How to Easily Warm the Kiddie Pool (6 different ways)

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. We have had a couple of different backyard kiddie pools since having the little man.

Last summer we had an inflatable Intex Pool. It was really easy to blow up and could be filled deeper.

It was large with plenty of space for multiple kids or a couple of adults to fit into the pool. I love that there are so many different sizes and types of pools, that should work for any size space.

Once you have your cute pool do you fill it with cold water straight from the hose? Or does filling the pool include hauling buckets of warm water from the bathtub or kitchen sink?

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 cutting it anymore, 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

It’s 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 Ways 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

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.

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.

Yes, you could haul buckets of warm water from the bathtub to the pool, but that just sounds like a lot of hard work. Luckily there are a couple of other ways you can fill a pool with warm water.

Hot Water Hookups

My favorite is using washing machine hookups which I shared how to do above. If I ever build a house I’m going to put a hot water hookup in my garage so I can easily have hot water outside.

Anyway if you don’t have a laundry unit in your home or it’s not in a location that you can easily access you can also don’t worry. There is another easy way to fill the pool with hot water.

The Bathroom Sink

The other great way to fill your pool with warm water is by attaching a hose to your bathroom or kitchen sink. Get the step-by-step instructions to hook up the hose to your sink here.

If you have a large pool filling it with warm water could get really expensive and take a long time. 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.

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.

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.)

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.