A mum was left hysterical after seeing the life-size B&M paddling pool she bought for her two young daughters, which was so small even her four-year-old daughter couldn’t fit in it

A mum-of-two recently gifted her two little girls a £15 paddling pool for B&M, never imagining it wouldn’t even be big enough for them to fit in.

Louise Smart, 33, spotted the Staycation paddling pool with slide on sale at the Basingstoke branch of B&M on Tuesday June 21, and assumed it would be perfect for her daughters, Isla, four, and Amelia, 10, to splash around.

However, after taking it out of the packaging, Louise’s jaw dropped. She soon realized she hadn’t double-checked the dimensions, with the pool measuring 114cm x 86cm x 36cm “the size of a doll”.

A hysterical photo shows a clearly amused Isla sitting in the pool, resting her head on a slide and swinging her legs hanging over the other.

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Louise, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, said: “I decided to give them the paddling pool because of the hot weather. I came home and told Isla that mum had bought her a new paddling pool, she was really excited.

“Then when we pulled it out and blew it she just looked at me and said ‘it’s a bit small mum’. I knew it wasn’t going to be huge for £15 but I didn’t expect what came out – it was so small.

“I was disappointed and embarrassed that I didn’t realize he was so small. I was ready to take him back but she begged me to keep him so he was always there.”

Fortunately, Isla is absolutely thrilled with the small pool, although she can’t sit in it herself, and currently uses it to play games of hook-a-duck with it.

Tanning studio manager Louise continued: “I thought she would be really disappointed but she just said she loved it and it was a bit small but she was happy. It’s quite a grateful four-year-old girl.”

According to Louise, she had considered buying an £8 paddling pool but opted for the £15 one as it came with a slide. She didn’t realize how irritating it was.

Going forward, Lousie advised other parents to Google the dimensions before going to checkout, admitting, “that’s what I probably should have done in hindsight.”

She added: “I’m definitely going to get a bigger paddling pool.”

Louise has since shared her all-too-relatable gaffe online, with her post racking up over 4,500 likes, shares and comments.

One person wrote, “Omg the size of the slide!! Makes a really comfy seat though!”

Another said: “I did the same lol x glad I’m not the only one.”

A B&M spokesperson said: “Our paddling pools are always a hit with the little ones throughout the summer months, and we love seeing the kids having fun splashing around in them.

“We also enjoyed Isla’s comprehensive recreation of The BFG of Roald Dahl sliding into his paddling pool. His performance receives a standing ovation from us for plot precision and execution.”

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