Hot Summer Heat Relief For Kids

We live in Southern California, and like many families stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to get a small pool for our son to cool off with. We had stopped taking him to swimming lessons and were concerned he would no longer know how to hold his breath under water.

The first, circular pool we got was shallow and frankly, it was not fun for him. We ended up returning it after he said he did not want to learn how to swim any more. My heart sank as I really wanted to take him stand up paddle boarding at the nearby harbor.

Then I stumbled across a dinosaur-themed pool that is the subject of this review. Our son loves dinosaurs right now and we had some FUN water fights in the backyard whereby he battled with a water hose against daddy’s mini water gun. What would be more perfect than a dinosaur pool that can spew water for a little spray battle?

What’s Good? What’s Bad?

Pros

• Fun, little pool that holds enough water for a little child to more freely dive around
  • Dinosaur head can spray water and be used for a small water fight
• Height is short enough for a Little Tikes slide to go over for a makeshift water slide
• Inexpensively priced
• Sidewall is made of sturdy PVC material
• Comfortable for an adult to lay in it with the head rested over the yellow top
• Circling around the pool creates a little whirlpool that was fun for my son to play in
  • For example, he could float on his back while the water kept circling him around
• Repair kit and designated Water Watcher badge included

Instruction Guide and Accessories

Cons

• Instruction guide was lacking in how to fill the pool up
  • Several people, myself included, wondered how to inflate the sidewall (you don’t). See the SETUP section below for more details
  • Lack of details resulted in wasted time and more importantly, gallons and gallons of water that needed to be drained

Inflating the yellow top

Setup

Measuring at a diameter of 70″ and 25″ tall, the pool was painful to set up. It took me a couple hours due to a mistake I made on the first try — something a better-written instruction guide could have prevented.

Here is a step-by-step setup guide to save you some time and gallons of wasted water:

• Air out the pool to get rid of any chemical residue and odor
• Ensure there is no sharp object on the ground
  • I suggest lining the bottom with a tarp to protect the pool
• Unpack the product and inflate both the dinosaur head and tail
• Inflate the yellow, circular top until it is firm. The more firm, the better it will be, but be careful not to over inflate

• The green sidewall cannot be inflated, and the valve on its side is actually the drainage
  • Do not be silly and try to pump air through that valve — I did not realize it was the drain until I had flipped the pool upside down. That was an embarrassing discovery!
  • The sidewall will be stood up as water is filled, but follow the next steps carefully

Ensure the pool floor is completely stretched out where no crease or fold remains. This ensures the sidewalls will achieve structural integrity to hold the water in.

• Important: Ensure the pool floor is completely stretched out where no crease or fold remains
  • The first time, there were still folds remaining, and as the water filled, the uneven (oval) structure would have let water spill out over the top. I had to drain a ton of water until the floor could be evened out
• Fill the pool with water and pay special attention that the yellow top remains round. If it is not, check if it has been inflated firmly enough
  • It took about an hour to completely fill up
• Attach a water hose to the dinosaur’s neck, and water will now spray out of its mouth

Final Thoughts

I was really happy to have purchased this pool. Not only was it fun to use, it helped my son find joy in swimming once more that eventually led us to go stand up paddle boarding the following weekend. Combine the pool with a Little Tikes slide, a life vest (to help him get over the fear of drowning until he was comfortable dunking his head under water), and some water games, and he became enthusiastic about doing swimming exercises with the goal of going paddle boarding again. Mission accomplished!

Looking forward to making more unforgettable memories during this cloudy year of 2020!

Where To Buy

• Dinosaur Inflatable Pool: Jimi | Lunvon
• Other Inflatable Pools for Kids
• Little Tikes Slide
• Toddler Life vest