Now that we've gotten acquainted, let's review some safety tips...

As a bounce house business owner, my partner and I have had to endure extensive training in bounce house safety. As a business owner, this has saved our business from liability. But, as a mother, this has a saved our kids from unnecessary injuries.

Most parents don't know alot of the rules/guidelines that come along with bouncing. Now that we've gotten acquainted a bit, I thought I'd share some basics with you. Here you go...

When renting a bounce house, parents, schools, and organizations should be careful in which company / operator is selected. The following issues / questions should be considered:

1. Did the bounce house owner / operator provide you with a copy of the insurance?

2. What experience does the bounce house owner / operator have?

3. What training did the bounce house owner / operator receive?

4. What safety measures are put in place by the bounce house owner / operator?

5. Does the bounce house owner / operator provide supervision of the bounce house?

6. For the safety of the children, the following measures should be put in place:
* a tarp should be placed underneath the bounce house;
* the bounce house should be staked down or alternatively weighted down with weights or sandbags;
* the bounce house should be thoroughly inspected once it is inflated to make sure that there are no holes or tears in the unit;
* the bounce house should be attended by the owner / operator or other adult while in use by the children;
* children under the age of 3 should be kept out the unit;(Safety experts may disagree on this age requirement or minimum age for use of bounce houses.)
* children of mixed age ranges and sizes should not be in the unit at the same time. In other words, it would be dangerous to have 12 year old children bouncing around with a 4 year old children.)
* the maximum number of children should not be exceeded.


These are just some basics to watch for in being safe with bounce house playing. As we move forward with this blog with time, and as more come to me, I will certainly keep posting, but this is a good start. As I've said previously, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave your comments and I will most certainly review.
Amanda R.
5/16/10
www.bounceyourheartout.com