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5 Ways Inflatables Can Make This Halloween Happier and Healthier

October 27, 2015January 9, 2018 BlastZone Leave a comment

Can you even bounce inside a Haunted House?

Halloween is a festive favorite for many adults and children alike. What is not to love? You get costumes, pumpkins, and all things spooky, and let’s not forget candy, candy, and more candy! That is a lot of fun to fit into one fun evening. While some may rise to the occasion, not everyone has the time or the mind to make Halloween night an experience to remember. Fear not! We’ve got your back! We’ve found 5 ways to make this Halloween happier and healthier with the help of inflatables.

Make Your Halloween Planning Easier

While many find Halloween to be a great excuse to get creative with their costumes and decorations, it is also a lot of work! Sometimes Halloween falls on a Saturday, which provides a few extra hours to make some magic happen. This is a luxury only afforded to us every few years. We won’t have another until 2020! Can you imagine the stress that parents endure when Halloween falls on a school or work night? I bet you can, because it happened last year. When you have a bounce house at your disposal, you may be able to get away with skipping an evening of door-to-door candy collection. Set up the inflatable, dole out treat bags to your little ones, and call it a night.

Sure, you may still find yourself handing out candy for other kids but at least it’s from the comfort of your own home. You might even get a few trick-or-treaters who forget all about candy when they spot the bounce house, asking for a minute or so to bounce around instead. Having your own inflatable means hours of fun without leaving your yard.

A Great Addition to a Halloween Party

Even if you’re already planning to skip Trick-or-Treating, perhaps by planning to host a party at home, a bounce house can help take a Halloween party to the next level. A lot of parents have realized that inflatables are easy entertainment for parties. With Halloween being all about imagination and make-believe, your bounce house becomes an extension of the fun. At Blast Zone, you can find several inflatables with themes that can go hand in hand with several classic costumes, like pirates, princesses or even wild animal costumes paired with the Rainforest Rapids Combo.

Keep an eye out for those scary pumpkins this year!

Burn off those Candy Calories

Some might argue that while it’s certainly fun to eat your weight in candy, it may not always be the best choice, all things considered. Candy calories count, and they can definitely add up. This is especially true if Halloween night spreads into something more like Halloween week, like it does for so many families. Between Harvest Festivals at your local community center and classroom Halloween parties, the sweet treats really start to stack. Now you’ve got belly aches and spoiled appetites to contend with. With an inflatable, kids have a fun way to burn off some of the extra calories and sugar.

Kids Stay Safe

Halloween traditions vary by the community, but the most widely known is Trick-or-Treating. Each year, kids all over head out after dark to collect candy from their neighbors. It is a fun tradition, but with each passing year neighborhoods everywhere are experiencing dwindling numbers of trick-or-treaters. This is because many communities are resorting to hosting private carnivals and parking lot trunk-or-treat parties in an attempt to keep kids safe. These events can be made more fun with good planning and great entertainment. There is something to be said about being the family that brought the bounce house.

Adults Stay Sane

Halloween is fun for adults as much as it is for kids, but the reality is that a lot of the traditions were started for kids to have a good time. For a lot of parents, holidays and festivities are all about making sure that their kids have plenty of fun and fond memories to look back on. While creating these memories can be a lot of work, their smiles make the work worth it.

The grown-ups are responsible to make sure that it all goes off without a hitch. With a bounce house at your disposal, it takes away a lot of the guess work in making the evening filled with fun. While kids bounce around and work up a sweat, you don’t have to worry about how to keep kids warm in costume. Inflatables can also give you a few moments to relax and enjoy the sound of their laughter. An inflatable might make for a happier Halloween but best of all, the evening of Halloween is just the beginning. After the capes are hung and the make-up is washed away your bounce house will remain, ready to entertain.

Mail Zone: Blower Loudness, Concrete, and The Differences Between the Pirate Bay and Pirate Blaster

October 13, 2015January 9, 2018 BlastZone Leave a comment

People Often Ask:

How loud are Blast Zone Blowers?

