Opinions on Trampolines

[Ginger]

I never thought I'd be at this point, but I am actually considering a trampoline for my children. I have a daughter, 10, a son 8, and a 4 year old daughter. We had one as a child, and when I think about the tricks we pulled on it, I can't imagine actually buying one for my kids now. But I'm desperate for a way to get in some excersice. Ds8, used to live outdoors..always on his bike, skateboard etc. He hasn't been out in our yard all summer. Granted, we live in FL, and it is hot. But that never stopped him in the past.

 

Other than tennis once a week, and swimming twice at week at grandma's...that is about all the activity they've had this summer. So, I'm contemplating a trampoline. If you have trampoline horror stories, I'd love to hear them. I'm not really afraid of them falling off the thing(especially now that they have nets), I'm more afraid of them breaking their neck doing a flip or something.

 

Ginger

[Nakia]

We do not have one, but my aunt and uncle have one for their two children (ages 9 and 5). My aunt is a nurse and used to work in a rehabilitation hospital. She does not allow anyone, adult or child, to do any flips on the trampoline. She has seen too much at the hospital to allow it. :(

[Amy in Orlando]

I'm about as laid back as a mom can get. I let my kids climb, run, jump just about anything. But we will NEVER have a trampoline. EVER. The potential of life-long serious (read me changing one of my kids' diapers when he's 40) is just too great. Yes, even with a cage around it.

[Happy]

We have one and love it. Great for an ADD kid. Ten minutes on the trampoline meant he could do math. We have strict rules and enforce them.

 

However, I think your real issue is what has changed for your son? Why is he in the house all the time? What's he doing in the house? (Reading--yay! Playing computer games--not so yay!) Is there no longer someone to hang with outside?

 

Answer those and you'll know what you have to do.

[swellmomma]

I used to be against them, but the more they play on other trampolines in the neighborhood the more I am thinking about getting our own so I can institute my own safety rules. I do not agree with 10 on at a time even with an enclosure, and ds got pretty badly hurt last night because the house he was at allowed this (though I tell my kids only 1 at a time, they didn't want to be left out). The older 2 have been trained in gymnastics how to safely do flips etc but only if they are alone on the trampoline. He tried to do one with 10 kids on it got double bounced while flipping and landed on his neck, it was rather scary for a moment when the parent came running for me because ds wasn't moving. He turned out to be okay, just shocked. I think I will be buying my own for next summer(the snow flies in like 6-10

weeks so no point now) to make sure only one is on at a time.

 

For someone not trained in gymnastics I say no flips ever. For those properly trained only when no other children are on the tramp.

[Sharon H in IL]

I'm kind of in the middle. I read all the horror stories and decided we wouldn't consider it. But then the cousins got one. I wouldn't let my boys get on it.

 

That didn't last long. The rules are no more than two kids at a time, no shoes, keep your distance, no flips when two kids are on.

 

Fortunately, my boys are too afraid/unskilled to try flips.

 

We still will never get one. But I find, to my chagrin, that my rules are not as firm as I thought. Or, more truthfully, I am not as firm as I thought, when faced with child and peer pressure.

 

So far, so good. But I'm not fool enough to think bad things don't happen sometimes. I just hope the statistics are such that we can dodge any bullets.

 

Wishful thinking, I know.

[Starr]

Too many years working in Orthopedics and Neurology to say yes here. I never met an MD in these fields that thought it was a good idea.

[Remudamom]

Oh dear, we have one and love it. The kids do flips. My dad has a fit (doctor).

[4kids4me]

This is summer #7 with our trampoline. Does it scare me that my children could possibly get seriously hurt? Of course! But I worry about that when we go bike riding, downhill skiing, and playing hockey. Our close family friend became a quadriplegic from tripping (by himself) during a hockey game and going head first into the boards. It was his helmet that broke his neck. The very thing meant to protect him!

 

Life is full of risk. Make a decision with your spouse and trust the rest to the Lord.

[Peek a Boo]

a friend of mine has one and i let my kids jump.

 

I prefer ONE kid at a time in 5-10 minute shifts. And a net.

 

I would buy my own if it wouldn't affect our homeowners insurance so drastically. Definitely call and check. Some will cover it no problem, others double the premiums and need a rider, and a few will consider your insurance contract NULL AND VOID if you have a trampoline on the premise, and can disallow any claims even if those claims aren't related to the trampoline.

