How to Keep Kids Safe in Bounce Houses(A)

A.Maintaining Proper Supervision For A Bounce House

1,Insist the operator stays on site. Bounce houses generally are operated by workers who have 

been trained in how to properly operate the bounce house. However, that doesn’t always mean 

the operator stays by the bounce house the entire time. You should insist that the operators remain

by the bounce house while the kids are using it.The operator should watch what is going on with 

the kids inside the bounce house. They shouldn’t direct their attention outside of it or on other things, 

like a cell phone.

2.Assign an adult to watch the bounce house. If you rent a bounce house, you may not have an 

operator on site who works for the company. An adult should monitor the bounce house to make 

sure kids are using it properly. The adult will also be nearby if an injury occurs.

Even if an operator is provided by a company, you should assign an adult to watch the bounce house.

This helps provide an extra set of eyes on the children.

Remember that bounce houses aren’t a distraction so the parents can take a break. You shouldn’t just

let kids go bounce without any adult supervision.

According to most experts, the main reason for bounce house injuries is misuse due to mistakes and lack

of supervision. With proper supervision and usage, bounce houses are safe for children.

3.Supervise small children inside the bounce house. If you allow children younger than six to jump in the 

bounce house, consider assigning an adult or two to supervise the children closely. Young children can easily 

get hurt by falling or losing their balance inside a bounce house.

Consider having an adult inside the bounce house. The adult should be seated and near the children, but not 

jumping with the children.

Parents with young children may want to go inside the bounce house with their kids. The parents should remain 

seated and on the sidelines, but be near enough to hold their child’s hand or watch them to help prevent injury.

B,Following Safety Rules While Using a Bounce House

1.Allow only children of similar size to bounce. The children bouncing inside the bounce house 

should be around the same size. Don’t let toddlers and small children bounce with larger kids.

Consider having two bounce houses for events with a large number of children. For smaller parties,

designate specific times for kids of different sizes to bounce.

Letting kids of different sizes bounce together may cause collisions, trampling, or even severe injuries 

like bone breaks.

Assign an adult, babysitter, or trusted teen to monitor the bounce house to keep kids of different sizes 

and ages separate.

2.Adhere to maximum occupancy rules. Most bounce houses have a maximum occupancy number. 

This number usually can be found listed on the outside of the bounce house. Though kids may want to

 be together all at once, keep the number of bouncers under the maximum occupancy to protect them.

Maximum occupancy numbers help keep the bounce house empty enough so kids aren’t jumping on top of 

one another or too closely together, which can lead to injury.

Consider only letting in a small number of children at the same time. This allows the children more room 

to move around and jump, so they not only have more fun, but stay safe.

The majority of injuries inside bounce houses occur due to kids either falling inside the bounce house or 

crashing into other children. This is why watching children is so important, as well as not overcrowding the 

bounce house.

3.Bounce and slide properly. Bouncing and sliding properly can help reduce the risk of injury. Children 

should not bounce on their backs. Instead, they should remain on their feet while bouncing. When they fall, 

they should immediately get back up.

When children slide down in a bounce house, they should slide feet first. They should never slide down face first. 

This can lead to neck or head injuries.

4.Wear proper socks. Kids jump in bounce houses without shoes on. However, they should wear socks. The socks 

should have grip or tread on them to help the kids from slipping and falling.

Don’t let your kid jump in socks with slick bottoms. This might cause an injury.

5.Jump without accessories. Though kids may love wearing accessories at birthday parties or group events, they 

should remove them before getting into a bounce house. Anyone who bounces should remove any item that could 

get caught on the bounce house.This includes jewelry, watches, earrings, large hair barrettes, belts, and other 

similar accessories.

6.Avoid flips inside a bounce house. Children should not be allowed to perform flips, tumbles, or other acrobatics 

inside a bounce house. When children jump and flip in the air, do cartwheels, or other similar moves, they increase 

the risk of hitting other children or falling.

Serious neck and head injuries in bounce houses are usually caused by acrobatics. Kids can fall or bounce on their 

head or neck, or they may knock another child in the head with their foot as they flip through the air.

7.Refrain from roughhousing. Children should never be allowed to roughhouse or engage in horseplay in a bounce house. 

Jumping roughly, wrestling, shoving other children, or purposefully bouncing into someone else can cause serious injury.

Young boys are especially prone to roughhousing in bounce houses. The adult or babysitter on duty should correct any 

rough behavior when it occurs. If the child continues to play roughly, he should be removed from the bounce house. 

This protects the safety of the other children.

8. Make children aware of the rules beforehand. Before children enter a bounce house, they should be told the rules. 

This may be the job of the operator, the supervising adult, or the babysitter. Adults should make sure the children are 

listening to the rules and not being distracted by something as the rules are being outlined.

Parents or guardians should make it their job to explain the rules and risks of bouncy houses to their children. Though 

someone at the bounce house should explain the rules before they go in, parents should not always count on others to 

instruct their children. Instead, parents should take responsibility and give their children rules.

Explain to children that if they do not follow the rules, they will be removed from the bouncy house and the privilege 

will be revoked.

9. Encourage children to bounce away from exits. Openings and exits in a bounce house can pose dangers. Children are

at risk of being jumped on and knocked down when entering a bounce house if other children are bouncing too close to 

the entrance. Children have been reported bouncing out of openings in bounce houses or bouncing off slides, resulting 

in injury.

Children should use caution when bouncing near openings and edges of bounce houses. Encourage them to use the center

of the bounce house instead of the edges, and to watch for kids entering or exiting the bounce house.

10. Refrain from taking food into the bounce house. Kids should leave all food, drinks, gum, and candy outside the bounce

house. Food and drinks may spill inside the bounce house, which can lead to slipping and injuries.

Food, candy, and gum pose choking hazards as the children bounce.

To be continued...