Bounce house safety: the checklist we wish everyone used

In nine years and 20,000+ inflatable rentals, we've seen exactly three injuries — and every single one was preventable. Here's the checklist we hand our crew.

Rule 1: no shoes. Ever. This one gets skipped constantly. Shoes tear vinyl and hurt other jumpers. If you see a kid in shoes, they need to come out.

Rule 2: age groups matter. A 12-year-old and a 3-year-old should never be in the same castle at the same time. We recommend rotating in 5-minute shifts by age.

Rule 3: watch the weather. Wind above 15 mph? Come out. Rain? Come out. This isn't about damaging the castle — wet vinyl is a slide hazard, and wind can lift an unstaked castle in seconds.

Rule 4: adult monitor at all times. Not a distracted adult. Not a teenager. A sober, watching adult whose only job in that moment is the castle.

Follow these four rules and you'll never have an issue. Ignore any one of them and you're rolling dice at somebody else's kid's birthday.