 

Do your homework ;)

[Sue G in PA]

We have one and love it. The kids don't do flips but they do run around on it (in circles), jump, fight w/ their light sabers (2 at a time). Okay, yell at me for allowing this...I know it's a big safety issue. My FIL had a cow when we bought it. He's an MD, too. :D I don't allow my dd3 on there w/ her older siblings b/c she just gets "bounced" too hard. I think trampolines are fun, but you do need to have safety rules in effect. Mental note to self: no more jumping duos or trios.

[Ginger]

We have one and love it. Great for an ADD kid. Ten minutes on the trampoline meant he could do math. We have strict rules and enforce them.

 

However, I think your real issue is what has changed for your son? Why is he in the house all the time? What's he doing in the house? (Reading--yay! Playing computer games--not so yay!) Is there no longer someone to hang with outside?

 

Answer those and you'll know what you have to do.

 

Well...the last two weeks it is because we have started back to school...and no, it shouldn't take ALL day...but with his procrastinating...it does take ALL day.

I have been more lax on the tv/video games because of the summer and the heat. But his staying indoors precipitated that. Sometime after Christmas I remember a change...neighbors would come over and want to play outside, but he'd want to stay in a play, build legos or whatever. Now he no longer has the kids in the neighborhood to play with...so he has absolutely no incentive to go outside. I find it really sad. I need to figure out a way to make some changes.

[Danestress]

They just seem to cause so many injuries. That's part of it.

 

But also, I don't really want anything in my yard that his a huge temptation for other people's children. I might have my rules, but I don't want to leave for the beach and be wondering whether a stray child is in my hard doing triple flips!

 

Also, I'm pretty sure it would increase my homeowner's insurance. I'd have to check. But it doesn't matter because DH would *never* allow it.

[Mom-ninja.]

I hate them. My in-laws have one and I shudder every time we go there.

 

When I was 12 I saw my friend land crooked on her foot (yes on the trampoline) and she broke her ankle. I heard the bones break and saw the bones sticking out of her ankle. That image will stay with me forever. She needed multiple surgeries. A year later when we moved she was still in a cast.

[Sharon H in IL]

Now he no longer has the kids in the neighborhood to play with...so he has absolutely no incentive to go outside. I find it really sad. I need to figure out a way to make some changes.

 

I seriously considered getting a puppy when my very social son had no friends in the neighborhood. Or looking for a child who needed after-school care. We're right up the block from the local elementary school.

 

We've found a decent balance without needing either, though I would definitely consider it again if the need arose.

[Johanna]

Got one here last spring! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!

We have 4dc from ages 3-8 and it is wonderful exercise. My dc have learned many gymnastic moves on it!

We got the one from Sams Club (its actually square and enclosed) and it can hold 275 lbs. We opted to get this one and not the cheaper ones from say walmart or Kmart. Because they only hold 200 lbs and my dh wouldnt have been able to jump on it.:)

We enjoy getting on it with our dc!

It was a priceless investment for us! We have rules and they obey them!

[tibbyl]

We have one and love it. Great for an ADD kid. Ten minutes on the trampoline meant he could do math. We have strict rules and enforce them.

 

However, I think your real issue is what has changed for your son? Why is he in the house all the time? What's he doing in the house? (Reading--yay! Playing computer games--not so yay!) Is there no longer someone to hang with outside?

 

Answer those and you'll know what you have to do.

 

Happy, our trampoline was an essential ADHD management tool too.

 

However, there were certain kids who had to be constantly supervised or just plain prohibited from using it.

 

P. S. When kiddos are asleep late at night, trampoline activities can be fun for husband and wife.

[Happy]

This is summer #7 with our trampoline. Does it scare me that my children could possibly get seriously hurt? Of course! But I worry about that when we go bike riding, downhill skiing, and playing hockey. Our close family friend became a quadriplegic from tripping (by himself) during a hockey game and going head first into the boards. It was his helmet that broke his neck. The very thing meant to protect him!

 

Life is full of risk. Make a decision with your spouse and trust the rest to the Lord.

 

Life is full of risk.

 

Exactly.

 

Everywhere.

 

Driving a car is one of the scariest things you can do because you can't control everyone else on the road. (Waaaay worse than flying.) Yet, you take precautions and do it anyway.

 

One of the problems with kiddoes today is over protection by their loving and well meaning parents. Some theorize the rise in ADD is caused from our childrens lack of physicalness. Instead of running, jumping, climbing, and skating all over the neighborhood, our children are in supervised sports two times a week.