Blast Zone:

blower-sound1

We often get this question, so we had an independent lab measure the decibel rating of our blowers, while attached to a bounce house, which is the most practical application for this test. Each measurement was taken 1 meter from different parts of the blower – The outlet nozzle, inlet, opposite side of inlet, and rear. We then averaged the ratings, which were similar in each position. We did it this way because most people are concerned with the level they will perceive when using the product, rather than the specific rating of the motor itself.

Typically users are not this close to the blower, so the actual decibels registered by players would be lower, or substantially lower than these results. The average reading for the various blowers was 73dB, with a range of 67-83. The 67 dB reading is the blower used on smaller items designed for younger players, while the 83 rating is at the outlet nozzle of the blower we use on the largest Home Use Bounce House and Inflatable Water Parks, typically designed for older players, which also happen to be products where the blowers are commonly further from the entry or play area.

We usually tell people the sound of the blower is similar to a vacuum cleaner. Reviews of test results on a number of common vacuum brands ranged from 75dB to 90dB, so the more accurate answer is “Our Bounce House Blowers are typically quieter than a relatively quiet vacuum cleaner.”

The List Below Illustrates the dB level of common household noises.

60	Conversational speech
73	Average Blast Zone Home Use Blower
75-90	Popular Vacuum Cleaners

Now on to Inventing a vacuum bounce house that cleans the house while kids play!

Anon Asks:

This is wonderful, do I have to worry about this getting holes in it if it is used on concrete?

Blast Zone:

We get this question way more than we’d like. Please do not use any inflatable on concrete or hard surfaces. You need to worry about safety first and foremost, but yes, the concrete can also damage the inflatable!

BE SAFE and have a blast.

Allie Asks:

Pirate Blaster Inflatable Water Park.
Question: What are the differences between this version (Blaster) and Pirate Bay? I noticed it said improved design. Thanks!

Blast Zone:

pirateblaster-update

The Pirate Blaster is indeed an improved version of the Pirate Bay, in that it adds a couple features. First, an “Inside Return” path is added to the inflatable water park, that allows kids to reach the climbing wall to the slide without exiting the water park. This keeps grass and debris out of the splash area, since kids don’t have to get out and get back in repeatedly.

Second, the Blaster has a reconfigured pool that is a little more efficiently geared towards kid’s play habits.

As far as the other “improvements” – The Pirate Blaster was the first to feature a couple of upgrades to the design structurally that are more “Behind the scenes” but have since been applied to the Pirate bay, and are included on all Pirate Inflatable Water Parks sold since 2014.

So when deciding between the two very similar items, the Pirate Bay offers a lower entry price, while the Blaster adds the return path, updated look and reconfigured pool to the Pirate-Themed Inflatable Water Park

Have a Blast!

In our Blast Zone Mail Zone series, we answer good questions submitted by you, our great customers. Pardon us if we repeat ourselves occasionally. Some questions are asked frequently, and worth answering more than once!

Blast Zone appreciates your questions. If you’d like to submit a Mail Zone Question, please email us at mailbag@blastzone.com. For immediate assistance, feel free to call us at 877-889-4685, or email us at service@blastzone.com

After School Cool: Using a Bounce House to Keep Kids Focused

October 7, 2015January 9, 2018 BlastZone Leave a comment

It's that time of year! BACK TO SCHOOL! — It’s that time of year! BACK TO SCHOOL!

Back-to-School season is upon us. For many children, school has been in session for about a month. Now families are re-working their normal schedules to fit around the school day. Everyone’s day is a little bit different depending on what activities you may have lined up. While some parents may be working out a carpool schedule for after school sports, practices, or music lessons, others are working on getting their kids to finish up their homework and chores before dinner time.

Kids are human too, and they too can get a bit burnt out by a long day’s work. We’ve all heard James Howell’s proverb, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” That might just be true! While of course, there are plenty of things that simply must be done each day, it is also true that breaking the day up with a little bit of fun can make a long day feel a bit shorter.

During the school-day, there is a reason that kids are given recess. They need a break. In fact, according to Larry Silver, M.D. kids who receive a mid-day break from school work display an improved ability to stay on task.

