Trampoline- yes or no?

[jazzyfizzle]

We have been considering buying a trampoline. I thought about it last summer and waited. I have been thinking about it again. If you have one, would you recommend buying one?

I will be buying the safety net if we go for it. Just this week, a family we know had their daughter fall off to the ground and break her arm in 3 areas, had to be taken by ambulance to the pediatric hospital 2 hrs away. This has caused DH question our decision to get one. (They did not have the netting).

 

We live in a rural area, few other kids would be jumping on it.

Any thoughts on which way we should go?

[Dandelion]

We've had our large trampoline (with a safety net enclosure) for 4 years now and love it... We've never had a problem or an injury, and it's held up very well (even after being bogged down with a few feet of snow every winter).

 

We bought it when DS was 2 and he's gotten a LOT of use out of it - and now DD2 enjoys it as well. I even get on it with them sometimes - it's a great stress reliever. :)

 

So...I highly recommend it!

[AuntieM]

This question arises sort-of-regularly around here. A forum search should turn up some good reading representing both sides.

 

I personally vote no. Compund fractures and bone-resetting surgery factor into my opinion. ;)

[nono]

Check with your homeowners insurance provider before you make a decision. (You may already know that, but I find it interesting that it is the only type of equipment called out on many homeowners questionnaires).

[akmommy]

I say yes if you get the net to go with it, but check your home owner's insurance first. When we were shopping for home owner's insurance 3 years ago one of the first questions we were asked was whether or not we planned on setting up a trampoline or outdoor pool. If we were to set up the trampoline (that we already owned prior to purchasing this house) it would have doubled the cost of our insurance.

Edited May 19, 2010 by akmommy

[AFwife Claire]

Well, I can tell you that I never thought we'd get one. But our neighbors down the street bought one 2 years ago, and our kids played on it all the time. Then the neighbors had to move (they were renting and the owners are coming back), and their new house didn't have a yard that would fit the trampoline. Soooo . . . now we own their trampoline. Our kids LOVE it. They would bounce on it all the time. It is such great exercise for them. They like to toss a ball around in there. No flips, no horseplay, yada, yada. I figured they had been playing on one down the street where I couldn't see them for 2 years--surely it would be better right out my kitchen window where I could totally keep an eye on them!

 

We had a broken arm 2 years ago when one of the boys was standing on a plastic car in our backyard and he fell off. He broke his arm in 2 places. I realize that trampoline injuries can be very serious, but I guess my point is that there are always possiblities of injuries in pretty much anything. I'm glad we have it! Now our neighbors--not so much, LOL. They don't like looking at it! I am very jealous of your rural location!

 

And let me add that USAA was fine with our having one. We made sure to call, thanks to the advice on this board!

[Carrie12345]

We love ours.

[Debbie in OR]

Love ours. No issues. But our ds11 is training to be a freestyle ski pro so the trampoline helps him with his jumps and tricks. He can only do it while no one else is on there.

 

And I agree with the pp: there are so many ways our kids can get hurt. The only time one of our kids has broken anything was when we were hiking and our dd fell off a one-foot high wall she was walking on :)

Edited May 20, 2010 by Debbie in OR

[jazzyfizzle]

Thank you for the thoughts, I appreciate them! Any certain brand that you recommend? One friend of ours has suggested JumpSport.

 

Thank you for the heads up on the insurance, my father is our agent so I will ask. I wonder if it will be similiar to their pool regulation, in that it must be inside a fenced area.

 

Does anyone know of injuries sustained when used with a net? Or (I would suspect) do the majority of injuries come from falling to the ground?

 

Thanks!

[momof2girls]

I wouldn't own one in this litigious day and age... imho, it is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

[nd293]

Best buy we've ever made.

 

Definitely get the safety net, and ensure that it is zipped up at all times when they are on the trampoline. It is obviously better that only one child is on at a time, and if there are other children involved, I would make it the law. Having said that, my kids and the neighbouring girls jump together, but they do the same at the other house, so it's a jointly accepted risk.

 

It's great exercise for Mom too ;-)

[ChristusG]

I vote no....way too dangerous, in my opinion. We will never have one. I watched my little sister accidently bump into someone while jumping and she knocked her two front teeth out. There was lots of blood.

