Although we love exploring the great outdoors, we always try and make the most out of our garden – despite it’s size and the fact that it’s on a slight incline. We know we are incredibly lucky to have a garden, so why not use it. Plus, T is still of an age where he doesn’t give two hoots whether he’s out or at home, just as long as he’s kept busy.

As you know, T is a complete water baby. This is evident in the fact that he can’t not splash in puddles, he adores bath times, and give him a bottle of water and a few cups and you’ve lost him for at least 20 minutes. So when we were offered to try out Little Tikes’ new ‘Fountain Factory Water Table‘ we knew it would be a hit with him.

Fountain Factory Water Table (rrp £59.99)

The Fountain Factory Water Table is an exciting new water table that brings science and engineering to life – with the help of interchangeable pipes and fittings – making play and fun endless.

Features:

Water Pump: Filling the water tower to feed to different pipes and taps.
Three Fountains.
Interchangable Piping.
Multiple Faucets: Changing the flow and direction of water.
Peek-a-boo Character that appears according to flow of water.
Three Accessories: A boat, a funnel, and pouring cup.

Assembly

This was probably the most challenging aspect of the product – although in all honesty it wasn’t that bad and we’ve had a lot worse assemblies. It was slightly fiddly in places – especially when we were trying to fit the rubber tubing through certain holes to create fixed connections – but once Sharon softened the end of the tubes with a bit of warm water the plastic slipped right through and created a nice tight fit once cooled. There’s only one piece you need to physically screw, the rest just pops into place.

Here’s what our assembly looked like…

We also didn’t know the parts were interchangeable at first, so at one point we were getting rather annoyed at everything coming away so easily when we moved them, but then we realised that it’s for easy, child-friendly removal. Once T got a hold of it he really enjoyed being able to take things apart and put them back together again without needing help from mummies. On the same note, the things that meant to stay in place really did stay in place!

Product Use

Within seconds of T finding the water table filled with water he got stuck in. He just seemed to know what to do and what things did. From interchangeable faucets that moved water from being a sprinkler to a tap, to a pump that pumped water up the main body and through lots of colourful spinning wheels and funnels.

What’s more is that the generous size of the table means that more than one person can enjoy the table without cramping each other. Last weekend saw T’s younger cousin (22 months) and older cousin (4) enjoy the water table together (without argument, but a lot of wet clothing).

Whilst T was enjoying pouring water through the tipping bucket, his older cousin worked out the science behind how the water pumped through different pipes and funnels. I’m hoping this table will last us a couple of summers thanks to ever-changing options.

The parent’s perspective

As well as it being heaps of fun; and teaching children about engineering, it doesn’t actually take up that much room when in use – as you can see from the video. We have a relatively small garden, but the table somehow fit amongst everything. The only awkward part is storage, meaning you have to either keep it out somewhere at all times. At the moment we keep it down the side of our house when not in use, and thanks to a plug in the base it doesn’t collect rainwater, but when it comes to winter we may have to find an alternative way to store it without it getting in the way.

Nevertheless, we really really love this water table and have had a lot of fun playing with it with T (and when T has been asleep). When summer truly hits we’ll certainly create a water park out of our garden with the addition of our paddling pool around the water table. We’re slowly buying new toys to go with the water table, things such as cups and boats, but you certainly don’t need them as the interchangeable aspect means the table can change regularly.

K

We were offered the Little Tikes Fountain Factory Water Table for the purpose of a review, however all thoughts and opinions are our own.