 

If you want a trampoline, establish strict rules and enforce them. For the first two years we had ours, I sat out on the back porch when anyone was jumping. After that, I sat by a window. Any jumper not following the rules had to sit in time out beside me. :D They loved it, let me tell you. Ha! If someone was consistantly out of control, they were not allowed to jump. Period.

[Happy]

I hate them. My in-laws have one and I shudder every time we go there.

 

When I was 12 I saw my friend land crooked on her foot (yes on the trampoline) and she broke her ankle. I heard the bones break and saw the bones sticking out of her ankle. That image will stay with me forever. She needed multiple surgeries. A year later when we moved she was still in a cast.

 

Sorry, this really gets me. I probably should go to bed instead of posting, but, oh well....

 

Five years ago we watched our son's teammate come down wrong on his foot and shatter his ankle while playing basketball. We all sat in the waiting room with his parents while he had midnight surgery.

 

Should we give up basketball?

[nakitty]

I haven't read the other posts yet...(I notice myself prefacing my post with this disclaimer a lot lately...LOL...what's up with that???) SOOO....I don't know if this has been brought up before....but, many insurance companies have taken to out and out CANCELING homeowners policies when it is found out the owners have a trampoline....so, if you decided to go for it...be sure to check with your insurance company first...and you would probably be wise to get something in writing....

 

That said...on to my personal view...I *HATE* them...I think they are dangerous beyond what I feel is a reasonable risk. I am not at all a high strung type...and allow my children to do many things that a lot of other Moms would likely not allow for fear of injury....however, in the case of trampolines...I feel the benefit:risk ratio is not at all in its favor. And the nets you can get to go around them for safety actually INCREASES the danger risk...crazy, huh? Why, you might ask, am I so adamantly against them? I shall tell you...:tongue_smilie: When I was in highschool me and a couple of friends were jumping on one....we were NOT doing any tricks....just jumping up and down....one of my friends came down wrong and snapped her shin bone...part of her bone was sticking OUT of the flesh! Her parents weren't home so we had to call 911 and it was all a very traumatic experience...one that I won't forget. A few years ago...trampolines were debated on a board I used to frequent and I went about collecting evidence to support my argument....and I was actually shocked by how common MAJOR injuries are from trampolines...not to mention them minor ones... It's something I feel parents should think long and hard about...that's for sure. And, at the very least, I think that very strict rules should be in place if you're going to have one....

[TravelingChris]

 

:iagree: I completely remember the last time on this board that this was discussed. There were so many people who mentioned the broken bones from just jumping and coming down wrong. At that same time, there was some magazine or newspaper that came out with statistics on trampolines. Absolutely I will not allow them. We have a mini trampoline that is about a foot at max of the ground. .

 

I also don't understand the trepidation about immunizations which have a very low risk of problems versus trampolines which have a much higher risk.

 

 

[tibbyl]

..... I also don't understand the trepidation about immunizations which have a very low risk of problems versus trampolines which have a much higher risk.

 

There are certain adverse reaction reporting issues that could result in somewhat misleading statistics. Frankly, the few people I know who choose not to vax do so because they approach preventive health differently. But there are many who refuse to vax or either selectively vax because their children have indeed suffered serious reactions to the shots.

[PameliaSue]

Got one here last spring! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!

We have 4dc from ages 3-8 and it is wonderful exercise. My dc have learned many gymnastic moves on it!

We enjoy getting on it with our dc!

It was a priceless investment for us! We have rules and they obey them!

DITTO...

 

my 4 yr old has the most AMAZING little calves!!

 

2 at a time and no "bouncing" one another.

 

mine do the light saber thing too!!

 

It is a great place to wrestle with the kids and to play steam roller. My dh and dc spend several hours a month just rolling and wrestling on ours.

[BusyMum]

:lol: I had this same discussion with dh just before Christmas. I thought it was a good idea for our active boys - with appropriate rules. DH put his foot down and said the risk of injury was too high and they already had a fort where they could play safely.

 

A week before Christmas, the day before I went into hospital for a planned c-section, Mr6 fell off the monkey bars on the fort breaking both arms. He was in plaster for 6 weeks! :lol:

[Amy in Orlando]

I really think it's just about what risks you're willing to take. It's not always logical or rational. I'm fine with most things. But trampolines freak me out because of the possibility of a serious neck injury. Yes, you can a neck injury in a pool or just about anywhere, but that is MY limit. I saw enough experienced, high-level gymnasts hurt seriously while training on trampolines, so those memories influence my choices for the kids.

