The July issue of South Florida Parenting Magazine in its Kids  Crown List named  Jump A Roos, an inflatable  play and party center located in Southland  Mall in Cutler Bay, Florida, Best Indoor Activity in Miami-Dade.

“We are honored that the readers chose us as the best indoor activity in  Miami.  Our entire staff works incredibly hard at providing a safe, fun and  clean atmosphere for the entire family.  It is wonderful that both kids and  parents love to come to Jump A Roos,” said owner Gregory Fefferman.

With nearly 11,000 square feet and featuring 7 giant inflatable bounce house  units and four private party rooms, it is clear why readers of South Florida  Parenting Magazine recognized the birthday party and play center as the best in  Miami-Dade.

Open 7 days a week for walk-in play, Jump A Roos features a full dining menu  offering pizza, sandwiches, entrees and snacks.  Additionally, Jump A Roos  offers a redemption game area when kids want a rest from the exercise and active  play.   Admission is regularly $9.99 for children 2 and over and $5.99 for those  under 2.  Adults and children not playing are free.  There are several  membership plans for frequent visitors and on Tuesdays admission is only $5.99  all day.

The highly trained staff or “Roo Keepers” make sure kids are kept safe and  entertained.   They often interact with the kids with impromptu games of  hide-and-go-seek, tag, and duck, duck goose.  The best of the Roo Keepers are  promoted to “Party Champions” who oversee the most hassle free and fun indoor  birthday parties in the business.  The Party Champion serves as the birthday  party expert as he/she will advise on the food order, set up (and clean) the  party room and even perform a series of magic tricks for the kids (and  adults).

Given the uniquely fun atmosphere for the kids, the extensive menu options,  the fantastic staff and cleanliness of the facility, Jump A Roos has established  itself as the Best Indoor Activity in Miami-Dade.

To learn more about Jump A Roos, visit http://www.jumparoos.com or call 305.238.5867.

About Jump A Roos

Jump A Roos is located in Southland Mall in Cutler Bay, FL and is one of the  largest indoor inflatable bounce house party and play facilities in Miami-Dade.   It has nearly 11,000 square feet of space and 4 large party rooms.  It is the  top choice in birthday parties, open play, field trips and fundraisers for  toddlers to 12.

Media Contact
Orquidea Deschapell
305.238.5867

http://www.jumparoos.com

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/7/prweb9677220.htm

By TARA PARKER-POPE
Stuart Bradford
Last spring, Katie Dickman of Dunkirk, Md., was at the playground with her 18-month-old toddler, Hannah, when the little girl asked to ride down a twisting slide. Ms. Dickman accompanied her daughter, carefully keeping the child on her lap as they coasted to the bottom.

But without warning, Hannah’s sneaker caught on the side of the slide. Although Ms. Dickman grabbed the leg and unstuck her daughter’s foot, by the time they reached the ground, the girl was whimpering and could not walk. A doctor’s visit later revealed a fractured tibia.

“My wife was just trying to keep Hannah extra safe and make sure she didn’t fall,” said Hannah’s father, Jed Dickman. “She felt very guilty about it.”

The Well Column
Tara Parker-Pope on living well.

As the Dickmans soon learned, such injuries are surprisingly common. Although nobody keeps national statistics, orthopedic specialists say they treat a number of toddlers and young children each year with broken legs as a result of riding down the slide on a parent’s lap. A study at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., found that nearly 14 percent of pediatric leg fractures over an 11-month period involved toddlers riding down the slide with a parent.

Dr. Edward Holt, the orthopedic surgeon at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis who treated Hannah’s injury last April, said that just two weeks ago he treated a 4-year-old boy who had been injured going down the slide with his father.

“This fracture is entirely preventable,” said Dr. Holt, who has created a warning poster for local pediatrician offices and a You Tube video alerting parents to the hazard.

This may be one of those counterintuitive cases when a child is safer by himself. If a foot gets caught while the child is sliding alone, he can just stop moving or twist around until it comes free. But when a child is sitting in an adult lap, the force of the adult’s weight behind him ends up breaking his leg.

The injury is typically treated with a cast from the foot to above the knee; the good news is that no surgery or resetting is needed. The child wears the cast for four to six weeks and heals without any lasting complications.

