Just before the kids melt into two little puddles of sweat, we’ve decided to get a Chad Valley Paddling Pool. And, heck why not review it too!

Let me start with an apology to my kids. The heatwave in London has been going on for weeks now. Could even be a month. It’s hard to keep track of time when you are half melted and half dessicated from the heat.

But we hadn’t bought a paddling pool.

Why not?

Because we’re about to go away to Italy for the summer. And, let’s be honest, I didn’t really think it would stay hot for that long.

(If you haven’t got one, and can’t wait until the end of this review, pop over here to Buy at Amazon UK)

(Please note that this is an affiliate link. What does this mean? It means that, if you buy from this link, Amazon will make me a very small compensation. This does not add any additional cost to your purchase)

So why did I decide to finally buy a paddling pool?

What made me finally break?

What made me finally stop being a tightarse and buy one?

Was it pitying my poor little kids, red hot and sweating in the sun? With no means of cooling themselves down?

Nope.

It was envy. Pure envy.

I heard splashes of water and the ringing out of children’s laughter from next door.

I peeped in through the slats in the garden fence and broke one of the Ten Commandments

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manslave, nor his maidslave, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s

Exodus 20:17

Nope, it wasn’t his wife, his manslave or maidslave. He doesn’t have an ox or an ass.

But he did have a paddling pool.

A 9ft Chad Valley paddling pool…

…and boy was I coveting it!

Why we chose the Chad Valley 9ft Paddling Pool

There’s quite a big selection of paddling pools out there.

And you can go really wild on them. Big old things with slides and sprinkler features. Huge beasts that you could actually swim in.

…but then we’d have no room left in our small-ish London garden.

…and we’re on a water metre

…and Dad is very planetary conscious and Mum is a tightarse.

So the Chad Valley 9ft Paddling Pool was not too big and not too small. It was going to be just right, as declared by Goldilocks.

(I have to admit there was also a large element of it not yet being sold out that also appealed)

Setting up the Paddling Pool

As regular readers and real-life friends will know, I’m a bit useless with instructions. And with generally assembling things.

I need things to be absolutely foolproof.

I unloaded the contents of the Chad Valley Paddling Pool onto the dry, scorched, London heatwave grass.

It does look pretty easy. One large folded up plastic thing and two instruction leaflets.

And it does look pretty foolproof.

Unfolded, it looks desperately easy. All you need to do is make sure that you have it the right way up

…and that was so easy to work out that even I didn’t need to phone a friend.

Then, you check that the bung, or plughole thingy, at the base of the pool is closed.

…ready to inflate.

The Chad Valley Paddling Pool doesn’t come with a pump. And I think you’d die if you relied on blowing it up yourself.

… and summer would surely be gone before you were ready anyway.

Being a little late to the party, the recommended electric pump was out of order, so I borrowed a neighbour’s.

If you’re a bit more organised, I’d suggest you add a pump to your order. My friend says hers deflates it really easily too when you’re ready to put it back in the box.

So, buy the pump. And keep the box.

There are two parts to inflate. And it really is obvious what to do. Even for me.

Just make sure that, when you have inflated the section enough, you stick the stopper in fast and push it hard.

Fast and hard.

Got it?!

Then, fill her up with water, and you’re ready for fun fun fun in the sun sun sun.

Chad Valley Paddling Pool: would we recommend it?

I hadn’t told the kids I was getting them a paddling pool.

I picked them up from school and told them that I had a surprise waiting for them at home.

“Is it Dad?”

Nope.

“Is it something you can eat?”

Nope. It’s something to cool you down.

“Is it an ice cream?”

Nope. You can eat an ice cream.

“If you leave it to melt in the sun, you can drink it”.

OK, smart-arse, thought Mum in her head.

So, it turns out that this paddling pool is better than Dad coming home early and better than ice-cream.

And life could only be improved now if Dad did come home early…

…with ice-cream!

After Day 1: did we use it?

Yes, we did!

The kids have been in and out of that paddling pool every day since we’ve had it.

Littlest Angel, who is 5 and just about doing a few float-free strokes at swimming lessons, started to swim lengths by herself.

So, it’s a big thumbs up from us!

If you are keen to make your kid’s day, click here to buy a similar paddling pool from Amazon UK.

And don’t forget to add in a pump.

And don’t forget to add this Kiddy-Safe water treatment stuff. It’s chlorine free and means you won’t have to keep emptying out the water.

..great news for the kids

..great news for the environment

..and great news for your wallet if you’re on a water meter!

(Please make sure that you supervise your kids at all times when you have any water in the paddling pool)