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Family Fun

The 5 Best Small Bouncy Castles For Children (2023 Buying guide)

written by DaddiLife 3rd March 2019
small bouncy castles, mini bouncy castles, bouncy castle guide, indoor bouncy castle, toddler bouncy castle

Updated: 4th January 2023.

A bouncy castle, otherwise known as a bounce house, is a castle shaped inflatable model. It’s typically designed for children from toddler-age upwards, and is great fun.

It has a number of benefits for their development, but there are some important watch-outs in getting the right ones. In this guide we focus on the small bouncy castles; the ones that work well for indoors and outdoors, or for a smaller number of children. Buying one of these can in some cases be much better value than renting too.

What's in this guide?
The Benefits of Bouncy Castles for Children
Health & Exercise
Fit for a range of occasions & interactions
The priceless laughter
Entertainment that lasts
Outside play
Save money on rental
The Best Small Bouncy Castles
1. HOMCOM Kids Bouncy Castle Inflatable Bouncer Bounce House and Slide
2. Little Tikes Giant Slide Bouncer
3. Wushuang Children's Inflatable Castle Small Amusement Park Trampoline
4. COSTWAY Inflatable Bouncy Castle Outdoor Garden Kids Jumper House Activity Playground (Type 1)
5. AirFlow Bouncy Castle
Best Bouncy Castle Games
Key Factors When Buying a Children's Bouncy Castle
Durability
Number of children
Safe set up
Guarantees & Safety Tests
Safe Clearance
  • Every product on DaddiLife is independently selected by our editors, writers, and experts. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, but this never influences our product choices.


The Benefits of Bouncy Castles for Children


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(image credit: yardinflatable.com)


Health & Exercise

They are brilliant and fun ways to channel the kids’ energies into good exercise. For children over 3, the repetitive nature of bouncing can vastly improve leg strength, especially as part of a varied range of activities. Even when they fall and loose balance the first time, it’s exactly this type of exercise that improves endurance – which is key to help lowering the risk of obesity over a sustained period.

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Fit for a range of occasions & interactions

It’s not just for birthday parties. Bounce houses are brilliant ways for the kids to burn off that bit of extra energy, or fun for a few of their friends in the afternoon. When multiple children play in a bouncy castle, they also learn how better to interact with each other.

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The priceless laughter

There’s something truly magical that happens to kids once on a bouncy castle that results in truly infectious laughter. Once they are on the bounce houses, you’ll see instantly what joy it can bring to them.

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Entertainment that lasts

Being on a bouncy castle is far more active entertainment for toddlers and older children than just sitting them in-front of the TV. For something so simple to construct, a bouncy castle can keep a child’s attention for a very long time!

dad sport


Outside play

We’ve previously written about the vast benefits of outdoor play, and it really is vital for our children’s development. The best bounce houses don’t just have to be used outside, but they do offer a self-contained space for your children to develop in an outdoor play setting.


Save money on rental

For the occasions where you need a really big bouncy castle for 10+ children, then renting one still remains cost effective. But smaller bouncy castles aren’t as costly to operate. So for some models if you use them more than twice you’re already in profit!


The Best Small Bouncy Castles


We’ve reviewed 5 of the very best. These are typically lower in height and designed for indoor and outdoor play. But always check the dimensions against what’s available in your home / outside space.

1. HOMCOM Kids Bouncy Castle Inflatable Bouncer Bounce House and Slide


“Perfect present for my 4 year old. Easy to assemble and put down.”
Latest Price on Amazon ▷

This bouncy castle from Homcom is brilliantly designed for indoor and outdoor use, and has been double stiched for extra strength.

Key Features:

  • Made of high quality material-fire and water resistant, puncture-proof.
  • Air blower is used to make it inflate in around 1 minute.
  • Mesh netting keeps your kids safe while playing .

Key Information:

  • Designed for 3-10 years old with a maximum capacity weight of 136 kg (3 kids maximum).
  • Dimensions: 300 L x 180 W x 160 H (cm).

Ideal for: 

Those who want a great party starter, that will also last throughout the seasons – indoor and outdoor.


2. Little Tikes Giant Slide Bouncer


“It’s nice and big with great structure. The kids loved it."
Latest Price on Amazon ▷

An all in one system from Little Tikes featuring a slide, climber, bounce area and tunnel. Perfect for long-time entertainment.

Key Features:

  • Walls have mesh netting around the jumping area.
  • Brilliant all in one system.
  • Accessories include: * 1-Storage bag * 1-Heavy-duty blower with GFCI plug * 1-Repair kit * 4-Blower stakes * 8-Bouncer stakes.

Key Information:

  • Maximum weight capacity: 250 lbs.
  • Key dimensions: 300 L x 300 W x 270 H (cm).
  • Maximum number of kids: 3, designed for children from age 3 upwards.

Ideal For:

Bigger spaces in and out of home, and those with 2 children or more.


3. Wushuang Children's Inflatable Castle Small Amusement Park Trampoline


“Simply brilliant entertainment for the kids. Both play so well in it together."
Latest Price on Amazon ▷

This bounce house from Wushuang is the most classical in terms of castle-like design, and has been made with a clear thought for different zones for the children to play in: a pit, bouncy castle, and slide.

