Paddling pools are a rite of passage and a summer staple but, as a parent, I've realised that they are not the idyllic joy I remember from childhood.
For my kids of course, sitting in deck chairs, eating ice pops, already wearing their swimwear - and goggles, despite it being less than a foot high, bless their wild optimism - and waiting impatiently for the hose to do its work, the paddling pool is a highlight of summer even before the high temperatures we've been seeing this week. But as adult it can be a bit of a thankless and fafftastic task, even assuming when you get the paddling pool out of the shed that it's lasted the long winter.
But a tip on TikTok and a simple £6 fitted sheet has been a revelation this weekend, making pool time simpler, less messy and also, in this time of high bills and concerns about water shortages, both cheaper and more environmentally friendly. The video, by user KirstyKetley is one of hundreds of paddling pools hacks on the popular site, and suggests putting a fitted sheet over your paddling pool overnight to avoid bugs and debris getting into it overnight.
