Backyard Trampoline?

Maybe you could buy one from this guy...http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/06/12/my-kids-suck-t...

I actually want to get one. I think as long as you only let 1 person on at a time, have the net on and have good rules with them, then it should be fine

We have a Springfree trampoline and love it. I use it all the time, by myself. Rebounding is great exercise for adults too and is supposed to really help circulation.

I know people go crazy because they think they are dangerous but it's just like a backyard pool, rules and supervision are needed for safety.

FYI, Springfree had a showroom in our area and we went in and tested the trampolines (which was super fun too).

ETA: Our trampoline has a key lock on the zipper so the kids can't get in without us letting them in. That really helped make sure they were always supervised.

ETA2: OMG the fear-mongering by some of the posters on here is so over the top it's ridiculous. It's also really sad, because it's hard enough to be a mom and worry about your kids all the time without the added pressure of other people claiming everything is terribly unsafe and *scary* for kids.

The number one way kids get seriously hurt is a car accident, but I seriously doubt anyone would post a question about a summer road trip and be inundated with replies about how incredibly dangerous all that high-speed highway travel would be.

The life cycle of a trampoline - this is how it goes.
You get one - it's used a lot at first (like the first month).
Then it tapers off.
Next year it gets used a bit - mostly by neighbors - the safety nets shred - they just do - sun seems to deteriorate them rapidly and they fall apart.
By then you don't really need them because no one is using it that much.
By the end of the summer it mostly provides some extra shade for the family dog.
By the third year it's merely an obstacle to work around with the lawn mower.
And then you're trying to get rid of it through Craig's list or Freecycle.
I've watched my neighbor go through the whole cycle.
It's gone now.
The dog sort of misses it.
I don't know how the prices compare but I almost think your own personal bounce house is better.
You inflate it when you need it.
You store it away when you don't.
It's not a constant attractive nuisance.

More injuries happen WITH the surrounding net. Hands get tangled, teeth get ripped out, arms stick through and get broken...

A home trampoline is THE MOST DANGEROUS thing you can buy your child.

Hundreds of thousands of kids go to the ER with injuries per year. Just bouncing can break legs. Landing wrong can snap a neck. Some die, with mom or dad standing right there watching them, when they are NOT doing anything dangerous

One mom wrote that she still hears the sound of her son's neck breaking and she will hear it until the day she dies and get to go be with him.

The American Pediatric Association would love for them to be outlawed. Where they can't be purchased at all and parts or replacement pads can't be found anywhere.

Don't get her one. Enroll her in a gymnastics or tumbling class somewhere that she will have trained staff to supervise her.

If you decide to buy one anyway please call your insurance agent and ask them to show you, in writing, whether your home insurance allows a trampoline or not. One of my cousins got a trampoline and a tree fell and hit their roof. When the insurance adjuster came out he saw the trampoline. He asked them when they got that, they'd had it a year.

They got a letting in the mail that said a trampoline beyond one that is for personal indoor use for exercise was prohibited in their policy and that by having that trampoline in their yard they had violated their contract. Their house insurance was void/cancelled. Backdated to the date they told him they got it.

It was expensive getting a new roof out of pocket BUT they got rid of the trampoline and got re-insured.

Awful idea (although they are fun). The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly discourages their use. The use of netting and other safety precautions has NOT decreased the incidence of injury according to them. Also - check with your homeowner's company. You may not be covered for what could be a very expensive injury (lifetime support of a paralyzed child). The link is old but the Mayo clinic references continued opposition by AAP in 2014.

http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pag...

Yes, any activity carries risk. Swing sets carry risks of broken bones. HOWEVER, long term neurologic injury rates are much higher on trampolines than with most other activities (excluding of course cheer and gymnastics). Broken bones heal. Broken necks - not so much.

I am always surprised at how many people say "absolutely not". In our area, EVERYONE has a trampoline and I personally do not know of anyone who has been injured. I am sure it happens, but accidents can happen anywhere. I would prefer the kids play on the trampoline in the backyard than out front; I feel like it is safer.

We have had ours a few years and love it. We play on it almost every day. I jump on it fairly often and find it is good exercise.

My opinion is that anything that gets the kids outside is a good thing.

I grew up on a trampoline with NO NET as a kid. I never had a broken bone or injury and insurance did not go up.

Most every home in our neighborhood with children has a trampoline.

Can they be dangerous? Of course they can. So can riding a scooter, bike, swinging on a swing set and climbing trees.

You use good judgment, set your rules and stick with them.

We had on one in our backyard for our daughter for about 5 yrs. Again, no injuries or issues whatsoever. Just make your rules clear to anyone who wants to be on the trampoline.

At my house, if someone did not follow the rules, the trampoline became off limits and if someone persisted after that compromise, the child was asked to go home.

