Bounce Houses Become Flying Death Traps

Bounce houses are a hallmark of childhood these days. From children who are barely old enough to walk to preteens, kids love these inflatable funhouses that wiggle and jiggle and throw them off balance. They’ve become a staple at backyard parties, sports and other events, school functions, and more. 

But are they safe?

The Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), based in California, says no. A study by the CHOC Research Institute says that as bounce houses become more popular, emergency departments are seeing more injuries. The majority of serious injuries are from children being struck while inside a bounce house or falling out. The most reported injuries are fractures, muscle strain and contusions. 96% of the injuries were to children using bounce houses at their homes. 

You might worry about the possibility of a concussion from kids playing rough and colliding with one another, or the possibility of a sprained ankle from a bad bounce—but there’s another dangerous possibility—one that’s in the news again and again.

A 5-year-old boy was killed while playing in a bounce house at a professional baseball game in Maryland in August 2024 after the bounce house went airborne from a wind gust.

Children were playing in a bounce house at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland during a Southern Maryland Blue Crabs game. A gust of wind lifted the bounce house 15 to 20 feet in the air and carried it airborne from a designated play area near right field until it landed on the baseball diamond near the first base line. One 5-year-old boy was airlifted to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. A second child was also treated at the hospital but was released with non-life-threatening injuries.

Not the first bounce house tragedy

Earlier this year, a toddler was killed when the bounce house he was playing in was blown into the air in Casa Grande, Arizona. Multiple children were playing in the bounce house; the 2-year-old was killed and a second child was hospitalized. The others were uninjured. The wind gusts were more than 20 miles per hour at the time of the accident. 

In another incident in New York in 2014, a bounce house launched more than 20 feet in the air with children inside. One child fell out and hit his head on a car and then fell to the pavement below. An incident (also in New York) a few years earlier left more than a dozen people hospitalized because an inflatable slide attached to a bounce house structure broke loose, crashing into other people who were participating in activities in a park.

Safety practices for bounce houses

This type of tragedy is preventable. Here are some precautions that can avoid disaster:

1. Never allow your child to enter a bounce house if the wind speed is higher than the structure can withstand. Most bounce houses are approved for wind speeds up to 13-17 miles per hour.
2. Deflate and close the bounce house if there is wind, rain, or excessive heat.
3. Anchor the bounce house with sandbags or stakes. Spiral anchors are best for grass and sandbags are best for pavement. It’s best to use 40-pound sandbags or heavier.
4. Ask the rental company or operator for proof that they are certified to run and inspect the structure. Ensure that the rental company has liability insurance.
5. Watch for deflation risk. A deflated bounce house—even the smallest—weighs about 50 pounds. A child could easily be suffocated or otherwise injured if the bounce house deflates while they are inside. The supervising adult should know how the inflator works and be prepared to act quickly if it begins to deflate; if the inflator is gas-powered, the supervisor should ensure that the tank is never too close to empty.
6. All participants should remove jewelry, glasses, and shoes to reduce the risk of punctures that could cause deflation.
7. Heed the bounce house weight limit. Smaller bounce houses can hold 100-300 pounds, so a few young children and maybe one or two older ones. The weight limit will increase with the size of the structure, but it’s important to match capacity with the weight limit.
8. Supervision is essential! Kids will be kids, after all. They don’t have great judgment, they like to have fun, and sometimes fun is rowdy (yes, this applies to some adults also).

Staking your inflatable safely

Anchoring a bounce house inflatable on grass

If you’re using strong metal stakes, choose a 30- to 40-inch stake for each corner and tie-down. You should check local gas, power and cable lines to be sure not to hit or puncture them when installing the bounce house.

Stakes should be pounded into solid ground at a 45-degree angle with the rope stretched taut. Do not attach more than one rope tie-down to a single anchor in the ground. Ropes and tethers should be strong enough to hold the inflatable; it should be at least ½ solid-braided polypropylene with a tensile strength of 3,700 or 370-pound test rated.

Once stakes are anchored, they need to be pounded flat with the ground. If they protrude, this can be a tripping hazard. The stake must be at least 70% of the way into the ground to ensure that the inflatable cannot be lifted airborne with a gust of wind.

Anchoring an inflatable bounce house on asphalt

Grass or dirt are the ideal spots for an inflatable because the stakes can be anchored beneath the surface of the ground (also because if a child falls out of the bounce house, it’s a softer surface to land on). 

However, if grass or dirt is not an option, the best tie-downs for an inflatable on asphalt are sandbags. A tarp or other ground covering should be placed between the asphalt and the bounce house to reduce friction. The bounce house specifications should tell you the exact amount of weight necessary for each tie-down point. You might need more than one sandbag at each point. Tie the sandbags using their D-loops at the top. 

Following these guidelines can make bounce house fun safer for your children and is important as you plan parties or visit child-friendly attractions or events.