Customer Reviews

Step2 WaterWheel Activity Play Table

5 star:		(288)
4 star:		(105)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

We have owned this water play table for nearly siz months, and its play value has not decreased at all. It is short enough that our 16 month old has always been able to participate comfortably, and interesting enough that it still attracts my 4 and 6 year old children as well.

The water wheel is great fun, and the children love scooping water into its reserve to make it spin. The two levels of the table give the children individual play space if two children are playing. Now that winter is approaching, I look forward to adding sand instead of water to the table. I appreciate the easy-to-open plugs built into the basin, as it makes it easy to remove water (or sand). The toy, though sturdy, is also lightweight enough for an adult to pick up and simply pour water out, if desired. Children cannot, however, easily move or turn the table over.

I recently purchased the water wheel table after looking at just about every kind available. Although I originally wanted a sand/water combo, I'm glad that I went with the water-only version. My 21-month-old is not known for sticking with one activity for very long, but she seems to love this toy.

Though we haven't had the table for long, I am very glad I didn't spend more on the larger combo tables.

Here are the pros:
~ Extremely easy to assemble. Absolutely no tools required and assembly, from box to completion, took less than 5 minutes.
~ Very light-weight and compact. The table is easy for an adult to lift (without the water) but it is still sturdy enough for a toddler. While this table is more compact than many on the market, it will accomodate 2-3 toddlers quite easily.
~ Less messy than combo tables. No sand to mix for a muddy mess.
~ Comes with water wheel, cup and two sail boats.

Here are the Cons:
~ Mine does not appear to have a plug. No leaks this way, but a bit harder to drain. However it is small enough that an adult can easily tip it over for cleaning.
~ No cover. This is my only real complaint. If a cover had been included, this would be ideal. However, the compact size makes it easy to drain and fill, so the lack of cover isn't really a big deal.
~ The water wheel is not attached and can be knocked over pretty easily. Not a big deal, but something to note.
~ The toys are just okay. I'll be adding more.

Overall, I found the water wheel table to be a good value, particularly if you want a more compact water table that is easy to assemble, move and store.

My daughter has always really liked the water, so we got her this table to play with on the patio. She loves it! She's still learning to stand and move around @ 8 mo. and the table is sturdy enough for her to pull up on and hang on to for balance (supervised of course). She really likes watching the water wheel go around and splashing away!

The drain does leak a little, but it's not a big deal. When we're done playing with the water, it gets dried off and brought inside as an additional play table. We stick toys in it and she walks around the edges playing with the toys in the middle.

Great value for the money. I had looked at a bunch of the other reviews on combo sand and water tables and saw good advice to keep sand and the water as separate activities to avoide a big mess. We'll get her a sand box when she's older, since she's still too young to have sand - it would just get eaten.

I've always been a big fan of Step 2 products so when I was in the market for a water table this was a no-brainer purchase for my 1 year old (the 5 and 7 year old also enjoy it to some degree). While a water table in general is a lot of fun for any child I was really disappointed with the quality of this product (hence the unusually low price). I would rather pay more and get a quality plastic then this piece. The plastic is not the sturdy, durable plastic I'm accustomed to by this brand, but rather the flimsy, will crack if you drop it, plastic. Upon assembling the tower a part chipped off. Which meant the tower wouldn't hold together and that part was useless. I called Step 2 - had to hold for 15 minutes to get through to anyone. Told them the tower was broken and I needed the 2 piece part sent to me. They were great and said they would - only I only received one half of the tower. So that part is still useless. I'm too frustrated with the whole thing to bother calling again. I would hesitate to purchase Step 2 again in the future until I know the plastic is more durable. God-forbid someone chooses to put some weight on this thing - I don't think it could support more than a few pounds without breaking a leg off. Save your money and by a Rubbermaid or Sterilite tote and fill it with a few inches of water and some rubber duckies.

I gave this to my daughter for her second birthday not realizing that my 5 y.o. would love it just as much! They play together for hours on the back deck.

It is a wonderful design - it is just the right height for both of them to play comfotably. There are two levels of play connected by a hill which the girls love rolling balls, etc down. It includes quite a bit, too. Two sail boats, a scoop, and a water wheel with a deatchable top sieve.
It is a perfect size for a deck or patio - not too big or imposing. It won't make your deck look like a toy store.
All in all, I am really please with this product. You should feel good buying it.

No leaks here because there is no plug. It a wonderful size my toddler daycare kids. They could play with Water Wheel Play Table all day long. I did add more cups and water toys for added fun. For $30 you really can't beat that price. I also got Naturally Playful Sand Table these go great together. LOVE IT! A must for parents and caregivers of toddlers!

I haven't read all the reviews, but see that someone had the same problem that we did--the water wheel wasn't turning. My Dad (the plastics expert!) discovered that there was extra "flash," around the piece that connected it to the tower. I think flash is just extra plastic that came from when it was manufactured. He removed it with a pocket knife and voila! it works great. Now even a small trickle of water will move the wheel.

We got this for my son's 1st birthday and he LOVES it. I do think he would love splashing in any type of water, but this is the perfect height for him. I do agree that it would be nice if the tower "clicked" in somehow though, because that's the first thing to get thrown on the ground.

But it was fairly easy to assemble (once the water wheei worked) and a pretty simple toy that brings lots of fun.

SO MUCH FUN! I got the water only table because we have a sand box and thought a water toy might be fun...WOW! My 15-month old has so much fun with this and screams when I take him away. It's small enough so that it can be brought inside the porch, but large enough for a couple of kids to play at the same time. Extremely easy to put together...I didn't even read the directions. I'm going to use a small grill cover to keep the bugs out, but it's small enough so that you can fill it each time you use it.

I have had no problems with leaks at all. Based on the previous reviews, I did call Step 2 for replacements, but I don't need them. Step 2 said that they have fixed the problem.

We bought this for our 2 year old daughter, who was always wanting to play in the water of our kitchen sink. I like this toy because it's not too bulky and it doesn't combine sand and water, which I couldn't see my daughter playing with yet without making a huge mess. We plan on letting her use it both outside and inside, since we can just drain the water out each time she uses it. That makes the toy very easy to clean since I really wouldn't want her playing in old water anyway. It's a great way to keep her busy playing and having fun.

I own a family daycare geared towards infants and toddlers and my toddlers LOVE this water table. It keeps them busy for long periods and is just their size. Just be careful they don't try to climb in it when the water is not in it because it is very tippy!