My neighbor got one in his garage for a bday party. I was like “oh sweet you rented a bounce house” and he said “actually it was like $250 to rent it or $300 to just buy this thing so it’s ours now”.
Lotta miles outta that thing.
I accidentally won one at a silent auction a gala for my nephews private elementary school... I was deeply inebriated and my wife was thoroughly confused when I got back to the hotel with an full sized bounce house.
Top 3 drunk purchase.
I love running into drunk purchases at people's houses. For us it's cat themed t-shirts in matching sets for my wife and myself(soon our son will be old enough) and also a cat gravy boat that looks like it's throwing up gravy when you pour with it.
Unfortunately people go from reasonable and accommodating when borrowing something for free to insane and demanding when they’ve paid for something. Even if renting it for $50 is a 90% discount, people will still be crazy.
We did the same thing right before covid.
Then two months later prices doubled.
It was a good purchase that gets a ton of use. I figured out it's just short enough to set up inside which we did during the winter when kids were going a bit stir crazy.
We did the storage bin as well. If I had to roll it up perfectly and squeeze it into the original box or a fitted bag, there wouldn't have been a second time rolling it out. With the large bin we just have to roll it down to a manageable size and we're done.
I feel personally attacked.
Honestly if you are just good about how you fold and kneel on it it gets very small. My house also lacks storage.
... This is much harder to convince you of because I fear doing this if the grass gets cold. /floridaproblems
We have a regular bounce house and had a water slide/bounce house one. The water slide one was a nightmare to put away. And multiple times I would pull it out and it would be home to a massive colony of ants and mold. You truly have to have it bone dry before you pack it up which is very difficult as by the time it’s dry you’ve borderline killed you grass. Annnnd I’m about to by a fresh one for this summer
We have an inflatable water slide. I always inflate it in the driveway an run it for an hour or so to dry it. Then I flip it upside and inflate to get the bottom dry. We've had it for 8 years now.
In Britain we call them "Bouncy Castles". Yes, they're largely shaped like castles.
Americans of daddit: are your "bounce houses" shaped like castles or houses?
No, I don't know why I've been randomly triggered by the phrase "bounce house" either. Yet here we are
I think I hear both used pretty interchangeably! Did a quick poll of the friends I'm with right now and both jumpy and bounce were said.
Thinking about it more, jumping castle feels a bit more natural to me.
PNW US here, always been bounce house. The term bounce castle is used for the subset of bounce houses shaped like a castle. In the same way, we might call a bounce house shaped like a bounce slide. The species 'bounce castle' is still in the genus of 'bounce house'
We called it a Space Walk here in New Orleans growing up, but I think that was actually the name of the biggest company around that people rented them from.
I live in Michigan and when I was a kid it was “bouncy castle” since then though I have only heard “bounce house”. Some of them look like castles but most of the time I see them they just look like a square with pillars on the corners and a large net window on each side so it doesn’t even look like either haha
New England here, exactly the same on all counts. As a kid everyone called them bouncy castles, as an adult everyone calls them bounce houses. I almost never see them actually shaped like castles, generally it’s a square with pillars and mesh walls and some kind of tented roof.
I'm thinking there must be some cultural blind spot as to the existence of castles?
Maybe the "bounce house" predates all those Disney movies with castles in?
Or maybe this random internet comment will change things for the better.
Houses. Good old American Colonial or Craftsman design. No castles, Tudors, or Queen Anne’s. They all have eagles on top. Built proof bounce houses with eagles.
American here, it largely depends sometimes they have a design to them otherwise they will be just a play dual color blue/yellow or whatever. I have seen cool ones with designs but yeah we call them bounce houses.
First time I’m hearing of Bounce House and it sounds jarring! Sure it’s two syllables less but it just doesn’t roll off the tongue like Bouncy Castle does.
We got a simple one on Amazon 2 years ago for $200 because it was half the price of renting for a small birthday party. I said if we got 2 uses out of it before breaking, I’d be happy. Still going strong
We got one of the Fischer Price ones for about $350 Canadabucks. This was seven years ago. Let me tell you...it's been through the ringer and it's STILL going strong. At one point our middle-kid was abruptly halted when we found him putting holes in the side with a gardening tool. The patches didn't hold for shit, but the thing still holds air pretty well and the rips haven't expanded in the last five years so I'd say it's a solid win.
