Summertime Fun: The Plunge Inflatable Water Slide

Summer is definitely in full swing and boy is it a HOT one!   Having been born and raised in South Florida, I am no stranger to the heat but that does not mean that I like it.  No no.  Not even close.  In fact, the year round heat is one of the main reasons the Boss and I decided to move out of  Florida to begin with.

However, the fact is that in the summer time it is hot EVERY where so I’m stuck with the heat and unbearable humidity until September.  Oh well.  At least now that I no longer live in Florida I know the heat WILL eventually come to an end so I just have to suck it up for a couple more months.

Sooo…since the neighborhood we are currently living in does not have a community pool and we definitely need something to cool us off, we went deep and decided to buy one of those mac daddy inflatable water slides.  The cost of the slide would have been as much as the cost of a pool membership for the summer and it’s something we’ll be able to keep and use over and over.

But, before doling out a few hundred dollars, I did my homework.  I extensively researched the various water slides out on the market, and believe me there are a lot.   In fact, there are so many, my head actually started to hurt from reading all of the reviews.

The most common complaint for the inflatable water slides as a whole was the durability factor.  A lot of people said that after one summer of use, the stitching on the slide started to come undone.  Well I’m sorry but if I am going to shell out some good money for a water slide, it better not rip.  Unfortunately, most, if not all reviews I read said they had problems with the stitching.  I guess it’s a hit or miss thing.  This is an issue with all types of inflatables it seems (bounce houses, slides, etc.).

However, my husband and I decided we would try and find a slide with the least complaints and after weeks of investigating them all, we settled on The Plunge made by Banzai.

I opted to purchase the slide at a store instead of buying it online in case for some reason, I needed to return it.  That way, I wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle of packing it up and shipping it back.  I found The Plunge on sale at Target one week so that is where we bought it from.

After three uses, these are my thoughts on The Plunge water slide.

Set up: Fairly easy.  The slide comes packaged in a tote bag all nicely folded and small.  But please be advised that once you take the slide out of that bag and set it up, once you are ready to put it away, there is absolutely NO WAY you will ever fit it back in that tote bag no matter how small you manage to fold it.  It’s impossible to get it back in the bag so don’t even bother wasting your time.  We bought a decent sized plastic bin to put everything in.  It has wheels on it too so we can roll it out from the garage to the yard which is nice because it’s NOT light!

Once you set the slide up it takes no time at all to inflate.  Maybe two minutes max.  There are stakes included but they are not the strongest so don’t be surprised if they break.  Not a big deal since you can buy new ones at a sporting goods store or anywhere else that sells camping gear.  Ours have not broken yet, but that was one of the complaints people had.  The most important ones are the two stakes toward the back of the slide where the kids climb up.

It does take a long time to get the pool filled up.  It probably takes a good hour to get to a point where the pool is at least half full and it does take a lot of water.   You need to have enough water in the pool for the end part of the slide to float and have enough cushion for bigger kids to not hit the bottom of the pool when the come off the slide.

Take Down: Somewhat of a chore.  The slide deflates easily and quickly so that is not the problem.  What is time consuming is DRYING the slide.   Since there is a pool at the bottom, once the water is drained, there is still some left over in the pool.  Unless you leave it inflated for SEVERAL hours in the SUN, there is no way the pool will be dry when you are done using it.

The best way that I have found to dry the entire slide is drain the pool, hose off all of the dirt and grass that is sure to be left all over the slide, and then keep it inflated for an hour or two.  This gets the slide part dry - not the pool.  Then, when the slide is dry and while still inflated, I go back out with a bunch of large towels and get in the pool and wipe it all down until the pool is dry.    I then deflate the slide and begin to fold it starting at the bottom with the pool.  I fold both sides of the pool over and wipe the bottom of it with a towel as I go.  Each time I roll a section over, I dry the bottom.  It is extremely important that the slide is COMPLETELY dry before you store it.  Otherwise, not only will it smell of stale plastic, but it will also end up getting mold and mildew all over it.  The drying of the slide is what takes so long to get it put away properly.  THIS is the only thing I hate about the take down process.

