As a provider of recreational activities for children on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean, we at Funzaggy often serve the always fun, always anticipated Bouncy Castle. Bouncing castles , as we fondly call them here on island, are among the top requested activities from our inventory. These colorful jumping balloons serve at school activities, corporate social events, birthday parties, beach bashes, festivals or just about everywhere kids go for recreational activities. Because of the nature of play at the bounce house, we had to establish a set of safety regulations which we like to call our ‘guidelines for safe bouncy castle use and supervision’.

Serving a fleet of eye popping, fun anticipating, super excited kids is amazing – the cloth from which happy, happy dreams are made. It is with this in mind that we ensure our attendants are always present to monitor kids play to avoid mishaps, accidents and incidents. We serve this activity with utmost care and attention. For us, safety is paramount.

We always strive to provide at least one attendant to assist and monitor activities surrounding the use of the bounce houses. Although we are a small entity, we do more than set-up and take-down – we observe, protect, and… join the fun at times. With us, you have found a fun loving team with the joy and know-how when it comes to working with children. In fact, we make it our duty to see all our happy little faces have fun with us and return home beaming. 

Why Are Guidelines For Safe Bouncy Castle Use Important?

Even with all this precaution, we are aware that we do not work in isolation and we can never do all, know all and see all. We work together with a variety of event hosts some being event planners, school officials, corporate entities, small businesses, churches, charitable organizations, families, etc. Therefore we all should be aware of how we proceed in the delivery of events to ensure safety at kids spaces, as well as for optimal event hosting. Also, the primary focus of these guidelines is to keep children safe everywhere whether or not we are responsible for the event. In short, this information can be beneficial to everyone and especially those in the party rental, event and attractions industry.

So here are our guidelines for safe bouncy castle use and supervision which we believe are instrumental to guarantee favorable playtime during the use of bouncy castles, slides and other similar inflatables.

Placement and Security of the Bouncy Castle for Safe Use

Ensure that your bouncy castle is well set up. The area should be flat or in some cases a very gentle slope may also work based on the type of unit. 

Stake, stake, stake! Ensure that you properly stake the unit to the ground. If you are working on a different type of surface, for example concrete, you may have to opt for sand bags. Ensure that this is in place by your set-up team. If not, you’re going to have to do it yourself. It simply has to be done! Never allow children on the bouncy castle until you have completed the staking process. The staking of the unit ensures that it remains grounded in the event of strong wind or unexpected gusts. On that note, please be aware that you should deflate the bouncy castle in the event of high winds. (Check your unit. You may find the relevant information detailed there)

Electrical Safety Guidelines at the Bouncy Castle

The bounce house operates on a continuous supply of air flow from your blower. The blower remains connected to electricity throughout the use of the unit. Ensure that it is properly plugged in. Secure a socket that is away from constant traffic to avoid unintentional unplugging. Additionally, you should ensure that the socket is no more than 50m from the site of the unit and check the placement of cords to prevent tripping. Also, attendants should keep children away from the back of the inflatables or where the blowers are attached to the unit. In so doing, you keep children away from direct contact with the electrical supply and away from the blower switch which regulates the inflation and deflation of the bouncy castle.

Guidelines for Safety in the Event of A Power Loss

In the event of a loss of power, you should instruct children to get out of the bouncy castle immediately. Please communicate to the children, the procedure for action if a power loss occurs during play. This should be done prior to their entry into the unit. During this time, attendants should familiarize the children with the exits in case of an emergency. This information is relevant and applicable to any other situation where the children would have to quickly exit the unit.

Guidelines for Safe Use of Entrances and Exits at the Bouncy Castle

Users should keep the units entrances and exits clear. For this reason, children should refrain from sitting on the equipment’s step. The attendant should ensure that the entrance/exit area is kept clear for quick access to children inside who may require immediate attention due to illness, fear and the like. This also facilitates quick movement in the case of deflation of the unit due to malfunction, loss of power, or any emergency situation which may occur. Kids love to sit on the steps. Guess it is from anticipation of their turn to have fun inside. We have therefore made keeping the step clear, a game. It goes like this:

“Anyone who sits on the step loses his turn or goes to the back of the line.”

Team Funzaggy

Way to get kids off the steps. This works like magic! Note: We have never had to actually enforce the game rules though 🙂

Look out for Sharp Objects!

Attendants should check users for sharp objects prior to entry into the castle. These items are not limited to jewelry and hair accessories. Toys are also included in this category – think swords, sabers and other pointy or sharp objects. These items can destroy the unit however even worse, they can cause injury to the children during play. So, please look out for them!

Courtesy at the Castle

Our princes, princesses, fairies, elves, gnomes… ok, I day dreamed a lil’ bit here – but you got me. I’ll start again. Our children are generally all smiles and eager to play at the kid zones however we still have to observe and identify aggressive behavior. These behaviors can be both physical and verbal. Nip it in the bud to avoid fights in the bouncy castle. The attendant at a bounce house should be vigilant and should encourage positive behavior by all means to minimize incidents which may occur as a result of negative behavior patterns.