 

Even without trampolines, we're known at the local emergency room for broken bones, split chins, giant bumps on heads, etc. As I face the boys being old enough to drive, I know there is the possibility for an accident. And, I'm ok with it.

 

I really think if you are ok with something and have sane rules, then follow your heart. No one is ever going to agree on what's the right thing to do.

[tibbyl]

My kids ride bikes and scooters without helmets on our street. A neighbor "gave" youngest a helmet when youngest stopped by to call on friend.

 

One of them occasionally wore platform shoes when they were stylish. Same neighbor made it a point to advise me of broken ankle cases in emergency room where her mother was nurse. Neighbor prohibited her daughter from trying on my kid's platforms inside their home.

 

They swam in backyard pools. And those are some frightening statistics.

 

They have been known to engage in other potentially dangerous behaviors.

 

My point is that I think we can safely assume that reasonably intelligent parents have familiarized themsevles with the dangers and made decision to take the risk.

[swellmomma]

 

 

 

I also don't understand the trepidation about immunizations which have a very low risk of problems versus trampolines which have a much higher risk.

 

The risk may be low, but after having a child have an adverse reaction and watching her change into another baby. As my ped put it, an autistic appearance, I will never again use vaccines in my family. My older ones were fully vaccinated until she came along. But after watching her reaction it is not a risk I am willing to take with future babies of mine.

 

Like mentioned before there is risk in everything we do, some things are not worth the risk, drunk driving, stunting, or in my family vaccinating. Some things are though, children need to learn how to safely judge a risk by being given opportunities within reason to take them. If they are so over protected all through childhood and never allowed to take them in safe ways they may end up becoming the type of teen/young adult who over does the risky behaviour when it truely is a very dangerous thing. Taking a risk offers a certain thrill/feeling I would rather my child obtain that by playing on a trampoline, or taking his bike over jumps etc than having him chose to get that feeling by speeding as a teen, or drinking etc.

 

In life everything is a risk. Heck eating meals is a risk of allergic reaction, or choking. Walking in my house is a risk due to the toys scattered, and could result in injury. I believe with proper supervision and strict rules the risk is small. My son got his leg broken at the age of 22 months, because he fell off the bottom step of a little tykes toddler slide. The step was maybe 3-4 inches off the ground. His shin bone was snapped. My daughter being the monkey she is fractured her elbow falling off a slide (she was climbing over the edge while playing grounders). Does that mean all slides are too dangerous and my kids shouldn't be near them. No, it means injuries happen either by fault of user, such as my dd, this would pertain to injuries caused by not having safety rules in place, or by freak accident. I never dreamed my son would break his leg under the age of 2 from a fall of a couple inches. It was a freak accident. Jumping and landing wrong breaking an ankle is a freak accident imo. Heck you could step off a curb wrong and snap your ankle.

 

If you are willing to sit outside to supervise your child, have strict rules in place than I deem this a reasonable risk.

[CLHCO]

We have one and I tried to do the best research I could prior to getting one. Here's a little of what I learned.

 

First, the group most likely to get injured are under 6. Use caution with the little kids.

 

Second, the vast majority of injuries are not from "falling off" but from multiple kids bouncing at once, especially when a larger child bounces with a smaller one. When one child lands right before another, the trampoline is already extended so you don't get that needed bounce cushion, stressing the joints. You can also get that double bounce, by the timing of two landings, where this is no control.

 

So, if you want to get one like we did, you need to make very strong rules about little kids on the trampoline or more than one kid at a time. I admit I do allow my twins on together to jump, but they need to all be calm if ever on with my son, which they do because it's sometimes just fun to hang out on, rolling around, not just to bounce on. If we let the 3 year old on to pounce for a bit she does it alone. I admit it's too much to have one and not let her on it.

[Jennifer3141]

MY DH put his foot down on that one. No tramps at our house except for a tiny toddler one.

 

Jen

[kalanamak]

I'm not really afraid of them falling off the thing(especially now that they have nets), I'm more afraid of them breaking their neck doing a flip or something.

 

Ginger

 

I encourage you to look into the statistics on it, rather than the horror and pleasure stories, and decide your level of "comfort" with risk.

[CLHCO]

Found some comparisons.

 

Here are just the wheel ones, like bikes and scooters:

In 2001, 134 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes. In 2002, nearly 274,800 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries.

 

Since 1992, at least 87 children ages 14 and under have died from inline skating injuries; the majority of these deaths were from collisions with motor vehicles. In 2002, nearly 36,300 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for inline skating-related injuries and an estimated 28,400 were treated for roller skating-related injuries.

