The Little Tikes Obstacle Bouncer at summer camp.
Little Tikes Obstacle Bouncer House
We bought the Little Tikes Obstacle Bouncer for use as an "extra" during our summer camps. One factor of the purchase was good reviews on some of the online review sites. We have used it for two years now and it is still holding up very well and we find the size to be perfect for us. On Amazon, reviews of the Little Tikes Bouncer give it 4 1/2 stars.
Safety
We had originally purchased a full size commercial grade bouncer but decided to sell it relatively quickly. It was extremely heavy (obviously) and you had to be vigilant in order to keep everyone safe. Even by keeping the number of children inside down to 2 or 3 you still needed to be aware that one errant jump could send a child flying at high speed into another.
The safety factor was the primary reason that we looked at and purchased the Little Tikes Bouncer. Children enter from one end, bounce through, and exit via the slide at the other end. With this set up we keep the children spaced out while going through the bouncer but they still have loads of fun.
Quality
The bouncer is well made, as it is still in great condition after two years of heavy use. The material is heavy duty especially when compared to the "discount" brands of other bouncers. To help keep it clean inside and protect the bottom of the bouncer we set it up on a heavy tarp. This way when children exit the bouncer they are not tracking in grass/dirt when they run around to enter again. Plus their feet don't get dirty as we have them take their shoes off.
The only real issue we had with it was that blower unit separated from the bouncer if there was a lot of action going on. Obviously, this isn't a good thing with kids inside. We remedied the situation by using heavy duty velcro to keep this connection firm.
While this bouncer is a lot lighter than one at full size it is still somewhat heavy and bulky. It weighs 65 pounds, so this should be a consideration when purchasing. Getting the bouncer back into its storage bag is not easy, but can be done. It has to be completely deflated and folded up tightly in order to fit it into the bag.
Key Points:
- Good Quality
- Kids love it.
- Set the bouncer up on a tarp to help protect bottom and keep the inside clean.
- Be aware of weight/bulkiness.
- Shop around for prices-online reviewers have purchased these with substantial discounts from some of the major stores. Be aware of the pricing for this unit on Amazon. Currently, it is listed at more than double the price of other sites.
- This bouncer is large, at 19' long and 9' wide you may want to measure out the dimensions before buying if space may be an issue.
Another review of the Little Tikes Obstacle Bouncer can be found on Buzzillions where it receives 4 out of 5 stars.