A great alternative to the standard toddler paddling pool with a number of key benefits including the ability to spray water without waiting to fill a pool a large amount of water that standard paddling pools use.
Our verdict: Splash pads are a fairly new invention in the water toy space for kids and have been getting super popular since 2011 as you can see from this Google trends details below. After trying one, I am super impressed with the ease of use compared to inflatable pools for kids. In comparison they use a lot less water and don’t need to be blown up so are way easier to put away after fun in the sun. My three-year-old loved having fun with this splash pad from TILLARE but as with any water-based toys, you will need to keep a close eye on them at all times.
My experience:
Last year I did buy a paddling pool for our 2 year old but found that the amount of water and time it took was really not worth the effort and it got very little use until it eventually got a puncture and was unable to hold water.
In comparison, the splash pad that we bought from TILLARE was up and ready in less than 5 minutes as long as you have access to a hose pipe in the garden.
You also didn’t have to blow up anything as the device uses water to build the walls so it’s just a job of laying it out on the grass (be wary of using this on a hard surface) and then attaching the hose pipe and then it’s ready to play within less than 5 minutes.
We paid just over $15 which seems a great price for some fun for the kids in the garden and compares very favorably with a larger outdoor pool that can easily run upwards of $50.
The height of the sprinkler can be controlled by how much you turn the water tap and with houses with high pressure you can easily get sprinklers very high but at a cost of higher water usage. Our three-year-old was very happy with small sprinklers and there is still a good amount of water in the bottom for them to play with toys.
One of the biggest benefits of this type of toy over a standard pool was when it came to putting it away. With a standard toddler paddling pool, you have to suck all the air out and then find a place to get rid of a fairly large amount of water.
In comparison, the splash pad was super easy. You just pull out the hose and let the water drain out and it’s ready to fold into a fairly small package for use again. As someone who hates having to spend a ton of time putting things away, this was a great experience.
Not so great things, it did just arrive in a bag as if it was straight from the factory which probably accounts for why it’s available so cheap. Not a deal-breaker by any means but if you wanted to gift it, then you might want to use your own wrapping or box. I don’t find the lack of packaging a problem as it was just less stuff to add to our recycling each week.
What I loved ❤️
- Super low cost, at $15 you would be hard-pressed to find two tickets to the public pool for that kind of money and you can use this a ton of times.
- Super easy to set up, plug in the hose and 5 minutes, and kids can be having fun.
- Super easy to put away compared to something like a paddling pool, so less likely to be left outside to rot!
What I didn’t like 💔
- Felt a little cheap, and I can imagine the plastic won’t be the longest lasting.
- Space design might not be perfect for all kids.
- Could have had more attachments for the hose so you could use a standard tap.
Should you get a Kids Splash Pad?
If your kids are anything like my 3-year-old boy they are just obsessed with water and it usually involves playing with it in all the wrong places.
- Grandmas’s dog bowl – check
- That old drain – bingo
Whilst a standard paddling pool is most people’s choice of “water toy”, it has a ton of downsides that are alleviated with something like a splash pad. You get lots of water fun time without spending hours filling up the pool and kids just love playing with the integrated sprinkler system.
If you want to try out a kids splash pad, then I would recommend getting this one from TILLAIRE as it’s often available super cheap but still works really well.
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