 

In 2002, nearly 51,300 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for non-powered scooter-related injuries. Children ages 5 to 14 accounted for nearly 75 percent of these injuries.

 

In 2002, at least 44 children ages 14 and under died and nearly 30,300 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for all-terrain vehicle-related injuries. ATV-related injuries are six times more likely to result in hospitalization and 12 times more likely to result in death compared to bicycle-related injuries.

 

In 2002, more than 60,100 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for skateboard-related injuries. Six out of every ten skateboarding injuries occur among children ages 14 and under.

 

Here is trampoline and playground equipment:

 

In 2002, more than 215,500 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for playground equipment-related injuries. Children ages 5 to 14 accounted for nearly 75 percent of these injuries.

 

In 2002, nearly 74,600 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for trampoline-related injuries. The majority of trampoline injuries are the result of colliding with other jumpers, falling from or onto the trampoline, or doing stunts. More than 90 percent of trampoline-related injuries occur at home, and the injuries predominantly involve the extremities.

[keptwoman]

We have one. I held off for a long time because I've seen some pretty nasty injuries from them. But my children were becoming too cooped up indoors for my liking and now they are out in the yard on the tramp for hours. It's ugly as ugly, a big bright blue lump of hideousness on the back lawn, but we love it anyway.

[Karen sn]

:iagree: I completely remember the last time on this board that this was discussed. There were so many people who mentioned the broken bones from just jumping and coming down wrong. At that same time, there was some magazine or newspaper that came out with statistics on trampolines. Absolutely I will not allow them. We have a mini trampoline that is about a foot at max of the ground. .

 

I also don't understand the trepidation about immunizations which have a very low risk of problems versus trampolines which have a much higher risk.

 

 

 

Actually - the risk with vaccines is under reported.

Same with circumcision.

 

You get sick and die from vaccine - they can list the actual cause of death without listing that it was a direct result of the vaccine. Ever hear of VAERS?

You pay a tax on each and every vaccine - some are more expensive than others because of the higher risk - and when/if you have a problem you can get money from the VAERS to help with lifetime or other medical care for your sick kid.

 

Same with circumcision. You die from heart failure due to shock or a ruptured stomach due to shock, stress, non stop crying.....or you get a severe meningal infection that renders you completely dependant on others for the rest of your life and the cause is listed as sepsis.

 

Anyway - I only let dd on a trampoline when I am there and watching. Too many accidents. There are plenty of other ways to exercise.

 

In Florida - hot summers - we swim in a pool or at the beach.

[sweetbaby]

Don't like them. As a family of doctors, nurses and paramedics, we have seen too many injuries from those things plus some home insurances won't write you if it's on your property. Too much liability.

[gandpsmommy]

I'm about as laid back as a mom can get. I let my kids climb, run, jump just about anything. But we will NEVER have a trampoline. EVER. The potential of life-long serious (read me changing one of my kids' diapers when he's 40) is just too great. Yes, even with a cage around it.

 

:iagree: Our kids get to jump on the tumble track and mini-trampoline at gymnastics, with professional supervision. But we will never have a trampoline (other than the miniature kind with the padded handle bar to hold onto). I've heard too many horror stories from friends and acquaintances who are doctors or nurses. And then there was the time at our old church when families were hosting an international children's choir, who were touring the U.S. to raise money for children's charities. One of the host families had a trampoline and let their guest play on it. The little boy broke a bone. I can't remember whether it was his arm or his leg, but he was injured so badly (not from falling off) that he had to be transported two hours away to Children's Hospital for surgery. He and one of the chaperones had to stay behind for his several week recovery before they could catch up with the rest of the choir. The mom called her dh and told him to disassemble the trampoline and have it gone before she got home because she never wanted to see it again.

[fivetails]

We don't have one - but several neighbourhood families recently got them and dd11 drove me nuts wanting to play on them. I said NO. Not because I think they're crazy dangerous themselves (there is risk, yes) but because these particular families do NOT supervise their kids. We've had lots of trouble in that vein before with the same families/kids. Now that they have trampolines...yeesh. Think 10 kids on the thing at 11pm at night, screaming & yelling, net is mostly busted up already. (One night recently it was the adults - drunk, it was a party - out there doing the same. Grrrr.)

 

Another family that we know through our church has one - if dd11 goes to visit there, yes, she's allowed. They're responsible parents (homeschoolers as well, as it happens) and the kids are calm, well behaved, and the rules for the trampoline usage are enforced, the kids are supervised.