[Corraleno]

I never thought I'd own one, but friends had one and the kids LOVED it so much, I bought one at Costco a few months ago. We have the net (I wouldn't even consider having a trampoline without the net) and the rules are:

 

(1) The net must always be zipped

(2) No one is allowed to walk around on the edge of the trampoline outside the net

(3) No toys, food, shoes, or other objects on the trampoline

(4) No more than 4 people at a time

(5) The only body parts you may land on are feet, knees, or butt

(6) No tricks involving spins, somersaults, flips, or anything other than going straight up & down

(6) Anyone caught breaking one of the first 6 rules is banned for a month.

 

I'm glad we have it ~ DS has sensory issues and the joint compression from bouncing is really good for him. It's great exercise and a great way to burn off excess energy and clear your head for math! I often send the kids outside for a 5-minute "bounce break" before we start school.

 

Jackie

[milovany]

We love ours! Have had it for almost 10 years. We had the net but lost it in our last move (5 years ago). It's just now starting to break so the kids haven't been able to use it. They miss it! We've had one trip to doc because of ours -- split chin needing stitches.

[gandpsmommy]

Thank you for the thoughts, I appreciate them! Any certain brand that you recommend? One friend of ours has suggested JumpSport.

 

Thank you for the heads up on the insurance, my father is our agent so I will ask. I wonder if it will be similiar to their pool regulation, in that it must be inside a fenced area.

 

Does anyone know of injuries sustained when used with a net? Or (I would suspect) do the majority of injuries come from falling to the ground?

 

Thanks!

 

In response to your question about whether most injuries come from falling to the ground. According to the doctors and emergency room staff who have talked to dh and me about the numerous injuries they see resulting from trampoline use, no. We personally knew of a family whose three children had used their trampoline for years without any problems. They were hosting a little boy from an international children's choir that was singing at their church. The little boy was jumping on the trampoline and broke his leg so badly that he had to be transported to a children's hospital two hours away, have surgery, and stay there for several weeks with one of the choir staff members, while the rest of the group moved on to the next city. I've heard so many scary stories similar to this one that I would never purchase a large trampoline. Our kids have the miniature one with the handle on it. And our dd is a competitive gymnast. She uses trampolines and a tumble track at the gym, under the supervision of her coaches. But we will never have one at our house. Here is the American Academy of Pediatrics' position on the issue and some information about trampoline safety from the Foundation For Spinal Cord Injury Prevention, Care & Cure.

[lea1]

My doctor husband has seen many trampoline injuries while working in ERs, so we are very anti-trampoline. We also have one of the small ones inside the house and the boys enjoy it.

[elfinbaby]

I don't think I'll ever get our kids one. I would love to though. They'd love it but I just can't do it. Too risky.

 

My cousins had a trampoline when we were growing up and I am SHOCKED that someone didn't get seriously injured. Not only did we do all sorts of stunts and throw things (like pinecones) at each other while jumping but I have been double bounced completely off the trampoline, landed straddling the springs, came down on the side of the trampoline (the metal part) on my shin, slid around on it using dishwashing liquid, and, finally, we used to use our leftover watermelon halves to slide across it (it was rectangular)!!! I've asked my grandmother who was watching us when we were growing up. She shrugged and replied, "The Lord.":D

[Tap]

Never going to happen.

 

 

I know of way to many serious, serious (!) injuries for me to get one.

 

That being said dd's best friend, directly across the street has had one for years. They haven't had any serious injuries except my dd! DD has been allowed to jump on it, on occasion, with my permission only. Always alone, and no flips. She broke the rules one day and was jumping lightly with her friend. (The mother forgot our rule-and she wasn't watching anyways) She fell backwards on it. Not a major fall, just on her butt, still on the trampoline, with her arms slightly behind her. Due to the impact of the fabric coming back up at her, her arms slid back too far, hyper extended her shoulder under/backwards and now at 11 she has bursitis and tendinitis in her shoulder. She has had it for a year and it doesn't seem to be healing. She hasn't been able to play any sports this year and we are getting ready to start physical therapy. Surgery is a possibility in the future if it doesn't heal.

 

 

It doesn't have to be a major injury. Dd has had several doctors visits, including specialists. She has had xrays and an MRI. Now we will have physical therapy on top of it. Her little fall, has cost us A LOT of money, time and pain for her.

 

Sure, she could have fallen on the ground, but the point is....she didn't. She fell on the trampoline, and the combined force of her fall, with the trampoline coming back up at her, caused the injury.

 

She didn't confess to me about the injury for a while after the fall. Had I known about it in the beginning and put that on my doctors visit forms, my insurance co. could have denied my claims, forcing me to sue my neighbor. The mother wasn't watching them, didn't have my permission for her to be on it at the time, and was letting dd bounce with a 2nd person...all three requirements that we had agreed with her about years ago. I wouldn't have wanted to sue them but she should not have been allowed on it. I know they don't have the 5-10,000 that this would cost without medical insurance, so their homeowners policy would have to take the hit.

