Splash Pad Sprinkler

Cool Off with Minimal Effort

• What: Splash Pad Sprinkler
• When: 18 months to 10 years
• Why: Affordable, fun, easy to use
• Where: Amazon

All the community swimming pools, wading pools, and splash parks haven’t opened for the season, another little gift from the pandemic. Meanwhile, we’ve had high temperatures here in the city, so when I saw this deal online, I grabbed a Jasonwell Sprinkle & Splash Play Mat .

I first saw this advertised on Thrifty Littles, my source for great deals on all things kid-related. By the time I got around to reading it, they’d sold out of the 60 inch design, but the deal was still good on the 68 inch version. For less than $10 including taxes, I figured we would try it, since this size easily held four kids at a time with some room to move around.

My kids, at five, eight, and nine, are well past the intended age – that phase where more than an inch or two of water can kill your toddler if you look away for longer than 30 seconds. But I still thought they might enjoy it, even for the novelty. They loved it. They splashed, they ran through it, and they came up with games to play involving the shark printed in the center. They sat in it, laid in it, and even pulled up lounge chairs and stuck their feet in the pool.

This rubber mat hooks up to the hose directly. Water then sprays around the circumference of the circle, while the inside holds several inches of water. At roughly ankle deep, it works great for splashing around, and I imagine it is just the ticket with little ones, too. It sets up in less than five minutes, and packs away compactly when not in use, though I’m not sure I’ll ever get it back into the small box it arrived in.

The sprinklers spray at regular intervals around the ring, which stays inflated with water, not air. Adjust the flow of water, and the sprinklers rise or fall depending on the water pressure, which lets you control the height of the spray. As the non-slip surface fills up, the edges hold the water inside. The sprinklers mostly fill the pad as the water goes into the center. Simply hook up the hose and turn on the water to start the fun. When the kids finish, the water will seep slowly out as the sides deflate, or you can pick up one edge and any water remaining in the sides will run out the sprinkler holes.

If you need an inexpensive compact way to cool your kids off, give this splash pad a whirl.