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I Finally Found Inflatable Pools That Actually Fit My Small Backyard
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items Your yard is the size of a parking spot and every pool you look at online would literally touch the fence on both sides. You've measured, re-measured, and closed 47 browser tabs in frustration. This is everything I bought after two summers of trial a...
Sections
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Small Yard Inflatable Pools That Actually Fit
Pool Accessories That Save Your Sanity
Pool Toys That Keep Kids Busy for Hours
Sun Protection So You're Not Dealing With Burns
Poolside Setup for Parents Who Are Also Lifeguards
Pool Storage and Cleanup That Takes Five Minutes
Small Yard Inflatable Pools That Actually Fit
Measured my yard three times before buying anything. These pools leave room to walk around them without climbing over the fence, and my kids still have space to splash.
Try this one if your yard is under 15x15 feet. We squeezed it between the patio and the garden bed, and the kids were in it within 20 minutes of opening the box.
Easy Set 8ft x 24in Inflatable Pool
Grabbed this for my 3-year-old who kept slipping in bigger pools. Shallow enough that I can sit in a lawn chair and not hover. Folds flat under the deck when summer ends.
Intex 6ft x 20in Easy Set Inflatable Above Ground
For anyone with a slightly wider yard who wants more room. My two kids and their cousin fit without elbowing each other, and it still left three feet to the fence.
Summer Waves® 10ft Quick Set® Ring Pool with 600 GPH
Keep this in mind for really tight spaces, like a patio or driveway setup. My neighbor uses hers on her apartment balcony deck and her toddler practically lives in it.
Bestway Fast Set Pool 13' x 33" Round Above Ground Pool
Switch to this if you want something sturdier than a blow-up ring. The metal frame survived my kids hanging on the edges all July. Still fits a modest yard.
Intex, Pool, 10' x 30" above ground swimming pool set
Snag this if you want a budget option that doesn't feel like a budget option. Took about 10 minutes to inflate and held up the entire summer without a single patch.
Play Day 8' Plastic Inflatable Family Swimming Pool
Use this if you want a middle ground between kiddie pool and full-size. Deep enough for adults to cool off, small enough that mowing around it isn't a nightmare.
Fast Set Pool Set
Pool Accessories That Save Your Sanity
The pool itself is step one. Keeping it clean without spending every evening skimming leaves and dumping chemicals? That took me a whole summer to figure out.
Grab the whole kit instead of buying pieces separately. The skimmer net alone saved me from fishing out 900 bugs every morning before the kids woke up.
Intex Deluxe Cleaning Maintenance Swimming Pool Kit
Pair this with any pool over 6 feet or the water turns green by day three. Learned that lesson the hard way our first summer. Takes five minutes to hook up.
"Bestway Flowclear 330 Gallon Above Ground Pool Pump
Toss a dose in once a week after the kids go to bed. Woke up to cloudy swamp water exactly once before I started this routine. Never again.
HTH Super Shock Pool Shock Oxidizer Treatment
Use these before you just dump chemicals in randomly like I did. Dip, read, adjust. Took the guessing out of it and my kids stopped complaining about itchy eyes.
Clorox Pool&Spa, Spa 5 Way Test Strips, 30 Count
Throw this on overnight and the water stays warm for morning swims. Also keeps the leaves out so you're not starting every day with a skimming session.
Intex, Solar Pool Cover, 18' x 9' Rectangle, Blue
Keep one of these leaning against the fence. When a wasp lands in the water mid-swim, you want to grab it fast. The mesh is fine enough to catch even small debris.
Customer reviews for U.S. Pool Supply ...
Drop one in the floater and forget about it for a few days. Way easier than liquid chlorine, which I spilled on my shorts twice before switching.
HTH, Chlorine Tablets, 3-inch, Advanced Pool Sanitizer, 5 lbs
Pool Toys That Keep Kids Busy for Hours
Filling the pool is easy. Keeping three kids entertained in it past the first 20 minutes without someone crying? That required reinforcements.
Toss these in and watch your kids dive for them on repeat for an hour straight. Bought these on a whim and they've been the most used toy in the pool by far.
SwimWays Toypedo Bandits Pool Diving Toys - Pack of 4
Get this if your kids are competitive. Mine argue about everything except this, somehow. The suction cups stick to the pool wall surprisingly well.
Intex, Floating Hoops Basketball Game, Orange for Ages 3+
Perfect for the kid who wants to lounge instead of splash. My daughter drapes herself over this thing like a tiny queen and refuses to share it.
Inflatable Unicorn Ride-on Pool Float, White, for Kids
Set this up next to the pool for toddlers who aren't ready to get in yet. My youngest sat on it giggling at the water jets for 45 minutes while the big kids swam.
Customer reviews for Sprinkler Splash Mat 68"
Bring these out when pool energy starts dying down around 3pm. Fills 100 balloons in 60 seconds and suddenly everyone's running around screaming again.
