Questions About Trampolines

Just a few thoughts...

Pro - A lot of fun and great to do on occasion.
Con - I have heard there are A LOT of accidents from trampolines, my son has been asking for one for a while and I have stood my ground and did not buy one. I put him in a gymnastics class where they had a great program and he got his fill. When the session was over and I asked if he wanted to continue he said no and we moved on to another sport.

My point is if you like kids sports that are fun while staying fit, there are so many sports that are fun, keep them fit but also enable them to make friends, learn team spirit, sportsmanship and develop discipline - such as soccer, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, biking, etc. (and they can continue some of these sports into adulthood)

Hope that helps. = )

I work for a dentist and kids come in all the time with their teeth chipped from hitting another kid in the head. One boy jumped up high and caught his two front teeth in the net and it pulled his front teeth out. They will have to redo them every few years as he grows..Ugh! I say stay away from the trampoline.

I know the warning label is no children under the age of 6(I read it on the trampoline label personally) and I personally believe if you have a trampoline that's the way it should as well as only 1 person at a time.

I hope this helps.
M.

We love our trampolines! We have a 14ft and 8ft both with enclosures and safety pads. It was the best purchase for our children. Our children are 11,5, and 3.5 and they absolutely LOVE it.
We DO allow more than one on at a time and even allow my oldest to (gasp) do flips and such when she's jumping alone. As long as the children are being properly supervised while playing, I see no problem with the trampolines. Responsible supervision is the key!!
Let's face it, our children can break an arm or leg from playing at the playground, riding their bike, playing sports, etc.
We bought from Academy and then upgraded pads from FunSpot!
http://www.funspot.com/trampoline_replacement_pad.php

Have fun and safe jumping!

S.

Hi R..

I personally LOVE trampolines, but would never own one. My neighbor's daughter (who was 4 at the time) broke her arm the very first day they set up their new trampoline. She was jumping along side her brother and they fell wrong.

M.

We got a trampoline for our boys a few years ago. Based on the research we did, we ended up buying and enclosed, super-deluxe model from The Wooden Swing in Dallas. There are certainly cheaper models but we wanted to go with the safest one we could find. Plus, it is strong enough for my husband and I to jump on with the kids.

Hope this helps!

M.
www.GoodHealthMadeSimple.com

Contact your homeowners insurance company. First confirm the upcharge for a tramp. That may make you decision for you. So companies will not even insure your home if you have one.

Two of my girlfriends each had their daughters break a leg this past year on trampolines. So no, I'm not a big fan of them. And yes, they will make your homeowner's insurance go up should they find out. It's really not worth the liability should another child get injured on it either.

Are your kids going to be as happy with it if you enforce only one at a time???
They are great physical workout for kids....they are also a big reason kids go to the ER.

R.,
Hi! I have 5 kids and have babysat many others over the years and we've always had a trampoline. I would NOT own one without the enclosure net so that they can't fall off the trampoline. I like, the last person to post, even allow flips on it...ONE person at a time. I think any toy comes with its possibilities of injury. Set rules, enforce them by supervision, and know that they can get hurt. Yes, kids do break the rules, and when they do, they may get one of the afformentioned injuries. Weigh the risks & be consistent with them and it can be a good investment. We have had no injuries on ours and have owned it for 10 yrs. We've gone through 2 mats and 2 sets of enclosures and changed pads out on it, due to the use. I even allow my 3 yr old to play on it. *GASP! She loves it...although she is never left alone, and not allowed to jump WITH anyone.
Good luck and have fun if you get one!
C~

Like everyone else has said... reports still show too many accidents and injuries to me. Have you researched a bounce house? There's a wide variety available... simple single room with or without a cover, with slides, with basketball nets, obstacle courses... all at varying prices. And you can pack them away whenever children are not intersted in them. Just Google 'bounce houses'. Hope this helps...

http://search.cpsc.gov/query.html?col=recalls&qt=tram...

This is a link on the Consumer Safety Product Commission about trampolines. I had read a few years ago that they are pretty dangerous if you don't follow certain rules. The main ones I remember were:

1. Only one jump at a time.
2. Have the springs covered with a padded covering.
3. Use an enclosure around it.

For some reason they scare me...but I remember loving them as a child. And it is a great source of exercise. I think if I had one, my main rule would be that it is only if I am present and supervising (and the only one jumper at a time). I think swimming pools also have a myriad of warnings, but we do want our children to be fit, so all of that gets weighed.

