Bounce House Debate
April 1, 2008 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Outdoor Fun
I’ve been thinking about getting my kids a bounce house for well over a year now. For their 3rd birthday last summer, we rented one of the huge, heavy-duty bounce houses, and the triplets loved it! I’ve been torn over whether or not I should have just bought one then or if I should buy one now before their 4th birthday rolls around in July. I’m sure they’ll want another bounce house to use on their birthday this year. I can’t blame them. It was a lot of fun!
My problem is this – first, bounce houses are expensive, but honestly, renting one a couple of times ends up costing as much as a small bounce house from Toys ‘R Us would cost. I need something that’s big enough to fit three kids, so it can’t be too small. But I wonder, is it realistic that I would actually pull a bounce house out, fill it up, then take it down and put it away only to do the whole routine over again, and again and again (we’re not allowed to keep a bounce house up for an extended period of time in our neighborhood). What to do? I still can’t decide.
What do you think? Share your experience and thoughts in the comments below and help me decide if I should buy a bounce house or just rent one again for the triplets’ birthday this summer. If you bought one and love it, which one do you have? The bounce house in the picture above is on sale through Little Tikes for just $199 (a rental costs at least $100), but I worry about the quality. I’m sure the quality of the Little Tikes bounce house is not as sturdy as the professional grade bounce houses that rental companies provide. Please help me decide what to do!
Image soure: Little Tikes
I have the same concerns over getting a bounce house. On suggestion I have is to go in half-sies with a neighbor. Chances are that you won’t pull out the house every day or even every weekend. If you share the costs with a friend/neighbor you won’t have as much regret if it doesn’t get used enough. Just make sure you let them know you want it for specific times, like birthdays etc… We did this with with our next door neighbors on a waterslide, and it has worked out well.
One other thing to think about is that these things are not necessarily small. Make sure you consider the storage issue.
John Hobby
http://www.colestoyblog.com
As someone that sells residential and commercial Bounce Houses, I have to tell you we get a lot of positive feedback. My question is how old are the kids? This makes a big difference on what type of bouncer we recommend. We have units from $199, but if your kids are 8 or 9, they would be bored in a matter of minutes and then you wasted $199. I would be happy to help you out. We can also offer you a 5% discount. Enter promotional code: “555″ during checkout.
I am looking for a easeal/one side wet board othe side chalk
I use the easel by Melissa and oug and I love, love, love it. There’s a review on my blog – http://www.best-kids-toys.com. If you haven’t used any Melissa and Doug toys yet, you’ve got to check them out. I’ve been purging all my kids plastic stuff and slowly making the move to more of their products – most of which are wood. They are sturdy, well-made, more eco friendly than plastic, and they are strangely cheap for what you get. I recently bought a wood princess dollhouse for less than a plastic Barbie one and I’m sure my grandkids will play with that same dollhouse some day. Sorry for that shameless plug, but really, check out Melissa and Doug’s easel and their other stuff. It’s wonderful!
Debbie, I know I’ve seen easels like that before. Have you tried searching the Lakeshore Learning website or Daycare Mall website or Leaps and Bounds or Sensational Beginnings? Those are the catalogs I usually flip through when I get them, so you might have some luck there.
we borrowed the little tykes bounce house from a friend and my 1 and 3 year old love it. You just lay it out and flip a switch to start the air. It couldn’t be much easier. It’s a little bit heavy when it’s all folded up but I’m avg strength (ie-carry around toddlers) and I can do it. We brought it up on the screened in porch while it was raining. So fun.
Thanks for your review, Amy!
Get it if you have not already! We bought the one pictured (split cost with family) and it is amazing! Easy set up and take down and it travels well. All our friends borrow it best $200 we have spent for our 2 year old.
Cheers!
Yes, get the bounce house! If you have room to put it up you will never be sorry you spent the money. If your kids are a little older, you might want to go with a more commercial bounce house that costs more but will last much longer. If you’ve got little ones, the Little Tikes one is probably perfect. We had one when my kids were younger and they LOVED it. I’d have another one now, except we live in the woods and there’s no yard to speak of. Such a bummer…
The one I had, not the model you have shown, but I’m almost positive it was Little Tikes was ridiculously easy to set up and take down. Trust me, the amount of time that your children will be entertained is nothing compared to the time it will take you to set up. Plus, they’ll think you are the coolest mom in the world – at least for a few days.
Came across your post in a search. I thought I would share. We have that exact bounce house but got it on sale for $100 at walmart one year. We haul it with us in the camper when we go camping and the kids will spend hours bouncing! We also got this exact one because of the height. A lot of them are super tall but this one is only about 6 feet. It is short enough that on a rainy day (or in the middle of winter) we can blow it up in the house! It is so easy to set up. It only is lugging it around that can be difficult. We’ve used it for 2 years now. Camping, birthday parties and in the house. Very nice quality the material is thick. My kids are 6 & 3 now. We have got a lot of good use out of it and it is still going strong!!!