Any toy carries risks. Trampolines can result in falls. Bicycles, scooters, and roller skates can result in falls. Swing sets can result in falls and kicks to the heads of others standing too close. I once received a six inch long gash in my forearm from a crack on a slide. Baseball bats and golf clubs can fly loose from the hands of the user and hit someone. Baseballs and golf balls can hit people in the head. Legos can be stepped on, break, and cut.
If you wnat your kids to have a trampoline or any other toy or sports equipment, the best you can do is to teach them how to use it properly, and know that even with proper precautions, accidents can happen. Falls, cuts, scrapes, and even broken bones are just part of the risk you take being alive.

Personally, I love trampolines.

My 4 yo has a smaller 7 1/2ft one that we keep inside. It takes up half of a room, but it's great exercise for days when it is too hot/cold/rainy to play outside. She got it for Christmas, and has jumped on it every single day since then.

When she outgrows this one (it has a 100lb weight limit...) I plan on getting a full-sized one for outside. I would love to be able to jump on it too! (Great way to get in shape. Lol.)

Growing up one of our neighborhood friends had one. Every summer, all of the neighborhood kids were over jumping on it. In the over 10 years I was friends with them, there was only ever one injury- a kid sprained his wrist when breaking the rules (he jumped off a tree branch onto the trampoline)... And that was without anything covering the springs or a net of any sort. Some of my best childhood memories were on that thing... Sleeping on it in the summer, jumping with a sprinkler set up underneath on hot days, making up games with my friends. It was great.

We had one at my dad's house too, that was given to us by our neighbors. It had a hole in it, so we did have to be careful. Lol. Even then, with 6+ kids jumping on it at a time, we had no injuries.

I think the main thing is setting rules, and enforcing them. No "spiking" other kids. No jumping over each other. No attempting tricks when other kids are on the trampoline. No playing under the trampoline if someone is jumping on it/no jumping if someone is under. Pretty common sense stuff, but kids can get pretty wild sometimes and THAT is what leads to injury. Accidents do still happen... But they can happen anywhere. Heck, I broke more bones doing things on the ground than I ever did when climbing/jumping/homemade zip lining.... ;)

I do know that some homeowners insurance policies won't allow trampolines, or they will drastically raise what you pay... So check with them before getting one if you decide to.

Many people do not like them. We have had one for about 6 years. We have the net and the padding and we have rules about its use. A rule we have is that no small children can be on it if there are no adults present. If the visitor's parent says no, then the kids find something else to do. And no stunts.

We have had one minor ankle sprain since it went up. If you think you cannot control the use or are concerned about the possibility of injury, then give your child a membership to a bounce center or indoor trampoline place instead. Also, even though our gates are not locked, we do have a fence and it keeps neighbor kids out of our yard. You might consider whether or not the neighborhood is likely to want to play on it when you are not there and how you can control that.

We got one from neighbors and it's been the best thing. It's only about 8' diameter with a net inside the springs so I think fairly safe. Given the size, they don't do flips. It's bouncing up and down on their feet and on their butts or knees. Only 2 kids at a time. I'm sure something could still happen but things can happen on monkey bars too... If they were doing flips I'd be really worried but I don't allow that and they don't seem to mind. My oldest is 9 and often comes home from school and goes right on it. It's like she's just releasing all the stress of the day... I'm sure they'll get over it but it's been a consistent activity for over 6 months now. I wish we'd gotten one earlier.

ETA: Grandma G wrote hundreds of thousands of injuries a year but the article I found said 98,000 in 2009, the latest year for which data is available. Odds of a 5-14 year old getting hurt are 0.16%. Those are pretty low odds... And 3/4 of accidents are when there are several kids at once and/or the trampoline is on uneven ground. Easy risks to eliminate. Of course if it's a neck injury, doesn't matter what the odds were. But I don't see how there is a severe neck injury if no flips are allowed. Gymnastics seems more dangerous to me then. I cringe sometimes watching kids do flips then or fall off a balance beam or high bars.

Awful idea in my opinion... I realized how dangerous those things must be when getting homeowners insurance quotes after we put our pool in. I would ask if they'd cover a pool, all companies virtually ignored my question and inquired if I had a trampoline! If they're that worried about a trampoline over a pool, that speaks volumes to me... We carry a $1 million umbrella liability policy, keep in mind that even if kids /teens climb your fence at midnight and trespass and get injured on your trampoline, you and your insurance are still liable for any injuries that occur, I'd encourage you to really think it through and then check with your insurance company, many will drop you if they learn of a trampoline on the premises.

I really WANT to love trampolines as they ARE super fun! No denying that. However, of the four of us in my family, two of us have broken bones on trampolines (humerus and wrist). When my son broke his humerus, after the trip to the ER we went to the orthopedic doctor the next day for his cast. He told us our son was his seventh trampoline injury that day. Seventh. Our trampoline days are over!

