But don’t forget to watch for some common hazards

It’s already 95 degrees in the shade nearly every day now. The humidity is enough to permanently frizz my usually flat-ironed bob. So, indoor air-conditioned playgrounds can be a great place to let kids burn off steam during the hottest summer afternoons. If you decide to visit your favorite “Ball Pit/Jumpy Town”, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) suggests you watch for these common health-and-safety hazards:

Big kid-little kid collisions. Don’t place your toddler in the rowdy big-kid section. I once had to yank my then-preschooler out of the way as a big kid came careening down a slide into the ball pit. Older children love to hurl the balls at each other. Kids bury themselves in balls and can be hurt when another child leaps into the pit. Happily, most play centers have separate toddler/preschooler sections designed just for the younger set. Bringing younger children in the early morning, before the rough-and-tumble older crowd gets there, is helpful, too.

Icky ball pits. Just say no. They’re dangerous — and often just plain nasty. I’ve seen toddlers wading through ball pits with their diapers falling off. Balls and pits often aren’t cleaned regularly. The CPSC recommends a weekly cleaning of each ball — by hand — and a thorough sanitizing of the pit itself. (Want to bet how often that actually happens?) If the ball pit is located at a fast-food restaurant, take a good look at the restaurant itself. Does it seem to be clean and well-managed? If the restaurant floor is rarely mopped and old mustard spills are dried on the condiment bar, you can probably imagine the last time the ball pit was sanitized and inspected.

Lack of supervision. So sorry… but forget about bringing a book and relaxing with a latte from the snack bar! Indoor playgrounds require big-time vigilance. Is your child strong enough to pull himself up the rope ladder? Does he freak out inside the crawl tubes? Is he climbing up slide exits, sitting at the bottom of a slide or throwing (perhaps licking, yuck!) ball-pit balls? It’s exhausting, but it’s a good idea to follow your child around.

Unsafe equipment. Check for damaged floor mats and frayed climbing ropes and netting. Make sure crawl tubes have windows or cutouts so you can see inside. And check to be sure tube slides are large enough so that kids can sit to slide down and don’t have to lie down head-first. If a narrow crawl tube empties into a narrow tube slide, your child can only go down head first, as there’s no room to sit up or turn around.

Strangulation hazards. Leave necklaces and other jewelry at home and avoid clothing with loose strings that can catch on equipment.

Getting lost in the crowd. Now’s the time to let your child wear her favorite hot-orange Sponge Bob t-shirt to make it easier to spot her. Avoiding peak weekend (i.e., birthday party) times makes it easier to keep track of your child, too. Many play centers have added side-door alarms, matching child-adult wristbands and other security measures to keep kids from wandering off — or even being abducted. But no snazzy security system beats staying on your feet and keeping your eyes peeled. (Just don’t forget to pick up that latte on the way home — you’ve earned it!)

Hitchhiking germs. Remind your kids to hit the soap and water after playing at an indoor playground — especially before eating. With all those children crawling through the same tubes and down the same slides, it’s easy for germs to catch a ride.