How to Heat a Kiddie Pool (Fast and Easy!)

Inside: Easy summer time hack for how to heat a kiddie pool fast and easy. My favorite hack plus a few others you can try.

Have you seen all of the fun backyard pools? I love this time of year and going to the stores and seeing all of the spring and summer stuff.

Over the years we have had several different types of backyard pools for the kids. Last summer we had an inflatable Intex Pool. It was really easy to blow up and could be filled deeper than a small plastic kiddie pool.

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Once the kiddie pool is set up do you fill it with cold water straight from the hose? My little ones have always had such a hard time playing in the pool for very long when the water is ice cold.

How Warm Up a Kiddie Pool

Maybe you fill the pool and let it sit in the sun for a day or two warming up. If your kids are older, they will play in the pool even if the water is cold.

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I have found that my toddler will only play in the pool for a few minutes when the water is cold before he is shivering.

After all the work to get him ready to play in the pool, a few minutes of playtime just wasn’t cutting it for me.

Have you been wondering if there is an easy way to warm the Kiddie Pool water?

Hauling buckets of warm water just isn’t fun, especially when your kids are anxious to get in the pool.

As a kid, I remember my mom filling our small pool with warm water and now with my 2 toddlers I like to fill the pool with warm water. (Let’s be honest no one wants to play in the FREEZING water that comes from the hose!)

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Today I’m going to share with you the secret my mom shared with me.

How to Warm the Kiddie Pool (MY Favorite Summer Hack!)

This summer hack makes it simple to warm the kiddie pool, all you need is 2 garden hoses and possibly a pair of pliers.

The first step to easily warming the kiddie pool is getting access to the water hook-ups for your washer and dryer. This may require you to pull your washing machine away from the wall.

When you have access to the water hook-ups, turn off the hot water. Then remove the washing machine hose from the hot water hook-up. I like to place it inside my washing machine so I don’t get water everywhere.

Replace the washing machine hose with a garden hose attached to the hot water hookup. Put the other end of the hose in the pool and turn on the hot water.

The water will most likely be really hot, so you will also want to add cold water with another garden hose or have the pool partially filled with cold water.

Make sure the kids know not to touch the hot water coming out of the hose. Depending on your hot water settings the hot water it could burn them.

Once the pool is filled as much as you would like and at that perfect temperature you’re ready for a fun pool day. Now your little ones can enjoy playing in the pool and not freeze! Most hot days find me in the pool with my little man!

Don’t have washing machine hookups? Don’t worry there are several other ways to heat your inflatable pool.

More Options for “How to Heat an Inflatable Pool”

While one of my favorite ways to heat an inflatable pool fast is the one I shared above it isn’t always the best option. The best option for you will depend on the size of your pool and how quickly you want the water to be heated.

The Sun to Heat the inflatable pool

First up the cheapest option on the list is putting the pool in a sunny area and waiting. If you have a large inflatable pool it could take days or weeks for the pool to heat to a really warm temperature. For a small wading or kiddie pool, the wait will most likely be several hours.

Putting the pool in the sun and waiting isn’t my first choice as a way to heat an inflatable pool. But having the pool in the sun can help the pool water to stay warm after you get the pool filled.

Kiddie Pool Heater (Immersion Heater)

I have personally never used an Immersion Heater but this one on Amazon has some amazing reviews of people that have used them to heat large pools. It’s definitely something to consider if you have a large inflatable pool you are trying to warm or as a kiddie pool heater.

Solar Rings

Another option for heating your pool this summer is using Solar Sun Rings you can purchase them on Amazon or I have seen people make them with black bags.

A solar sun ring floats on the top of the pool water and is made to help absorb the heat from the sun. They also help insulate the pool to heat and keep the pool water warm.

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Fill the Pool With Warm Water

As I shared above my favorite way to heat my inflatable pools that we use during the summer is to fill the pool with warm water to start with.

The hack I shared above using hot water hookups is one we use every summer. If you don’t have washing machine hook ups and you still want to fill the pool with hot water from the start check out this hack for hooking your hose to the bathroom sink.

A Few Notes About How to Heat Up a Kiddie Pool

If you have a large pool filling it with warm water using the washing machine hook ups or the sink depending on where you live could get expensive and take a long time. Also your water heater only has so much hot water in it at a time.

If you’re filling a kiddie pool or a smaller inflatable pool then filling it with warm water is going to be one of the fastest ways to heat your inflatable pool.

We haven’t noticed a change in our water/electric bill doing this. It is something to be aware of depending on the size of your pool and how often you fill it up (and with what temperature of water.)

Note: When we fill up the kid’s pool in the backyard with warm water, we are able to fill it up with warmer water on cooler days and just slightly warm water on those hot days.

I hope these ideas help you this summer and you can enjoy plenty of time swimming and splashing in your inflatable pool.

Be careful when using the suggestions in this post. Water can be really hot so make sure you use caution to avoid injury. We are not responsible for any injury sustained by using this lifehack.

Other Summer Posts You Might Enjoy:

101 Family Activities for Summer {Printable List}
10 Best Outside Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers
37 Summer Activities for Preschoolers
Handprint Butterfly Kids Craft

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This post was originally published in May 2016.