Swimming Pool Toys Are Not Just For Kids

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Saturday, July 7th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

If you have a pool, ya gotta have swimming pool toys.

After a while, doing nothing but plain old swimming or wading in the pool gets a little stale. If you and your kids are getting bored with “just swimming” maybe it’s time to spice things up a bit with swimming pool toys. There’s a wide range of pool toys, games and devices available for every taste and budget level. How to choose? Try focusing on what you like most and the age level of the user. Fortunately many toys are neatly categorized by age. Consider the swimming expertise of the child, as well as their overall maturity and personality.

So while you may enjoy the pool lounger with the handy beverage holder, your nine-year-old might be happily occupied with a floating basketball game, and your four year old enchanted with a pool tube float or inflatable rocker. Having a range of available swimming pool toy options for kids and adults allow all to maximize their enjoyment of the pool in the comfort and safety of home. Remember that your active supervision is required at all times. Children are quick and impulsive, and anything can happen in an instant.

A Swimming Pool Toy For Everyone

For ages three and below look for water wings and floating rubber toys. You can find a variety of animal and cartoon character designs. There are even baby pool floats with sun canopies, just like the adults.

For kids aged four to seven, inflatable lounges, sleds, sea-saw rockers, beach balls and floats are perfect to keep them busy. The kids can ride an igloo-designed inflatable toy or hang around with various colors of pool tubes and foam noodles. There are also inflatable slides.

Between the ages of eight to twelve children begin to develop different tastes in swimming pool toys. Therefore, you should look for toys catering to their interests. Motorized pool toys like bumper boats; or pool sports like Frisbees, basketball and volleyball floats, ping-pong, hockey or other inflatable games can appeal to this group.

For ages thirteen and up, you might buy more high-end swimming pool toys like remote control boats or mini RC submarines.

For adults, how about a floating blackjack game? Or just take over the floating ping-pong table or pool volleyball game. Giving your children (and yourself!) different kinds of swimming pool toys can minimize the longings for expensive water park trips. Choose the swimming pool toy or toys that your kids like the most and is most budget-friendly.

Swimming Pool Toy Safety

Water wings and inner tubes should not be relied on for a child’s swimming safety. If the child is not a strong swimmer they need to wear a personal floatation device (PFD). PFDs approved by the US Coast Guard assure proper safety. Look for the Coast Guard stamp on the device. And even then, nothing substitutes for active adult supervision. Keep your child within reach at all times. Small children and infants can drown in as little as two inches of water. Leave nothing to chance.

Do not allow your kids to play with non-pool toys in or around the pool. No skating or biking on the swimming pool deck (I really shouldn’t have to say this…). If you have an above ground pool, consider locking or removing the ladder. For inground pools, a self-latching pool safety fence is in order. You may also want to consider a pool alarm.

Don’t forget, when the fun has ended for the day, take the toys out of the water and put them away. Put the wading pool away. You don’t want to tempt small children to go out to the pool or small wader and reach for their fave swimming pool toys while you’re not around.