I am wanting to purchase a baby pool for this summer for my little guy. He loves the bathtub and so I can't wait to get him in the pool. The only problem is:
1. Older siblings wanting to get into the pool;
2 Neighbor kids getting into the pool; and
3. Mom (me) wanting to get into the pool. :)
What type of pool do you recommend that is tough enough to handle 3 boys plus the other neighbor kids? This pool will either have to be small enough so that I can reach all the way across it or large enough that I fit into it with my little guy.
Did you even have a baby pool? We have a big pool as well, but I don't want to over whelm the little guy just yet.
My parents have a 16X32 above ground pool and my kids have been in it since they were 6 months old. They LOVE it. As long as they're being held by someone they're perfectly safe too. I wouldn't waste money on a little pool that will (very likely) be destroyed by other kids before your baby even gets to enjoy it! lol
You could try for a $15 cheapie pool from wal-mart for the baby to play in, probably be too small for the older kids to care about. If that doesn't work out, buy a bigger pool and turn the smaller one into a sandbox. :) You could even buy a slip n slide or a play sprinkler for the older kids.
We bought a large blow up pool from Target. It was plain, white/blue & I think it was around $30. We have an electric pump so blow up wasn't bad. It was as deep as a big bathtub but long and wide. My husband who is 6'1" could fit in it with both of our girls and myself. The girls would practice putting their heads under water and "swimming" from one end to the other. I liked it because we could dump it and take it down whenever we wanted & it wasn't too deep that I was overly nervous about my youngest being in there. (kids can drown in a bucket, so water of any kind should not be treated lightly) Expect to only get one summer out of it. We bought dive sticks and squish balls and the kids (& hubby) had a blast.
For the last 2 years we've gotten a snap set pool from WalMart. It's about 18 inches deep and about 8 foot wide. It's not inflatable, so there's nothing to pop. The water in the pool keeps the sides up. The bottom is made of vinyl, so it's really tough. And if it gets a hole in it, duct tape fixes it. We paid around $20.00 for ours. They get a LOT of use, so we wind up buying a new one each year. We just don't have a place to store it in the winter.
To keep the gunk out, you can get one of those floating things and put chlorine in it. A friend of mine has one and she actually uses pool chemicals in hers. She shocks it once a week to keep the gunk down. You can buy covers for them too.
We just use a net to fish out the leaves and stuff that fall into it and drain about once a week or so. We don't pay for water (have a well) so it's not a big deal.
We have a Step 2 Big Splash Center pool and slide. We LOVE it! It was handed down from family that moved out of state & couldn't take it with. Since it's Step 2, it's very sturdy! We have used it for several birthday parties & LOTS of kids climbing in & out! You would have to search craigslist or other want ads to find it since it is not sold in stores any longer. Probably between $50 -$75. This will be our 4th summer with ours & it is still holding strong!