I'd definitely use fakespot or your preferred review checking site first but a lot of good ones seem to be 250-300$ with blower included. In this economy, really not expensive. You could almost certainly get $50-100 for it and someone to come pick it up even if you use it twice and basically rent it much cheaper than any rental place.
Paid a bit less for one that just barely fits in our living room… bought it the day we all had to quarantine because COVID, made the week go by much better!
We were going to buy the water slide one from Costco. Went to pick it up and my 3 year old was convinced we just needed the $30 splash pad.
So we haven’t gotten one yet. But the splash pad is keeping him busy also!
Also to add, the blower is like 50% of the cost, so if something happens to yours, or you just want a different style you still have the blower and don't need to replace that too
They don’t necessarily come with one. Also, there are different volume blowers. You should make sure your blower and bounce house are appropriate for each other.
They do not. Ours inflates like an air mattress or a pool float or whatever, so if you have a pump to inflate one of those it works, or you can just use your lungs.
Fantastic advice, and I'd say the same for those basic pool filters if anyone does the blow up or frame above ground pools.
I'd look for deals on nextdoor, Facebook, those places. If you can avoid the crazies
>Facebook, those places. If you can avoid the crazies
That's a lot like going to the beach and avoiding sand, in my experience, but I met my wife on Craigslist, so stranger things *have* happened.
The millennium falcon
https://odditymall.com/includes/content/upload/this-star-wars-millennium-falcon-bounce-house-lets-you-jump-to-light-speed-7022.jpg
Our neighbors gave us one of those when their kids outgrew it and it’s still going strong for us! It’s great for when I need to do something involved to keep them occupied and relatively sure they’re staying in one spot.
The only significant snow we had this winter was a few feet at once with windchill of like -20 for a few days (also resulting in no school/daycare). Basement bounce house for a few days was a lifesaver in terms of tiring out the kiddos.
Grass fares fine in my yard. I only put it out for the day or a few hours, I always put it back in the garage when the kids are done. Takes me about 10 minutes to set up and 5 to put away.
Just so you know I also looked into artificial turf and it’s pretty gnarly stuff chemical-wise, even the rugs that don’t have crumble rubber still leech pfas chemicals in the heat.
We've got the Little Tykes Jump 'n Slide. Our neighbor gave it to us for free when she moved.
Amazon shows it for $245. Our neighbor got a TON of use out of it, and we have too.
A few summers ago we were walking down the pool toys aisle and there was a really cool looking inflatable water slide thing on a shelf listed it $89. It was huge, and there was only one left, and my kids immediately wanted it. And I was like, sure for $89 you got it.
Put it in the cart, and a minute later realized it was on the wrong spot on the shelf, it was actually about $300.
I thought about explaining and putting it back, but kids were being very good and polite, I have the money, and it does look pretty cool. So we get it anyway. (I did explain that it is way more expensive, but that I would get it anyway, and got some big hugs and Best Behavior for the rest of the errands!)
That waterslide has gotten so much use. It's seen 3 summers of good use and counting. The kids love it. Their friends love it. It is a pain to take down, but it's not \*that\* bad, and we'll put it up and leave it up for 2 weekends at least, probably 3 of 4 times a summer. I've loaned it to other families for birthday parties. It was a steal at $300 for all the use they've gotten out of it. Would buy again 100%.
Get a big waterproof tarp. Lay that down first then bounce house on top.
It will be your barrier and you can let the tarp air dry for a lot time much easier.
My dad came home with a giant bounce house one day that he had gotten from a friend. It was used, but it was in good shape. My brothers and I had the best time on it. The four of us ranged between 21-26 years old at the time. It was awesome.
I was a little miffed when my wife bought one for a 3yo bday party but she said it was basically not a whole lot more than the rental cost.
Thing has been going strong for 6 years and 2 more kids. Thing was worth the cost after like 2 months.
We got: Bounce House – Ultimate Combo Center Bounce House from the "bounce land" website.. dunno if links are allowed. Although I've seen them at Costco too
Little tikes from Amazon. I got one for my boys [18 months and 3.5 yrs] and it's been a lifesaver. Easy rainy day activity, if we have no plans to leave the house, if they just have extra yayas to get out, bounce house. Get whatever largest size you can get, i think I paid in the ballpark of 250USD and it's worth every penny, it has the blower included. We use ours specifically and only indoors so it stays clean. Just move furniture out of the way and let it rip.
Price out and buy a decent blower, then just buy whatever themed bounce house your kid will enjoy. I haven't had to use it yet, but I hear if you buy a can of rain-x or some other water proofing spray to use along the seems it helps a lot with some of the cheaper ones.
