Few kids can resist a bounce house, those “moon bounce” inflatables that pop up at birthday parties and carnivals, and it's easy to see why. It's also easy to see how all the bouncing around could lead to injuries.

In 2012 and 2013, about 18,000 people each year were injured on inflatable amusements according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Arm and leg injuries are the most common type of injury, and kids ages of four and 15 are most likely to get hurt, the CPSC says.

So as your kids tear off their shoes and make a beeline for that colorful castle, keep these four safety rules for bouncy houses in mind.

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1. Let kids bounce according to age and size. Don’t let a four-year-old enter a house full of teenagers, advises the child safety group Kids in Danger.

2. Make sure the house is securely anchored to the ground. This goes for party hosts as well as parents allowing their kids to jump. All four corners should be staked into the ground and weighted down, Vince Pivlo, owner of Laff & Grinn Amusements, told CBS New York. Most manufacturers recommend deflating them when winds are 20 to 25 miles per hour or higher, Ted Amberg, CEO of Amberg Entertainment in Missouri, told CNN.

A recent news story highlights the importance of this last recommendation. A 7-year-old girl in England died when a “fun fair” bouncy house she was in blew away in sudden high winds. Two people were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence as a result, the Chicago Tribune reports.

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3. Watch your child constantly. In New Zealand last summer, a young boy fell through a hole in a bouncy house and became trapped in the netting underneath. His father told Yahoo! News that no one could hear the boy screaming, but since he had been watching, he knew his son was trapped and was able to save him.

4. Beware the deflating bouncy house. A house can deflate unexpectedly if a cord is accidentally unplugged or if power is lost. When that happens, people can become trapped inside under the falling folds of material. In 2013, three toddlers in Washington were trapped in a bounce house when a generator ran out of gas and the inflatable began deflating, according to ABC News. Luckily, they were all rescued and unharmed, thanks to a 10-year-old girl who saved them.

A note about regulation

The federal government doesn’t regulate inflatable amusements such as bounce houses. ASTM International, an organization that establishes standards for a wide range of products, developed safety standards for them around 2004, but adherence to those regulations is voluntary, Len Morrissey, one of the group’s directors for standards development, told PBS.

It’s worth noting that while inflatable amusement injuries have risen over the past decade, according to the CPSC bounce houses are still safer than other playground equipment, such as skateboards, which were tied to 114,000 injuries in 2012.

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Angela is a Pulitzer Prize-winning digital editor with more than 15 years of experience delivering news and information to audiences worldwide. Prior to joining SafeBee, she was the features editor for Boston.com at The Boston Globe, overseeing health, travel, entertainment, business and lifestyle coverage. Before moving to features, she was the news and homepage editor, covering stories such as the Boston Marathon bombing, Red Sox World Series victories, presidential elections, a papal inauguration, and more. Her favorite safety tip: Clean your phone! The average cell phone has 18 times more germs than the toilet handle in a men’s restroom.