This is review of the paddling pool which we were actually able use earlier this year! We bought it a couple of years ago and only used it once but I had hopes for it this year when the weather started to improve.

Description
The pool is described as 120cm and I think that means diameter. There are three 'rings' which make up the height and you blow up each one individually. It doesn't take as much puff as you'd think and my mum managed it in five minutes yesterday. There is a plastic base in the pool and it's easy to fill with the hose pipe.

In use
My daughter loves her paddling pool! She just dives straight in and doesn't seem to mind that the water is freezing. We add a couple of kettles' full of hot water to the mix to take the edge off it but it still feels freezing to me. We add bath toys, buckets and anything else that will be OK in water and she will play in it for ages. She likes taking buckets of water around the garden and generally chucking it everywhere.

Warning
The base is a little slippy and she has stepped in and fallen over a couple of times but nothing really bad. The directions do advise that it is suitable for children aged 2 and over, a milestone our daughter has not yet reached but when it's hot, you cool off and she is always supervised.

Price and availability
I paid well over the odds for this pool in Toys R Us during a hot spell and then remember going back a few weeks later and it was half the price! I seem to think I paid around £15 for what is a very basic pool. You can buy the same model on Amazon for £6.99 but this doesn't include postage which is steep at £5.13. I suggest you shop around if you are in the paddling pool market and don't go on a hot day!

My thoughts
At the moment this pool is perfectly adequate for what we need. It fits my daughter in and the adults can sit around the edge with their feet in to keep cool and keep an eye on the child. It's wet and splashy fun but an essential garden toy when the sun is beating down. We always do a full coat of factor 50 on my daughter before she is allowed in as she tends to go in wearing her birthday suit.

Final word
I do feel I paid too much for this but then I was in a rush and pregnant at the time and was visualising me sat in there chilling out. I knew it would come in handy once the baby was born and on the occasions we have used it (around three or four to date) it has not let us down! Obviously it can be dangerous when slippy (you just watch you've been framed for evidence) and water and children is another factor to be cautious about. On very warm days this pool has been a great source of entertainment for us. When the swimming pool is not an option, opt for the paddling pool!