But the damage is not merely physical. “The parents are always crushed that they broke their kid’s leg and are baffled as to why nobody ever told them this could happen,” Dr. Holt said. “Sometimes one parent is angry at the other parent because that parent caused the child’s fracture. It has some real consequences to families, and I hate to see it happen.”

The Mineola study was done by Dr. John Gaffney, a pediatric orthopedic specialist at Winthrop, after he had treated a rash of playground slide fractures. The hospital’s data indicated that every sliding fracture involved a child younger than 3 riding in an adult’s lap. The fracture might not be immediately obvious, but typically the child appeared to be in pain and could not put weight on the leg.

Dr. Gaffney said he has treated three playground fractures in the last month for children sliding with a grandparent, a parent and a baby sitter.

“As soon as the weather gets warm, this starts to happen,” he said. “It’s so common, but parents say: ‘How did I not know about this? I thought it was doing something good for my child by having them sit on my lap.’ ”

Andy Dworkin, a former journalist who is now a medical student in Portland, Ore., said his son Felix, then 18 months, was playing with a toddler friend at an elementary school where they were drawn to a blue slide. Felix rode down first, on the lap of his mother, but his rubber-soled shoe caught on the slide and he started to scream when he got off the slide.

Another mother, at the top of the slide with her own 17-month-old, quickly slid down with her son to try to help. But soon that little boy was crying as well. At the emergency room, both boys were found to have fractures, and they were fitted with orange and blue casts.

“I was surprised at how easy it was for a young child to break their leg on a playground,” said Mr. Dworkin, who wrote about the experience for his hometown paper, The Oregonian. “I was even more surprised how nonchalant the hospital staff was about what was happening. They said they see this all the time.”

Both boys had full recoveries. Felix, now 3 ½, doesn’t remember the accident, but will now go down small slides only and remains cautious around large twisting slides, said Mr. Dworkin.

Dr. Holt said he did not want to discourage parents from taking their children to the playground or even playing on slides, but did want to spread the word about the risks of sliding with a child on your lap.

To prevent the injury, the best solution is to allow a child to slide by himself, with supervision and instructions on how to play safely. Young children can be placed on the slide at the halfway point with a parent standing next to the slide. At the very least, parents should remove a child’s shoes before riding down the slide with the child on their laps, and make sure the child’s legs don’t touch the sides or sliding surface.

“I’m not saying we need to make the entire world out of rubber and insulate kids,” he said. “But this is something that is so totally predictable and preventable. That’s why I want to get the word out this one could go away.”

1. Bring socks

2. Bring a signed waiver.

3. Arrive on time!

Good manners lead to good party planning

By Robyn S. RaderSouth Florida Parenting

2:47 p.m. EST, February 1, 2012

Things used to be a lot simpler. Remember when your parents planned your birthday party on the same day as your birthday? They dialed a few numbers, invited a few friends, and voila — you had a party. There was a Betty Crocker cake, paper plates and Polaroid photos. It was old-fashioned fun of playing in tree houses, spraying each other with water hoses and riding over bikes ramps. It was a time when we interacted with each other.

Even birthday presents were simple: dolls, racecars, board games. You didn’t need a special tool to open the packaging, either.

Times may have changed the style of kids’ parties, but they should not affect our manners and social graces. Let’s be conscious of our behavior and teach our kids by example so positive behavior will multiply and become the norm.
Who to invite Ask your kids whom they want to invite. If you are able to include all the kids in the class, the whole sports team, etc, that makes things easier, but what if you only want to invite a few select friends without hurting anyone’s feelings?

Be discreet in sending out the invitations. Do not have your child pass them out in school unless the whole class is invited. Have him wait until he is in the presence only of the kids he’s inviting. Other ways to deliver party invitations is through email, evite, the mail or the old-fashioned phone call. Encourage your child not to talk about the party at school, especially if there are kids around who were not invited. Also, if your child was invited to a party, tell her not to talk about the party in front of the whole class.

Teach your child how to respond graciously if a child he didn’t invite asks him about the party. For example, “I am having a party but was only allowed to invite a certain number of people, and I’d be happy to get together and celebrate another time.”

Invite all kids to all the activities, or don’t invite them at all. For example, if you are having a party and then a sleepover, include all the kids to the sleepover so no one feels left out.