You might find your family somewhere in the spectrum between busy and bored, but we can help you find ways to entertain your children after school. Whether it is in between other activities or all afternoon, there are a lot of ways to offer kids a bit of distraction.

During the back to school season, kids are more restless and rambunctious than usual after focusing on their school work all day. By the time they get home, it’s been hours since recess and they’ve probably been sitting at a desk for quite a while.

If your schedules are tight, finding time for a bit of fun may be no easy feat. Getting kids to step away from what they are working on for even just a few minutes can give them the pick-me-up they might need. You can accomplish this by suggesting a brief activity to refresh their minds.

Taking the dog for a quick walk around the neighborhood (Fido wouldn’t object) is a great way to fill two needs with one deed. No dog? No problem. You can also try challenging them to a quick competition. Race them around the block or challenge them to a dance off (and don’t be too discouraged if they win).

For those days when going outside is not an option, you can still take a quick snack break or a few minutes of movement to stretch and shake out the day’s tension. Brain Den also offers an awesome selection of fun puzzles and brain teasers.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL-MCindoor — The Blast Zone Magic Castle is perfect for outdoor and indoor use!

If you have more free time in the afternoons a bike ride or spending some time outside bouncing on a bounce house is sure to be a welcome distraction, especially if you limit screen time for your little ones.

At first, a bounce house may not seem like a conventional form of entertainment at home but this idea is becoming a more common choice for families due to the easy set up and minimal clean up involved. You may have the impression that bounce houses are only for parties, but bouncers are a great way to get the blood flowing after school.

As the fall season approaches, using an inflatable at home makes even more sense. As the weather becomes unpredictable, a bounce house can be moved inside to avoid the elements. The Magic Castle Bounce House is great because it is big enough to excite kids but compact enough to fit in the house on a stormy day.

The “what” is typically not as important as the “why” when it comes to entertaining kids after school. Keeping them busy does help to keep them out of trouble in addition to supporting their growth in general, but giving them a little time to step away from work and have some fun each afternoon keeps them engaged and focused on the tasks thrown at them each day.

Trick Your Kids Into Exercising with Inflatable Bouncers

September 8, 2015January 9, 2018 BlastZone 1 Comment

If you’ve ever had to drag yourself into the gym after a long day, you probably know that it’s not always something that we want to do, it’s something that we need to do to keep ourselves happy and healthy. It’s not always fun, so you might imagine that some children probably hold the same sentiment toward the idea of exercise. Not only do the words “exercise” or “workout” hold negative connotations for some, but a kid that wants to get outside to go for a run each day is probably pretty hard to come by.

We have goosebumps after reading those facts!

General childhood laziness aside, now more than ever there are so many fun things that can be done without moving a muscle. The right video game can keep children busy for hours and all they’ve used are their eyes and thumbs. With instant streaming, kids’ favorite TV shows and movies are available to them on demand. With an almost endless supply of digital media available at any given time, we live in an age where kids aren’t always out playing each night until the streetlamps come on.

Where were these bounce houses when we were kids!

Kids need their exercise just like adults do. Getting them active at a younger age helps to create healthy habits that will stay with them for life. While the perfect amount of exercise may be different from one young person to the next, the CDC recommends that children get about 1 hour of physical activity each day. Beyond that recommendation from the Center for Disease Control, the benefits of keeping kids active speak for themselves. Regular physical activity helps kids stay happy and healthy, just like it does for grown-ups. Exercise is a known mood booster and when they are having fun with it, physical activity can be a great way for kids to connect with their peers.

So how do we get kids to put down their devices and get active? You can try putting your kids on a fitness schedule, but where is the fun in that? Most kids don’t see a point in running a 5k if there is nothing cool waiting for them at the end of the road. The answer to this dilemma is to make exercise fun. Turn it into something that they want to do. Sports are always a great option, but sports may not provide the year-round activity kids needs, especially in areas with “weather,” and some youngsters may be too young for, or just not into sports.