Plus, the underside of the landing part of the slide hardly ever dries because it is attached to the pool by a mesh panel on each side.  Therefore, there is no way to get it dry and it is also sure to collect tons of grass under the slide that is impossible to get out.  They should have had those panels attached with Velcro instead of sewing them down.   It would make drying and cleaning it much much easier.   I assume there is some safety reason for the design (probably so no one can climb under the slide and get crushed when someone slides down).  However, the mesh holes should have at least been smaller so the grass doesn’t go in and get trapped so easily.

We tried to alleviate this by putting tarps under and around the area where the kids climb out of the pool and walk back to the slide.  However, with the summer sun the tarps can get hot and with the water coming from the pool it can also make it slippery.  Banzai has many different models of water slides and some of them allow you to go back up the slide without the need to exit the water.  Those models would prevent the buildup of grass in the landing area.  The design of The Plunge does not allow for that so be prepared for grass and dirt in the pool.

Durability: In my opinion, this could have been better.   So far we have used this slide three times and already, I am seeing some of the stitching coming undone.  I’m sorry, but for this kind of money, this should NOT happen!   I still have another month left on Target’s 90 day return policy so depending on how bad it gets I may have to take it back.  However, as I stated before, many reviews that I read before I purchased this slide said that they also had issues with the stitching.  You’d think that if people are complaining about it so much, Banzai would find a way to remedy the situation but apparently, they have not done so yet.

Also after only three uses, the plastic tube that the garden hose attaches to has become unglued from the plastic connector.  This tube attaches to the top of the slide and sprays water down to keep the slide wet.  We temporarily wrapped some stretch wrap around it to keep it connected, but it certainly should have lasted more than 2 times.

Fun Factor: There is NO denying that this slide is a MAJOR hit with all of the kids that have come over to play on it.  The pool is a great addition because since the kids have to take turns coming down the slide, the ones who are waiting or who do not like to wait, can hang around in the pool.  The pool is also good for the younger kids to splash around in.  The manufacturer age for The Plunge is 5 and up.  I have a 6 and a 3 year old.  My 3 year old wants NOTHING to do with the slide but he absolutely loves being in the pool and hanging with the “big” kids.  There is a section on each side of the slide where he can play safely and out of the way of the kids coming down on it.

So far, we are generally happy with The Plunge although we think there is room for improvement (outside of the durability concerns) should Banzai decide to upgrade this model.

MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT for this particular slide is the way the pool is attached.  The pool AND the slide are all attached, therefore they are on the same fan blower.  Why is this such a problem you ask?  Because once you fill up the pool (which again will take a good hour if not longer), you CANNOT turn the blower off  and keep the water in the pool.  Let’s say you want to take a break for lunch and want to deflate the slide for a while.  You would think that would not be a problem, however the instant you turn the blower off, the pool starts to deflate and the pressure of the water collapses the side and allows all the water to flow out.

If they could figure out how to keep the water in the pool without the need to keep the blower running (perhaps by having an air plug that you open and close to let air in or out of the pool section) it would be a huge improvement.  Otherwise if you plan for a day of using The Plunge you are going to need to keep it plugged in and running all day long.

Bottom line: If you are thinking about investing in a water slide, The Plunge may a good choice since it is the only one (that I have found) that has a large pool at the bottom allowing several kids to play on it at once.  However, just like the rest of the water slides out there, The Plunge is not without flaws.  Keep in mind that chances are you will not be 100% satisfied with the construction and quality of it and there is probably a very good chance that depending on how frequent you use it and how well you take care of it, it may not make it to another summer.

UPDATE: 7/18/09 - I wanted to update this with the current status of the slide.  The stitching was coming apart at the seam even more and we decided that for the price of this slide it was NOT worth it to take the risk so we returned it.  We were disappointed because it was fun and everyone loved it, but it should last longer than it did.  Again you would like to think that they should be aware of the durability issues with the stitching and have some way to improve it.  While others may have a different experience than we did, we found that seeing the stitching on The Plunge water slide start to come apart so badly after a few uses along with the broken water tube was not something we could live with.