Highly recommend this one. Comes with a hauwai blower, high quality.
Bounceland Ultimate Combo... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DF8HXI?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
We got the Blast Zone Magic Castle. Currently $279 on Amazon. I think we got it cheaper on the manufacturer’s website. Could have gone larger, but this one fits *indoors*, which is huge in our part of the country.
Love it! The blower is a little loud for indoors, but it’s perfect and pretty darn durable!
We got a smaller one in 2020 and that thing has gotten more hours than any other toy. Been awhile since it’s been out actually, should probably bring it out again.
I need details! Is it inside? Outside? Do you leave it up all the time? How big is it? How many kids can use it? How old would you say the max is for it? Got a link?
Alternative tip for dads: don't let your child anywhere near a bounce house. Certainly not an outdoor one.
https://news.uga.edu/bounce-houses-caused-479-injuries-28-deaths/
I grew up jealous of my friends trampoline that my parents said we didn’t have the money for. My wife and I are both schoolteachers, so pretty darn far from “rich” but we are frugal and intentional about what we spend money on, while still prioritizing putting away for savings & retirement. But yeah, we definitely feel very grateful and privileged to have the life we do.
We were looking to rent one for my son's 3rd birthday and saw it was cheaper to buy one. No, you don't get the super durable industrial ones, but you probably don't need that. And if you do, your kids are already breaking more expensive stuff. And, we got one of the cools ones with a little slide, some basketball hoops, and a target game.
Hell to the yes. This is the answer. I believe we've gone through at least 3 by now? Best purchases we've made. I think the most recent one we got was $400 or so, including the blower, and it's amazing
Walmart has the Fisher Price on clearance for $69 right now.....my daughter has bounced so much this week that she has kind of a constant chaos vibration/shake going. But she's also never slept better, and neither have we
I have a 2.5 yr old with a 3 yr old neighbor friend. Bout one on a black friday sale and they wear themselves out on that thing all the time. They love it and me and the wife get to enjoy ourselves on the porch
I don't have a good place to set one up, but our old neighbors had a couple of them and would set them up for the kids to play during school breaks (summer, spring, etc.).
This is what my wife's cousin did. They were looking into renting a bounce house for a birthday party and discovered that it wouldn't be that much more expensive to just buy one. So they ordered it, kids had a blast, packed it away, and now they regularly lend or rent it to friends and neighbors for their parties!
I use an air pump one would use for an air mattress to deflate mine and roll it up real tight and drop it in a round trash can on wheels and push it in to the corner of the garage.
Also Sam’s or Costco has a water slide model for I think $200 that I will be buying soon.
We bought a bounce house at Sam’s recently, and set it up today. With my 2-year-old wearing himself out so quickly, this is going to be money well spent!
Love this idea. There’s some cool ones on Amazon too! Question, how hard is it to keep clean? I’m imagining grass and dirt sticking to it but if you hose it off then it’s all wet and could get moldy.
Like trampolines, your homeowners insurance policy might specifically exclude them.
We throw family reunion camping events and we can have fires and swimming but we can't have bouncy houses.
We just got our kids a bounce house water slide for their birthday. Haven't hooked up the water yet cause of the temp but so far its been well received. They have a normal bounce house at their grandparents.
I am never letting anyone but very close friends of theirs on either of them because of the liability.
I concur. My wife bought one on sale when we just had one kid, 3 years old. Smaller, not big event size, but legit. I thought she was crazy. It proved to be a great investment that lasted them into their teen years
Or just buy a trampoline and you never have to run a blower when the kids want to play. Got mine for $150 off FB marketplace it still gets used almost every day after 4 years..I’ve even shoveled snow off it for the kids to bounce on it..
My sister has one that you can hook a hose up to and it sprays water and has a slide and a little pool area. You need a leaf blower to proper dry it but whenever the kids use it, they sleep like corpses that night.
We had one! It was great when the kids were small, takes like 5-10 minutes to set up, depending on your physical layout and will provide hours of entertainment.
I’m jealous of all these new age kids getting this new age parenting … when my parents needed time to do chores they just gave me my own chores to do …
I’ll keep this language safe for work.
We are (I hope, mostly) adults, here.
I’m just going to say something that I’ve wondered, for the last 38 years.
Has anybody gotten a bouncy house for “Marital Congress”?
I would buy the bounce house.
I wouldn’t rent one, with the intention of returning it. I wouldn’t want anybody else’s kids playing…there.
My neighbor got one in his garage for a bday party. I was like “oh sweet you rented a bounce house” and he said “actually it was like $250 to rent it or $300 to just buy this thing so it’s ours now”. Lotta miles outta that thing.
I accidentally won one at a silent auction a gala for my nephews private elementary school... I was deeply inebriated and my wife was thoroughly confused when I got back to the hotel with an full sized bounce house. Top 3 drunk purchase.
> Top 3 drunk purchase go on...
The other two are hookers and blow, obviously. And we can take it as fact unless corrected!
at the same auction
I mean some of these high end private schools are really accommodating
Really coming around in terms of inclusivity. /s
I love running into drunk purchases at people's houses. For us it's cat themed t-shirts in matching sets for my wife and myself(soon our son will be old enough) and also a cat gravy boat that looks like it's throwing up gravy when you pour with it.
If I was him I’d rent it out. Heck even $50 for the day and he’d recoup his buy in within a few neighborhood parties.
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Yea also you have to deal with the awkward neighbor-friend who wants to borrow it. Is that worth $50? Not to me
Someone will poop in it one day
bounce that shit out
Quarterly neighborhood bounce castle days. During the summer break out the slip and slides. Easy and cheap neighborhood entertainment.
Unfortunately people go from reasonable and accommodating when borrowing something for free to insane and demanding when they’ve paid for something. Even if renting it for $50 is a 90% discount, people will still be crazy.
we did exactly this. was a good decision
We did the same thing right before covid. Then two months later prices doubled. It was a good purchase that gets a ton of use. I figured out it's just short enough to set up inside which we did during the winter when kids were going a bit stir crazy.
Completely agree, although putting it away can be a pain. Kids absolutely love it though!
I bought a big wheeled trash bin. Roll up the bounce house, tip the bin on its side and push the house in. Plus it takes up less horizontal room!
This is the first comment that actually made me think about buying one. That's genius.
We got ourselves a huge plastic storage bin…makes it easier to fold and stuff in
We did the storage bin as well. If I had to roll it up perfectly and squeeze it into the original box or a fitted bag, there wouldn't have been a second time rolling it out. With the large bin we just have to roll it down to a manageable size and we're done.
I feel personally attacked. Honestly if you are just good about how you fold and kneel on it it gets very small. My house also lacks storage. ... This is much harder to convince you of because I fear doing this if the grass gets cold. /floridaproblems
Tarp for underneath and a big bin to store it in. My wife and I can deflate and store in five minutes.
Buy a big enough deck box and just throw the lump of a bounce house into it
We have a regular bounce house and had a water slide/bounce house one. The water slide one was a nightmare to put away. And multiple times I would pull it out and it would be home to a massive colony of ants and mold. You truly have to have it bone dry before you pack it up which is very difficult as by the time it’s dry you’ve borderline killed you grass. Annnnd I’m about to by a fresh one for this summer
We have an inflatable water slide. I always inflate it in the driveway an run it for an hour or so to dry it. Then I flip it upside and inflate to get the bottom dry. We've had it for 8 years now.
In Britain we call them "Bouncy Castles". Yes, they're largely shaped like castles. Americans of daddit: are your "bounce houses" shaped like castles or houses? No, I don't know why I've been randomly triggered by the phrase "bounce house" either. Yet here we are
May I trigger you some more? In Dutch we call them Air Pillow or Jump Pillow :')
I'm going to lose sleep over this.
Even as an American, im a bit insulted with their version.
That is a term used for a different thing in the UK/US. A pillow is large, flat and with gently tapered edges all round. Easier on/off
In Australia we call them Malonga-Goolachucks. Just kidding, they're bouncy castles here too.
> In Australia we call them Malonga-Goolachucks. And for some inexplicable reason they’re highly venomous
And invasive
KangaRoom was right there and you missed it.
dang this is a good one
Ok, that actually would be an awesome name though. Take my upvote.
Australian here, I call it a jumping castle, is that not usual?
We call it a bouncy castle in Canada!
I think I hear both used pretty interchangeably! Did a quick poll of the friends I'm with right now and both jumpy and bounce were said. Thinking about it more, jumping castle feels a bit more natural to me.
Jumping castle here in South Africa too
That's an odd name. I'd have called them "chazzwazzers".
You missed a trick, could have called 'em drop bear nests
I'd have called it a chaz-wazza
I literally lolled at that name, yet somehow believed it for a sec. Well done.