Key Features:

  • The inflatable Bounce house is built of puncture-resistant 420D nylon and tarpaulin material which is durable and lab-tested to ensure safety and compliance with Lead-Free Toys.
  • Easy to Store and Carry-Quick to deflate the inflatable less than 2 minutes. You can carry to anywhere conveniently with the supplied bag or store it when not in use.
  • Heavy duty and waterproof air blower is included.

Key Information:

  • Product Weight: 34 lbs. 
  • Maximum weight capacity: 250 lbs.
  • Product size: 9.7 L x 8.8 W x 6.8 H (Feet). 

Ideal For:

Larger spaces, especially outside the home, and those who's children are ready for the finer details of life.


4. COSTWAY Inflatable Bouncy Castle Outdoor Garden Kids Jumper House Activity Playground (Type 1)


“This is a very durable bouncy castle my son is 8 and had it since he was 2!"
Latest Price on Amazon ▷

The Costway is a good starter bouncy castle, and has a high wall and side net for extra safety while the jumping happens. It’s known for its durability, but is limited in how many children can bounce in it.

Key Features:

  • Honeycomb grid side netting protection system.
  • Durable and non-toxic material for easy cleaning.
  • Easy and quick to blow up, inflates under 2 minutes.

Key Information:

  • Maximum occupancy: 90 kg.
  • Type 1: Without Climbing Slide.
  • Overall size: 200 L x 200 W x 150 H (cm).

Ideal For: 

Parents looking for a starter bouncy castle or have a smaller space available to set up.


5. AirFlow Bouncy Castle


"3 year and 6 year old grandsons love it. Easy to put up and put away."
Latest Price on Amazon ▷

Similar to the Costway (above), but just a bit bigger and bolder all-round. Made of durable PVC material and double laminated nylon for extra durability too.

Key Features:

  • Double stitched material for extra protection against air leaks.
  • Electronic air blower keeps castle inflated for duration of use.
  • Good side netting for extra safety.

Key Information:

  • Item weight is 13 kg
  • Dimensions: 200 L x 200 W x 160 H (cm)
  • Maximum occupancy: 90 kg.

Ideal For:

Parents who want a starter bounce house with a little extra quality all-round.


Best Bouncy Castle Games


There are a range of different games you can play on a mini bouncy castle, and here’s some of our favourites.

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Stop-Bounce!

An inflatables version of the popular musical statues game. The children jump and bounce while the music is on, and then need to stop as soon as the music is paused. Those who are last to stop (or who can’t steady themselves) are out of the game.

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A New Kingdom

Add some toys (not too many) into the bouncy castle and you quickly create a whole new world of play for the kids. Try to avoid too many, especially sharper toys, and always keep a watch out for smaller parts.

Image Credit: blastzone.com

Friendly 'Sumo' Wrestling

This is a game of fine balance. One of the most important principles of sumo is to hold your ground when your opponent tries to take you down. Well, in this bouncy castle game you can imagine the fun in seeing the kids try to hold their ground, but can’t because their feet are in a constant wobble!

Themes Come to Life

Imagine creating your very own favourite themed world! The beauty of a bouncy castle is that a little decoration here and there, or even buying a bouncy castle designed in your favorite characters makes that world come to life even more for the children.

Obstacle course, Bouncy castle, indoor bouncy castle

Obstacle Course/Fun Run

For a few friends, and preferably in the small bouncy castles that have different ‘zones’ you can set up a simple obstacle course where the kids have to race against each other, or against the time, to see who is the future Olympic champion within the group.

Image credit: Better Bounce Direct

Indoor bouncy castle games, best bouncy castle games, racing cars on bouncy castles

Ready, Set, Go

You don’t have to bounce to have fun in the Bouncy Castle. For any race fans out there - get the cars, wind up them up, and have a race! It’s like Scalextrics, but with a lot more bounce!


Key Factors When Buying a Children's Bouncy Castle


Durability

The lifespan of a bouncy castle is typically between 2-4 years. There are however far too many examples of manufacturers who sell bouncy castles that are beyond repair within 12-24 months. That’s why we advise NEVER to buy a second hand one, it’s not worth the risk.

Number of children


How many children do you need this mini bouncy castle for? Always make sure the one you get covers the likely number of children who will be using it regularly.

Safe set up


Whether for bigger or small bouncy castles, one of the most important factors is safe set up. Here’s our safety sheet for the key

Small bouncy castle, setting up a small bouncy castle, important factors when setting up a bouncy castle

Guarantees & Safety Tests

What level of guarantee is provided by the manufacturer? The EN71 testing standard is a set of European Product Safety standards that applies to all toys sold in the EU.

It means that all toys sold in the EU must meet certain minimum safety standards on the following areas: Mechanical, Noise, Flame retardancy, Electrical safety, Chemical composition, Sanitation, Radiation.

Read More: http://www.intertek.com/toys/eu-toy-directive/

Safe Clearance

One thing to check is certainly the clearance space needed - height especially. The typical mini bouncy castle is 160cm in height, which should comfortably within range of the minimum floor to ceiling height for residential spaces of over 2.6 metres.

Always ensure that there’s an adult to supervise too.

The 5 Best Small Bouncy Castles For Children (2023 Buying guide) was last modified: January 5th, 2023 by DaddiLife

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