Stuck at home due to travel chaos and swimming pool closures . . . what next!
Yasmin Harisha And Joel Cooper reckon it’s time to get out that paddling pool…
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HACKS FOR PADDLING POOL FUN
MAKE YOUR OWN POOL: One mum saved over £100 by transforming her kids’ giant trampoline into a pool, and her work has since gone viral on TikTok.
She first removed the trampoline’s springy base to leave just the metal frame.
She then placed a giant tarpaulin in the middle and, where this folded over the edge of the frame, secured it by stretching shrink wrap and industrial clingfilm around the edge of the structure – before using a hose to fill up.
BUY A PORTABLE SPRAY PAD: Buying a paddling pool is all well and good until you need to find space to store it.
Instead, invest in a spray pad, which is essentially a plastic play pad fitted with sprinklers.
It is portable, rolls up small and does not need to be inflated or filled with water – so is a lot less faff.
KIDS WILL NOT KNOW IT IS FOR DOGS: It is cheaper, more robust and does not need to be inflated, so what is not to like about a doggie pool . . . for the kids?
KEEP WATER WARM WITH BIN BAGS: After blowing up the paddling pool, the last thing you want is the kids complaining about how cold the water is.
Try attaching your hose to the sink in the kitchen, and use it to transfer warm water into the pool.
If you cannot do that, grab some black bin bags and cover the pool – the dark colour will absorb light and heat, helping to warm the water up naturally.
USE A FOOT-WASHING STATION: If you’re tired of having to empty the pool and refill with fresh water because the kids keep getting it muddy, fill a bucket with water and a sponge, put it next to the pool and wash the little ones’ feet before they jump in.
SOAK UP OILS WITH A TENNIS BALL: Got a nasty oil slick floating on the surface from all that factor 50 suncream?
Help banish it by swishing a tennis ball about in the water. This will absorb some of that oil.
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BLOW-DRY IT UP: Blowing up paddling pools can be laborious, but mums on TikTok are using hairdryers to fill theirs with air in double-quick time and with a whole lot less faff – but just make sure you use the cold setting.
Or a foot-activated bike pump on a stand can be more efficient than the little foot pumps that often come with inflatable pools.
FOOT POOL INDOORS: If you live in a flat with no garden, you need not miss out on the fun.
Invest in a baby paddling pool and let it sit on the floor in the living room, then while you chill on the sofa you can dip your toes in it to cool down. Or pop it on your balcony.
RAINY DAYS? REPURPOSE YOUR POOL: It can still come in handy once summer is over.
Fill it with plastic balls to create a kids’ play pit, or with ice if having a party – to cool beer and wine.
Some savvy Facebook parents on social media have also turned their pool into a sandpit.
KEEP IT CLEAN AND STAY SAFE
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FILL WITH FRESH WATER: TV cleaning guru Aggie MacKenzie says: “When filling it up, you need to use fresh water.
“Don’t use water collected in a water butt because that could possibly have been contaminated with bacteria.
“Small children will probably end up swallowing some of the water, so use the garden hose or a bucket and your tap.”
KEEP BARE BUMS OUT: “Our bodies are all covered in bacteria and 99 per cent of it is friendly,” advises How Clean is Your Home star Aggie.
“But for small children, you shouldn’t put them in a nappy and then in the paddling pool – or with a bare bum.
“All it takes is a little bit of leakage and you’ll have E-coli in the water.
“If a child swallows E-coli, they could end up with sickness and diarrhoea.
“This would be particularly bad in the hot weather, as a child could end up dehydrated because of their sickness.
“In rare cases, an E-coli infection could even affect the brain and lead to seizures.
“If you’ve got small babies, you want elasticated swimming gear.”
CLEAN USING A TEA TREE SOLUTION OR VODKA: Aggie says: “Horseflies are attracted to stagnant paddling pools and they can carry Legionnaires’ disease, which is a severe form of pneumonia and can even lead to death.
“You should empty the pool at the end of each day to prevent attracting horseflies.
“Clean it out using a small amount of Milton sterilising solution.
“Alternatively, a good hack is to use a few drops of tea tree oil – that’s a nice antibacterial.
“Add it to warm water then use a clean cloth to wipe down the inside of the pool.
“And if you don’t have that you could even use a bit of leftover vodka, which will also kill off any germs.”
If you are trying to save water, some experts suggest the next best thing is to secure the pool with a cover and add child-safe chlorine tablets to the water.
TURN THE POOL UPSIDE DOWN WHEN NOT IN USE: “At night, rinse it out and turn it upside down so it doesn’t get filled with grot and leaves,” says Aggie.
“You also want to avoid any bird poo landing in the pool. Pigeon droppings can contain cryptococcus, a nasty yeast-like fungus that can cause infection and even death.”
Hannah Smith, aquatics director at baby swim school Water Babies, advises that turning the pool over when unused is also essential for keeping children safe.
She says: “When the playing is done, make sure to empty out the water and tip the pool over, even if there have been only a few inches of water in it.”
30 DEGREES FOR LITTLE ONES: Hannah recommends that the temperature of the paddling pool is really important, especially for babies.
She says: “It should be a minimum of 30C and if your baby is under 12 weeks or 12lbs, it needs to be 32C or higher.”
DON’T RELY ON FLOATS: Hannah says: “Always check if there are any slippery surfaces, and designate an adult who can keep an eye on the children both in and around the pool.
“Keep non-swimmers within an arm’s length of you – and even if your little one has a float, you shouldn’t take your eyes off them because they can sometimes get stuck underneath the float.”
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