I will never buy one. Do I let me kids go on the neighbors, yes, but I am nervous about it. My mom was a nurse and could have given me plenty of parenting advice, but the only thing she every told me was NOT to get a trampoline.

You didn't even think about them blowing around. My neighbors during our last storm was down the block and destroyed. And if it hit another house, you are liable for the damage. Not at all worse the hassle or danger for me.

We've had ours for almost two years and the kids still love it. They range in age from 8-16. We bought it used and it's still in great shape...an older kid kicked a small hole in the netting that we sewed back up and that's all we've had to do for it for maintenance. It's a great option to have.

Your homeowners insurance company will make you take it down if they find out you have one. If you don't , insurance cancelled. Was going to get one for my grand kids, but had myson call his agent. A big NO! A friend has own insurance agency and said same thing. Potential for lawsuits injuries is too great. I would never do it.

Insurance companies and chiropractors hate them!

Our home owners insurance went up because of the trampoline. They are a huge liability and although they are fun only 1 person should be on it at a time for safety reasons. I look back on our trampoline purchase as a big mistake.

Also, a friend of a friend's child lost 2 front teeth when they were jumping on the trampoline and their teeth got caught in the netting.

We have had one for 3 years...our kids are 10 and 4.5. They both love it. The neighborhood kids love it. We have rules. I watch when my little one is on it and the big kids have to be on their knees. No more than 3 kids at a time and they have to take turns jumping and doing their trick while the others watch. We have never had a problem, but I talk to my kids a lot about never landing on their neck or head. They often lie on it with friends and talk, make up pretend games, throw a bouncy ball around, or just run in a circle. They play a game where the kid in the middle keeps their eyes closed and tries to touch the other 2 kids. Sometimes I squirt them with a hose while they jump - they love that! I know a lot of people are against trampolines, but I think it's great exercise. My kids both do gymnastics and love the trampolines at the gym there. They both love it and we have not had a problem, knock on wood!

Do yourself a BIG pre-emptive favor and call your insurance company to find out if your homeowner's policy covers a trampoline. You cannot control someone coming on your property and using it while you aren't home. If they get hurt and you have no insurance, you will be legally liable and they can win in a lawsuit against you.

Oh Gamma, your post brought tears to my eyes. How awful for that mother!

N.,

They are fun...however...you need to talk with your home owners insurance and find out if they cover trampolines. Ours will not.

The nets are great - but the problem is when two or more kids get on the trampoline at the same time. THAT's when problems happen. If your home owners insurance will cover it - you need to make the rules and make sure they stick to the rules!

for all of my yawping about letting kids be kids and parents being way too protective in these newfangled modern years, i have to confess that one of my mommy phobias was angst over trampolines. my kids did use 'em and love them, but they had to go to friends' houses to do so.
and our homeowners' insurance agreed. the pool and ponies didn't faze 'em a bit, but at the very mention of a trampoline you could hear the rate calculations clicking over.
so now we have a dog called 'tramp(oline)' because my former 10 year old wanted one so, and that was our distraction/compromise.
:) khairete
S.

I have seen too many trampoline injuries over the years. Not a good idea. Go to a trampoline place if your kids want to jump. It's dangerous there, but at least it's not your insurance issue when someone gets injured.

A friend of mine is a pediatric ICU nurse. She said based on what she sees come into the ICU she will never have 1) a trampoline, 2) the small motorized cars, 3) a swimming pool. Other than car accidents, most of the injuries they deal with seem to come from those three things.

Years ago (children are all grown now) we had a backyard trampoline for probably 5+ years. Yes, it's a worry; yes, you must keep your eye on it; yes, injuries are possible; yes to almost any negative you can verbalize. But hours and hours of good fun, good interactions and good exercise. Ours was in our backyard before the side screens were invented. I don't believe we had any injuries. We posted the sign that came with the unit about risk. No problems then. Would I do it today in the environment in which we live? Not sure on that. But it certainly beats the thumb exercise that is the most exercise many children get today. Having it in your yard will demand your attention.

I'd love one, hubby says no. After having a kid break an arm, I think we''ll just enjoy our friends trampolines :-)

Im not a fear driven person, but I would foresee lots of arguments. I hate arguing and yelling, so we are skipping it.

I would never.

Call your pediatrician. See what he/she says. I bet they are against it.

Another way kids get hurt aside from the obvious is that kids crawl underneath them and get jumped on - break their backs. So dangerous.

My almost three year old just broke her arm on a trampoline. Accidents are very likely. It's up to you. They are great fun and we'll likely do the trampoline again but you have to know the kids parents that get into it. Know that they aren't going to hold you liable and have health insurance.

If we could have one we would, but we don't have the space.