With the Christmas shopping season upon us, the researchers here at TrampolineSafety.com decided to take a quick look at a perennnial family favorite - the child mini trampoline. Here we review two popular models, the Hedstrom My First Jumper and the Kid-Riffic JumpSmart.

Hedstrom
My First Jumper
($49.99 - $69.99 retail)

Description:
This is a square shaped child rebounder. It uses a bungee cord to provide rebound and has a handle that kids can hold to provide stability. 

Features:

•   36” x 36” square steel frame, for more than 5.5 square feet of jumping surface area
•   32” high handle
•   Pads- 1” thick foam with vinyl cover, secured with bungee T anchors
•   Polypropylene mat with heat staked hems and grommets
•   Approx 11 mm diameter bungee with crimped metal eyelet at each end.
•   Foam covered handle
•   Weight limit of 60 lb.

Highs:

•   Large jumping area,
•   Stable base
•   Robust bungee cord
•   Relatively thick pads with durable cover

Lows:

•   No sensors or sounds to engage children and provide feedback
•   Difficult to install bungee during assembly
•   8 piece steel tubing frame that moves at mid span joints, causing flex

Opinion:
This is a surprisingly durable and well designed mini trampoline for the price point. The frame flexed when a corner is lifted, but this did not appear to affect the bounce performance when in use. The unit has a good bounce that is lively enough to be fun for a small child to use, and has enough damping to make it fairly safe. The quality and construction of the pads is excellent for this size of trampoline. Installation of the bungee is difficult, partially due to the bungee being too large for the grommets in the mat. It could take two adults 45 minutes or more to assemble. Cable ties were provided to help hold the mat in place during assembly. The biggest concerns with this product are the ease of assembly, and the lack of play value when compared to the Kid-Riffic rebounder.

Kid-Riffic
Jump Smart
($49.99 - $99.99 retail)

Description:
This is a triangular shaped child rebounder. It has similar steel tubing, handle cushioning, and bungee cord construction as compared to the Hestrom unit. The standout feature is the electronic unit which provides sound effects and allows for interactive play.

Features:

•   5 fun games: count along, fun sounds, musical statues, bounce along and memory match
•   Pads- 5/8” thick foam with thin nylon, secured with bungee loops and Velcro tabs
•   Polypropylene mat with heat staked hems and grommets
•   Approx 8 mm diameter bungee with crimped metal eyelet at each end.
•   Foam covered handle
•   Weight limit of 80 lb.
•   Product weight 15.9 lb, shipping wt 17.5 lb.
•   Box dimensions 3 x 14 x 46 inches
•   Recommended for 4-6 year olds
•   3 AA batteries required

Highs:

•   Sensor and sounds to engage children with games and provide feedback
•   Large jumping area
•   Sturdy 3 piece lower frame

Lows:

•   Smaller diameter bungee cord
•   Relatively thin pads with flimsy cover
•   Difficult to install bungee during assembly (more difficult than Hedstrom unit)
•   Hardware with plastic washers cannot be tightened enough to prevent handle movement
•   Poor assembly instructions

Opinion:
The unit has a good bounce that is similar to the Hedstrom unit. Installation of the bungee is difficult, even though the smaller bungee fits easily through the grommets on the mat. This is partially due to the lack of cable ties, which are useful for positioning the mat when installing the bungee.  Installation time is probably similar to that of the Hedstrom model. They cut corners on the quality of the pads, and the handle isn't held securely enough to prevent all movement. Overall the appearance of the unit is much more interesting and fun than the Hedstrom unit. The electronic games give it tremendous play value and make it much more exciting.

Overall:
We decided that the Kid-Riffic was the hands down winner for our money. At about the same price, you get the interactive sounds and games which bring a ton of extra excitement and game play possibilities. The true test is in which one the kids gravitate to, and in this case the answer is clear-the Kid-Riffic JumpSmart comes out ahead.

Also see the great video review of the Kid-Riffic JumpSmart below: