Tag Archives: playtime

Merax 36″ Foldable Mini Trampoline Review

With our daughter seriously upping her energy levels as she neared the 2 year mark, Going Mom and I decided an indoor trampoline would be a perfect birthday gift. The search, as with most kid things nowadays, took a while to decide which would be the best quality/value. I use Amazon for almost everything, and after reading a novel’s worth of mini trampoline reviews, we finally decided on a trampoline worthy enough for us Avery; the Merax 36″ Mini Trampoline.

mini trampoline, amazon

She turned freakin’ 2 back in November, and took right to her new trampoline when we brought it out.

mini trampoline, birthday

I assembled it the day of her birthday and found it rather easy to setup. Took me longer than expected because of the vague instructions that came along with it, but in retrospect, the entire process was hardly an issue. Just unfold, fit the cover over the elastic bands, screw on the legs and foam-covered handlebar (optional) and you’re good to go. Getting the cover to fit properly was probably the biggest “challenge”, but that didn’t take too long.

Having thick elastic bands instead of springs is a major plus, and I feel the trampoline doesn’t even need the cover as a result. But, to prevent any little feet from falling through, it’s probably a good idea to just put it on. The handlebar is optional too and can easily be removed, but Avery seems to like it right now, so it stays. Other than a great stabilizer, it works as a perfect mini-blankie rack too.

jumping, trampoline, toddler

With a max capacity of 220 lbs, the Merax 36″ Mini Trampoline is great for adults too looking for a fun fitness option. Kids or no kids, the current price of $79.99 makes it a viable and affordable option for any adult looking for a way to keep active. My wife and I can never get on to jump without Avery quickly joining in, but with the high weight capacity, we can bounce with our kid without the fear of breaking the trampoline.

So far, we have both bounced with Avery and have had zero issues with stability. The only thing we find ourselves saying is how we wish it were bigger. When there’s two people jumping, you’re basically limited to your exact foot placement, and if you shift around, you run the risk of jumping on the other person. Sorry, Avery. No worries though, she never seems phased when she’s stepped on and would rather have us keep bouncing her.

Since she’s had it, this trampoline has been in our living room and is used every day. It’s the perfect addition to any toddler obstacle course creation which helps an easier transition to naptime….usually.

Our little obstacle dominator! #playing #fun #toddler #exercise #loveher

A video posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on

I love having the ability to quickly and easily fold the trampoline up for storage or to take along when travelling. Really the only major complaint is the small size, but that’s more of a nitpick since the price alone makes it well worth it to me. A trampoline with the word “fitness” in front can easily go for twice as much, but I would find the Merax can do the job just as well.

Avery has found her trampoline useful for doing yoga…

trampoline, yoga
Upward dog, toddler style!

…..playing “hide-and-seek”….

Avery on Trampoline with Mini Blankie

…..and just relaxing after an intense jumping session.

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The Merax Mini Trampoline is not the top-notch rebounder you might find for well over double the price, but for a quality kid’s item that adults can use too, it’s well worth it to me. It’s also a great way to gauge interest on a full-sized trampoline for the backyard, which, after using this, has moved to the must have list in our family. Come summer time, we’ll be flying high in the sky!

Buy the Merax Mini Indoor Trampoline on Amazon!

Do you have or are you currently looking for an indoor trampoline?

Do you have any other products you find useful to keep your kids busy inside?

I purchased the Merax 36″ Mini Trampoline myself and all opinions are strictly my own, but there are affiliate links within this post. If you use the links to make your own purchase, I will earn a small commission which helps keep Going Dad going.

The Urban Air Trampoline Park Carryover Effect

Have you ever been to a trampoline park? Urban Air, a franchise, is located mostly in the South around Texas, but there are a couple in the North East as well. I have been wanting to take Avery for a while, but was not sure how she’d take being on a trampoline.

My hesitation only grew when she wanted nothing to do with our friend’s trampoline last week. We figured it was due to being above ground as she freezes up on above-ground things like playground equipment and, well, trampolines.

Yeah, I'm fine right here, thank you.
Yeah, I’m fine right here, thank you.

On top of that, she’s been fighting a cold, so I was pretty sure the trampoline park was a no go this week. But, it was right next to Costco where I just so happened to be, and it was before noon on Wednesday which is when Urban Air has their Jumperoo time where ages 5 and under are only $5 and parents are free. Score!

Despite her runny nose and unpredictable temper (isn’t that toddlers in general?), I decided on giving our first visit to the park a try. Avery was almost the youngest kid there with the majority of jumperoos around the age of 4 and filled with energy. I brought her to the main area filled with sectional trampolines all interconnected for plenty of jumping action. But Avery, she just looked at me with a hesitant but cute smile.

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I urged her to jump just like the numerous kids surrounding her, and even carried her to the middle hoping she’d catch on. Instead, she scooted on her but like a dog with worms before flipping over to bear crawl.

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She did this until making her way back to safety, the stable orange area.

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After watching others jump all around her, I thought she might be ready to make the plunge into the black, so I prepared my phone’s video camera.

Technically, she jumped, but I’m sure her butt would’ve appreciated a softer, more pliable surface. Oh, maybe like the trampolines all around her! At least she has the padding from her cloth diapers to help soften the blow. Finally, I think I caught the moment she realized what was expected of her after staring off at a group of 4 year old kids wrestling each other for a ball.

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It was right after this picture, when I tried the video again. This time, it was Instagram-worthy. At least to the biased parent such as myself. 🙂

That’s more like it, now we were having fun! Her next order of business was chasing down that ball all of the other, bigger, kids were playing with. Only problem was, they really didn’t want to give it up to some “baby” as they called her.

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Her first attempt to nonchalantly grab the ball when it was loose quickly failed as some boy ran up to grab it away. Silly boy, you simply DO NOT take balls from Avery!

Guess all of that working out with Mommy and Daddy is paying off! The boy’s mom told me to get on to him if was being too rough with Avery, but I never had to, she took care of it herself. Speaking of rough, I thought this brother-sister duo playing crack the egg with Avery (without Avery knowing) would be too much, but she just smiled and laughed as her body flopped like a fish out of water.

I’m positive that if it were me making her bounce like that, she’d be wailing as if I just broke her arm in half, but other kids doing it, no problem. She carried on jumping, doing butt busters, and chasing the ball around all over.

Feeling like we made great progress with her jumping on the trampoline, I thought I’d introduce the awesome foam pit! Seriously, trampolines lined up for you to jump on and launch yourself into a giant pit of foam; what’s not to like? I think Avery has the answer….

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That was the first and last of the foam pit for the day. Maybe next time….or the time after that. Noon was fast approaching which meant toddler time was over, so after a few more jumps and ball chases, it was time to go. Surprisingly, Avery just said “bye-bye” without a bit of a fuss.

Once home, there was just enough time to watch a little Sid the Science Kid as she had lunch before a much needed nap was attempted. Her cold symptoms somehow reappeared and turned her into a little fuss monster. They may be little, but toddler fuss monsters are a force to reckon with!

With her belly full, teeth brushed, and story-time done, I put her down for a nap. Surely after all of that jumping and still fighting a cold she’d quickly fall asleep. Or so I thought; I guess the carryover effect from jumping on the trampolines was too intense. She was doing butt busters in her crib which is far from napping.

Can’t blame her, jumping is fun! Finally, she tired out and as quick as you can snap your fingers, she was out.

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All for a good 30 minutes instead of the 1.5 to 2 hours she normally gets. Apparently that’s all she needed because she was a bundle of energy the rest of the day and again when in her crib. I’m glad she’s healthy enough for all of the activity, but geez, calm down Avery!

So that was our first but definitely not our last time at a trampoline park. I’m hoping to make it a meet-up with our Dallas Dads Group next time since I haven’t seen those guys in a while.

Have you ever been to Urban Air or similar park?

Do you love trampolines? What about your kids?

Flying High in the Backyard: Avery & Daddy Ep. 6

We took the Vlog outside in our backyard (after picking up the dog poo) to show off our flying skills. Pilot Dad (that’s me) and my oddly quiet Co-Pilot, Avery, safely defy gravity (kinda) and even add a few spin moves.

The day was hot, but with the clouds and a light breeze, it was manageable. Plus, our flight lessons made going out in the heat well worth it. I ended up throwing her a little higher than anticipated, but she didn’t seem to mind, and no one was hurt.


When the camera is out, Avery tends to turn silent, as you can tell, but that blue-eyed grin says it all loud and clear; “I’m happy!” Or she’s already good at throwing me a pity parade. If so, I’ll happily take it!

Especially after this past Saturday morning. Kelley had just changed and nursed her and they were coming into the kitchen to have the peanut butter blueberry oatmeal breakfast I always make on the weekends. Avery seemed in a good mood at first, but then I crouched down and asked for a hug only to have her turn away crying.

I tried several times to get a hug or just talk to her and the girl simply wanted nothing to do with me! Talk about breaking a dad’s heart, geez! She eventually came to her senses and gave me a hug, but I haven’t felt so rejected since the high school dating scene. Hmm, maybe she really didn’t like me throwing her so high……or spinning…

Does or did your kid love being thrown in the air?

How do you deal with rejection when you’re the odd parent out that day/week/month/always?