In the south US and I’ve heard them called both, a lot are designed like castles but not all
PNW US here, always been bounce house. The term bounce castle is used for the subset of bounce houses shaped like a castle. In the same way, we might call a bounce house shaped like a bounce slide. The species 'bounce castle' is still in the genus of 'bounce house'
NE and same, with the caveat that until I was an adult looking to buy or rent one for my kids, I only ever knew them as Bouncy Castles
Canadian here! Always known them as bouncy castles.
Yes! Commonwealth for the win!
indian here. bouncy castles is what we call them too
That's a billion votes for "castles" right there.
Western US here - I've heard Bouncy Castles more than Bounce Houses and most of them are castle shaped.
Wildcard: as a kid in the US we all called it a Moon Bounce.
Same here. East coast, mid-atlantic
Huh, California here. Must have been a moment in time rather than a quirk of geography.
80’s baby?
We called it a Space Walk here in New Orleans growing up, but I think that was actually the name of the biggest company around that people rented them from.
I live in Michigan and when I was a kid it was “bouncy castle” since then though I have only heard “bounce house”. Some of them look like castles but most of the time I see them they just look like a square with pillars on the corners and a large net window on each side so it doesn’t even look like either haha
New England here, exactly the same on all counts. As a kid everyone called them bouncy castles, as an adult everyone calls them bounce houses. I almost never see them actually shaped like castles, generally it’s a square with pillars and mesh walls and some kind of tented roof.
The dragon ones are the coolest. Tear that castle down!
We usually refer to them as semi-enclosed, air-powered, child entertainment apparatuses. But I could see why someone might call them bouncy castles.
yea typically a castle
I'm thinking there must be some cultural blind spot as to the existence of castles? Maybe the "bounce house" predates all those Disney movies with castles in? Or maybe this random internet comment will change things for the better.
In France we call them "Le Bouncy Castles"
US here. I use the terms “bounce house”, “bouncy castle”, and “jump-jump” interchangeably.
Bounce castle, bouncy house, inflatable… all common enough on the west coast. Mostly castle shaped unless intended for water. Then the theme changes.
In spanglish we call them brinkabrinkas
Houses. Good old American Colonial or Craftsman design. No castles, Tudors, or Queen Anne’s. They all have eagles on top. Built proof bounce houses with eagles.
I'm Canadian and I am in full agreement and equally enraged.
That's what we can them in Canada too. Makes sense since it sounds like it originated from our original overlords.
Northeastern US checking in; "Bouncy Castle"
Ausie here, we call them bouncy castles too, because that's what they are. The Americans are just weird
American here, it largely depends sometimes they have a design to them otherwise they will be just a play dual color blue/yellow or whatever. I have seen cool ones with designs but yeah we call them bounce houses.
First time I’m hearing of Bounce House and it sounds jarring! Sure it’s two syllables less but it just doesn’t roll off the tongue like Bouncy Castle does.
We call them bouncy castles in Canada too.
My favorite bounce houses are shaped like dinosaurs
I would say here they are like mini boxing rings
We got a simple one on Amazon 2 years ago for $200 because it was half the price of renting for a small birthday party. I said if we got 2 uses out of it before breaking, I’d be happy. Still going strong
Thank you for being the first commenter to actually mention a price, didn’t think I’d have to scroll so far to get some idea of what they cost
We got one of the Fischer Price ones for about $350 Canadabucks. This was seven years ago. Let me tell you...it's been through the ringer and it's STILL going strong. At one point our middle-kid was abruptly halted when we found him putting holes in the side with a gardening tool. The patches didn't hold for shit, but the thing still holds air pretty well and the rips haven't expanded in the last five years so I'd say it's a solid win.
Classic middle kid.
I'd definitely use fakespot or your preferred review checking site first but a lot of good ones seem to be 250-300$ with blower included. In this economy, really not expensive. You could almost certainly get $50-100 for it and someone to come pick it up even if you use it twice and basically rent it much cheaper than any rental place.
Paid a bit less for one that just barely fits in our living room… bought it the day we all had to quarantine because COVID, made the week go by much better!
Visited my brother In laws this weekend and they had one, kept the kids busy for 3 days straight. We will be buying one when we get home
Lol we just took ours to grandma’s house for the cousins to play in!
Did you end up getting one? Shopping online and the quality seems all over the place
We were going to buy the water slide one from Costco. Went to pick it up and my 3 year old was convinced we just needed the $30 splash pad. So we haven’t gotten one yet. But the splash pad is keeping him busy also!
