project playground

Bounce houses are fun...until they become airborne. In recent years, there have been reports of at least two bounce houses being picked up by winds and sent flying, injuring people inside. But reports of bounce house-related injuries, in general, are much more common than that. A 2012 study found that, in the U.S., at least 31 children suffered injuries while playing in inflatable bounce houses every day and the number of kids injured has shot up in recent years. Does that mean it's time to ban bouncing for your own child? Not necessarily. Tracy Mehan of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Ohio's Nationwide Children’s Hospital, said the best way to keep your child safe in a bounce house is to limit the occupancy to one and make sure he or she is supervised by an adult trained in bounce house safety. Bouncing by one's self may be lonely, but it also eliminates the risk of breaking a bone by bumping into another person. If going it alone isn't an option, make sure that the children in the bounce house are about the same age and size. And, given the risks posed by wind, check to make sure the bounce house is securely staked down and that the weather is appropriate, adds Jennifer Hoekstra, an injury prevention specialist at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Michigan. "A nice summer day without a massive storm on the rise or major breezes," she said, is a good day to jump into the fun.outdoor play equipment