[NanceXToo]

No, those things scare me.

 

In December we were visiting family in Florida and they had one and my 9 y/o went on it. She got hurt- and not because she fell off, somehow her knees came up and went hard into her own collarbone and chest area when she was doing some sort of bounce and it really hurt her. One of her second cousins said that had happened to them, too. They just seem too dangerous to me.

[IsabelC]

My daughter fell from our trampoline and broke her arm, however we have no intention of getting rid of it. If she hadn't hurt herself on the trampoline, she might have done it falling off her bike, off the slide, out of a tree or off the tyre swing or off the roof of the cubby house. Or whatever. The last time I seriously injured myself it was turning on a tap in my bathroom! I believe that there are risks with everything, it's normal for kids to get injured occasionally, and the benefits of lots of active, adventurous play far outweigh the risks of injury. They are more likely to die from inactivity/obesity-related illness than they are to kill themselves jumping on the trampoline. (Although, as with any activity, supervision and teaching them to use a little bit of sense go a long way.)

 

(I realize that some people will strongly disagree with my take on it, but that's how it is: we all assess risks differently. For each person who finds trampolines horrifying, there is probably something you let your kids do that I would find too risky.)

Edited May 20, 2010 by Hotdrink

[Teachin'Mine]

Even with the netting, I think the risk of injury, including neck injuries, is pretty high. They are fun, but I wouldn't buy one. How about making a rock climbing wall instead? Go for horizontal length and difficulty rather than height. Easier to build, and safer. :)

[ncmomo3]

My daughter fell from our trampoline and broke her arm, however we have no intention of getting rid of it. If she hadn't hurt herself on the trampoline, she might have done it falling off her bike, off the slide, out of a tree or off the tyre swing or off the roof of the cubby house. Or whatever. The last time I seriously injured myself it was turning on a tap in my bathroom! I believe that there are risks with everything, it's normal for kids to get injured occasionally, and the benefits of lots of active, adventurous play far outweigh the risks of injury. They are more likely to die from inactivity/obesity-related illness than they are to kill themselves jumping on the trampoline. (Although, as with any activity, supervision and teaching them to use a little bit of sense go a long way.)

 

(I realize that some people will strongly disagree with my take on it, but that's how it is: we all assess risks differently. For each person who finds trampolines horrifying, there is probably something you let your kids do that I would find too risky.)

 

:iagree: We have one.

My dd broke her finger twice with a basketball. I do not refuse to let them play with a ball. Kids can be very badly hurt just as easily falling out of a tree.

But as was previously stated- we all assess risks differently. C'est la vie.

[elise1mds]

We *love* ours. I have a rule that the kids cannot be on it unless I am outside to directly supervise, but they are on it every chance they get. I'm quite happy with having it, because my son is a 'have ability, will climb' type of kid, so if he's not on the trampoline, he's scaling the crape myrtles, the dog house, the fences, 'feeding' the horses, etc. I'd rather him be confined in a netted area than climbing up something. :)

[hsmom3tn]

We used to have one. We didn't have the net, but no one ever fell off of it. My kids loved jumping on it, until they had an accident.

 

My son and one of my daughters were jumping together. They got too close to eachother and somehow my DD went down on her back and then my DS came down and landed on DD's face. There was so much blood. I have never seen that much blood in my life and hope I never have to see it again. She was so blessed as to not have broken her nose or lost any teeth. Apparently all the blood came from her teeth cutting into her lips. It could have been so much worse.

 

I know that accidents can and will happen, anytime and anywhere; but that was all it took for us to say good-bye to the trampoline. It was disassembled the next day and set out on the curb.

 

I don't tell people that they shouldn't get one, but I advise at least having a one-jumper-at-a-time rule.

[Brenda in FL]

Thank you for the thoughts, I appreciate them! Any certain brand that you recommend? One friend of ours has suggested JumpSport.

 

Thank you for the heads up on the insurance, my father is our agent so I will ask. I wonder if it will be similiar to their pool regulation, in that it must be inside a fenced area.

 

Does anyone know of injuries sustained when used with a net? Or (I would suspect) do the majority of injuries come from falling to the ground?

 

Thanks!