Enter: the Bounce House. With a Bounce House, Inflatable Water Park or Inflatable Combo your little ones get the exercise that they need without even realizing it! In healthy Children, simply having fun bouncing around in an inflatable means that kids are using their muscles, potentially making them stronger, developing motor skills, and burning energy. It may help to elevate lung capacity, increasing their stamina. It could get their heart pumping and their blood flowing, potentially promoting cardiovascular and circulatory health. Above all, bouncing is fun! Rare is a person (young or old) who doesn’t enjoy a good bounce. You try bouncing and see if you can keep a silly smile off of your face.

With inflatable combos like the Misty Kingdom, the fun and physical activity go beyond just bouncing. Combos offering numerous activities, like jumping, sliding, climbing, splashing, hoops, etc, provide different types of exertion, and keep kids occupied longer.

From a parent’s perspective, one of the best advantages is that after an afternoon of bouncing, bedtime is no longer a hassle. You may even find your little ones ready to tuck themselves in after an exhausting day of playing in their bouncer. Your family getting enough exercise doesn’t have to be something to stress over. Set up an inflatable and enjoy the sound of their laughter as they play their way through daily exercise. With a bounce house, the hardest part is getting them to come inside for dinner.

Throw an Incredible Labor Day BBQ

August 25, 2015January 9, 2018 BlastZone Leave a comment

how-to-labor-day-bbq — Squeeze the last bit of fun out of your summer.

When you have a family, you have a million-and-one things going through your head at any given time. During the summer it can get especially hectic. The kids are on break from school, the days are longer, and the heat can drive everyone a little mad. Every now and then, it’s nice to plan something fun that everyone can enjoy. This is where BBQ’s come in. Between getting your family dressed and fed each morning and hoping they’ve had a long enough day to sleep through the night, planning a BBQ is not always the easiest thing to accomplish. Don’t panic! We’re here to help. This guide will help you to plan an amazing end-of-summer BBQ that will make your neighbors wish they were invited.

Food

grilled-veggies-labor-day-bbq — Mmm. Grilled veggies.

When you’re planning a BBQ, the first thing that comes to mind is food. This is where we sometimes find ourselves stuck. A BBQ is all about the food. Your first mission is deciding what to serve. While making your decision on what to serve at your BBQ, think about your guests. Do any of your invited guests have a special diet or any food allergies to consider? Gluten free? Low Carb? Paleo? Vegetarian? The possibilities seem endless. All diets and special lifestyles can be accommodated for a BBQ, you just want to make sure that you will have something for everyone.

This also goes for kids. Do you have any picky eaters coming over? When entertaining, it’s always a great idea to have a few kid-friendly food items. Some kids love adventurous foods. Some kids will eat things like teriyaki chicken kebabs or spicy grilled pineapple, but many kids do better with very simple foods. Hamburgers or hot dogs are usually fail proof when it comes to kids.

At a BBQ, the meat is usually the main event. Go for quality over variety. Rather than having several options, decide on one or two different things to serve as the main dish, like pork sausage and classic BBQ chicken. This gives people choices without breaking the bank or requiring the use of multiple grills. Some other great and simple options would be meat and veggie kebabs, ribs, or keep it classic and serve up hamburgers and hot dogs for all!

Hors d’oeuvres, sides and desserts are also just as important to a BBQ as the main course. They help to balance out your meal and provide color to your table. Both are very important elements to hosting an unforgettable BBQ. Make your big day as relaxing as possible by preparing your side dishes and desserts the day before. When deciding on what to serve keep in mind that on a summer day, cold dishes go best with foods coming hot-off-the-grill. Using the freshest ingredients you can find will make even the simplest salad go off the charts in flavor.

Entertainment

blastzone-big-ol-bouncer-bbq-fun — Blast Zone “Big Ol Bouncer” Bounce house will keep the kids out of your hair.

When you’re hosting a BBQ you may be busy flipping food on the grill, but there will always be time to take a breather. Even if you are keeping yourself busy, keep your guests in mind. You’ve invited them over, and should have some form of entertainment planned. Music is definitely a must to fill up any awkward silences or lulls in conversation.