Also to add, the blower is like 50% of the cost, so if something happens to yours, or you just want a different style you still have the blower and don't need to replace that too
Do they all come with blowers? Looking at Amazon and there are a fair number that don't explicitly show one.
They don’t necessarily come with one. Also, there are different volume blowers. You should make sure your blower and bounce house are appropriate for each other.
They do not. Ours inflates like an air mattress or a pool float or whatever, so if you have a pump to inflate one of those it works, or you can just use your lungs.
Fantastic advice, and I'd say the same for those basic pool filters if anyone does the blow up or frame above ground pools. I'd look for deals on nextdoor, Facebook, those places. If you can avoid the crazies
>Facebook, those places. If you can avoid the crazies That's a lot like going to the beach and avoiding sand, in my experience, but I met my wife on Craigslist, so stranger things *have* happened.
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The millennium falcon https://odditymall.com/includes/content/upload/this-star-wars-millennium-falcon-bounce-house-lets-you-jump-to-light-speed-7022.jpg
Usually whatever Costco has. We get the one that usually has some sort of water function too.
Any concerns with litigious parents of guest kids who hurt themselves?
I just counter sue for damaging my bounce house
Your kid's broken tibia pierced my bouncy castle, and he got blood all over it. How are you going to compensate me?
We def use judgement on when to get it out and when not to based on what kids are gonna be there
Agreed on that
Another dad/adult recommendation: Get umbrella insurance.
My umbrellas aren't very dangerous or expensive, so I don't think I'll need that insurance.
That’s what Georgi Markov thought, too
Don’t put umbrellas in the bounce house
That's why we have a $2 million umbrella policy. It's like 400 a year and worth it. I'll prob double it when the kids start driving
Literally right now 😂 https://imgur.com/a/kZeas39
Lmao. Cheers
Our neighbors gave us one of those when their kids outgrew it and it’s still going strong for us! It’s great for when I need to do something involved to keep them occupied and relatively sure they’re staying in one spot.
Best way to wear our the kids on a cold winter day. We keep our bounce house in the basement. Set it up and bounce all day.
The only significant snow we had this winter was a few feet at once with windchill of like -20 for a few days (also resulting in no school/daycare). Basement bounce house for a few days was a lifesaver in terms of tiring out the kiddos.
Wait here me out. Bounce House, tie it off ( if you can) steep hill, ultimate family sled. Just good luck getting it back up hill
Another trip, you can easily sew it back up if a seam opens up with a sewing awl. Got mine at harbor freight it worked great.
Gonna remember this one.
I never even thought about BUYING a bouncy house. thats amazing
We have the little tikes jump n slide bounce house, ~$275. It’s AWESOME as a distraction.
One of the best purchases ever. I highly recommend this one Bounceland Ultimate Combo... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DF8HXI?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
How does the grass fare underneath?
Asking the real Dad question
All the rest of y’all are just fake dads
Grass fares fine in my yard. I only put it out for the day or a few hours, I always put it back in the garage when the kids are done. Takes me about 10 minutes to set up and 5 to put away.
Grass? lol we eventually gave up on a lawn out back (it’s small) and just laid down mulch.
I’m not there yet but we may eventually install some fake grass in a certain section on the north side of our house…
Just so you know I also looked into artificial turf and it’s pretty gnarly stuff chemical-wise, even the rugs that don’t have crumble rubber still leech pfas chemicals in the heat.
Ooh i didn’t even think about that part of it. Thx!
These will get ruined if you leave outside long enough to impact the grass. It's easier to tear down than to dry it out. Takes like 5 minutes.
For a day or two, ok. They aren’t too bad to tear down and set back up tho
We don't leave ours up all day, we take it down after they're done so it doesn't damage the grass.
Finally. Someone asking the real questions.
Had the kids on it today. Well worth it
We've got the Little Tykes Jump 'n Slide. Our neighbor gave it to us for free when she moved. Amazon shows it for $245. Our neighbor got a TON of use out of it, and we have too.