 

We found out recently of another way a child could get injured and it seems to be a pretty common game - those of you who have trampolines may want to ask your kids if they play this game: The idea is for some kids to crawl on their bellies UNDER the trampoline while those jumping on top try to tag them!! My daughter didn't quite understand and in an effort to get out from under the trampoline - she went up on all fours at the same time her cousin jumped down a bit too hard - she gets the cast off her arm tomorrow!! What's really scary - an accident like that could have ended in death - I'm glad it was just her arm that broke.

 

The people at the urgent care also knew of that game - so it wasn't just my crazy kids and their cousins that think of games like that.

 

If you decide to get the trampoline - just make sure you cover all the bases of what's allowed and what's not!!

[HeatherM2]

We love ours. However, you should know that the net might not hold up if a child should actually fall into it. At least that was our experience. :blush: We have rules on the trampoline (NO flips) and no one has been hurt yet. My son broke his foot from jumping off the top bunk and we didn't blame the bed. He also broke his wrist and elbow from a fall playing basketball. :001_smile:

[Peri]

We have one and it comes with a saftey net. It's loads of fun and the kids love it ... even I love it.

[jazzyfizzle]

Thank you for all the advice and clarification of possible accidents even with the netting. Kind of scary. I am very conflicted. I know it would be great exercise, would help to burn off excess energy and be loads of fun.

Then you have the dangers.

*sigh*

 

Some of these made me recall things we did.. yikes. :D I remember four of us in a 'horse race' running our horses up an almost straight heavily wooded hill and racing back through the woods to see who was the winner. (I recall just hanging on and nearly falling backwards off my horse) :D Then there was attaching plastic sleds to the saddles with ropes and running the horses as fast as we could through a field while we bounced and slammed on the sleds or fell off and crashed. LOL

Or my brothers jumping off the top of the pool slide. :eek:

I can only imagine what stunts we would have pulled if we had owned a trampoline.

[EarleneW]

Yes, Yes, Yes! Best money we ever spent! We had a Jump King. We just sold it bc we moved into a townhouse, but we will buy another one as soon as we move again!

[Heather in AL]

Thank you for the thoughts, I appreciate them! Any certain brand that you recommend? One friend of ours has suggested JumpSport.

*snip*

Does anyone know of injuries sustained when used with a net? Or (I would suspect) do the majority of injuries come from falling to the ground?

 

Thanks!

 

We bought the one that Sam's sold--- at the time, it was the best size for the $$. Not sure about now, as this was six years ago.

 

We didn't have injuries, but a friend of ours did---- her two kids (4 and 6) were jumping nicely when the 4yo fell and the 6yo landed on his leg--- snapped it. They weren't too close, but when the little one fell, it created an unstable surface that made the bigger stumble and she stumbled right into where the little had landed. It was just an awful accident. They had no net, but it happened on the 'jump zone', so a net wouldn't have made a difference. The injury could have happened anywhere, but it did happen on the trampoline, so I thought I'd mention it.

 

We got rid of ours a few years ago--- the kids only jumped on it for a little over a year (BTW, the trampolines get FILTHY, so the kids' feet get filthy), and while it sat in the yard, the grass died and a nice mud hole developed under it that the dog ran through all the time, causing us to have to wipe her feet & legs & belly several.times.a.day. We were happy to see it go.

 

Oh, one other thought--- our net zipper broke within the first week, and its replacement only lasted two years before needing to be replaced---- it got dry rot from the sun which made it not safe enough to stop even a bird, so there was little 'safety' value left. Just something to watch for as those nets are *expensive*.

[BlessedMom]

It's a NO for us.

[Nakia]

We got our girls one for Christmas, and we love it!

[justamouse]

This question arises sort-of-regularly around here. A forum search should turn up some good reading representing both sides.

 

I personally vote no. Compund fractures and bone-resetting surgery factor into my opinion. ;)

 

I agree ...kinda.

 

oldest Dd was just bouncing light on her knees and broke her leg right above her growth plate. I mean lightly. Like, I barely saw her moving, and then she was screaming.

 

My others use the neighbors and bounce around like maniacs. So, if your going to get it, be aware. AND if your insurance company finds out they may increase your homeowners ins, or if it results in injury they may not cover the accident. Around here insurance agents troll neighborhoods and you will get homeowners dropped if they see one in your lawn, kid you not.

[usetoschool]

We have had one for 10+ years. All of our kids and friends use it. Someone is on it everyday and we have never had an injury. Anecdotal, I know, but it has worked out just fine for us. It is our kids favorite thing to do. When they were little we had a rule about flips and only landing on feet or bottoms but they have long outgrown those rules.

 

We bought the largest one we could find to give people plenty of room to maneuver and not bump into each other and we do have a rule about staying in the middle for tricks.