If your back yard BBQ turns into a dance party, you’ve gotten very lucky! Just in case that doesn’t happen, have something fun available to your guests like games or even a few packs of playing cards. Don’t be too rigid when it comes to entertaining your guests. You will probably find that the adults at your party will entertain themselves by chatting with you or other guests. Because we never see our family and friends as often as we’d like, catch-up is usually one of the best games to play over a delicious BBQ dinner.

While we’re talking about entertainment, let us not forget about the kiddos! You have a few goals when it comes to kids. Keep them busy, give them options and let them have their space (this means the grown-ups get their space as well). With kids, you want to keep them busy because if they aren’t off doing their own thing, they might be looking for ways to entertain themselves. This can be dangerous around a fiery grill and possibly annoying to some of your guests. Having multiple options will come in handy because not all kids are the same, and they may not all be interested in the same activity.

Further, some children might find a given activity fun for a short time, but wind up feeling bored later. This is especially possible if your BBQ is going to be an all-day affair. Set up an area stocked with coloring books or arts and crafts, as well as interactive toys or areas to play sports and burn off some of that energy that we wish we could borrow as adults.

Inflatables are a great idea for BBQs. They give kids the freedom to bounce or slide all day long. If you have a lot of kids to entertain, the Big Ol’ Bouncer is a great choice as one of our biggest home-use bounce houses. You might have a hard time getting them out of the inflatable at the end of the evening, but getting them to sleep that night will be a breeze. Read our helpful guides to keep the kids safe when playing together on our bounce houses.

Having all of this set aside in a designated area will not only make clean up easier, it also allows you to designate the best area for them, keeping them far from areas that may not be appropriate. You don’t want kids suffering the blinding burn of BBQ smoke blowing right into their eyes, or eating up all of the strawberries you’ve spent the summer growing. This also gives kids the opportunity to mingle on their own and maybe make some new friends. A lot of kids like to be independent, and having their own space to play allows them to decide what they want to do with their time at your BBQ.

Timing

blastzone-labor-day-bbq-grill — Man look at all the steam. It’s hot in there!

With your food and entertainment all planned out, your final concern is with Timing. Making sure that the day unfolds smoothly isn’t as hard as it may seem. You can plan your backyard seating and prepare most of your cooking the day before. Put your meats in their marinades and prepare your hors d’oeuvres, sides, and desserts in advance, to be refrigerated until it’s time to eat. On the big day, get your tables and chairs set up out back and roll out your inflatable if you will be using one. Getting your inflatable set up earlier in the day allows you to get it going for the kids with the flip of a switch. You can roll it out flat, stake it down and attach the blower so that when your guests arrive, you can simply turn on the blower to start the fun.

Get your grill started before your guests are set to arrive, so that you can socialize and get your guests situated while it heats up. If you are cooking your meats low and slow, start early enough that you can serve up dinner BBQ about 45 minutes to an hour after guests arrive. This gives everyone time to transition from go-mode to relaxation mode. This is important for guests who have to make a long or inconvenient trip to your home. It allows everyone to get comfortable as well as ensuring that no one misses the boat if they are running a little late for any reason. Now that you’ve got everything mapped out, it’s time to enjoy the day. Eat and socialize and enjoy the warm weather, these moments are memories in the making.

Commercial Inflatable Regulations by State

July 15, 2015January 9, 2018 BlastZone 1 Comment

As a business owner, or the operator of a “public” inflatable device, there are a lot of considerations: Safety, Insurance, Market Demands, Pricing – the list goes on. These do not apply exclusively to Inflatable Rental Companies, Indoor Bounce Centers and FEC’s – Even institutions like Churches, School and Camps need to be concerned about Liability and Compliance. A “Public” inflatable device should be considered any Inflatable Bounce House, Inflatable Slide, Etc where the public or a congregation has access to the fun. So if your institution or business offers the Inflatable for use by the public, this pertains to you. And while Inflatables are fun for kids, the compliance is definitely for adults.