Counting the RSVPs If someone spent the time to send you an invite, have the courtesy to respond, even if it’s to say that you’re not sure if your child can make it. It’s even worse to not RSVP and then show up. Don’t make the host call you.

Some parties need a careful count of the children attending so that there is enough food, entertainment and party favors for everyone. You may think it is only one more or less child, but if everyone postpones the response, it creates unnecessary stress for the hostess.

If you RSVP yes and something comes up and your child can’t make it, let the host know so he or she does not wait for your child before beginning the festivities.

The Party Be clear on the invitations if the parents should drop off their child or if they are invited to stay.

Children should be encouraged to include all friends in all activities. They are the host and the common link to every guest. Have your child greet the guests and make proper introductions if needed. Tell them to mingle with everyone and that the party is not the time to just hang out with his best friend.

When hosting a sleepover, you probably want the kids to get to bed at a reasonable time. Here is a tried-and-true strategy: Tell the kids that the last one to fall asleep has to sleep in a separate room. Believe me, it works!

The Gifts Decide beforehand if you want your child to open gifts at the party. This depends on the age and maturity of your child.

Prepare your child for getting a gift she already has or doesn’t like. Tell her to be polite and thank the guest for the gift and give a reason why they like it. And if someone did not bring a gift, do not make a big deal out of it. Remember, gifts are voluntary, not mandatory.

If you think your child may not be able to hide her disappointment if she opens a gift she doesn’t like, it may be best to wait until all the guests leave before opening presents. If someone asks your child to open the gifts at the party, teach her to say her family has a tradition of opening gifts in private.

Thank you notes These are not optional. Someone has spent time and money to get a gift, and the most genuine form of appreciation is a hand-written thank you. This act teaches your child to appreciate not only the gift but also the person who gave it.

If your child refuses to write them, don’t let him play with his gifts until he has written them. If your child can’t write yet, you write the note and let him write his name, initial or scribble.

Things are not as simple as they used to be but they are still beautiful. There are so many party options available to us today. Whether you choose a small intimate party or a large extravagant one, the common thread should be consideration, keeping in mind the feelings of all children, not just your own.

12/14/2011

Each holiday season brings many new toys for our children! After the gifts have been unwrapped, parents must always be aware of the potential safety hazards of the thousands of toys intended for young children.

Perhaps the most basic ways to ensure a child’s safety when playing with any toy would be by (1) reading the instructions and using the item properly and (2) supervising the child during play. These will often reduce the chance of harm or injury to a child.

Also, there are a few common dangers to watch out for before giving a toy to a young child:

1. sharp edges and sharp points

2. small parts

3. loud noises

4. propelled objects

5. electric toys

Often a toy is thought to be safe and appropriate for kids, but later we realize it poses a danger. Typically in this case, the toy or object will be recalled by the manufacturer. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission monitors and shares information with the public about which toys (and products in general) have been recalled. You can find this valuable information on their website. On the go and need some answers? Access the U.S. Public Interest Research Group’s website from your mobile phone.

Reviewing the safety rules and knowing common hazards to young children will ensure that our children are safe during the holidays, and all the days to come!

 References:

 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov/National

Network for Child Care: http://www.nncc.org/health/toy.safety.html

Public Interest Research Group: http://www.uspirg.org/ ]]> http://www.jumparoos.com/blog/make-sure-your-childrens-toys-are-safe/feed/ 1 http://www.jumparoos.com/blog/5-visits-for-25/ http://www.jumparoos.com/blog/5-visits-for-25/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:12:09 +0000 admin http://www.jumparoos.com/?p=251 Today, Monday, November 28th Jump A Roos is offering a 5 visit pass for only $25!

Want a perfect way to get your online holiday shopping off and hopping? Jump A Roos is offering a gift that both parents and kids will enjoy.

Purchse a 5 visit pass directly from our webstore for only $25. Use the passes all in one day or spread them out over multiple visits. Limit one purchase per customer. Multiple purchases will not be redeemed. No blackout dates.

Special is only good for purchase today, Monday, November 28th.

Jump A Roos is open seven days of the week for kids 12 years-old and younger. We invite you and your kids to enjoy an unlimited amount of running, hopping, sliding, bouncing, jumping and leaping at our indoor play center.

Call us today at 305.238.JUMP (5867) or click here for more details!