 

We bought ours online. I believe it is a Jumpking - round, 15 ft. I think.

 

We learned the hard way to strap it down if you have any kind of wind. Trampolines make great parasails.

[LibraryLover]

My younger kids keep asking for one...I have been hesitant. Our insurance agent told us not to get dogs...but we have dogs. lol At any rate, my kids bike on the road daily, at least 2 miles, and one runs track and cross country. I keep trying to find stats on these things to compare injuries, and I can't. Anyone have more specific words that would give me the info? Or know where I could go and compare? Is riding a bike on the road less dangerous than using a netted tramp, or running miles a day? How can I find this info?

Edited May 20, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

MY MIL is an ER doctor. In 13 years of marriage and 7 years of parenting, she has not given me a single piece of advice, save one. "Don't ever get a trampoline for the kids." That was good enough for me.

[Ferdie]

My kids, (and neighbors) love our trampoline and use it all the time. We bought a large one at Sam's Club with the net and have had it three years.

 

 

We have fire ants in Texas and don't like sitting on the grass at night so we use our trampline to star gaze too.

[Slartibartfast]

Nope.

[Denisemomof4]

NO!!! Dd landed wrong and broke her wrist. She needed surgery and had pins put in. She was only 5 years old!!!

 

When I got her to the ER and they learned how it happened, the drs said to NEVER allow my kids on them ever again!

[LibraryLover]

Ok. I emailed a friend who is a doctor and she said the play injuries she sees most often are due to skateboards. The most deaths are from car accidents, acccidental suffocation, and drowning. Tramps can be dangerous, but not as bad as skateboards or water, and she personally has not seen a trampoline death (although she is sure there are deaths), and encourages people to get the nets. She says kids fall off bikes all the time. Odd falls are big as well...lots of stitches there. It seems that stitches and/or casts are not an abnormal part of a child's life, and we do what we resonably can to reduce risk

 

It's a conundrum. Anything that has a child moving can be an issue. So I am still up in the air about a trampoline!

 

PS. She sent me this link:

 

http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1112/mainpageS1112P0.html

Edited May 20, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Mad Jenny Flint]

No.

[4kids4me]

This is the 9th summer we've had ours...we love it. We originally had no net (when my older two were 3 and 4) and we had no problems. Then when we moved to a busier neighbourhood and the third started jumping (she was 18 months), she fell off (didn't get hurt) and I freaked out and we got a net pronto. We've had no accidents with the net (the minor kid bumping into another kid). Our rules are max four kids and if there's more that want to go on, they give the jumpers a warning that the timer is going on for 5 min...they get 5 min. intervals.

[Haiku]

We considered getting a trampoline. I talked to our insurance agent and she cautioned against it. She said that our homeowner's insurance would go way up, and she told me several scary stories about trampoline injuries. Anecdotal, I know, but as she is an insurance agent, she has experience with these things. I also talked to our pediatrician, who nearly had a CVA at the idea. She said that netting or no netting, kids can still break bones in horrible ways. She also had several scary injury stories (including one child who lost an eye). I talked to several families I know who have or had trampolines. Most of the families who currently have trampolines, well, I felt like the rules for using them were so restrictive, why bother to have one? The families who had gotten rid of their trampolines did so either because of injury or because their insurance agents advised them to.

 

So no, I wouldn't get one.

 

Tara

[GWOB]

I know at least 5x's more people who have been injured in car accidents than trampolines. I seriously doubt people are a vehemently opposed to cars as they are to trampolines.

 

We have one. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Love it. My kids have been injured on swingsets, stairs, and fireplaces. Never the trampoline. My little sister broke her arm falling off a piece of exercise equipment. My friend's dd just broke her arm Tuesday on the playground equipment at school. Her older dd broke her arm the exact smae way. They have a trampoline an no one has ever been injured on it. Maybe we should ban playgrounds;).

 

Anyway, my vote is YES!!! Just get a net, make sure there are clear, explicit rules, and let your kids be kids and have fun.

[mama2cntrykids]

The kids love ours too. They've also jumped on tramps at MANY different friends/families houses with no problems. Ours does have the net and that makes me feel safer.

[sgilli3]

We are getting one ( with the nets) for the kids at Christmas time.

 

I'm getting very excited- I have some fond childhood memories of playing on our tramp ( ours had no nets or even pads back then)

 

I'm hoping the kids never experience a nasty accident whilst using it, but I feel the same when they ride off on their bikes (popping monos of course), ride horses, and swing from the rope attached to the shed roof.