Most operators of Inflatable equipment rely on the device manufacturers to comply with the various regulations, but ultimately this may be difficult or even impossible for the inflatable manufacturer to provide. Why? Because on top of the various over-arching governing bodies that regulate the manufacturing process, various state and local authorities may have their own regulations. Translation: Your local government may ask you to do some extra stuff above and beyond what the manufacturer does during manufacture. Thankfully, most governing bodies simply adopt the same manufacturing standards that are required of the manufacturer, but some go further.

So who are these various governing bodies that come into play?

First and foremost, is ASTM international, an acronym for American Society for Testing and Materials. This body creates committees to provide manufacturing guidelines for both Commercial Constant Air Inflatables, which falls under the scope of the manufacture of amusement devices, f2374 and a newer standard specific to home-use inflatable devices, F2729.

According to ASTM,

“ASTM standards are voluntary in the sense that their use is not mandated by ASTM. However, government regulators often give voluntary standards the force of law by citing them in laws, regulations, and codes.”

While the ASTM guidelines may not be considered law, sometimes laws will adopt the ASTM standards into a law, making them mandatory. The 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), by the Consumer Product Safety Commission also adopts ASTM incorporates standard F963 Safety Specification for Toy Safety as part of the law.

bounce-house-regulations-per-state — Blast Zone Test Facility often has hundreds of players per day

So the Consumer product safety commission and ASTM pretty much have it covered, right? So what does the operator need to worry about? As an operator, you are still responsible for local and state regulations, which may incorporate these guidelines, and add additional guidelines for you to follow. One important standard when it comes to fire departments is the NFPA 701 , which the National Fire Prevention Association states, “This standard establishes test methods to assess the propagation of flame of various textiles and films under specified fire test conditions.” Most manufacturers who comply with ASTM can also provide a certification that materials comply with NFPA 701.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania also require “type certification,” where the manufacturer must apply for certification on specific structures in order for operators in these states to be able to use the devices in these states. For a comprehensive guide to state-level requirements, BounceHousesNow.com has put together a nice guide by state. To check out requirements for your state, follow their link database.

So to summarize:

Buy from a reputable manufacturer
Make sure your chosen supplier complies with CPSIA and ASTM Standards
Make sure your supplier provides NFPA 701 testing certification, and acknowledges this on the warning label
Check the State regulations List
Check with state and local governing bodies and Fire Departments.

And as always, follow safety guidelines, and Have a Blast!

Save Water: How to Disable your Blast Zone Water Cannon

May 22, 2015January 10, 2018 BlastZone 1 Comment

We often receive calls asking how to disable or turn off the water cannon on your inflatable water park, while keeping the flow of water to the sprayer above the slide. This is super easy, and below we offer 3 simple ways for you to accomplish this feat of engineering. Choose any of the 3 methods that is easiest for you.

1) The easiest first: Bend over the supply line to the cannon, and zip it closed. Simply “kink” the hose before it attaches to the water cannon, use a zip tie to keep it kinked, and unscrew the hose fitting that attaches to the cannon.

zip-tie

2) Use a “Hose Cap” to cap off. This cap is available, typically for $1 or less, at your local hardware store. Often this is sold for drip irrigation, as an “end cap,” which includes a piece we won’t need. You only need the cap, so unscrew the cap from the coupling (the coupling below has the white sticker on it, while the cap is screwed on to the left side of it). You may discard the part shown with the white sticker, or repurpose it as a mantel decoration as you see fit. With the Blast Zone supply tube to the cannon unscrewed from the cannon itself, just screw the female cap onto the orange male hose fitting that would normally screw into the cannon. When you want use the cannon again simply unscrew the cap and then screw the hose back into the cannon!

cannon-cap1 cannon-cap2 cannon-cap3

3) Use a 3/8″ insert ball valve. This is our favorite hack, because you can leave the hose connected to the cannon and simply turn the valve on and off to toggle the cannon on as desired. With the 3/8″ plastic insert ball vale in hand, simply cut the hose in half a foot down from the cannon’s orange male attachment, and slip the hoses onto each end of the valve. Zip tie the two sides of the hose tightly to the valve and continue having fun in the sun with or without the water canon! Make sure to install the valve on the main sprayer system line, and do not cut or modify the short hose that is installed in the cannon itself, since that piece is engineered to be the exact size to fit through the cannon.

cannon-valve

We’ve got a handful of valves here, so if you own a Blast Zone Water Park with a water cannon, and you’d like to add a shutoff valve, shoot us an email with your order number and we’ll be glad to send you one at no charge.

