Parents and Caregivers
Information about Indoor Play Areas

Parents, grandparents, day care providers and other adults play an important role in keeping our children safe and healthy at home and in the community.

Safe Indoor Play checklist

• Don’t allow children to play when sick with diarrhea or vomiting
• Wash hands before and after play
• Eat at tables--not in play area
• Report accidents, spills, and body fluid incidents (i.e., blood, nasal discharge, saliva, urine, vomit, or fecal matter) to management immediately
• Check indoor play area components before your children enter the indoor play area and report damaged, broken or dirty equipment to business management

Injury prevention

Learn about occurrence and consequences of playground injuries, and who is most at risk of suffering an injury.

• Injury Prevention, MDH

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (US CPSC) suggests checking for the following items when inspecting play equipment:

• Broken equipment such as loose bolts, missing end caps, cracks, etc.
• Broken glass & trash
• Cracks in plastics
• Loose anchoring
• Hazardous or dangerous debris
• Problems with surfacing
• Vandalism
• Worn, loose, damaged, or missing parts
  • Public Playground Safety Handbook, US CPSC (PDF)