If you were buying a trampoline for a 3 year old...

[WhereIsBlueRabbit]

....what would you take into consideration? We're getting one for DS's birthday.

We can't decide whether to get a 6ft or 8ft one - we'd prefer the latter but it will take up almost all the width of the lawn near the house. I've suggested positioning it further down the garden but DP has rightly pointed out that that will be a pain in terms of supervising (we want to make sure we can see him clambering onto it if he decides to have a bounce when I've just piped into the house, etc).

I'm also concerned about minimising impact on our neighbours. Our garden is fairly private and is long, but I'm aware the sound of squeaky springs could really get on people's nerves. Our neighbours on one side are lovely but appear rather sensitive about low-level noise (eg our neighbours on the other side using a hot tub). So I don't want to piss anyone off inadvertently.

Any thoughts?

In fact ours may be 14ft. It was the biggest one they did.

Didn't take long for the trampoline police to arrive.

The op's question was regarding size. I am fairly certain they would have already assessed the risks of getting a trampoline.

6ft or 8ft I'm sure either will be a huge hit. Whatever your garden can take really.

You shouldn't have more than one person on a trampoline at a time barring instructors. In my local area you can do trampoline lessons from about 3 so I'd look into that. My cousin has been doing it for years and is really good now and does competitions. If he does lessons and learns how to be safe he's less likely to injure himself.

@wildewillow, thanks for your warnings. I'm surprised in terms of children under six not being supposed to use trampolines as the 6ft ones say from age 3 upwards and the 8ft ones from age 5. Hence my concern about a bigger one.

I should clarify that when I say pop into the house, I mean the kind of scenario where he's playing in the garden, I pop in to turn the oven on, and in that time he's climbing on the trampoline. I obviously would not leave a child that age to bounce unsupervised! But you know how it is, you take your eye off them for a second and off they go climbing the furniture...

I have a 6 ft one from Smyths, I got the smallest because I didn't want it taking up all the garden. I've had it a couple of years now and wish I had bought a bigger one, it was bought for my 2 youngest (now 4 and 6) but its my teenager who is probably on it the most.

3 is very small OP. They tend to be a bit out of control still and don't have the core body strength to correct their landings if they go askew.

Now lessons are a great idea!

Yes, we know there are risks with trampolines. We're keen to minimise those by positioning it carefully and on grass, using safety nets and keeping it well-maintained. And only allowing one kid on at a time - I can see that's really important from these posts. Safety is the primary concern rather than budget.

Do we need to tether it in case of high winds? Or is there anything else we should do? Also, do people dismantle them each winter or cover them or what?

Deciding factor when we bought ours was whether it would take DH’s weight - 10ft did, 8ft didn’t, so we got the bigger one. I think we had six years use out of it, from age 4 to 10, no injuries. We then dismantled it, had it included in the removal costs, put it back together, had it kill the new lawn for a year - DD must’ve used it once. Still bitter about that.

DD has been trampolining with a club since she was 3, which helped with the safety. She knew early on how to jump properly, now to share a trampoline safety (more safely at least), and there was no way she was going to suddenly try a front flip when she was still learning, with support and supervision, to do one at the club.

Ha, total cross post on the lessons thing!

We used sandbags to keep it down when it was windy. I’ve seen ones where the top folds down, they look good...

I used to work in the QA department for a large and well known trampoline manufacturer.

A 6ft trampoline has shorter springs so the bounce is much less. This is why they are ok for children under 6. Under 6 years old children have less control and coo-ordination and can't always handle a larger bounce. They are also lower from the ground.

You should never ever ever let two children bounce at once!!! The lighter person will find it impossible to control their landing and this is how the majority of accidents happen. Goes without saying use the net and also provide constant supervision.

Other things to consider - don't put it on concrete or a patio (hard landing if they fall off), don't put it near a washing line as I have seen strangulation type injury. Weigh it down in the wind unless you want to cause damage to property or see it fly away!

We have a 12ft trampoline with a net (previous owners of the house left it here). Younger DC has been using it supervised since 3. I would go for the bigger one if it fits. My kids are older now and it is far and away the toy they use most often and it is common for kids to use it up until they are teens. Been using it for 5 years without incident. I had a non-netted trampoline as a kid that I used for years.

It is a pain to mow under, so we just leave it and then move it to a different part of the garden after a few months, but we do have quite a big garden.

We got a 10ft one when my eldest turned 5... It's survived a house move, high winds which actually blew it out the garden once!!! Is used a lot and is up all year round. Obviously has a net.
Our youngest started going on it from around 3 years old, they go on together and have never had a single accident.
It's nearly 5 years old now, my eldest is 9, goes on it nearly every day. He has autism and sometimes he just needs to go and bounce for a bit.
We sectioned the bottom bit of out garden off, it has wood chip underneath. The only thing we have had to replace so far is the padding on the springs. Everything else is ok, nets might need redoing soon.
There really never has been any accident not even a minor one....

Also, do people dismantle them each winter or cover them or what?

We just take off the bouncy bit, netting etc. Leave the frame up.

We have an 8 foot one which we bought DD when she was 8.
3 years later it's still going strong and her 4 year old brother plays on it as well. It isn't tethered to the ground but our garden is sheltered by trees and it has survived storms.
We leave it up all winter as they will play on it then too, the only thing is we have to sweep fallen leaves from it regularly.

My 4 year old autistic son loves his, he bounces for a least an hour a day usually late afternoon right before tea method in my madness so he sleeps

You often see a trampoline recommended for autistic children to satisfy sensory needs, wear them out for bed etc etc,

We have a small 6ft one with enclosure net that i zip him into, it's all padded inside it's the blue one from Tesco online, he's supervised at all times while I sit on the garden chair with a cuppa

Tbh my son was really unbalanced on it last year, but this year his not falling as much when he bounces and he's even doing seat drops showing off just the right size for him, if he started doing silly moves on it acting a clown then I'd take him straight off.

We got one for my 3 yr old this summer. No accidents so far. But he did have a fractured clavicle last year from messing on the bed! I don't think you can protect them totally. But he is on the trampoline in his own, the net is on the inside on the springs so it's as safe as it can be. And the springs don't squeak at all.

I was told that the age limits in trampolines were in part due to the strength in young children's joints and bones when they are little. The bigger the trampoline, the bigger the bounce and the force that acts across the child's bones and joints when they jump, so little kids with weaker bones and joints can fracture their limbs more easily on the bigger trampolines.

We had a 10ft for a year and got rid after two trips to a&e, one a fractured arm and the second one a jaw plus a couple of teeth knocked out (and yes, they did adhere to the rules and were supervised). It's a shame as it was used lots, at least 5/7 days.

Tbh OP I would get a big bouncy castle instead. Packs away in the shed and amazing at parties. And much safer to bounce on. Get one with a slide and it's heaven!