Problems Getting Your Child To Sleep: Indigo Dreams Relaxation CD

Have you ever had a hard to getting your kids to sleep?  No?  I hate you!  Seriously…it’s hard to believe with as much as the Boss and I love to sleep (I’m convinced he was a bear in his previous life) that our kids have so much trouble falling asleep.  It’s ridiculous how many books we have bought and read on how to get our kids to fall asleep.  And although every one of them seems to have their own sleep solutions for kids, none of them have really worked for ours.

I hear these stories from my friends about how right from day one their babies fell asleep and by the age of four to eight weeks old they were sleeping through the night.  Must be nice.  What’s that like because unfortunately, I wouldn’t know.   I’m guessing  most of you have probably played lullaby music to your babies at some point.  Maybe you played classical music because it’s supposed to help stimulate your baby’s brain.  But what do you do as they get older, like when they are 3 or 4?   Do you need help getting your kids to fall asleep or just help them to wind down at the end of the day?  Well, I found something that helped us and our kids and maybe it can help your kids with this “sleep” issue too.

At first I was suspicious, but I read a lot of positive reviews about it so I thought I would try it myself.   What I am referring to is a CD called Indigo Dreams: Relaxation and Stress Management Bedtime Stories for Children which is a combination of music and relaxation stories for kids.  Each night, after we give the kids a bath, they are supposed to wind down for the night (like most kids do), but ours always seem to get more amped up.  It’s as if the bath actually works in reverse.    So, I bought this CD thinking maybe it would help calm them down before bedtime.  It is geared for kids ages 4-9 and has stories to help them relax.  The narrator is a female voice which is very soothing.  I’ll admit, the first time we listened to it in the living room, I think the Boss (he went down in a few minutes) and I both fell asleep before the kids.  What is great about this CD is that even if your child isn’t old enough to understand the story, the narrator’s voice is so smooth and relaxing, it would probably help calm him down just listening to her.

There are 4 different stories that incorporate meditation techniques:  breathing, muscle relaxation, and visualizations.  The stories are also geared toward positive reinforcement, self esteem building, and stress relief.   Each story has a message so they help build a positive effect on your child and are not just meaningless nursery rhymes.  They include a story about a boy and a turtle, a caterpillar, a boy and a bear, and a story with many animals giving positive affirmations.  The stories are told with soothing background noises of nature.  There is also a music only track.

My kids really like Indigo Dreams and it does seem to help them wind down.  If your kids have problems falling asleep (or even if they don’t), this CD is a great way to deliver positive messages to your child and to help them and you get a good night’s sleep.  I’ll admit, it has put me to sleep more than once as well!

Fun Educational Books for Kids: Cat in the Hat Learning Library

There are a lot of great children’s books out there and I’m sure each of you have your favorites.   Some that come to mind are Guess How Much I Love You, Goodnight Moon, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Where the Wild Things Are, Is Your Mama a Llama? Read Along Library, and the list goes on.  However, if you happen to be a Dr. Suess fan you’re in luck because Dr. Suess has added a fairly new collection to their classic books.  If you have not yet seen or heard of the Dr. Suess Cat in the Hat Learning Library books you absolutely HAVE to check them out!

This series of books have quickly become my favorite and my kids love them too.  The publishers age level is 4-8 but with the illustrations and rhyming stories, they can even hold a 2 or 3 year olds’ attention.  Each book teaches some aspect of nature or the world.  The series includes books about bugs, plants, animals, weather, nature, space, the human body, and much more.  The factual information is presented in such a way that it is fun to read AND educational - so much so that my kids don’t even realize they are learning.  Okay I’ll admit it…I learn a lot from them too!  My son Alex hates bugs, but the book about insects is one of his favorites.

