Bounce House Safety Tips

Posted by Sunjoy Inflatables on June 16th, 2018

Bounce houses, also known as inflatable jumpers, moonwalk bounces, bouncy castles, etc. They are the most popular toys for children's birthday party, and can be used all year round. Kids can jump up and down on the inflatable floor and protected by the soft air walls, looks very safe compared to skateboarding. But will it cause children to be injured? Yes, it can be dangerous if you don't use it properly. So if you take your child's safety seriously, please read the below a series of safety tips to keep your child safe while bouncing.

Bounce house injuries

In order to make you understand the seriousness of bounce house safety, here I quote some numbers. In 2012, Pediatrics published a study called “Inflatable Bouncers in the United States, 1990-2010” which reported that more than 64,000 children were treated in the emergency room for injuries related to inflatable bounce houses. According to a study done by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in 2010 "a total of 31 children per day were treated in US emergency departments for an inflatable bouncer–related injury. The injuries include soft tissue injuries, strains and sprains, lacerations, fractures, concussions, and others. Obviously, everyone has to learn some basic bounce house safety rules since the kids will use a bounce house at least once a year.

Here are some things you need to be aware of when using a bounce house without professionals.

1. Pay attention to sharp objects.

Everyone knows that the sharp objects must stay away from the inflatables, it seems like a no-brainer. I'm sure you will of course keep the knives and scissors with strong puncturing powers away from your bounce house, but there are more small things that are dangerous even if the inflatable seems thick enough. Like shoes, jewelry, eyeglasses, and plastic toys. These objects may not puncture your inflatable surface quickly, but they may cause children to be injured in a bounce house.

2. Operate the air blower.

Another cause of the child's injury is the deflating of a bounce house. Since the commercial bounce houses are very heavy, over 200 lbs, you can imagine what will happen when the bounce house collapses with the small kids still inside. In 2013, three kids, including a toddler, were saved from a collapsed bounce house in Washington. That collapse happened because the generator keeping the house inflated ran out of gas. Make sure you and other operators know how to operate the blowers of an inflatable and keep it shape. If you are using an electric power source, it's recommended to use a "built-in ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)" to prevent short circuits.

3. Watch for strong winds.

It's a catastrophe when the bounce house was blown away with kids inside. You may have seen some similar reports. In order to prevent this accident from happening, you must keep watching the weather changes in addition to secure the bounce house to the ground properly. 30 - 42 inches heavy-duty metal stakes should be used for any outdoor inflatable unit. And when the wind speeds reach 13 -17 MPH, it's time to remove the children and deflate your bounce house. If you don't know how to measure the wind speed, here is a referential chart from the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission.



4. Keep your eyes on children.

Although you may have noticed the dangers from bounce house, there are still other dangers from the kids that you should pay attention to. Most bounce houses have a recommended age of at least 6 years old, and manufacturers keep telling users that parents should not jump in with the kids (kids inside should be similar size and weight), but let’s be honest, that’s probably not happening because it’s super lame. And for the children, they have gotten super excited after seeing a bounce house at the party. They may play roughly and bump with other kids. The causes of injuries include collided with other, pushed, kicked, or fell on top of on bouncer. Supervisor must stop the children's dangerous actions.

5. Hire professionals.

A professional inflatable rental company can take care of bounce house for you, include strict guidelines for the installation, proper anchoring method, weight and capacity limits and operational standards, observation of local weather conditions, etc. They will follow the company's guidelines and won't violate any manufacturer requirements like maximum number of people or what wind speeds the house is rated for. Usually, they are certified or qualified and have liability insurance.

Make sure all D-rings are staked into the ground and keep watching, go over some common sense and safety precautions with the kids, the bounce houses can be a fun and safe part of your party. If you need any manufacturer's safety rules of bounce houses and other inflatables, please contact sunjoy and we are willing to help.