10 best paddling pools to keep the kids cool and entertained this summer

With four comfortable backrests plus room in the middle for children to play, this pool is suitable for all ages. If you have young children, the supportive seats make it enjoyable to sit in the pool with them and supervise the splashing. Our older testers invited their friends over and felt very grown-up while sitting and chilling in the pool with an ice lolly and a cold drink, putting the world to rights. We loved that this pool has two cup holders to minimise spillages, too.

When the children were in bed, we may have poured some warmer water into the pool and enjoyed sitting outside ourselves. It’s 10 times cheaper than most hot tubs and felt lovely and refreshing on a balmy evening, with our favourite tunes on a speaker and a chilled glass of wine in hand – pure bliss.

Easily big enough for four people, and with bouncy sides to lean back on, this is excellent value for money. What it lacks in water toys and activities, it makes up for with space to splash around. If you have a slide, this paddling pool is long enough that you can hook the slide over the side, climb up the ladder and whizz down into the water, which was something all four of our mini-testers did on repeat (without hitting the other end of the paddling pool).

We’re not entirely sure if this paddling pool would last more than a year, as the outer material seems rather thin, but it does come with a puncture repair kit. For £10, you can’t go wrong.

Bright, easy to put up and with a carry bag included for easy storage, this paddling pool made us smile. The rainbow arch looks lovely and cheerful, while also providing shade from all angles.

As this paddling pool comes with a bag, you can take it anywhere to help prevent little ones from overheating – whether it’s a trip to see the grandparents or a day at the beach. We took it to a neighbour's house for a BBQ, impressing everyone with how easily the paddling pool popped up. It’s also very durable because it doesn’t need inflating, so it’s impossible to puncture.

When your children get a little older, they might want some more space to play in the water. This Bestway 13ft x 6ft pool feels like having a mini swimming pool in the garden. Not only is it long, it’s deep, too, so kids can practise going underwater and using their goggles. You can also fit about six people inside, making it great for playdates. Our testers happily spent an hour in this at a time, burning off energy before bedtime.

Admittedly, it’s not the fastest thing to build – assembling the included ladder is probably more complicated than erecting the entire pool – but we finished it in one morning. As it has a durable, puncture-resistant Tritech liner and corrosion-resistant steel frame so you can put it up at the start of the summer and not have to worry about it until September or October or whenever you decide you want to take it down to reclaim some space back in your garden. It comes with a filter pump, so the water can be used for however long the pool is in place.

If you have a little Disney fan in the house, make sure to warn your neighbours, as this paddling pool caused squeals of excitement from our mini testers before they’d even got in and started splashing around.

This paddling pool has an image of Stitch (from the animated film Lilo and Stitch) printed onto the bottom of the pool, as well as an arch featuring the blue alien’s distinctive ears and tuft of hair. To further add to the excitement, a stream of water falls from the arch, so little ones can splish-splash around and run in and out of the jet. There’s even a little slide, aimed at toddlers but our bigger ones enjoyed flopping down it on their bellies. We just wish it was a little bigger, as we could only fit four people in it if nobody moved.

For less than £60, this is an excellent investment for summer, as it has so many elements to play with. A wading pool is connected to a slippery water slide that is big enough for six- and seven-year-olds to use (as well as being suitable for toddlers). Then, four inflatable rings transformed into a friendly game of ring toss, while a ball roller and ball toss game kept our little testers entertained for hours. Adding to the fun, a water sprayer connects to your garden hose to cool everyone down on the hottest days of the year.

We liked how the vibrant multi-colour design and rainbow arch really brightened up our garden, too. While it’s not something adults would be able to use, it was really fun to watch little ones jumping in and out of it and playing with the toys. Just be prepared for water to splash outside the pool, especially if the sprinkler is on.

For those who are constantly misplacing their foot pump, you’ll be pleased to know the Splosh easy set pool builds itself. Watching the pool walls rise as it fills with water is an activity in its own right. Once up, it’s a decent size for adults as well as children, with a depth of 50cm. We had water over our stomach when we sat down in this with the kids and enjoyed joining in with their games rather than having to watch from the sidelines.

This has three-layered walls made from durable laminated vinyl, so it’s designed to last for several years, making it excellent value for the price. Not many pools at this price point have an integrated drain but this one does, so you can simply pull out the plug when you’re finished and it empties itself, too. All of the fun, none of the hassle.

If you’re looking for a pool that can be erected once and last all summer, the Polygroup paddling pool is the answer. We found it to be one of the easiest to set up, as it has a self-inflating ring top that rises as you fill the pool with water.

At 10ft wide, it provides ample space for splashtastic games and cool relaxation, depending on the ages of the kids. There’s no need to worry about playtime getting too rough, either, as this pool is constructed with durable three-ply tough mesh, so it can withstand even the most boisterous of children’s summer shenanigans. However, it is important to note it is 76cm deep, so the manufacturer recommends it be used by kids aged six and over if it’s filled up.

The £30 price tag includes a filter pump (to keep the water clean) and a protective cover to keep out leaves and bugs.

With mint stripes on the inside, this has the chicest design of all the pools we tested. We were impressed to find out it had substance as well as style, which was evident as soon as we stepped inside. A cushioned base meant it was one of the most comfortable pools to sit in. While there’s not masses of room – it’s just about big enough for an adult and one older child or two toddlers – we’d rather be in something small and gentle on the knees and bottom than feeling the hard surface of the ground through the bottom of the pool. We tested this paddling pool on grass, but we think the cushioning would come in even more handy if you were using it on a hard surface like a balcony or a patio.

Another bonus is the paddling pool’s deep sides, which gave us something to lean back on. If you only have a small outside space on which to put a paddling pool, this Kidly option is practical, pretty and pleasant to sit in.

This is not your traditional pool with deep sides but there’s still more than enough space for water to help children cool down. Our testers played with this longer than some of the bigger pools, as there was more to keep them entertained. Our two-year-old and four-year-old testers could have happily spent hours using it, putting their own toys in the water or playing with built-in activities.

There’s nothing to inflate, so you can just open up the box and it’s ready to be played with. When we were done, we just sprayed it clean, waited for it to dry and closed up the box again. This keeps it in good condition for the next outing and our little ones got super excited when we unboxed it each time. This box will also come in handy for storage over winter, keeping all the activities safe, so the splash beach can be played with for many summers to come.