Inflatable Slide Safety: 1 Rider at-a-time

May 18, 2015January 10, 2018 BlastZone Leave a comment

As part of our ongoing commitment to safety, we are exploring deeper into the general rules of using Bounce Houses and Inflatable Water Parks safely. During this series we explore the “how’s” and “why’s” of the various aspects of safe inflatable use, such as anchoring, evenly matching players, sliding independently and more.

1 Rider at-a-time!

1 Rider at a Time Inflatable Slide Safety

Kids want to test and push past boundaries, and this can lead to stretching the safety rules. If the rules are followed, Inflatable Slides are not only super-awesome, but also safe. However, after a few zips down the sliding lane, and as the play escalates, kids may be tempted to double up, and ride down together, as they look for new and exciting ways to test their boundaries.

Don’t allow this.

Man, we sure seem like wet beach towels over here at Blast Zone, don’t we? Well, for each safety rule, we have reason. And those reasons are, well… for safety. So what are those reasons?

1) The inflatable is engineered for specific user weights. Doubling up these weights will most likely put the rider’s collective weight over the weight the inflatable is engineered for. This could potentially damage your valuable inflatable, or worse, lead to instability on the slide.

2) Bonk. Yup. Bonk. The rider in front is going to stop an instant before the rider in the back. They are going to possibly bonk teeth-to-head, nose-to-head, or tumble over each other. These are not fun outcomes. This could lead to injury, and nothing takes away the fun like tears.

1 Rider at a Time Inflatable Slide Safety Mystic Mountain

With Commercial Inflatable Slides, we’ve witnessed parents sliding down with their kids in their laps. This may seem like a great way to bond with your kids, but the result could be even worse. Check out our piece on Evenly-Matching Players for further insight behind the physics of a large adult landing on a small child, and reconsider this plan before sliding down. In cases with commercial inflatables, often the Inflatable Slide is rated to accommodate adults as well as kids, and many times younger kids like the adults to accompany them to the top. In this case, help your child up, let them slide first, make sure they have cleared out of the landing path, then try to hide your own childish grin as you zip on down.

And please don’t slide head first. Well talk about this later.

So keep it safe, and keep the fun going. Resist the urge to ride down the slide with your kids, and if you see kids “doubling up” use your keen common-sense-parenting skills to break it up. Always make sure kids are following the safety rules, and Have a Blast!

Bounce House Safety: Evenly Matched Players

May 7, 2015January 10, 2018 BlastZone Leave a comment

Evenly Matching Players

Bounce House Safety Kids

Mom wants to go in the Bounce House with the son. Brother wants to bring his sister. Your Nephew wants to bring your dog in. You get the idea… While each of these scenarios may sound fun, it is important that players in a Bounce House or other Inflatable Play Structure are evenly matched in size, age, development, and skillset.

Bounce Houses are inherently safe products, when used properly – they are giant bags of air (insert your own husband joke). Your lawn is a harder surface than your Bounce House, but the lawn doesn’t encourage kids to wrestle and jump directly on top of each other quite as much as the Bounce House may.

Consider the following physical development milestones for kids (we’ll use boys)

1 Year (22Lbs): Crawl and walk with assistance.
2 Years (28Lbs): Walk and Dance
3 Years (34Lbs): Run forward and Jump in place
4 Years (39Lbs): Run in circles, Ride a tricycle.
5 Years (45Lbs): Jump on one foot, do somersaults.

So within one family or one playgroup, you can easily have kids who are capable of doing somersaults, and kids who can barely walk. That Bounce House can have Kids in with weight differences of 40Lbs or more within the common age-rage of 3-10, some doing somersaults, and some struggling to stay upright. Inside an enclosed bouncing environment, you potentially could have a much larger child jumping and possibly landing on a much smaller child who is unable to stand unassisted in that type of environment.

