To think i was bloody stupid getting a trampoline?

[CollyWombles]

My 11 year old DD broke her arm badly yesterday morning, on the three week old trampoline I got for all my DC this summer.

I was so careful about picking one, made sure it was good quality, good safety net, the safety piles are angled out from the trampoline so there was no way of hitting them, made sure it was two DC at a time. But she went on it at 8.30am yesterday, I was still asleep. And she tried to do a back flip, except she landed on her arm and broke it so badly, it was at funny angles with an open puncture from the bone inside.

We went by ambulance to the hospital, after a shot of morphine and cutting through the net to get her off the trampoline. She was at hospital by 9am, more morphine and she was operated on at 5pm yesterday. She had a rod in her arm, a metal plate and two screws.

I had only be telling my mother just recently that she was not to allow the kids of her safety netless trampoline, then my DD breaks her arm on my supposedly safe one. I feel like an irresponsible parent and seeing her in such pain was dreadful.

Oh dear. She will be ok. Accidents happen. A friend of mine had a rollar skate party and a guest broke her leg needing multiple operations. And missed a ton of school.
It doesn't make you a bad mother.

And doesn't it make you glad of the NHS.

Aw don’t feel bad. Accidents happen. Kids break their arms tripping over kerbs so you can’t blame yourself. It’s just bloody bad luck as whilst trampolines have risks they are just like a million other activities. You can’t wrap them in cotton wool and this is not your fault.

Hope your DD is all mended very soon

Forgive yourself.
I broke my arm falling out of a bunk bed, at about your DD's age. Accidents happen.
It does sound really bad. Sending her good wishes for a speedy recovery, and in the meantime, for effective pain relief.

Kids have accidents all the time, my sons broke his arm a couple of times playing in the park but it doesn't mean I'll never take him to the park again. When I was that age I broke my arm just doing a handstand. It is horrible seeing them in pain but it doesn't make you irresponsible at all.

Its just luck really, we have 3 kids had 1 for 5 years, had tons of kids on it and only ever had 1 minor accident.

Oh my goodness yes, I could have kissed the surgeon, when DD came round and she wasn't in the horrific pain she was in anymore. I can't get the image of her broken arm out of my head. It was bent in ways I've never seen an arm bent, not even on TV, and her bone, through the skin. It was just horrendous.

I know this happened because of how she used the trampoline, but she is also a gymnast and I should have known that she would try something like that, even with me telling her not to. It was a really poor decision, my attempt to get the kids out playing more, because they can't play at their local park, too many bullies.

It was an accident, one you couldn’t have foresaw.

We had a trampoline for years, and although no broken bones, DS1 has split his head open twice on two separate occasions, despite the surrounding bars having padding.

Don’t be discouraged about them still using the trampoline. But a new surround for it. Just make sure they know not to attempt a flip, and only allow one at a time.

It was an accident OP - loads of kids have trampolines and nothing happens. This was just bad luck. If your daughter had landed differently, you'd never have known. Don't beat yourself up. You bought them something they loved; something to keep them active and outside.

Glad your DD isn't in pain anymore. A similar thing happened to my niece at that sort of age (but on a bike) and before long she was relishing being the centre of attention and telling everyone all about hospital

Definitely no need for guilt you had made it as safe as possible to stop life threatening injuries. Broken limbs is normal childhood.

My daughter broke her arm on a zip wire and has been back on - paying more attention to her grip now.

Having worked in paeds a&e though I've always been scared of allowing trampolines - esp ones put next to railings and concrete!!! At least yours had all sensible precautions. Freak accidents can happen anywhere - I've seen a paralysing spinal injury from jumping off a sofa!

Hope she gets better soon.

My two-year-old broke his arm wheeling his bike in the garden, honestly, it happens. I am quite anti-trampoline and my five-year-old hates me for it, but I really don't think you should take this to heart.

Accidents happen, I am sure she will be more careful in future!

Just a note though 2 people at a time isn’t advised is it? I thought it was one at a time

Please don’t blame yourself. It’s an accident. She’s ok. Be kind to yourself, it must have been a hell of a shock to see her like that.

You told her not to do it, but she did. You couldn’t lock her in her room until you were up and about, could you? You took all the precautions you could - it was an accident.

Broke my arm at school, playing hockey when I was 14. In fact, once it stopped hurting, I loved the attention I got!

Unless you refuse to allow your kids to do anything except stay indoors and not move, accidents are going to happen at some point. Don't beat yourself up.

Tbf, if you had been standing watching you couldn't have prevented it.

She might not have attepted it with you there-but who knows?

When my brother was 11 he broke his arm the evening we arrived in a French ski resort for a 2 week holiday. How? He jumped over the back of the sofa and tried to land on the cushions.

Kids do silly things and hurt themselves even with all the safety precautions in the world. It is not your fault.

Don't blame yourself. It was the trampoline but could have been a climbing frame (my son broke his wrist falling from one), stairs, cycling, sports, anything. Kids are just active and unfortunately there is always a risk unless you tell her to sit on the sofa and don't move, and that's not very healthy either!

I broke my leg walking down the stairs. Accidents can happen anywhere.
Lighten up on yourself.

My 9 yr Old dd broke her jaw badly on a seesaw...asked older kids to make her go higher and she flew off and hit jaw on metal bolt in middle of seesaw...We were at a swimming gala and she'd gone out to play with her friends between sessions whilst I was helping at the door taking money
I was in bits when I saw what she'd done and envisaged skin grafts etc
She needed a temporary titanium plate and still has a faint scar 12 yrs later
She's quite proud of her scar and likes telling the story of how she got it

I shattered my arm roller skating when I was 14, and I have a 6 inch scar down it from plates and pins etc, plus the scar from the bone coming through the skin.

It was an accident, kids do it. I would actually buy a new net and encourage her back on. If nothing else, she and her siblings will have learned why instructions are important :)

They should be supervised. They should be told not to go on it unless you know. Not a bad decision, trampoline is great but they need to respect the danger. Hope she is soon mended.
My sisters child went pony riding, on her own on some horses in a field, terrifying.

My son broke his arm within 24 hrs of me putting up the trampoline. He was tying to get off it at the time and just fell. Bloody hate the things now x

Two of my children's friends broke their arms (one badly enough to need to be operated on with pins) tripping over apparently nothing on the floor.

I broke my collar bone falling off our pony when I was 12. I didn't tell anyone as I was afraid they would sell him or forbid me to ride him. Just gritted my teeth and didn't use my arm much. It's still a bit lumpy