Best paddling pools 2022: Children and family-size inflatables for summer

Best: Overall

Rating: 9.5/10

• Dimensions: 195cm x 145cm x 40cm

This rectangular paddling pool came out top, thanks to being such a great all-rounder. Measuring almost 200cm in length, it’s a decent size that would work for toddlers right through to older kids. In fact, we managed to fit a two-, six- and eight-year-old in at the same time, still leaving plenty of space to splash around happily.

Set up is super easy – we inflated the two compartments that make up the pool in minutes using an electric pump. It’s quick to fill with water too – although we had very young children playing in it most of the time, so didn’t fill the pool up to full capacity.

The kids loved the clear viewing window along one side of the pool and insisted on wearing their goggles to go underwater and have a look through. We also thought the built-in inflatable headrest was a clever touch, although sadly, with a garden full of rampaging kids, using it wasn’t quite the relaxing experience we had in mind.

When it came to putting the pool away, it was simple to deflate using the electric pump (set to deflate). It was also easy to fold up and pack away in its original box (something we find is usually like Mission: Impossible once a paddling pool has been inflated).

Delivering so much more than we’d expect for its incredibly modest price tag of less than £20, this has cheap and cheerful summer fun written all over it.

Best: For water features

Rating: 9/10

• Dimensions: 249cm x 191cm x 109cm

There are paddling pools and there are epic inflatable wonderlands like this Jurassic-themed beauty. As you’d imagine from a set-up this large – and with so many extra features – inflating this pool was a job and a half. The instructions said it should take two people 10-20 minutes, but we were still waiting for the electric pump to finish doing its job after half an hour. However, once the paddling pool was blown up, it definitely had the wow factor – our little testers squealed with excitement when they saw it, which is exactly the reaction you want.

The colourful pool includes inflatable steps leading to an inflatable slide and a blow-up blue dinosaur that attaches onto the edge of the pool, complete with a hole in its mouth to shoot the plastic balls (included) into. We were surprised at how well the blow-up stairs fared when faced with a barrage of use from a pre-schooler and a five-year-old – showing no signs of deflating or sagging throughout the day.

However, it was the water features that really won over the children. You can hook up your garden hose to a connector on the pool, which then sprays water from the mini palm tree, as well as creating a shower of water from the waterfall arch. The kids loved it – in fact, even the older children couldn’t resist getting involved – and as the water flow was constant, it meant we didn’t need to fill the pool up much to begin with.

Deflating was a quicker job than we anticipated, although we had zero luck trying to fit it back into the box, so it’s worth having a back-up storage option to hand, like a very large carrier bag.

This pool really is a dream come true for kids and is exactly the kind of thing we’d have gone mad for when we were little.

Best: For sunshade

Rating: 8/10

• Dimensions: 115cm x 100cm x 68cm

With a built-in sunshade, this super-bright paddling pool is a great choice if you have little water babies. Offering some shade from the heat, it’s a great size for babies and toddlers, who can splash away feeling smug they have one of the best-looking inflatable pools around!

Even with the sunshade, the pool was very quick to inflate (less than 10 minutes) and the padded floor added some extra comfort from our bumpy lawn. We found it a good height for our two-year-old tester to easily clamber in and out, and spacious enough for two to play in at the same time.

Deflated, the pool is nice and compact, making it a good choice if you want to take it to the beach as a safe, non-sandy place for your baby to play. Running with the shell theme, it comes with a small inflatable “pearl” ball, which was a cute addition.

At a shade under £50, it is a pricey option, but we found it doubled up really well as a ball pit for inside play when the weather was rubbish, so you’re getting two for the price of one. Plus, the non-toxic, Phthalate-free PVC material feels durable, so we expect to get many years of fun out of this one.

Best: For older children

Rating: 9/10

• Dimensions: 240cm x 150cm x 60cm

If you’ve ever dreamt of having your own swimming pool in the back garden, this offering is half-way there. Measuring a whopping 240cm across, this was the largest paddling pool we put to the test, and it was an instant hit with the older kids, thanks to its size and substantial depth.