We got my 2 year old son a trampoline for Christmas. He loves it. We have the one with the nettng that goes completely around it and it is great. He has never hurt himself and I feel so comfortable letting him play on it. I would definately recommend this one. It is at walmart and it cost us 195.00 and it is definatley worth the money!

Make sure if you own your own house that your house insurance says it is okay for you to have one. I have heard of many people whos insurance cancels when they find out they have a trampoline. Other than that trampolines are fine. As lond as everyone is safe.

Trampolines are one the top sources of injuries for kids. We don't have (nor never will have a trampoline), but my sons were both injured playing on one at a friend's house. My older son ended up knocking his front teeth into his brother's head. We were very, very fortunate that the injury occurred at the home of a dentist, who was able to immediately determine the extent of damage to my older son's (permanent) teeth and we were equally fortunate that the damage was limited. My younger son's head bled profusely and we took him to see the paramedics at the local fire station, who said that it likely did not need stitches. [That is a very useful tip that came from the friend that the dentist was out cycling with when the injury occurred. If we had called 911, the paramedics said they would have had to have taken my son to the hospital. But, if you have a fire station nearby, the folks there are quite willing to do what they can to help if you drop by]

So, my advice is that if you're going to have a trampoline, you need to make sure that you have trained medical personal very nearby - we were extremely fortunate that was the case for us, otherwise, we would have had a nightmare of a Saturday afternoon/evening in the Emergency room and in search of a dentist that works weekends (we can't even find one that works on Fridays).

Just a follow-up based on others responses:
In the situation I described, there was a house rule that only one kid at a time is allowed on the trampoline, but we all know that kids will at times not follow rules. My kids were also aware that I did not want them playing on that trampoline. So, this was a situation of alot of ground rules not being followed that led to the injuries. It's just my personal opinion, that trampolines, as fun as they can be, are just too high a risk item. I'm not at all a "ban" fun sort of person and I love the idea of kids being outside and active, I just thinks there's other activities that are a safer. My youngest is a "no fear" kind of child and this was his worst injury by far (and he's now 11).

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with them as long as the kids aren't left unsupervised. Everyone is just so crazy to jump on the bandwagon of banning everything now-a-days. However, that's just my random opinion. I had one as a kid and I'm okay.. and we were stupid on it when we were older kids... I never wore a seatbelt when I was younger... we never wore bike helmets... yes, I'm a total hypocrite and make my kids wear them now... but like I'm saying, times are much different now than they were 30+ years ago.

I did find these reports:

. JUST SAY NO TO TRAMPOLINES
Scary Stat: Trampoline-related injuries are responsible for as many as 92,000 emergency-room visits annually.

Listen to the Doctor: "At this hospital, we see about 150 to 200 children with trampoline injuries per year, split equally between boys and girls. These kids have fractures, spinal injuries, and sometimes serious head injuries. Most injuries occur not because kids fly off the trampoline, but because another child lands on them, or they do something inappropriate, such as riding a bike on the trampoline. If you do have a trampoline, only one person at a time should be on it--with supervision. As more people get on, the risk of injury increases exponentially. If one or two kids jump up, then the trampoline is like concrete for the child coming down. Kids can even break their arms or legs as they land."--Howard Kadish, M.D., pediatric emergency medicine physician at the Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City

Find Out More: Trampolines are largely unregulated, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against their use at home, in gym classes, and on playgrounds. For details, log on to www.kidshealthworks.com.

--------------------------------
and this one:
Trampoline Injury Facts

According to the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), 246,875 medically treated trampoline injuries occur annually in the U.S. Of this total, 186,405 of these injuries occurred among children aged 14 or younger.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) hospital emergency room-treated trampoline injuries almost tripled in the last decade - from an estimated 37,500 in 1991 to almost 100,000 in 1999.

The commission has received reports of 11 deaths relating to trampoline use from 1990 to 1999. Those victims ranged in age from 3 to 43. Six were between the ages of 12 and 19.

Falls off the trampoline often resulted in crippling injury and/or death including paralysis from spinal cord injury. Somersaults and coming into contact with other persons on the trampoline's surface likewise resulted in many serious and crippling injuries as well as death.

Nearly two-thirds of trampoline injury victims were children 6 to 14 years of age.

About 15% of trampoline injuries involved young children under 6 years old.

In 1999, injuries to the leg/foot were reported most frequently, accounting for 40% of the total. Injuries to the arm/hand accounted for 29% of the total, head/face/neck accounted for 20%, and shoulder/trunk were associated 10% of the total.

