Outside trampoline - is it too late in the year to buy one?

[Millybingbong]

Kids are a bit older now so we have decided that they are safe enough (5 and 6 and a baby), so we are thinking of getting one now we are back from holidays.

Do you cover yours over winter? We are looking at one where the sides come down which help make it storm proof and also would lend it to being covered I guess.

Thanks

We have a 14ft one in the garden and the DCs use it most days. They've spent so much time on it I think I'd go so far as to say it's the best thing we've ever bought for them.

We looked into safety ratings and read so many reviews, and I'm a little strict when it comes to how they play but I'd still recommend it.

Ours is covered in winter and cleaned/checked over for rust/wear and tear before it's reintroduced. I clean it with a huge load of Milton and a scrubbing brush a couple of times a year and it comes up beautifully each time.

Thanks Idontbelieve that is really helpful. Milton is the sort of product I like

We've had ours for years. It's covered at the end of October half term and usually got out again end of march. It gets a good check - springs, canvass and nuts/bolts and given a good brush with a stiff broom. We have a net and strict rules. DCs are 14 and 16 and still enjoy it.

We've always had a trampoline in our garden, the one we have now has a canopy on it I'll try and find a pic

I ha e 7 children and they all go in at the same time and we've never had any problems, and they've all been on since quite young, maybe aged 3.

Like this but ours is 9 x 13 ft

It’s one of the best things we ever bought for our kids, too, and they use it all year round. Sometimes not even for bouncing but as a space for sitting and chatting, playing other games.

We cover at October half term and put back up around Easter when the weather improves.

The first one was bought around August then in the autumn ended up being blown through the fence in strong gales. It was still sound, just the netting posts bent in slightly. It was replaced after 2-3 years when the padding on the edge began to break down. We upgraded to a heavier 10ft one with poles that fold down and it doesn't budge. Covering it is prolonging the life of it.

I know you’re not wanting safety advice, but really- I’d reconsider the trampoline. Its not as bad if you only have one at a time on, but that’s unlikely to happen. It turns my stomach when I go to pick DC up from a friends and see 6 children bouncing at once, honestly- it’s asking for trouble. I’m fully aware there are risks involved in everything- DC1 broke his leg sledging- but the surgeon said it’d heal and he would make a full recovery, UNLIKE the hundreds of life changing trampoline injuries he treats each year. At that point, we did actually have one in the garden, just the small 4 foot size that only fits one child at a time, but every HCP that was involved in his care following his broken leg (nurses, Drs, physios) all highlighted the dangers of them, so we got rid of it.