Set-up was a lot easier than we imagined, too – you simply inflate the top ring, then the rest of the pool lifts into shape as you fill it with water. But while assembly was super-quick, filling up this giant pool took well over an hour, so make sure you factor that in, unless you’re prepared for the constant cries of “Is it ready yet?” from the kids.

Emptying a pool of this size is no mean feat, but another feature we loved was how you can attach a hose to the drain valve (the adapter is included) to empty the water somewhere convenient, whether that’s down the drain (bit wasteful – tut tut) or into buckets for watering the plants (that’s more like it), as long as you haven’t used any water treatments. Talking of treatments, you may want to consider a cover, filter and maybe some chlorine tablets, so you’re not emptying and refilling the pool every day throughout summer.

Our testers from six years up loved floating around in this giant paddling pool. It’s not quite swimming pool proportions but it’s still big enough for kids to live out their best summer yet. And, with a two-year warranty, you can feel confident this will last for a good few years to come.

Best: For seats

Rating: 8.5/10

• Dimensions: 229cm x 229cm x 66cm

Ooh, hello paddling pool with seats – where have you been all my life? This ingenious design feels like it’s been made with parents in mind, with four decent-sized inflatable seats built into the corners of this generous pool. Plus, there’s back rests and even cup holders!

Because of the extra features that needed inflating, it took us around 20 minutes to blow up the pool with our electric pump. Deflating was easy enough, and there’s a plug you can simply pull out to empty the water at the end of the day.

Our six-year-old tester thought this pool was “so cool” and quite enjoyed relaxing on one of the seats with his smoothie in the cup holder, living the dream. But the best part of this inflatable is that even with the seating, there’s still plenty of room for younger kids to splash about in the middle.

We think it’s a great option for older children who like the idea of a more chilled-out paddling pool session. But, to be quite honest, we couldn’t wait for the kids to get out so we could sit back and relax with the whole pool to ourselves.

Best: For style

Rating: 9/10

• Dimensions: 150cm x 150cm x 25cm

Nordic company Liewood is renowned for its Instagrammable baby and child products, and this seriously good-looking paddling pool is no exception. Made from BPA-free PVC, it has a chic matt finish while the peach, sand and yellow stripy colourway gives off summer holiday vibes.

Looks aside, this is a fantastic-quality paddling pool. The material feels tough and durable – it’s designed to last a childhood if you care for it properly. But just in case of the odd leak, the included vinyl puncture repair patch is a handy touch.

Standing at a toddler-friendly 25cm in height, it was our youngest testers, ranging from two to five, who enjoyed splashing around in this paddling pool the most – with its 1.5m diameter providing plenty of space for two children to play in together.

If you’re in the market for a beautiful, excellent-quality pool for babies and up – and your budget allows – we think this is a gloriously stylish choice. We just wish they made them in grown-up sizes too.

Best: For younger kids

Rating: 8.5/10

• Dimensions: 274cm x 198cm x 137cm

The unicorn love is strong with pre-schoolers and young kids, so it came as no surprise this mega-bright paddling pool and inflatable play centre was met with cries of “Ooh” and “I want a go!” by our little testers.

In a similar style to the Intex dinosaur offering, this is an all-singing, all-dancing paddling pool. It may take some time to inflate – around 25 minutes with an electric pump – but the effort is well worth it.

You can hook your garden hose up to this paddling pool too, to create a spray of water in the arch over the slide. This obviously increases the slippiness – and speed – of the slide, which our testers loved, but may be something to watch out for with toddlers still finding their feet.

The unicorn – complete with rainbow mane, naturally – holds an inflatable hoop for kids to throw the six balls (included) into, and there’s an additional star-shaped hoop to use as a hoopla game over the unicorn’s horn. Our older kids got quite competitive over this, while the younger testers were all about the inflatable magic wand, also included in the pack.

Unicorns, water spray, slide and a hoopla game – summer fun sorted!