Don’t fret yet.

There are plenty of ways to keep kids safe in the Bounce House, simply by matching them properly and making sure they are playing nicely.

Evenly Matched Bounce House Players Safety

While following the minimum age requirements of 3-Years definitely helps, it is still critical to monitor behavior, and keep kids playing with appropriately matched players. Some Inflatable Combos, like the Blast Zone Sidekick Castle, may have an isolated ball pit area for younger kids, with a Bounce House area for larger, more advanced kids. However, in many instances, it is simply up to the parents/adults to monitor play and keep kids appropriately isolated to avoid contact injury.

A local church has tried a couple approaches with their Blast Zone Bounce House. The first was to find age-appropriate activities for different age groups at an event. In this case, the smaller kids had other activities available. This worked OK, but it is natural for the smaller kids to want to play with the bigger kids, so this is not the ideal situation.

Second, during class-based activities, kids were separated into different groups based on age, which allowed kids to play with other more evenly matched players. This was ideal, as the matching was more official and done automatically.

In family scenarios, it really comes down to common sense parenting:

Evenly Match Sizes
Evenly Match Skillets
Try to keep mismatched players physically separated
When Possible, look at Bounce Houses with separate areas for different activities
Don’t let bigger kids roughhouse with smaller kids
Don’t let people slide together as a unit
If you are bouncing with your kids, be very careful not to fall on top of them.

Blow up the Bounce House, Keep kids evenly matched, monitor play habits, and HAVE FUN!

Using Blast Zone Inflatables Indoors

April 13, 2015June 29, 2017 BlastZone Leave a comment

Using Blast Zone Inflatables Indoors

Kids don’t always have to go outside to burn off energy or have some inflatable fun. If weather or other factors don’t permit, prepare for a bouncing good time inside. You can keep the kids off the furniture, and keep them jumping on the Blast Zone Inflatable by following these tips to use your inflatables safely indoors.

Anchoring

Blast Zone inflatables must always be anchored for safety purposes. Indoors, use the optional sand bags in place of ground stakes. These sand bags simply fill with play sand and tie onto the same loops where ground stakes would be used indoors. Each set of sand bags includes 8 bags. You’ll need to provide the sand yourself.

Blast Zone takes anchoring very seriously. These anchors will keep your indoor inflatable in one place, so kids stay safe, and will also keep the underside of the inflatable from rubbing against the floor. Sand bag anchors can also be used outdoors, as a standalone anchoring system, or even as a supplemental anchoring system in conjunction with the ground stakes, especially if you have loose soil.

Soft Surfaces

Your inflatable must have a nice, soft surface underneath. A carpet with a nice pad should do the trick.

Perimeter Clearance

Each side of your Blast Zone Inflatable should have approximately 6 feet of clearance, so plan space accordingly, and choose an inflatable that will fit your space. Also keep in mind that Blast Zone Inflatables have an inflation tube on the back that attaches to the blower, so allow 6 feet for this component (The inflation tube, and blower connected together). Blowers must not be placed in location where debris could be sucked into the motor from household items such as fireplaces, cat boxes, etc. The blower needs to be pumping air, not soot into the inside of your inflatable!

Clear Height

Make sure to choose an Inflatable Bouncer or Inflatable Combo for indoor use that will clear your ceiling! Many Blast Zone Bounce Houses and Bounce Combos are designed to clear standard ceilings, while still providing safe netting enclosure heights.

Water Slides

Your kids probably think it’s a great idea, but no, don’t use your waterslide inside! Come on now!

So when things get cold, or your kids just want to play inside, have fun bouncing safely by following these simple guidelines!

Use Approved Sand Bags Anchors to properly anchor your inflatable indoors.
Always set up your Blast Zone Bouncer on a soft surface when using it indoors.
Allow 6 feet of clearance between the perimeter of the inflatable and any obstructions.
Make sure the top of your inflatable bouncer or combo will clear the ceiling.
Save the garden hose for the garden.