Step 2 products are definitely the makers of what I believe to be the finest toys and outdoor equipment available. My family had already owned a Step 2 play structure and the Crabbie Sandbox when the time came to buy the children a new pool. My husband and I decided that we were tired of buying a $20 inflatable pool every summer. The children always managed to wear them out and neither of us enjoyed the inflating process very much. The logical thing to do was to purchase a nice quality, plastic pool.

After some research I decided on the Step 2 Big Splash Center. My children were then 3 and 5 years old and we knew we wanted more children, and this pool seemed large enough to accommodate several young children. Since it was made my by Step 2 I knew I could count on the quality.

This pool is NOT cheap. It does retail for about $80, but I was able to lay low and wait for it to go on sale. Toys R Us offered it in their big summer catalog for $69.99. When our family made it to the store, we discovered they were out of them. Not to be swayed, I took my Toys R Us catalog to Lowe’s where I recalled seeing some Step 2 products before. Lo’ and behold there was the pool. We grabbed one and took it to the check out and to our delight, Lowe’s will not only meet a competitor’s price, they will beat it by 10%. That meant we got the pool for less than the $69.99 that Toys R Us was listing! HOORAY!

Ok, now the pool itself. The Big Splash Center is true to its name. The thing is VERY big. Our family owns a mini van and we were able to get it home without much effort. You will need a van, truck or large car to transport this puppy. It is more than six feet long and four feet wide. It stands a little over a foot tall.

Once home, we were pleased to see that the indentation on one end of the pool allows the user to “connect” the pool to most Step 2 slides. It fit our slide perfectly, which added a whole new dimension to our fun (still waiting for a broken bone from falling off the wet slide).

The pool is a teal green color and offers some “extra” safety features that we have come to appreciate. The bottom of the pool is textured. The texture helps keep those little wet feet steady on the bottom of the slick plastic pool. The pool also has rounded edges, so no nasty plastic scraps will spoil your fun.

This is a HEAVY pool. Its weight (without water) is about 40 pounds. My husband usually has to carry it in for storage, but I can manage to drag it around the yard without help.

Draining the water out is very simple. There is a plastic stopper at one end of the pool. It is low enough that the bulk of the water will drain, leaving only a small amount to be dumped out. The stopper has been tough and we have never had any trouble with it leaking or breaking off.

We have found that two young children can play in this pool very well. There are few cries of, “Mom, he/she’s touching me!” Each child has plenty of space to sit and play, but our children truly prefer the slide play to sitting idly by in the pool. Our third child will get his chance this summer. The length allows a sweaty grownup to get in as well. The height is perfect for toddler since it will hold only about a foot of water.

So, when your family is ready to beat the heat this summer, consider the Big Splash Center if you are ready to buy the wee ones a wading pool. Ours has been with us for three summers and still looks and functions wonderfully!


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): ~65.00
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: Kids to Teens