I tried a ‘life saver’ hack to blow up my child’s paddling pool – it worked instantly and left me flabbergasted
A SAVVY mum has been left “flabbergasted” by the “hack of the century” that allowed her to blow up an inflatable pool with barely any effort involved.
So if you can’t find your pump and don’t fancy getting breathless by blowing up your child’s inflatable this weekend, then you’ll need to check this out.
With the bank holiday weekend just around the corner, if your little ones want to splash around in the garden, you’ll want to listen up and give this hack a try.
Instead of splashing the cash on a posh electric pump, one mother tried a “life saver” hack - and it worked “instantly”.
Posting on social media, mum-of-six Emma Will shared her struggle of trying to pump up an inflatable pool for her young kids while they were at school.
Things didn't go as planned as she found that the hand pump she'd used for other inflatable toys wasn't compatible with the pool.
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As a result, the content creator said: "How many of us are blowing up swimming pools right now as we speak before the kids finish school? Because I am one of them, and I'm having to use this pump."
Showing off her pump, which didn’t fit properly into the airhole of the pool, Emma explained: "This is all I've got. And I'm not going to Argos to pick up a pump.
"It's doing the trick, but it's literally taking me forever to do, and my arm [is] killing me.”
However, viewers soon came to the rescue by sharing a super simple hack to blow up inflatable items with an item you probably already have at home.
One user commented on her clip and advised: "Use a hairdryer with the cold setting, I promise you it’s a life saver!"
Thankful for the advice, Emma shared a follow-up clip giving the trick a try - and it left her beaming.
As she showed off the paddling pool which was not yet properly inflated, Emma shared: "If this works, it's gotta be the hack of the century.”
While Emma was “flabbergasted” by the handy hack, one of her kids was equally as impressed, as they beamed: “Wow…Instantly, oh my goodness."
Swimming safety advice
Experts have revealed some of their top advice for both adults and kids heading to the water this summer:
How to stay safe at the beach
Gareth Morrison, Head of Water Safety at the RNLI said: "If you find yourself being swept out to sea in a rip, try to relax and float until you are free from the rip and you can then swim to safety.
"If you see someone else in danger, alert a lifeguard or call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard."
How to stay safe at the swimming pool
Tiny Hearts Education, former paramedic and CEO Nikki Jurcutz said: "Always put your little one in bright or contrasting colours that would be easy to find in an emergency.
"It only takes 20 seconds to drown, little tips like this could save a life".
An Auqabliss spokesperson added: “Swimming toys such as noodles, dive rings, floaties and beach balls can be dangerous if left in the pool.
“Children may try to grab these from the pool’s edge and fall in."
How to stay safe at a waterpark
Ali Beckman, Puddle Ducks Technical Director, said: "Never send a child down the slide on their own, not only are they going to be entering the slide pool area independently, they then have to exit the pool and wait for an adult.
"And wave pools should be avoided until your child is really confident with water going over their faces and you know they are able to regain their feet independently.
“Waterparks are often very busy places and it’s easy to lose sight of a child in a split second."
Moments later, Emma gasped: "Who knew a hairdryer would put up a swimming pool?!”
Social media users react
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @emmawill2014, had clearly left many open-mouthed, as it was shared just 24 hours ago but has quickly racked up 253,400 views, 8,531 likes and 67 comments.
Social media users were thankful for the handy hack and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this.
I would have never thought to do this
TikTok user
One person said: “Thanks for this tip hun.”
Another added: “What an amazing hack.”
A third commented: “I would have never thought to do this.”
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Meanwhile, someone else beamed: “I do this every year, it's a time saver.”
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