My husband and I are in the process of putting an offer on a house. We may or may not get it, but if we do, I'd like to get my girls a wading pool. I was wondering what the best kind is. Should I get a stiff plastic one, or one with the softer plastic that stores easier? I'm not looking to spend a lot of money; I'll probably just get it at Wal-Mart.
Also, I got my girls some straw cups from Wal-Mart. They're clear, with a straw on one side. The straw is bumpy, so I can't put it in the dishwasher. I did, and all kinds of gunk got trapped in the straw. Does anyone know of a way to get it out? I've tried soaking the cups, but that's only helped some. I don't want to have to throw them out, though I will if I have to.
Thanks for any help!
Thanks to all of you for your quick responses!
Since I have a Christmas Tree Shop nearby, I'll check there for a blow-up pool. As for the cups, I'll be getting a thin brush the next time I go grocery shopping. If that doesn't work, though, I'll probably just end up throwing them out and avoid buying cups with bumpy straws again.
I have the same trouble with sippy cups that use straws... I bought a package of pipe cleaners and they work perfectly...
those little pipe cleaners that use for arts and crafts are great for cleaning straws. As for the wading pools we had one of those blow up ones last year and it was a pain in the butt we ended up throwing it out at the end of summer I have boys and they seem to have more fun w water balloons and squirt guns then the pool they would be in/out in/out all day and it would get so nasty and never completely drained. We are fortunate to now be a few seconds away from parents that have a pool I would get a plastic one they are cheap enough where if you have a hard time storing it you can always purchase another one next summer.
I only have two suggestions for the straw cups. One is to soak them in baking soda water for hour or so then dump some vinegar into the water. If that does not foam it out, then throw them away.
Unless you can find a special thin brush to scrub them with. How about pipe cleaners?
My husband would not allow them in the house as he saw them as potentially infectuous.
Hard plastic wading pools from WalMart in my opinion are a fine choice.
Wading pools are such a wonderful source of summer fun for small children..they can be happy in them for hours.
I would like to caution you, NEVER LEAVE THOSE CHILDREN WITH THAT POOL.
ALWAYS SUPERVISE.
A child can drown with a half teaspoon of water in their lungs and it does not take much for that to happen.
Pool accidents ( large pools and small ) are a very common cause of death of children under five .
That being said, all it takes is an adult to always be present when they are in the pool to ward off any accidents.
I grew up in a coastal village and we were all taught to swim by the age of two, three at the latest. I cannot recall any native child drowning. Summer kids, one a summer usually but none of the year rounders.
Just use common sense when children are near water, yes?
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell
Its sorta fun to answer then read the other responses...great minds think alike yes? LOL
Hi C.-
I cant help with the cups because I have the same problem but last year I bought my daughter a little pool at walmart is was a soft plastic blow up it came with a slide, basketball net and blow up rings for a ring toss. It was I dont know about 10 feet long giving her enough room to play at 1 end and about 2 feet deep also can be hooked up to the hose and it sprinkles out the basketball hoop. My daughter loved this since she could play if she wanted or swim if she wanted. I also only payed like $30. Hope this helps.
The wading pool I would suggest a blow up, some even come with the blow up part on the bottom of the pool so it is a little softer for sitting & playing. As for the straws, I use pipe cleaners (the white ones that are used for crafts) they are cheaper than bottle brushes, can fit inside the straw all the way thru and as they get gross you can toss them.
If you have a Christmas Tree Shop nearby I know they carry cheap blowup pools. I got one there last year for my daughter for $9 and it had a blow up sunshade that went over it. Great for the price!
As far as cleaning straw cups....Babies R Us sells these little cleaning brushes for Dr. Browns bottles and they work great for straw cups. You can find them with all the Dr. Browns bottles stuff.
I clean my daughters' thermos straws with a pipe cleaner. Works perfectly!
As for pools, I find the blow-up ones work better for me--they hold their shape just as well when fully inflated, but are easier to empty--and storage space is small even for a decent size one. Never had one get punctured (I have seen the hard-sided ones crack).
Hi,
We do put our straws in the dishwasher (we have a basket that has a spot for straws) but sometimes stuff gets stuck (Like if our daughter had a smoothie). Our bottles came with some really skinny brushes that fit perfectly. So a pipe cleaner might work or you could look in the section of the store that sells bottles and they may have tiny brushes that would fit.
We use the Take and Toss (although I hate the name since I would never "toss") and they have been convenient. They are inexpensive and work well for around the house, but they would leak if you tried to just toss them in a bag.
D.
I would suggest an inflatable pool because your girls are so young. They will want to jump in and out and its much easier to do with a soft pool and less injuries. Its also easier to clean because you can deflate it a little and step on the side to drain it then re-inflate it, tip it over to empty it completely and bleach it, rinse and refill it.
As for the straw cups try using a pipe cleaner. It should work.
One other thing to try if you can't find the right size bottle brushes is a large pet store - there are brushes for cleaning fish tank filters - you can get the thinnest one and it should have a long handle that you can bend to insert the brush end in the straw. Get one with really flexible, soft bristles so you get the most manageability.
Good luck.