 

If we ever move out of town, we *might* get one ourselves - and it will be used carefully, with rules as to who/how many/what kind of jumping, and *only* while I'm there watching. (hah, or jumping too. ;) )

[Peek a Boo]

:iagree: Our kids get to jump on the tumble track and mini-trampoline at gymnastics, with professional supervision. But we will never have a trampoline (other than the miniature kind with the padded handle bar to hold onto). I've heard too many horror stories from friends and acquaintances who are doctors or nurses. And then there was the time at our old church when families were hosting an international children's choir, who were touring the U.S. to raise money for children's charities. One of the host families had a trampoline and let their guest play on it. The little boy broke a bone. I can't remember whether it was his arm or his leg, but he was injured so badly (not from falling off) that he had to be transported two hours away to Children's Hospital for surgery. He and one of the chaperones had to stay behind for his several week recovery before they could catch up with the rest of the choir. The mom called her dh and told him to disassemble the trampoline and have it gone before she got home because she never wanted to see it again.

 

even w/ professional supervision there's still lots of injuries. A 12yo gymnast friend of ours broke both arms --compound fractures-- doing mat exercises during training. he had been doing gymnastics for years. They had to take him to the Children's hospital about an hour away too.

 

I tend to feel comfortable w/ the comparative numbers posted elsewhere. But yeah, everyone has their hot button issues and [as someone else posted] our decisions are not always logical or rational [self included :D].

 

good luck making a decision!

[lynn]

I know people have definate opinions on trampolines but my experience with 3 boys and having the trampoline for 9 years. No one has gotten seriously hurt on our trampoline. A head bump here and there but taht's really about it. However, my so broke his foot jumping off his bed, my oldest fractured his ankle riding his motorcycle, my youngest got pretty well scraped up falling off his bike, my oldest needed stitches when he cut his knee on a rock in the river. You get the picture. Just about all our childhood injuries came from regular all american kid play. Our trampoline has definate rules and when rules are broken no one plays on the trampoline for a few days.

[EarleneW]

Jumping and landing wrong breaking an ankle is a freak accident imo. Heck you could step off a curb wrong and snap your ankle.

 

 

I'll agree with that! hahah. I stepped off the curb at an airport and broke mine a few months ago.

 

We have a trampoline and my kids LOVE it! I always swore I would never get one, but it has been fun for the kids as well as the parents.

[TwinMominTX]

ever. WE all enjoy the trampoline. I can't imagine what we'd do for "recess" without it!!

[TraceyS/FL]

I didn't read all the posts, but there is only ONE insurance company that will write Homeowners Insurance in FL with a trampoline. The state run one - the rest of them, nope. And, up here in LL after the Torando when adjusters were driving around accessing things, they cancelled policies of people they saw with them. I had this conversation with a lady at Sam's Club while telling the kids they weren't getting one. She overhead and piped up tot hem that Mom had a valid reason - her policy had been cancelled here in LL.

 

UGH.

 

SOOOO, now is not the time of year to do this.... LOL!

[kalanamak]

Found some comparisons.

 

 

In 2001, 134 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes. In 2002, nearly 274,800 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries.

 

 

 

 

 

In 2002, nearly 74,600 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for trampoline-related

 

 

Unfortunately, this says nothing, really, as we have no idea how many hours each activity is used. If there are 1 million child-hours of bike use (per year) and only 100,000 child-hours trampoline use, the numbers will "look different" to us. These stats need more info.

[Bambam]

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;103/5/1053.pdf

 

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;103/5/1053

 

We have had neighbors purchase trampolines. The parents *always* say they will enforce only one child at a time rule. Within three months, I have looked over the fence to see 2+ children jumping at the same time.

 

Another neighbor's kids were doing homework on the trampoline. One jumped and the other got her pencil jabbed through her leg. They got to visit the ER.

 

My kids are not allowed to use trampolines unless there is a qualified adult present (which is never at someone's house).

[PariSarah]

They got rid of it when Isaac broke his teeth, but I didn't really think they needed to. I would have let Isaac play on it again, just like I would have let him ride a bike again after an accident, and just like I kept on driving after totaling my car. I'm much more worried about guns and car accidents than about the trampoline. It's probably not logical, but there we are.

 

Some things to consider, though: definitely check with your homeowners insurance. Some of them won't cover you at all if you have a trampoline, some raise your rates.

 

You also may want to look into whether your locality has "attractive nuisance" laws. If so, you may have to have a fence or something, as with a pool.

