This $24 Water Toy Kept My Kid (And All His Friends) Busy for Hours

• Value: 20/20
• Functionality: 18/20
• Ease of Use: 20/20
• Quality: 17/20
• Fun Factor: 20/20
• Total: 95/100

As temperatures rise and kids across the country become even more squeamish than usual–wondering when it’ll be time to go outside and how much mess they can get into–it’s worth beating them to the punch by having a fun, safe time-killer on hand.

Enter: This $24 Kiddie Play water balloon pump, which is a joy-bringer, a toddler magnet and exactly what you need to wear their energy down before dinner.

As I sat on a park bench in Brooklyn on a recent Saturday afternoon surrounded by 3-year-olds, it struck me: this toy is golden. And I even noticed a small sense of pride from my own son as the whole neighborhood flocked to his mom—an attraction he happened to have a life-long season pass to.

So, here’s the breakdown on this $24 gem.

It’s super easy to use with minimal effort on your part: Once you fill this baby up with water, all you have to do is grab a seat and with 2-3 easy pumps each balloon is ready to go. Each tank comes filled to the brim with 500 balloons so this is really a “just add water” situation. Plus, the pump can be used with generic water balloons, so when you run out, the party doesn’t have to stop.

Let’s discuss durability: While I’m not sure that this product will stand the test of time, I do think the tank and pump are fairly durable. Quite often I’ll attempt to put together a random toy my son picked up and realize why it was only $10, but not in this case. As far as the actual balloons go, they could be a bit stronger but what can you do? Most of them blew up just fine and some even took two or three throws to pop. 

There’s just one caveat: If you decide to bring this to a public park, you will be the main act for the day. Prepare yourself for multiple little ones with varying personalities and no sense of personal space who really wanted a blue AND purple balloon. Doesn’t sound like a good time? Save it for the backyard and join in on the water balloon fun with your kiddos (and nobody else’s).

Buy It ($24)