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Kids' injuries in bounce houses soaring: Do you think young kids should use them?

Print | Comments () Posted by Kristi Palma November 26, 2012 01:20 PM

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AP Photo/LM Otero, File

Does your child love bounce houses?

According to a study published online today, more kids are getting injured in them.

The study, published in Pediatrics, says the number of kids age 17 and under who landed in the ER for bounce house-related injuries has increased from fewer than 1,000 in 1995 to nearly 11,000 in 2010. That's a 15-fold increase. And kids age 5 and under made up more than one-third of those injured.

The study was conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends children under age 6 do not use full-size trampolines. And The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended against using trampolines at home. Since trampoline injuries are similar to bounce house injuries (broken bones, sprains, cuts and concussions), the authors of the study want policymakers to consider whether bounce houses should have similar recommendations, reports the AP.

What do you think? Should kids under the age of 6 be allowed inside bounce houses?

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Kristi Palma, Boston.com Moms producer, is the mom of a kindergartner and a preschooler. She is a writer who enjoys cooking her grandmother's Italian recipes (when her son isn't launching paper airplanes into them). Follow her on Twitter @kristipalma.

Jennifer Clark Estes is a teacher, writer, blogger, and the mother of four young children. In her free time, she blogs at A Mom's World, plays with the kids (or chauffeurs them around), and is desperately seeking a quiet spot so she can read a book. Follow her on Twitter @JenniferCEstes.