slide is fun, affordable and quick to inflate.
Including a brightly-coloured 9m slide with sprinklers, a splash pool with inflatable ‘finish’ arch and sprinkler pod, this is a great option for a group of varying-age kids as little ones will love splashing in the pool and small sprinkler jets, while older kids can launch themselves down the slide.
However, the paddling pool is quite small and you’ll obviously need a decent-sized – ideally flat – outdoor space to set up the slide and pool.
Age suitability: 5 –12 years; : 137 x 480 x 66cm
Summer Waves 4.2ft 2 ring pool
Summer Waves 4.2ft 2 ring pool, £10 from Argos
Pros: Quick to set up, very affordable
Cons: Thin floor
Rating: 3/5
If you’re looking for a basic paddling pool, that’s cheap, easy to inflate and will keep the kids happy, this neon-bright two ring pool from Argos might be just the thing.
The pool takes about 10 minutes to inflate manually and a further 10 minutes to fill. It’s a good height and depth for toddlers to step in and out of and it doesn’t need much water so you can empty and refill without too much bother.
The material doesn’t feel that thick and the thin floor could become a little uncomfortable after a while, but it does come with a repair patch for punctures.
Age suitability: 2 years+; Size: 131 x 131 x 22cm
Bestway Fast Set PVC Pool
Bestway Fast Set PVC Pool, £40 from B&Q
Pros: Less to inflate, deep pool
Cons: Needs a flat surface, requires a lot of water
Rating: 3/5
Create an instant mini oasis in your back garden. Find a flat surface, inflate the top ring (which takes approx 5mins) and fill with water.
The water provides the rigidity for the pool, and with a capacity of 2300L it does take some time to fill, but once up, it feels sturdy and luxuriously deep.
You can also get a filter pump and/or cover for this paddling pool, which would be advisable as it is a lot of water to slow drain and refill each time you want to use it.
There is also a heavy duty patch repair kit included.
Age suitability: 4 years+ ; Size: 244 x 244 x 66cm
How we tested these paddling pools and splash pools
We put these paddling pools through their paces with a range of both child and adult testers, who were looking for paddling pools that were comfortable, exciting, practical and provided hours of splashy fun.
Our adult testers were also keeping track of how long each pool took to inflate and fill, how durable they felt once they were filled, how much space they took up and how long they took to empty too.
Where to buy paddling pools
If you’d like to buy a paddling pool for summer fun you can look at specialist outdoor toy retailers such as Plum Play and TP Toys, homeware shops such as B&Q and Argos, online retailers like Amazon and toy specialists such as Kidly.
How much does a paddling pool cost?
Paddling pools and splash parks vary greatly in price depending on size, durability, accessories included and functionality.
For a simple single or double ring paddling pool you can expect to pay around £10, but for something that lasts a bit longer or with additional functionality, £30 is a more typical price point.
For larger pools that will comfortably fit adults and have a greater depth you should expect to pay £30-50 and for the ultimate summer party piece with extra features such as slides and water jets you can pay up to £500.