Bunch O Balloons Water Toys for Outdoors
Snag one per kid or there will be a fight. Works as a kickboard, a pretend surfboard, and apparently a dinner tray if you're my 5-year-old eating poolside crackers.
MoKo Swimming Kickboard for Kids, Blue Shark ... - Walmart
Sun Protection So You're Not Dealing With Burns
First summer I set up the pool in full sun because that's all my yard had. Two sunburned kids and a blistered forehead later, I got serious about shade and SPF.
Clamp this to a chair or table and angle it over the pool edge. Gave us a shaded corner without needing to install anything permanent. Folds down in seconds.
Sport-Brella Versa-Brella All Position Umbrella 40" x 42"
Set this up over half the pool area and suddenly we could stay outside from 10am to 4pm. Pops up in under a minute and the UV protection is legit.
Coleman 10x10 Instant Sun Shelter Canopies
Use this one because it actually goes on over wet skin and stays put. Every other sunscreen slid right off my kids the second they jumped back in the water.
Wet Skin Kids Sunscreen Spray, Water-Resistant and Oil
Keep a bottle by the back door so nobody walks out without it. Smells like coconut instead of chemicals, which is the only reason my 7-year-old cooperates.
Sun Bum Original SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion
Put your kid in one of these and stop reapplying sunscreen to their back every 40 minutes. My son burns through anything under SPF 70, and this solved it.
Coolibar Women's Long Sleeve Swim Shirt
Grab a pair for little ones who rub their eyes from the glare. The strap keeps them on, which sounds simple but every other pair ended up at the bottom of the pool.
Baby Banz Infant Earmuffs & Sunglasses Combo Set
Clip this to your chair when you're on pool watch duty. The mist plus the breeze kept me from melting during a 98-degree week in July. Runs on batteries, no outlet needed.
O2COOL Deluxe Handheld Battery Powered Water Misting Fan
Poolside Setup for Parents Who Are Also Lifeguards
Someone has to sit there and watch them, and it might as well be comfortable. After a week of standing in the sun holding a towel, I built myself a proper station.
Recline next to the pool without sinking into the grass. The mesh dries fast when your kids inevitably splash you, and it folds flat for storage in the garage.
Zero Gravity Chairs in Outdoor Lounge Furniture
Stash drinks and snacks in the cooler compartment underneath. Doubles as a side table so your phone isn't sitting on the ground getting stepped on.
Keter Pacific 7.5 Gallon Cool Bar 2 in 1 Brown Resin
Toss juice boxes and water bottles in here every morning. Keeps everything cold until at least 3pm, and it's small enough to sit right next to your chair.
Ozark Trail Folding 12-Can Soft-Sided Cooler, Blue, 7 qt
Switch to this on days when the neighbor kids come over and you're suddenly feeding six children. Wheels make it easy to roll from the kitchen to the yard.
Wheeled Coolers for Easy Transport
Pair this with your phone and play music from the pool deck. Survived being knocked into the water twice by a rogue pool noodle. Still works perfectly.
OontZ Angle Solo Bluetooth Wireless Speaker with 100'
Use this for sunscreen, your book, and the 47 snack cups your kids will demand. Light enough to move around the yard depending on where the shade falls.
Mainstays Outdoor Table
Keep one of these at your chair for quick reapplication on yourself. You're so busy coating the kids that you forget your own shoulders. Ask me how I know.
Coppertone SPORT Sunscreen Spray SPF 50
Pool Storage and Cleanup That Takes Five Minutes
Leaving everything out overnight is how I ruined my first pool. Raccoons, rain, mystery holes. Now I have a system and teardown takes less time than bedtime stories.
Toss all the toys, floats, and accessories in here after each swim. Snap the lid on and nothing gets rained on or chewed by squirrels overnight.
Rubbermaid Roughneck 31 Gallon Storage Tote
Hang this on the fence for noodles and kickboards that don't fit in a bin. Dries them out while storing them. Beats the pile-on-the-patio method I used before.
Pool Toy Holder for Organized Storage
Keep this in the garage for top-offs. The pool ring slowly deflates over a week and this pumps it back up in about two minutes. Way faster than using your lungs.
Intex Double Quick III S Hand Air Pump
Slap a piece on the second you find a leak instead of waiting. Waited three days once and came home to a saggy, half-empty pool and a flooded flower bed.
Gorilla Waterproof Patch & Seal Tape Black 4" x 10' Roll
Fill the pool without fighting a kinked hose that sprays you in the face. This one bends without kinking and doesn't get stiff in the heat. Worth every penny.
Flexzilla, Garden Hose, 5/8 in. x 50 ft., Hybrid Polymer
Draining the pool at the end of summer used to take all day with a siphon. This pump clears it in under an hour. Directs the water wherever you point the hose.
Yardwe Small Submersible Water Pump for Aquarium
Spray the pool walls down before you fold it up for storage. Skipped this step year one and unfolded a mildew surprise the next June. Learn from my mistakes.
Simple Green, All-Purpose Cleaner Concentrate, 128 fl oz