Approximately 4% of all trampoline emergency-room treated injuries result in hospitalization.

Most trips to the emergency room are the result of jumpers colliding with one another, falling on the trampoline springs or frame, falling or jumping off the trampoline, or attempting somersaults and stunts.

Trampoline Safety Tips

Trampolines should not be used except when there is
adequately trained supervision for the recreational activity.

Trampolines should only be used in well-lighted areas and children should never be allowed to jump onto the trampoline from high objects.

A surrounding net may decrease the injury rate but this has not been extensively proven yet. There is netting now available around the perimeter of trampolines. This netting has been shown to reduce the number of injuries from falls off the rampoline but should only be used with the following warnings: 1) Netting is not a substitute for adequate adult supervision; 2) Netting will not reduce nor eliminate crippling injuries and death on the surface of the trampoline itself. It has been shown to retain users in the trampoline area and for that reason alone is recommended.

The trampoline jumping surface should be placed at ground level.

The supporting bars, strings and surrounding landing surfaces should have adequate protective padding.

Only one participant should use a trampoline at any time.

Trained spotters should be present when participants are jumping.

Somersaults or high-risk maneuvers should be avoided without proper supervision and instruction; these maneuvers should be done only with proper use of protective equipment, such as a harness.

Use of trampolines for physical education, competitive gymnastics, diving training and other similar activities requires carefully trained adult supervision and proper safety measures.

Competent adult supervision and instruction is needed for children at all times.

--------------------
http://www.safety-council.org/info/sport/trampoline.html

We had a trampoline when I was a kid.. and I loved it. My parents made a rule that only two people could be on it at a time... and I think that worked to minimize any damage.

Antoher point, though... my husband broke his arm as a kid while wrestling with his Dad on the trampoline... and I twisted my ankle pretty bad at age 3 when I was jumping with a bunch of bigger kids. So things happen, but you can make rules to keep your kids more safe.

They also have those cool net things now, so people don't go flying off the trampoline... not sure how well they work to keep people from getting hurt, though.

My friends daugther is 5 and broke her leg in 3 places on one. Make SURE that only 2 at a time jump and the same ages. I have a trampoline as well and I go by the above rule. Very strict about it. also, no flipping.

Check into whether it will effect your home-owners insurance. I heard it can cause it to go up.

Also, from the other posts it sounds like 1 kid on the trampoline at a time is plenty!

i was about to post the same thing, but it looks like i won't be getting one for my kids' birthdays.....

Well I am sure taht there are a multitude of horor storries. None here. My parents bought our trampoline when I was 3 years old and the crazy thing is that I can still remember that day. We had it up until I was in middle school. All three of us girls played on it all of the time and we never got hurt. We only got rid of it after my dad fell off.

Hi R.,

I hate to be negative Nelly but trampolines come with some serious risks! I only want to share my story because I don't want another child or family to experience what ours did this past July 2007. I am a stay at home Mother of four...our little boys Colton 4 and Jackson 2 were on our trampoline and Jackson was accidentally pushed off landing on his head. He experienced a skull fracture and a slight brain bleed. Our little boy is 100% recovered but we were lucky. I cannot imagine nor want to think about our lives if Jackson had forever been impaired from this injury. If you do choose to buy a trampoline make sure you have the protective net and as hard as it is be sure to supervise at all times! It only takes a second for your life to be forever changed.

Hi, R.. My name is M., I read your question about trampolines and if you decide to get one I just wanted to let you know I have one that I have decided to sell. I bought it for my daughter last year for her bday and can count the times she has been on it! And especially now because we recently moved out of my moms and now live in an apartment. So we really have no use for it!

If you like you can email me at ____@____.com

Thanks!
M.

Our trampoline has been a lifesaver. Not only is my daughetr out on it all the time, but I also get on it with her. She is slimming down considerably since using it. I'm even getting a little slimmer and it is great for fun exercise.

I know I'm LATE with my response, but we have one for our sons 5 & 2. We have had it for a couple of years now. My kids LOVE it!! My neighbor brought her two girls over today (7 & 5) and ALL the kids played on it and had a ball. Honestly, my ped was against it, but I haven't regretted it for a second. We do have the safety net around it.

Oh yeah, I don't know how old your kids are, but the most dangerous thing I've seen with it is my younger walking under it and my older son jumping on him. They tried to make a game of it yesterday!! Just something to watch for!!