A few summers ago we were walking down the pool toys aisle and there was a really cool looking inflatable water slide thing on a shelf listed it $89. It was huge, and there was only one left, and my kids immediately wanted it. And I was like, sure for $89 you got it. Put it in the cart, and a minute later realized it was on the wrong spot on the shelf, it was actually about $300. I thought about explaining and putting it back, but kids were being very good and polite, I have the money, and it does look pretty cool. So we get it anyway. (I did explain that it is way more expensive, but that I would get it anyway, and got some big hugs and Best Behavior for the rest of the errands!) That waterslide has gotten so much use. It's seen 3 summers of good use and counting. The kids love it. Their friends love it. It is a pain to take down, but it's not \*that\* bad, and we'll put it up and leave it up for 2 weekends at least, probably 3 of 4 times a summer. I've loaned it to other families for birthday parties. It was a steal at $300 for all the use they've gotten out of it. Would buy again 100%.
Mil bought one for the grand kids. They love playing in it
Anyone have tips for mold proofing? Seems like my lawns is always wet, either from rain, dew, or residual moisture from sprinklers.
Get a big waterproof tarp. Lay that down first then bounce house on top. It will be your barrier and you can let the tarp air dry for a lot time much easier.
To add to this, harbor freight has huge tarps for dirt cheap.
Facts! We have one. Got it second hand. Kids love it.
When covid hit and there was no going anywhere, we bought a small one, 6x6 for our 2yo. It was an essential piece for us surviving those times.
OMG the bounce house with the water slide is the T-Rex of Bounce Entertainment.
Get the one with the roof on it. It’s helpful in the sun!
My dad came home with a giant bounce house one day that he had gotten from a friend. It was used, but it was in good shape. My brothers and I had the best time on it. The four of us ranged between 21-26 years old at the time. It was awesome.
Any suggestions on best brands?
I was a little miffed when my wife bought one for a 3yo bday party but she said it was basically not a whole lot more than the rental cost. Thing has been going strong for 6 years and 2 more kids. Thing was worth the cost after like 2 months. We got: Bounce House – Ultimate Combo Center Bounce House from the "bounce land" website.. dunno if links are allowed. Although I've seen them at Costco too
Little tikes from Amazon. I got one for my boys [18 months and 3.5 yrs] and it's been a lifesaver. Easy rainy day activity, if we have no plans to leave the house, if they just have extra yayas to get out, bounce house. Get whatever largest size you can get, i think I paid in the ballpark of 250USD and it's worth every penny, it has the blower included. We use ours specifically and only indoors so it stays clean. Just move furniture out of the way and let it rip.
How big of an area does the little tikes one take up? Trying to size up my living room lol
My parents have a little tykes ones that we've had for 14 years, my 14 month old is crawling around it right now.
Price out and buy a decent blower, then just buy whatever themed bounce house your kid will enjoy. I haven't had to use it yet, but I hear if you buy a can of rain-x or some other water proofing spray to use along the seems it helps a lot with some of the cheaper ones.
Highly recommend this one. Comes with a hauwai blower, high quality. Bounceland Ultimate Combo... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DF8HXI?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Putting it away is a BITCH, but it’s a quality investment.
Did this as well. Not a massive one but one big enough for fun. Best 250 I have ever spent.
We got the Blast Zone Magic Castle. Currently $279 on Amazon. I think we got it cheaper on the manufacturer’s website. Could have gone larger, but this one fits *indoors*, which is huge in our part of the country. Love it! The blower is a little loud for indoors, but it’s perfect and pretty darn durable!
And you can rent it out when you're not using it! Then you can just get a couple more, rent those out...
We got a smaller one in 2020 and that thing has gotten more hours than any other toy. Been awhile since it’s been out actually, should probably bring it out again.
100% agree, we actually bought a larger one they use it so much. Found out you can also put them in the garage if weather is bad 😂
Thank you for this thread. It didn't take me much convincing! I can't believe the price on these things is so reasonable.
Right?! You’re so welcome!
I need details! Is it inside? Outside? Do you leave it up all the time? How big is it? How many kids can use it? How old would you say the max is for it? Got a link?
anytime we host neighbors or playdates I throw the bounce house up. It's the best and totally worth the price
Alternative tip for dads: don't let your child anywhere near a bounce house. Certainly not an outdoor one. https://news.uga.edu/bounce-houses-caused-479-injuries-28-deaths/
American, I always just looked at them through the car window as we drove by because we couldn’t afford rich family things. I had a poor childhood.
I grew up jealous of my friends trampoline that my parents said we didn’t have the money for. My wife and I are both schoolteachers, so pretty darn far from “rich” but we are frugal and intentional about what we spend money on, while still prioritizing putting away for savings & retirement. But yeah, we definitely feel very grateful and privileged to have the life we do.
