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
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I didn't know there's so much to consider about health and insurance when it comes to
ReplyDeletecommercial bounce house for sale or for rent. But good thing people in the business like you have these things covered. I have always been hesitant about allowing my kid to play out of fear of the bigger kids crushing him. I thought I was just paranoid. Now I know my fears weren't unfounded and really come with the territory.
A+F-
ReplyDeleteYou absolutely have every right to feel your fears are justified. There is ALOT to consider, and unfortunately, not many bounce house business owners consider these safety rules. In the State of Texas, it is a LAW to be insured with a $1.5 million dollar policy. However, most companies are event aware of this. In fact, 70% of companies operating in State of Texas are operating illegally without adequate insurance.
Thankfully, being a mom myself has given me the "fears" that most parents have and has prompted my partner and I to go through the safety courses and certifications needed.
So - rock on fellow parent! You are NOT paranoid. In fact, you are a good parent for considering these "dangers" that can be associated if the safety procedures aren't followed. I hope our blog helps!
Hi Bouncin' Mama:
ReplyDeleteIf that is the case, then there should be more stringent laws in bounce house sales, right? Don't just let anybody buy them without some sort of license or training? Or make sure that the manufacturers have some language on the labels and manuals telling them about safety and laws?
I'll make sure to remember these when I rent inflatables. I have been renting inflatable moonwalks for three years for my kids' birthday parties. All I do is call the rental company, have them deliver and set the inflatable up, and ask other kids to come over. I feel such a bad parent for not even thinking about these things in your list.
ReplyDeleteNo need to feel like a bad parent, believeit. Unfortunately, its just the lack of knowledge that sometimes can lead parents to potential hazardous situations. This is the whole point of this blog, so that we canhelp educate parents to keep their kiddos safe with bounce houses & moonwalks :-)
ReplyDeleteSince starting my own business, I've learned so much along the way in this industry that it literally shocked me at all the lack of knowledge I had. Safety first! Us parents have to come together and pass along any info with ANY safety guidelines (no matter what the industry) to help keep our kiddos safe!
Thank you so much for reading the blog, and my deepest apologies for taking so long in between posts. I promise I will try and do better!
When buying or renting this rent a bounce house it is very important to know the safety precautions in this thing so that your children will not be injured or any accident will happen from playing in this game house. You should also orient your children about this bounce house so that he/she is aware of the dos and donts of this party game house.
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