What is the best bounce house for young kids? Our favorite tried and tested inflatable is definitely the Little Tykes Jump ’n Slide. We have loved it for years for both indoor and outdoor use and for a variety of ages from 0-5 years old.
It is hard to find a toy that will last and be loved for so long. The Little Tykes Jump ’n Slide has withstood some crazy adventures and imaginative exploration with my children and their friends without leaving a single scratch! I honestly wish we would have gotten it sooner because the younger siblings have loved playing on it as early as they were crawling! My daughter turned seven this summer and we realized that it was starting to seem too small for her and friends to jump together. They still had a blast using it as a “home base” for tag and other games but I would not recommend buying this for children over the age of five. However, if you are looking for a perfect gift for a toddler of child 0-4, you will be hard pressed to find a toy that will bring more laughs and fun as the Little Tykes Jump ’n Slide.
I go into details about why we love it so much in THIS article, however for a quick answer I’d have to say my top three favorite things about this toy are 1- how long they love it for 2- how easy it is to send up- yet feels like a trip to a play house and 3- that they can get energy out inside during the cold months without a lot of space to run and play outside.
Why Little Tykes:
When comparing it to others on the market the main reason this one stands out is the slide. Do not underestimate this feature! Many similar bounce houses will have a small slide at the entrance that is mainly used for getting on and off of the inflatable. Little Tykes Jump ’n Slide, however, has a huge slide about the width of the bounce area. This creates double the fun! The wide slide is unique to this bounce house and allows for multiple people to slide down at once or for the kids to roll or slide down on their side! Because of the nature of the slide, it is different than a regular playground slide because you can bounce down it and the inflated air creates cushion for creative play on an extra wide slide that you could not do on a regular single person narrow slide at the playground. There are so many more creative games and ways to play in the bounce area with the slide attached. In fact oftentimes the bounce area was just a landing ground for the top of the slide. After years of watching them play, I would never invest in a bounce house without a slide!
Best quality for the value: Little Tykes jump ’n slide is a great value compared to other similar items available for purchase (and frequently even goes on sale).
Many bounce houses on the market have the mesh siding similar to Little Tykes. It is much more durable than it looks in the pictures and can withstand a lot of play without ripping. Some bounce houses, however, have opaque plastic walls that I would find problematic. I like being able to easily see the children playing through the mesh walls. This material also makes it breathable and allows air to easily flow without trapping heat on a hot day.
Other Awesome Features:
~continuous airflow- my initial fear of a giant inflatable in our house was that it would pop too easily. However, because the blower is constantly sending air in as it escapes through tiny holes at the top and seams throughout the inflatable, it is far from fragile and the kids have yet to hurt it!
~It folds down to fit into a large duffel bag that does not take up more than a small corner in our closet.
~It comes with an extremely powerful blower so everything you need is included with the purchase. I would think this price would be for the bounce house alone- but with this powerful blower included it feels like a steal!
~It inflates in minutes! I am amazed at how simply and quickly this transforms our living room (or backyard) into a huge play place.
~All three versions include a carrying bag, stakes for both the bounce house and the blower, and repair patches (that we have never had to use!)
There are three different versions of this bounce house. There is the original, a Junior” version and then a “shady” version with a canopy on the top to protect the children from the sun.
Bounce ’n Jump Junior- The main difference here is that the Junior size is just that- smaller. The BASE jumping area on the original is 12’ x 9’ while the bounce area on the junior size is 7’ x 7’. Before you jump to the conclusion that bigger is always better, consider where you want to set up your bounce house. The Junior size was perfect for our last home because it filled our living room where the original size would not have fit. If you do not have a huge basement to set up a bounce house, this smaller size may be perfect for your family.
Little Tikes Shady Jump n Slide Bouncer- This one is built to be in the sun. It comes with a sun canopy that arches over the bounce area and mesh siding to also shield from the sun. This one is also a foot smaller than the junior Bounce ’n Jump with a bounce area of about 6’ x 7’. This choice completely depends on the weather conditions where you plan to set it up.