[JFSinIL]

I won't allow one, and my kids know NOT to get on any of the neighbor's trampolines unless they want to be grounded for life. Sigh - they look like so much FUN but unless you are part of a gym that has spotters and foam stuff all round the potential for a heart-breaking, life-altering injury (not to mention more minor items like broken limbs) is just too great.

 

I do not think our homeowners insurance would like us to have one anyway. Lawyer hubby calls trampolines an "attractive nuisance" as they attract neighbor kids..who if they get hurt...their parents can sue....

 

I won't let my kids get a motorcycle, either.

[Sharon in SC]

Life is full of risk.

 

Exactly.

 

Everywhere.

 

Driving a car is one of the scariest things you can do because you can't control everyone else on the road. (Waaaay worse than flying.) Yet, you take precautions and do it anyway.

 

One of the problems with kiddoes today is over protection by their loving and well meaning parents. Some theorize the rise in ADD is caused from our childrens lack of physicalness. Instead of running, jumping, climbing, and skating all over the neighborhood, our children are in supervised sports two times a week.

 

If you want a trampoline, establish strict rules and enforce them. For the first two years we had ours, I sat out on the back porch when anyone was jumping. After that, I sat by a window. Any jumper not following the rules had to sit in time out beside me. :D They loved it, let me tell you. Ha! If someone was consistantly out of control, they were not allowed to jump. Period.

 

I appreciate the point(s) you are trying to make but the fact is some things just *are* riskier than others. Personally, I see much greater risk with trampoline use than basketball. Does that mean that one can only be injured on a trampoline (and not basketball). Certainly not. But, in my mind, the inherent risk is greater, particularly when more than one child uses the tramp at a time or when one practices flips, possibly untrained to do them in the first place. (I believe the statistics bear this out with greater trips to the ER being made by trampoline players rather than basketball players). As for riding in or driving a car - well, that's just a necessary evil. The Lord knows I've seen far too much of what can come from a car accident! :crying:

 

For me, this topic is one of those "to each His own" and there is no right or wrong answer. It can be perfectly right for you to own a trampoline and perfectly right for me to choose not to. I also appreciate that fact that we all are going to carry a certain bias. My personal bias stems from the fact that, in the trauma ICU where I worked years ago, I cared for a 60yo man who had literally broken his neck on his grandchildren's tramp. That was heartbreaking. Not 3 weeks ago a dear friend had to escort an attendee to her son's BD party to the ER 'cause he was doing a flip on their tramp and broke his ankle *severely*. My bias is what it is and it is through these filters that we base our decisions in life. Thankfully, we're free to make the best decisions we can for our individual families and, interestingly, we can all be right. :)

[Melissa in FL]

Well, I was at the same place you are a couple years ago. We ended up going with a bounce house/jumper. It was more than a trampoline, but we just asked all the grandparents to chip in and give it to the kids for Christmas. I just want to say: We love it!! This time of year (we're also in FL) we don't really use it. My kids are in the pool a lot and it's just to hot out to want to be in the jumper. That's fine, it's rolled up and in the corner of the garage. No moving it for mowing, no cleaning it off to use, no worries that it will get carried away in a storm (or hurricane). During the fall/winter/spring it's out a lot. We will leave it outside for a couple of days at a time during the dry season, but for the most part, it's easy to roll up and bring inside. The kids are in and out during the day jumping on it. Whenever we have friends over they love it. If the kids ignore it for a few days in a row, that's fine, we put it away for a week or so and then it's like a new toy.

 

This is what is working for us. The bouncer was more than a trampoline, but I really like it and feel it's safer.

 

Also, try to look around for a homeschool PE class at a park. We're in the Tampa area and I know of two that are starting up this fall. One of them is actually holding class in two different locations, one day in Pinellas, one day in Brandon. The other will be at a park which is pretty central in Tampa.

 

We are also planning on putting in a garden this fall, and I plan on having my ds do most of the hard part for exercise. He'll be doing all the building and digging. And last spring I had outside raking almost everyday for exercise. I figure if he's not going to run around and play on his own, I might as well get some work out of him!

 

I just added the last two things because they might help with the root of the problem, which is exercise (not just a trampoline)

HTH

Melissa

[CLHCO]

Unfortunately, this says nothing, really, as we have no idea how many hours each activity is used. If there are 1 million child-hours of bike use (per year) and only 100,000 child-hours trampoline use, the numbers will "look different" to us. These stats need more info.

