Summer is here, and with each new heatwave comes a mad rush to get to the shops and buy your kids an inflatable pool or you'll never hear the end of it - sound familiar?

While pools are great, unless you have an endless amount of toys or your kid is just happy to, you know, paddle around, they can quickly lose their charm for the little ones. Even though they keep them cool, they require some imagination to have lots of fun with.

Plus, they take AGES to fill, aren't always suitable for toddlers and older kids all at once, and can get filled with grass and bugs easily - not ideal.

That's where splash pads come in. If your child loves to run through those fountains in the city centre or the sprinkler in the back garden, they'll LOVE their very own splash pad. Also known as sprinkler pads, they're similar to a pool but WAY more fun. They're also more suited to toddlers, as they aren't deep, but are fairly large.

Luckily, they're affordable, easy to run and provide endless fun for the children and even for your dog, so take a look at the best-rated splash pads below.

Please note: these products are suitable for children aged two and up.

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This mat not only looks good, but has a non-slip bottom for extra safety.Diameter: 172cmReview: "Love this product, easy to use, will fit in most gardens with not a lot of room. The water creates a little pool for them to sit and play in and either have the sprinklers on or off. I find a paddling pool comes out for a day takes forever to get warm and then gets put away again, I can see us grabbing this and switching on whenever at short notice and using all the time. Great price too! chuffed to bits."

This bright and colourful mat is praised as being easy to connect and fill, and features a really cute animal printed base.Diameter: 149cmReview: "We took this out yesterday, was fabulous, perfect for toddlers and for paddling your feet. I was looking for something to do with water but that isn't a swimming pool and this is perfect, easy to maintain water, requires proper 10 minutes to fill. Best purchase! Plus I can take this to my parents too so my boy isn't bored in the garden as he absolutely loves water activities."

Want your kids to learn the alphabet while they play? This mat has height-adjustable sprinklers, changed using your hose pressure.Diameter: 150cmReview: "I was getting tired of filling up the paddling pool, considering the water is always freezing cold. This is a much better alternative for my kids to run around in. Quick tip, use a jubilee clip to fasten the end of the hose pipe to the inlet, it'll stop it from sliding off of the pressure is high."

There are three sizes of this mat, which is great if you only have a little bit of garden space. It features a sweet underwater design and is rated as being strong and durable - this one's ideal for pets.Diameter: 100cm / 150cm / 170cm Review: "Bought for the dog and he loves it, gave him hours of enjoyment in the heat! Has survived his numerous attempts at chewing it as well!"

This square shaped splash pad has a cool surfer dude motif and the sprinkler height can be adjusted via hose pressure.Diameter: 170cm**Review: "**My daughter loves this and has had some great times in it already. I like that I can control the water fountains and it holds just the right amount of water in the bottom for her to have loads of fun playing with water toys splashing about and sliding down her slide into it."

Featuring numbers and animals, this large sprinkler pad comes with five repair patches as a bonus.Diameter: 172cmReview: "I bought this as I wanted something quick that can be setup rather than waiting for the pool to fill up. Worked out great! It's also quite quick to empty and put away! My son loves it. He puts his slide at one end and slides into and through it onto the grass. The sprinklers managed to get to around 50-60cm. Seller is good, I had a query about the adaptor and they responded quickly."

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