I found many of the titles from this series at TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Ross for $5.99.  However, Amazon.com has ALL of them and even better - they are eligible for Amazon’s 4 for 3 promotion which basically means if you buy 3, you get one free.  Add the fact that you aren’t charged tax and there is free shipping on orders over $25.00 and it’s a pretty good deal.  Trust me…these books are well worth the investment.  You AND your kids will love them!

Here are the Cat in the Hat Learning Library book titles:

• A Whale of a Tale!: All About Porpoises, Dolphins, and Whales
• Fine Feathered Friends: All About Birds
• Hurray for Today!: All About Holidays
• I Can Name 50 Trees Today!: All About Trees
• If I Ran the Rain Forest: All About Tropical Rain Forests
• Inside Your Outside: All About the Human Body
• There’s No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System
• Wish for a Fish: All About Sea Creatures
• Clam-I-Am!: All About the Beach
• Is a Camel a Mammal?
• Miles and Miles of Reptiles: All About Reptiles
• My, Oh My–A Butterfly!: All About Butterflies
• Oh, Say Can You Say DI-NO-SAUR?
• Oh Say Can You Say What’s the Weather Today?: All About Weather
• Oh Say Can You Seed?: All About Flowering Plants
• Oh, the Pets You Can Get!: All About Our Animal Friends
• Oh the Things You Can Do That Are Good for You!: All About Staying Healthy
• On Beyond Bugs: All About Insects
• One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent: All About Money
• There’s a Map on My Lap!: All About Maps (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library)

I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep adding more. Let’s face it, Dr. Seuss books have been classics since well before we were kids and they will continue to be.  Any of these would be a great collection to your child’s library.

Great Toys for Kids: Hot Wheels 4 Lane Raceway

If any of your children are boys, chances are at least once in your life you’ve almost broken your neck by stepping on a Matchbox or Hot Wheel car.  You’ve probably found them between sofa cushions, under appliances, in clothes drawers, and all kinds of places you can’t imagine.  It’s a given for a young boy to get dozens of these things and mutilate them in ways you wouldn’t think possible.

My husband actually saved all his cars for over 30 years just to pass down to our sons.  After a good look at them in various states of decomposition with wheels missing, dents, scratches, and big chunks of the lead based paint they were no doubt at one time properly covered in, we realized that all those years worth of sitting in the attic were for naught since we had to ditch them before the kids could enjoy them.

These cars are a toy that have been around for decades.  My husband still talks about the excitement of getting a few new cars in his stocking every year at Christmas when he was a little boy.  Of course, the tradition carries on.  Our house is now filled with well over a hundred of these things - again, in various states of destruction.

While crashing them together or into other things always seems to be unending fun for them, my boys also do like to race them.  If you’ve ever seen the old pieces of tracks, you know that they are  pretty much like the ones today: cheap pieces of long plastic, with a small lip on either side which is supposed to keep the car from sailing off the track.  After getting bent, twisted, shoved into closets, stepped on, etc… they rarely lay flat or straight.  Then you have the connectors that you have to push in the bottom of each piece to connect the pieces of track together.  If you don’t get the track lined up properly, the cars get stuck on the joint, or they fly off.  Oh and it’s always such great fun trying to push the connector in and snapping it in half instead- NOT!  Removing them is often just as bad.  Obviously, the designer of these things didn’t consider the removal process!  Focus group…anyone???

We went through several different tracks that were gifts or bought because they looked cool.  There are ones with jumps, ones with loops, some that glow in the dark, some with monsters and dinosaurs, and one that has a little car elevator that you pull with a string up to the top of a door frame.  It rockets down the track from 7 feet high for maximum eye gouging velocity.  It’s called the Hot Wheels V Drop SUPER VELOCITY Track.  Any toy that actually has the words Super and Velocity in the name (much less next to each other), probably should have raised a flag.  My son did love it because it sends the car flying super fast at anything, anyone, or any animal (i.e. our less than brilliant dog) that is dumb enough to sit at the other end of it.  Although it can fold up on the door, you still have to contend with all the track.

