The first thing that almost everyone thinks of then they hear the words inflatable pool, are those little kiddie pools we had as children. They were small, shallow, and took forever for our parents to blow up. Our little pools were lucky if they made it a whole season of use, and the water had to be changed out regularly to prevent creating a new little ecosystem in them. Today’s pools have come a long way from what we had as children.

Today’s inflatable pool styles are far more durable than those of decades past, and they can be found in a far larger range of sizes and styles. The smaller children style is still around, in different shapes and colors. Many times, they have multiple rings filled with air to prevent a total collapse of the pool which makes them a bit safer. Even the kiddie kid has a range of depths that run from 12 inches deep to 21 inches deep. Shapes include the simple round style, as well as elaborate style like the pirate ship with built in slide, water cannons and pirate flag.

Perhaps you want something more than a small pool for children, but the budget does not allow for a large rigid above ground pool. There’s an inflatable pool for that. They are easy to assemble with the purchase of an air pump and many larger styles often come with filter pumps that help maintain the pool and keep it clean. They are generally made with a strong, marine grade type of vinyl and are built to last longer than a single summer.

Many of the large pools use metal framing for extra support, regardless of the size. The most common sizes are large enough to fit the whole family and a little over five feet deep. This is enough to hold toys, floats and all the fun things a person could want in a swimming pool. The bigger pools often require a ladder to get in and out of the water.

Taking care of your inflatable pool is just as important as taking care of one that is in ground. The amount it is used will play heavily into how often you need to spend time up keeping it, though generally you should do so at least once a week. These duties include testing the water from acidity, alkalinity, PH levels and water level. It is possible to either do these tests on your own or to hire someone to do it for you. Doing it on your own is not difficult, and testing products themselves should have instructions packaged with them. Checking the hoses and the filter is important to, as is maintaining the pump. Having a patch kit is also essential, and many inflatable style pools have them packed with them. They can also be purchased separately if need be.

Do some extensive research on the specific pool types that you think would work best for your family. Safety is always key, and with something like inflatable pools there is a huge list of things that need to be taken into consideration when it comes to safety.

Not many people can afford the installation of an in-ground pool pool, which is why inflatable swimming pools have become so popular over the years as a more convenient alternative.