 

I know I didn't explain it because it was late, but this is exactly what I was thinking when reading all the "stats" on trampoline injuries. Is this some bad rap because someone has gummed on to trampolines and let loose in various magazines, media and even, yes, medical journals? Obviously, people in emergency rooms see far more bicycle accidents than trampoline accidents so I don't get the "I've seen far too many trampoline injuries" comments. There are far more bicycle accidents. The number of injuries on playground equipment is far more also. Combine the two and it would make trampoline injuries appear to be rare so where do those comments come from?

 

Are we suggesting the injuries are less serious on bicycles? There is a small fraction of children killed on trampolines. Apparently, it's not quite so small on bicycles. I would guess death is pretty serious.

 

The stats about how many kids are injured a year really is meaningless in making it a horrible contraption unless you line it up in some way with something. The huge increase I've read about is likely because more people have more money to buy more trampolines so far more kids are on them, not that they're suddenly more dangerous. The "increase" and words like "epidemic" I read in some scare articles doesn't give a basis either.

 

It's possible these things do cause far more injuries per child who jumps on it than a bicycle does per child who gets on one of those. I doubt it, but it's possible. But without some comparison, the numbers they're throwing out there are meaningless. Personal anecdotal opinions will say why you have an emotional response and will not allow them, but it doesn't prove they're more dangerous. I had a trampoline as a child and have one now. I have seen one minor break from a tot who was on without his mom's permission with a bigger child. I've seen more serious breaks roller skating. My sister had to have knee surgery from roller skating. Is it possible trampolines make the alarms in your head go off because of the media hype you've heard?

[PiCO]

Well, I was at the same place you are a couple years ago. We ended up going with a bounce house/jumper.

 

Brilliant. I never thoought of a bounce house- those are even made to handle multiple kids at once.

[Kari C in SC]

Here is my "horror story" from earlier this year. We moved to SC in January. We had been here for 10 days. My brother-in-law lives next door to our new house. When he found out we had agreed to purchase this house, he went out and replaced his trampoline. He figured all the kids could use it. I was really happy. My nephew that is about the same size as my dd was on it with her. They were just jumping. No fancy stuff. He went up as she was coming down - pushing the trampoline up against her ankle. Her ankle crushed under the pressure. She ended up in the hospital for 4 days and had screws placed in her ankle. Then she had a full leg cast up to her bottom for 4 weeks. A half cast for 2 weeks and another month of no weight bearing on crutches. A month after that she had to have surgery again to remove the screws because they didn't like the way they were affecting her growth plate. She is pretty okay now. She can't really run very well, but I think it is going to take time.

 

With all of that, I am not against trampolines. My 3 year old still jumps sometimes. My question to you would be -do your kids have health insurance? Do you get a waver for other people's kids? This was a lot of a pain in the physical sense. It would have also been a pretty expensive pain if we had not had insurance to cover all of her surgeries and hospital stay. Obviously, we were not going to sue over this, but you don't know about others. As far as the 2 people rule - it may help, but in this case - it didn't matter. They were doing everything right. She still crushed her ankle. You know what though? I broke my arm doing one of those airplane deals where somebody pushes you with their feet and you go flying. I hit the corner of the wall and broke my wrist. Kids get hurt. It just happens.

 

Too many years working in Orthopedics and Neurology to say yes here. I never met an MD in these fields that thought it was a good idea.

 

My dd's surgeon has a trampoline. His nurses were telling me how shocked they were when they went to his house for a bbq. He said his wife nearly knocked her teeth out on it and somebody else hurt their arm on it the very first weekend he had it. He said, he knew the risk, but his kids love it!

 

When I was 12 I saw my friend land crooked on her foot (yes on the trampoline) and she broke her ankle. I heard the bones break and saw the bones sticking out of her ankle. That image will stay with me forever. She needed multiple surgeries. A year later when we moved she was still in a cast.

 

My dd feels very much this way. She says she can still "hear" her ankle pop, too. I don't know if that fear will over go away for her. I know I can still see in my mind what her ankle looked like when she took her hands off of it. It was just BAD and scared the heck out of me.

 

We have rules and they obey them!

 

I say this gently, but even with rules, they get hurt. As I said, above, there were only two evenly weighted kids on there. They were following the rules and she still got hurt.

 

We probably won't ever buy one even though it had been on our new house dream list. I will still let my younger ds go on it. I don't know if my dd will ever want to again. I sorta hope she can get over her fear and at least jump alone because she really loved it!