This brings me to the Hot Wheels 4 Lane Raceway.  What’s so great about it?  Well…kids love to race cars and this gives them a chance to race up to 4 of them at one time.  This race track is a favorite of mine to pull out when the boys have their friends over to play.  It’s something everyone can play with at the same time and there is no arguing about taking turns with it which as you well know, happens with a lot of toys.  Even better, toddlers love it too which is nice when you have a variety of ages in the group.  My boys are 6 and 3 and they’ve had this track since they were 1 and 4 and they still play with it.  It’s also a great birthday gift especially for families with more than one child.

The track is fairly compact. When folded up, it’s just over 18 inches long and 4 inches thick.  When it unfolds, it is 6 feet long.  It’s plenty long enough to have a good race and if you place it on a flat hard surface, the cars will keep going for quite a while after the finish line which always evokes more cheers from the “fans”. 

I love the fact that this track is mobile.  Since it is fairly small, light, and has a handle, it’s meant to travel.  My boys have brought theirs all over the place…friends’ houses, grandparents’ house, hotel rooms, etc.  You might think moving it around a lot would mean a good chance of it getting broken. Well actually, it’s designed to “break apart”.  The are four pieces of track that are hinged together.  If you lean on it, step on it, drop it, or just about anything else, it comes apart. Then all you do is snap the hinges back together and you are back to racing in a matter of seconds.  Ours has taken a lot of abuse, but it still snaps back together.

It’s relatively inexpensive as it can be bought for under $20.  Although there are a lot more elaborate and crazier race track kits available, they cost more, will take up more room, and won’t travel well.

Another neat feature is the finish line which has four spring loaded tabs that go over each lane of the track. Whichever car crosses the finish line first, hits the tab and flips it up to display which lane was the winner (which somewhat dampens the yelling and screaming over who actually won). OK who am I kidding they still yell and scream.  The downside to this is that the springs can get worn and over time the flap may not stay engaged. This happened to the first one we had, but the one that replaced it didn’t have this problem.  Even if it did, you’d still get plenty of mileage out of the track itself.

In short, if you’ve got kids who love Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars and you need a good race track, the Hot Wheels 4 Lane Racewayis a no brainer.

Pros:

• Compact size and weight
• Travels well
• Easy to set up/put away
• Great for one kid or lots of kids
• No batteries (isn’t that always a Pro?)

Cons:

• Potential spring problem

Great Toys for Kids: PlasmaCar

This past Christmas, my parents gave my 2 year old son a PlasmaCar.  If you have no idea what a PlasmaCar is you must check it out.  They are like the pedal cars you’ve seen for kids only there are no pedals.  It is a ride on toy er..car, that moves by turning the steering wheel.  You sit on it, put your feet up and turn the wheel.  That’s it.  Seriously.  Inertia, centrifugal force, gravity, and friction is all that is needed to power up this bad boy.  No batteries to change, nothing elaborate to put together and the best part is the manufacturers age is 36 months to 103 years!  No kidding! 

It turns out that my 2 year old isn’t the only one in the house riding the PlasmaCar.   Since it supports up to 220lbs, my husband and I can often be found taking a spin on it.  In fact, both my 2 year old and my 6 year old would FIGHT over it!  Sooo…we now have TWO.  Both my kids are happy and although my house sounds like I’m standing in an airport terminal when they’re riding them, hey…it keeps them out of my hair while I’m trying to cook dinner!

Pros:

• Easy to put together (The Learning Express sells them already assembled or will assemble it for you at no extra charge).
• No batteries required
• Easy to operate
• Supports up to 220lbs
• Great for all ages!

Cons:

• A bit pricey.  I’ve seen them for as much as $70.00 and as low as $50.00 so shop around.
• A little on the loud side.  If you have wood floors and your child is riding the PlasmaCar, you may think a plane is taxiing  through your house!  I’m guessing it might not sound as loud on tile or linoleum floors though.
• Needs a smooth surface to operate.