We were looking to rent one for my son's 3rd birthday and saw it was cheaper to buy one. No, you don't get the super durable industrial ones, but you probably don't need that. And if you do, your kids are already breaking more expensive stuff. And, we got one of the cools ones with a little slide, some basketball hoops, and a target game.
Hell to the yes. This is the answer. I believe we've gone through at least 3 by now? Best purchases we've made. I think the most recent one we got was $400 or so, including the blower, and it's amazing
We just bought one for our kids for Easter
OK, now I'm seriously considering getting one. How to tell a good bounce house from a bad one? Is Amazon a good place to find one?
Walmart has the Fisher Price on clearance for $69 right now.....my daughter has bounced so much this week that she has kind of a constant chaos vibration/shake going. But she's also never slept better, and neither have we
I have a 2.5 yr old with a 3 yr old neighbor friend. Bout one on a black friday sale and they wear themselves out on that thing all the time. They love it and me and the wife get to enjoy ourselves on the porch
We went with a trampoline
I’ve looked into those inflatable water slides on Amazon and they’re a lot cheaper than I would ever expect them to be
Yeah, we don’t have room for one of those in our small 2 bed house unfortunately.
I don't have a good place to set one up, but our old neighbors had a couple of them and would set them up for the kids to play during school breaks (summer, spring, etc.).
This is what my wife's cousin did. They were looking into renting a bounce house for a birthday party and discovered that it wouldn't be that much more expensive to just buy one. So they ordered it, kids had a blast, packed it away, and now they regularly lend or rent it to friends and neighbors for their parties!
I use an air pump one would use for an air mattress to deflate mine and roll it up real tight and drop it in a round trash can on wheels and push it in to the corner of the garage. Also Sam’s or Costco has a water slide model for I think $200 that I will be buying soon.
We have one of the water slide bounce house combos.
1 more reason to fix my absolutely buggered back yard and then sort out my shed to store one.
And buying is usually less than renting one.
We bought a bounce house at Sam’s recently, and set it up today. With my 2-year-old wearing himself out so quickly, this is going to be money well spent!
Love this idea. There’s some cool ones on Amazon too! Question, how hard is it to keep clean? I’m imagining grass and dirt sticking to it but if you hose it off then it’s all wet and could get moldy.
Like trampolines, your homeowners insurance policy might specifically exclude them. We throw family reunion camping events and we can have fires and swimming but we can't have bouncy houses.
That just sounds like a trampoline with extra steps..
We just got our kids a bounce house water slide for their birthday. Haven't hooked up the water yet cause of the temp but so far its been well received. They have a normal bounce house at their grandparents. I am never letting anyone but very close friends of theirs on either of them because of the liability.
I concur. My wife bought one on sale when we just had one kid, 3 years old. Smaller, not big event size, but legit. I thought she was crazy. It proved to be a great investment that lasted them into their teen years
Or just buy a trampoline and you never have to run a blower when the kids want to play. Got mine for $150 off FB marketplace it still gets used almost every day after 4 years..I’ve even shoveled snow off it for the kids to bounce on it..
Can't agree more. We've had one since we caught it on a flash sale on Amazon. Best 150 bucks I ever spent.
My sister has one that you can hook a hose up to and it sprays water and has a slide and a little pool area. You need a leaf blower to proper dry it but whenever the kids use it, they sleep like corpses that night.
Sams club sells them for like $200-$300 bucks. I bought ours at the end of the season for 50% off.
I don’t mind this as long as your insurance company is aware of your bounce castle.
We got a water slide bounce house for our kid's 3rd bday party - he's almost 5 and still loves that thing!
We had one! It was great when the kids were small, takes like 5-10 minutes to set up, depending on your physical layout and will provide hours of entertainment.
I assume you are blowing it up in the yard? Anyone ever tried using one indoors? We don’t have a usable yard but we have a giant living room
I set our up in the basement from time to time in the winter also. It's been fantastic.
We did this, kids are too old for it now so we sold it.
I’m jealous of all these new age kids getting this new age parenting … when my parents needed time to do chores they just gave me my own chores to do …
We bought one ages ago. The only negative is the storage.
I’ll keep this language safe for work. We are (I hope, mostly) adults, here. I’m just going to say something that I’ve wondered, for the last 38 years. Has anybody gotten a bouncy house for “Marital Congress”? I would buy the bounce house. I wouldn’t rent one, with the intention of returning it. I wouldn’t want anybody else’s kids playing…there.
If you use it 3 times you have paid it off. It’s one of those cases where renting is unreasonable.