Bounce houses a party hit but kids' injuries soar
CHICAGO (AP) - They may be a big hit at kids' birthday parties, but inflatable bounce houses can be dangerous, with the number of injuries soaring in recent years, a nationwide study found.
Kids often crowd into bounce houses, and jumping up and down can send other children flying into the air, too.
The numbers suggest 30 U.S. children a day are treated in emergency rooms for broken bones, sprains, cuts and concussions from bounce house accidents. Most involve children falling inside or out of the inflated playthings, and many children get hurt when they collide with other bouncing kids.
The number of children aged 17 and younger who got emergency-room treatment for bounce house injuries has climbed along with the popularity of bounce houses - from fewer than 1,000 in 1995 to nearly 11,000 in 2010. That's a 15-fold increase, and a doubling just since 2008.
"I was surprised by the number, especially by the rapid increase in the number of injuries," said lead author Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Amusement parks and fairs have bounce houses, and the playthings can also be rented or purchased for home use.
Smith and colleagues analyzed national surveillance data on ER treatment for nonfatal injuries linked with bounce houses, maintained by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Their study was published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Only about 3 percent of children were hospitalized, mostly for broken bones.
More than one-third of the injuries were in children aged 5 and younger. The safety commission recommends against letting children younger than 6 use full-size trampolines, and Smith said barring kids that young from even smaller, home-use bounce houses would make sense.
"There is no evidence that the size or location of an inflatable bouncer affects the injury risk," he said.
Other recommendations, often listed in manufacturers' instruction pamphlets, include not overloading bounce houses with too many kids and not allowing young children to bounce with much older, heavier kids or adults, said Laura Woodburn, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials.
The study didn't include deaths, but some accidents are fatal. Separate data from the product safety commission show four bounce house deaths from 2003 to 2007, all involving children striking their heads on a hard surface.
Several nonfatal accidents occurred last year when bounce houses collapsed or were lifted by high winds.
A group that issues voluntary industry standards says bounce houses should be supervised by trained operators and recommends that bouncers be prohibited from doing flips and purposefully colliding with others, the study authors noted.
Bounce house injuries are similar to those linked with trampolines, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended against using trampolines at home. Policymakers should consider whether bounce houses warrant similar precautions, the authors said.
Kids often crowd into bounce houses, and jumping up and down can send other children flying into the air, too.
The numbers suggest 30 U.S. children a day are treated in emergency rooms for broken bones, sprains, cuts and concussions from bounce house accidents. Most involve children falling inside or out of the inflated playthings, and many children get hurt when they collide with other bouncing kids.
The number of children aged 17 and younger who got emergency-room treatment for bounce house injuries has climbed along with the popularity of bounce houses - from fewer than 1,000 in 1995 to nearly 11,000 in 2010. That's a 15-fold increase, and a doubling just since 2008.
"I was surprised by the number, especially by the rapid increase in the number of injuries," said lead author Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Amusement parks and fairs have bounce houses, and the playthings can also be rented or purchased for home use.
Smith and colleagues analyzed national surveillance data on ER treatment for nonfatal injuries linked with bounce houses, maintained by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Their study was published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Only about 3 percent of children were hospitalized, mostly for broken bones.
More than one-third of the injuries were in children aged 5 and younger. The safety commission recommends against letting children younger than 6 use full-size trampolines, and Smith said barring kids that young from even smaller, home-use bounce houses would make sense.
"There is no evidence that the size or location of an inflatable bouncer affects the injury risk," he said.
Other recommendations, often listed in manufacturers' instruction pamphlets, include not overloading bounce houses with too many kids and not allowing young children to bounce with much older, heavier kids or adults, said Laura Woodburn, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials.
The study didn't include deaths, but some accidents are fatal. Separate data from the product safety commission show four bounce house deaths from 2003 to 2007, all involving children striking their heads on a hard surface.
Several nonfatal accidents occurred last year when bounce houses collapsed or were lifted by high winds.
A group that issues voluntary industry standards says bounce houses should be supervised by trained operators and recommends that bouncers be prohibited from doing flips and purposefully colliding with others, the study authors noted.
Bounce house injuries are similar to those linked with trampolines, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended against using trampolines at home. Policymakers should consider whether bounce houses warrant similar precautions, the authors said.
Eck, more dangerous than these lol http://www.airsplat.com/items/AR-WELL-MB01BSB.htm
I saw this on the news, come on really, who in their right mind, is going to put thier kids in these in a huge windstorm. At what point do parents become responsible for making smart decisions? America is becoming dumb because the government is expected to force every possible issue on a product label. America needs to become responsible for having common sense. It's not the product that is defective it is the people who are defectivley stupid!!
We never had those when I was a kid. Â We jumped on the bed, sister got bounced off, broke her arm. Â It healed, and we were all back on the bed jumping - non supervised too!
I'm glad I grew up in the 70s without a helmet and was able to get hurt. Â We all ended up just fine!