Like Crossing the Street – Do a Final Check

Now hop in! Not the kids – I’m talking to you hahahaha! If you like jumping in bounce houses like I do, it will be your only one minute chance before the kids begin the everlasting jump:) Seriously though, you are in to ensure that everything is clean, there are no small parts lingering around and the unit is evenly inflated . Note that even though you cleaned and sanitized after the last use or prior to arrival at the venue, little items sometimes evolve from the folds and present themselves at set up.

Do you Have a Game Plan?

Know the amount of children per unit

Remember to get this information from your inflatable rental company operator (the set-up guys). It is also commonly found detailed on the unit.

Amount per unit is generally based on:

1. The type of unit
2. The size of the unit
3. The age group and/or weight of the users
4. The condition of the unit

Establish length of time per session

Length of time per session depends on the nature of the event and is mostly determined by the event host. Is it a family backyard event? What if it is a fundraiser? Is it a charity event? Or is it a for-profit event. It depends. What you can offer are a few suggestions to avoid over exertion and dehydration due to all the excitement. Another important area where the experienced attendant could assist is time allotment management. It sure works best when a group goes in for five minutes and then do another five minutes later. That way, the other group in line does not have to wait for ten long minutes to go in. The waiting group often becomes very impatient and this does not promote favorable behavior at play.

Group by age range and/or size

Always remember that attendants or event hosts should group children by age and/or size. You should therefore separate larger users from smaller ones. Imagine four 14 year old teens jumping with two 3 year old children. Are you seeing what I’m seeing? The potencial for injury. The teens may not be the rowdiest of players, however based on the nature of play on an inflatable where kids easily lose their footing, they can land on the much smaller players and unintentionally cause harm. Guard against that!

Health Check

If you notice a child is sitting in a corner fidgeting or is not moving adequately or looks sick, immediately call the child to the exit or offer your assistance to get him off the unit. Find out how he/she is feeling and report it to the parent\ guardian or event host. We have found many times that the children may just be thirsty or tired or even hungry and do not express it so as not to miss their allotted time at play. Find out any way – you never know when a child may be genuinely ill and require further assistance. Always keep a small first aid kit for minor scrapes and bruises. They happen. 

What if a Child is Scared?

Remember, if a child does not want to enter the bouncy castle, let it be. Sometimes parents simply want their kids to go in and join the fun. This is especially so if the child’s friend is already in on the fun. This is understandable however If the child is too scared, then kindly inform the parent that maybe he will feel better about it another time. Believe it, we’ve seen kids who’ve cried so hard from fear of playing in the bounce house and a few months later becomes the bouncy house boss.

Bouncy Castle Safety Rules for Children

And here they are! Ready to have fun.  But first… you have to let the children know what is expected of them. You’d be surprised how children listen, support and pay attention. Of course, there will be a few who will deviate from the established guidelines. Generally though, we have found that once we appropriately discuss the guidelines with the children, the majority will comply.

So here goes some of the guidelines for safe bouncy castle use directed at the kids

• Please remove your shoes – Socks are allowed.
• We do not allow Back/front flipping
• Hand over all sharp objects before entering (sword, sabers and other toys)
• Be courteous at all times. Check your language and no rough play
• Leave glasses with parent or attendant (if you can manage without them)
• We do not allow eating, drinking or gum chewing in the bounce house
• Do not place items in your mouth while playing in the bounce house.
• Please remove accessories like your chains and earrings 
• Always go down the slide feet first
• Once you arrive at the bottom of the slide, move away quickly to make way for other kids who are coming down after you.
• Please do not push or pull each other down the slide.

How to Present Bouncy Castle Rules to the Children

Although you should present the guidelines for safe use of the bouncy castle in a concise and assertive manner, always ensure that you insert some fun ways to explain the reason why behind each guideline. For example, instead of just say: No eating in the bouncy house. You could say:

Attendant: Eating is not allowed in the bouncy house. Can you guess what could happen if you eat and jump?

Children: We could choke

Attendant: Correct. You could end up choking. We’re here to have fun and not to injure ourselves right? Then let’s remember: No eating in the bounce house. 

You see, when children feel that they are a part of the process, they are certainly more cooperative and responsible. This certainly fosters safer play.

Here’s to a Fun Event!

So here’s to keeping the FUN in funday! You will be amazed to find that these simple guidelines for safe bouncy castle use and supervision have the potential to eliminate many possible mishaps. They also create an avenue to easier management of  bounce house activities by minimizing incidents and maximizing fun. After all, everyone wants their event to leave a lasting positive and beautiful impression.

Now Tell Us. Do You Have Any Tips To Share? Questions?

We would love to add as many tips as we can to our Guidelines for Safe Bouncy Castle Use and Supervision so as to ensure children are always safe and sound at play. Comment down below if you know of any tips we could add to make kids spaces around the world safer. You can also reach us here or at hello@funzaggy.com with your questions, comments, or for bookings and other related services. We’d love to hear from you!

Disclaimer: This post is intended to be for informational purposes only and does not substitute the guidelines from your inflatable rental company. Consult your rental company for the guidelines and policies that they have established for you.