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5 Ways to Keep Your Child Safe on Inflatable Bounce Houses

The number of children injured in bounce houses has more than doubled from 2008 to 2010, that’s according to a study done in 2012 by pediatricians. Why would we, a company that rents these inflatables, share this information with you? The answer is simple. We care about the safety of your little ones.

Who can forget the notorious video of the flying bounce house in Nevada in 2013? The safety of your kids is not only your top priority, but ours as well. There are a few safety tips you should look out for renting an inflatable, either with us or any other bounce house company.

  1. When calling for rent, ALWAYS ask how the inflatable is secured to the ground. Often as parents, we want our kids to have fun, but we try to do it on a budget. The question we often get asked is how much is it? But once you find your price, the following question should be how do you secure your bounce houses? If they can’t tell you exactly right away, hang up and move on to another company! Bounce houses and any other inflatables are always staked into the ground (if it’s a grassy area) with at least 4 stakes. If on a hard top, they are held down by either cement buckets or large water barrels, again at least 4. The company should always try to stake even into a hard top, but if they can’t (or they are not allowed to), they’ll bring the cement buckets or water barrels.
  2. Kids in an inflatable bouncer should always be about the same height. This is a BIG issue when kids get hurt. Often as parents, we want big brother or big sister to jump with their baby sibling to take care of them, but this is not wise! When bouncing, kids often can’t control where they’ll jump next. If there’s a larger kid with smaller kids, they can fall on them rather than bump into them. One of our rules when renting to either large companies or a small backyard party, is that the bounce house must be kept to the same age and height of children. Yes, it is a little hard to avoid when a bunch of kids just want to bounce and have fun, but better “safe than sorry”, right?
  3. Adult supervision is ALWAYS required. When throwing a birthday bash or at a large public event, adults should never take their eyes off their child. At large public events here in South Florida, professional attendants are always required to oversee an inflatable. However, it always helps when parents keep watch while their kids bounce. Attendants always keep time. But keep in mind, when attendants are present, please be respectful of them and the rules. When the bounce house is at a private party, a parent should always keep watch. It’s so easy sometimes to get caught up in conversation with another adult, but bring the conversation by the bounce house so your eyes never leave your child. Accidents are less likely to happen when an adult is watching.
  4. Shoes of any kind should never be worn inside a bounce house. Even if your child just wants to jump for a second, shoes should never be worn. When shoes are worn inside a bounce house, the more likely a child will trip and sprain or even break an ankle. Bounce houses are made of plastic and rubber, and when in contact with rubber from the sole of a shoe, it will stop a child in his/her tracks. Most sprained ankles from an accident in a bounce house come from children who wore their shoes inside to jump.
  5. When extreme weather hits, all participants need to be removed from the bounce house. Extreme weather includes strong winds, heavy downpour of rain, and thunder and lightning. When these weather conditions are present, it is vital that all children are removed from the bounce house and the inflatable gets deflated. At public events, trained operators will remove the children and deflate the inflatable. Even with stakes in the ground or cement buckets, bounce houses and other inflatables should not be in operation during strong winds and other extreme weather. If at a public event, these inflatables have not removed children during extreme weather, please use caution and get your children out of the inflatable.

At Celebration Source, we want your children to have fun, but more importantly we want them to be safe. We rent the best carnival rides, games, and party entertainments to Hollywood, Delray Beach, and West Miami that will make your event great while keeping in mind the safety and security of all of your guests. If you want to rent an inflatable bouncer for your next event, check out our great selection!