Well, first off there should be adult supervision if you own or rent one of these things. That's just good common sense. Children get hurt whether it's outdoors or indoors playing. If we continue to restrict kids to only 100% safe activities there isn't going to be to much left for them to do. I really am beginning to feel sorry for the children of this country.
Yes shelter your children, deny them a childhood.
OMG!!! You mean to tell me that kids can get hurt while playing!?!? No way!!! Please don't tell me America is turning into an overprotective "you better not get hurt" society. In Singapore, where I live now, parents are so paranoid that their kids will get a scratch that they don't even let them run while at the playground. The result of this is a bunch of uncoordinated kids that can barely manage to play any sports because their bodies can't deal with moving at any speed faster then walking.
I weep for the future.
In the picture above there is--unless my eyes deceive me--a BABY being held by an adult. And this is a story about kids getting hurt in those things. Hmmmmm
 @Drew07 I just noticed that, too!  Recipe for disaster.
I've been to a couple birthday parties where the parents have rented a bounce house. Call me paranoid and overprotective but I wouldn't let my kid in there with other kids. They get crazy, out of control, and it IS dangerous. Even if there is proper adult supervision, those things are an accident waiting to happen.
Â
And no, I am not a mother who wraps her child in bubble wrap just to walk to the mailbox. But if I see a threat I am going to do everything I can to protect my child from getting hurt. If that makes me a ninny then so be it.
 @Tattooed_Angel I won't let my son on them either and partly because people let their toddlers go in. My son could easily hurt one of them if he lands on them after jumping.
@queenofthenight My child is a toddler. It wouldn't take much to toss them the wrong way, land on their neck wrong, bounce them out the door... or like you said, have a bigger kid land on them. I live by the motto "Better safe than sorry."
 @Barlion  @Stock Woodie  @Tattooed_Angel The reasons (there are two) I don't let my son in those toys have nothing to do with worrying about him getting hurt. Kids get hurt and my son does a thorough job which is why I have more than a box of band aids handy.
One of my reasons involves toddlers being on the toy with older kids, which even some manufacturers advise against. Even my son is concerned about this as he doesn't want to fall on the "babies", as he puts it, and he would be heart broken if that happened.
 @Stock Woodie  @Tattooed_Angel  @queenofthenight Exactly Stock. People in the above post are paranoid parents that think their children are made of glass anyway. Let your kids go out and play for christs sake and just keep a box of band aids handy.
 @Tattooed_Angel  @queenofthenight These aren't really meant for toddlers.
The problem is the lack of supervision by the adults.  A little supervision can prevent 99% of accidents.  My main issue with bouncy houses is that they smell like pee.....
@The WA Mama Exactly! A bouncy house is not a substitute babysitter.
I cannot believe this is news.Â
 @Melissa Angevine I can. Nearly 11,000 injuries in one year is terrible.
 @queenofthenight  @Melissa Angevine Dislike. Kids get injured while playing.
 @Stock Woodie  @Melissa Angevine Thank you for voicing your dislike. I miss the days when you could just click a button to do that.
Â
Yes kids get injured while playing but nearly 11,000 injuries in one year is a lot to me. I question how many of these children are under 5 and could have been prevented by those supervising or their parents.
Bumps, bruises and scrapes are all part of trampolines- We had one for years when I was growing up. Now if you want scary with these bounce houses? THIS is frikkin' scary.
Â
http://abcnews.go.com/US/bounce-house-flies-13-kids-hurt/story?id=13766816
 @WAbornnraised Is it wrong that I laughed...?
Auntie M, Auntie M.
It's a twister!
We have got to save ourselves from ourselves. "Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign". A 70's song that had it right. Looks a if the fun-Nazis are at it again. Pin the tail on the donkey will become a hit all over again now too! And to imagine I grew up riding bikes without a helmet. But after seeing stories like this I'm never leaving the house, as I might do something wrong, or get hurt.
 @troglidite:Â
No, they won't allow "pin" the tail - the children might be stabbed by a pin.Â
Â
 They will allow "velcro the tail on the donkey" - until the injuries from the hooks start climbing up (you know they will somehow manage to get injured from velcro & then there will be a national outcry against it!)
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Happy Monday, everybody!
Â
;o)
@LocalLady @troglidite: Ahhh, I fondly remember the old days, when I was a kid, and Mom used to hand us a sharp stick and a bag of broken glass and tell us to go play out on the freeway until her TV shows were over.Â
Just a matter of time till the nanny state bans bounce houses to save the children, I can't find my other pink sock..
Headline should read "Kids get hurt when they play... duh" Kids are always going to get hurt. Trampoline, bike, scooter, walking down the sidewalk... Don't let them play with guns or knives and everything will be just fine.
I've seen a few bounce houses in action and it seemed like the parents, or adults in charge, let their guards down. Some even walked away from the house and they allowed way more kids than the maker probably recommends. I noticed crowding, some of the older kids not looking out for the younger and kids as young as 3 being allowed in the houses. It's not necessarily the house itself causing the injures but the children landing on or flying into other kids.