Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer Parent Product Review

Kids love to jump around, but parents may choose not to purchase a trampoline due to liability, insurance or safety concerns. Because we had these same concerns, we purchased a Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer for our children instead of a trampoline. We have owned our Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer for a year and a half and what follows below is an honest parent review of this inflatable back yard toy.

What I love about the Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer

My two children love to bounce around in the Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer. It is a fun and relatively safe activity for them to engage in when they have a bit of extra energy to burn off. What I really love about this toy is that it is easy to set up and inflate. If the kids want to jump in the Jump 'n Slide, it sets up in five minutes or less. The kids don't have to wait long to bounce off the walls, literally. Another great product feature is that the walls inflate and have mesh, so I feel safer letting them play in it than I would a traditional trampoline.

If parents adhere to the "no food" rule, the nylon can stay clean for a long time. However, if a popsicle happens to wind up inside, the nylon cleans very easily with a little soap and water. Bear in mind, though, the nylon will heat up in the sun, so a shady place is best.

Another great feature of the Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer is that it is portable, making it fairly easy to take with you to a friend's house or to grandma and grandpa's house.

Where I think the Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer could improve

When properly folded and stored, all parts of the Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer fit neatly into an oversized nylon bag with a shoulder strap. Even neatly compressed into the bag, the entire apparatus is still quite heavy. The Little Tikes site lists the shipping weight at about 38 pounds. For weakling moms, this can feel like a heavy and cumbersome burden. I would love to see the product improved by making it even lighter to carry around.

Another improvement, though it adds weight to the product, would be a rubber mallet. The inflatable toy comes with stakes to tether it, as well as an air compressor to pump air into the bouncer. Parents wanting to take this fun toy with them anywhere will want to purchase a rubber mallet specifically to be kept with the bouncer to avoid needing to remember to bring one with them. A metal headed hammer strike will increase the chances of fracturing the stake, so a rubber mallet is the safest choice for tethering the bouncer to the ground.

Refolding the decompressed Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide bouncer gets easier over time. However, though the product is easy to set up with one adult, refolding the bouncer to fit back into the nylon bag is much easier with two adults. Sometimes when I am putting the toy away I feel like I am wrestling with a gorilla. I would love for there to be faint markings on the underside showing me exactly where to fold the product so that it will fit into the nylon bag when I am finished.

Safety tips to keep in mind while using the Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer

The product lists a maximum of three children. I would agree with this and go even further to state that for best results allow no more than three preschool aged children to play in the bouncer at one time. For older children, I suggest only two. In my opinion, the bouncing area is not large enough to safely disregard these limits.

To protect your Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer from wear, I also suggest that no food or other objects be brought into the bouncer. As an extra precaution, it is a good idea to erect the bouncer on top of a tarp. Slugs, bugs and moisture have a habit of attaching themselves to things left on the ground for a period of time. Therefore, use a tarp as a bug and moisture barrier to keep your Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide Bouncer in tip top condition.

Sources:
Personal experience
http://www.littletikes.com/toys/jump-slide-bouncer.aspx