So as your kids tear off their shoes and make a beeline for that colorful castle, keep these four safety rules for bouncy houses in mind.
1. Let kids bounce according to age and size. Don’t let a four-year-old enter a house full of teenagers, advises the child safety group Kids in Danger.
2. Make sure the house is securely anchored to the ground. This goes for party hosts as well as parents allowing their kids to jump. All four corners should be staked into the ground and weighted down, Vince Pivlo, owner of Laff & Grinn Amusements, told CBS New York. Most manufacturers recommend deflating them when winds are 20 to 25 miles per hour or higher, Ted Amberg, CEO of Amberg Entertainment in Missouri, told CNN.
A recent news story highlights the importance of this last recommendation. A 7-year-old girl in England died when a “fun fair” bouncy house she was in blew away in sudden high winds. Two people were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence as a result, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Related: Splash Parks: Keeping Kids Safe in Iffy Waters
3. Watch your child constantly. In New Zealand last summer, a young boy fell through a hole in a bouncy house and became trapped in the netting underneath. His father told Yahoo! News that no one could hear the boy screaming, but since he had been watching, he knew his son was trapped and was able to save him.
4. Beware the deflating bouncy house. A house can deflate unexpectedly if a cord is accidentally unplugged or if power is lost. When that happens, people can become trapped inside under the falling folds of material. In 2013, three toddlers in Washington were trapped in a bounce house when a generator ran out of gas and the inflatable began deflating, according to ABC News. Luckily, they were all rescued and unharmed, thanks to a 10-year-old girl who saved them.
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