Both trampolines and bounce houses have their benefits and risks. But to comprehend trampoline vs. bounce houses- what’s better for your kids, you need to compare them in terms of safety, maintenance, playability, health benefits, and longevity of use.
By assessing both recreational activities, focusing on the above-mentioned aspects, you can conclude. After all, as a parent, you want to ensure the best for your little one.
It’s important to have some key insights, so your investment pays off. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you’ll have a clear perception and find all your answers.
Child Safety
First things first, safety is always the main concern for any parent when it comes to their children. Studies and reports have, on many occasions, indicated that jumping is inherently risky behavior.
What do recent studies suggest about trampolines and bounce houses in terms of risk?
When it comes to trampolines vs bounce houses in terms of safety, generally speaking, trampolines are more dangerous than bounce houses. With trampolines, the risk of flying off the edge or landing on the metal frame is always a possibility.
Research shows that an estimated 100,000 injuries occur each year for trampolines. However, there are steps you can take to reduce those risks, and many trampolines nowadays have options to put safety nets around them, along with other safety measures.
Bounce houses, on the other hand, are safer than trampolines because of their enclosed design and inflated materials; This makes it easy for children to bounce off safely.
However, there is multiple research that also indicates that injuries with bounce houses increased with their popularity over the past couple of decades.
A recent study suggested that around eighty thousand children were injured within the year 2015-2019 in bounce houses. Many of these injuries occur due to the lack of supervision, poor setup, stunts, or materials that were not supposed to be there.
How to mitigate the risks?
An important thing to remember is that it is difficult to come up with a definitive answer that votes for bounce houses over trampolines in terms of safety. Injuries can result from any kind of activity, and children, in general, can be extremely creative when it comes to being injured.
Taking a few measures can greatly reduce the risks of injuries in both trampolines or bounce houses:
– Monitor and supervise your children while playing
– Not letting children under 6 use trampolines
– Limit the number of children playing
– Advise children not to take any leap of faith
– Avoid letting your children play in bad weather
– Make sure that the bounce house or trampoline is set up properly
– Check the manual to see if there are any weight limits
These are not, of course, all the measures you can take to protect your children, but they are definitely some important ones. As a parent, more research on the steps you can take regarding your child’s safety is always a good idea.
So, don’t hesitate to learn from the internet regarding maintaining your gear, child safety, etc. If possible, consult with professional athletes or coaches who regularly deal with trampolining and related activities.
Trampolines vs Bounce Houses: Comparing to Playability, Health Benefits, and Maintenance.
Both trampolines and bounce houses have a lot of scopes. But which one can be more attractive depends on the requirements of your kids and you as their parent. Comparing the two in terms of longevity, playability, and health benefits can be useful in finding the answer.
What Are the Scopes for Playability?
Both bounce houses and trampolines offer a lot of fun for children.
But comparatively, bounce houses can be more attractive to children simply because they can offer a lot more than opportunities to bounce; they come in a variety of colors, shapes, and designs, which makes them extremely attractive to children. Moreover, they can also come with slides, basketball hoops, ball pits, etc.
Bounce houses are also especially great during parties. Depending on its size, it can accommodate a lot of children playing simultaneously without causing injuries.
Trampolines, on the other hand, are pretty straightforward. Depending on the size, it only provides a circular space to jump on. However, nowadays, there are a lot of additional accessories that you can set up with the trampoline, such as basketball hoops, water sprinklers, etc.
But the number of facilities bounce houses can provide compared to trampolines is unmatched.
Although, the trampoline’s simplicity should not be associated with being boring. It can offer a multitude of activities and games that can make trampolining fun.
Most importantly, trampolines are something a kid can grow up to, whereas bounce houses are toys kids grow out of. In terms of growth and development, trampolines can allow your children to develop several healthy mechanisms that can be of value throughout their entire life.
What Are the Health Benefits?
There are multiple health benefits to bouncing. Both bounce houses and trampolines can be a great way to burn off energy. But since bounce houses can offer more activities alongside jumping, your children might find more ways to use their muscles and develop acrobatic skills in a safer environment.
However, it’s important to note that bounce houses can be suffocating due to their enclosed design. Trampolines, on the other hand, can be more liberating. In addition, trampolines are considered to be more physically demanding and therefore exert a greater opportunity to develop physically in the long run.
In both cases, jumping is an activity that has multiple health benefits. When you jump, you use your whole body. It forces different muscles across your entire body to work simultaneously. Many other advantages of jumping include improving bone density, bettering your balance, and improving your heart condition.
Which One Is More Difficult to Maintain?
When it comes to accessibility, trampolines are unmatched. They are very simple; once you set it up, it can be kept as it is throughout the year. All you need to worry about is getting the dust, snow, and leaves off now and then that may pile up throughout the seasons.
Of course, trampolines are not indestructible; often, you’ll have to check on the springs, jumping mat, nuts, bolts, etc. Over a long period of use, jumping mats can tear up, and the springs may even break. However, trampolines are incredibly popular and very easy to repair (or get repaired).
Maintaining a bouncing house is very challenging. Bouncing houses are not a one-time setup. They are typically made out of materials that require you to inflate them every time you wish to use them. And once the party is over, you’ll need to deflate, roll it up and pack it in a safe environment.
The inflatable materials can usually withstand a lot of pressure and, therefore, can be used over a long period. However, that doesn’t mean that they are not susceptible to tearing up. Moreover, bouncing houses have a ton of components that require thorough inspection and maintenance regularly.
It is also important to keep in mind that bounce houses may not be a very good long-term investment. For example, if you have a small-sized bounce house suitable for children, they might outgrow it pretty soon. On the other hand, trampolines can be used for many years and are even attractive to adults for regular use.
Essential tools required to maintain trampolines and bounce houses:
| For Trampolines | For Bounce Houses |
| Nuts and bolts Hammer Rubber Mallet Drilling Machine (Optional) | Rubber GlovesVacuum cleaner Broom Brushes and sponges Dishwashing soap Bleach-free disinfectant wipes |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the most common injuries with bounce houses?
Typically, injuries related to arms, legs, and necks are the most common. However, lower extremity injuries were the most frequent area of injuries.
- Which is a better long-term investment, bounce houses or trampolines?
For long-term use, consider trampolines, as they can last longer. In addition, trampolines are simpler in terms of manufacturing compared to bounce houses. Therefore, they can be easily repaired whenever there’s any issue.
- Are trampolines difficult to assemble?
Most trampolines come with instruction manuals and can be assembled by a couple of adults.
- Are trampolines better for exercise than bounce houses?
Both trampolines and bounce houses offer a lot of scope for exercising. However, trampolines can be more attractive to both adults as well as kids for exercising.
- How long does it take to set up a bounce house?
It usually takes around 15 – 30 mins to set up, depending on the size of the bounce house.
Final Words
There’s no black-and-white answer for trampoline vs bounce houses- what’s better for your kids depends, as both cater to different grounds.
However, the argument boils down to this: if you want to give your children beautiful memories that they want to keep throughout their lifetimes, bounce houses are probably a better fit for that.
But if you wish to help your children develop powerful habits and healthy coping mechanisms that can enrich their entire life, trampolines are a better fit for that purpose.
Last Updated on May 20, 2023
