To not be decided about how unsafe trampolines are?

[whatthewhatthewhat]

Dd really wants one. I 'gut feeling' think they are unsafe. But, I don't know... EVERYONE ELSE seems to have one???

Aibu? Are they safe? Too risky?

Good grief, wouldn’t have one if you paid me. Why risk your kids health and make your garden a mess?

My DD fractured her humerus (apparently an injury that sets red flags flying for A&E staff - they did a welfare check with her school, which I was more than happy with, as I knew it was a freak accident) courtesy of a trampoline, but she recovered fully, and went back on it when she was healed.
There's risk everywhere, so it's really up to you OP. If your DD did get injured, would you beat yourself up? If so, then maybe it's not for you.

nokidshere a similar viewpoint for me, I know of people with injuries like your instructor's.

Most people won't be unlucky but the kind of accidents you can have in a split second on a trampoline are grim. It's a shame because they're active and such fun, so I totally understand the appeal.

Nothing is risk free but it's OK to weigh up which risks we want to take.

We've had ours years with no accidents except my pelvic floor muscles not working properly after 3 bounces The net ripped a few years ago and has never been replaced. Teens don't really bother with it any more ds2 does occasionally but I'm hoping to get rid in the next couple of years and get some garden back.

Treat it like a back garden swimming pool, take actions like lessons, rules and supervision to keep it safe.

Yeah I won’t let my kids on them. The rational part of me knows that there must be thousands of children playing on the everyday but I’m an orthopaedic doctor and I must have taken dozens of kids to theatre with really bad breaks because of them.

We've had one for about 4 years. The DCs find it great for burning energy up. They are good at zipping the nets up and aren't too ambitious with their moves.

DS2 loves his football so plenty of A&E opportunities there too!

My friend is a paediatric A&E consultant and she says some of the worst injuries she's seen to children are due to trampolines. So I won't have one for that reason.

I'm having this exact dilemma at the moment.
I know it'll get tons of use and hope it will help with dd1's weight issue but am totally paranoid about major injuries even though loads of people I know have them & I don't know of any injuries.
Am seeing if ground is suitable for the in ground one otherwise it'll be a footie goal & a netball net I think.

They are the number one cause of pediatric injuries...and they are a lot of fun.

To mitigate the risks:

• buy with a decent safety netting (safer than inground one’s which encourage kids to run and jump on them, getting thrown out of the trampoline on the other side)
• ideally spring free
• ideally keep indoors (if outdoors it should be covered and checked before use for wear and tear which will be more significant if left out in the rain for example)
• only one person uses it at a time. This is a really important rule and often it is ignored. The first person to land, especially if heavier than the second person, takes much of the spring out of the trampoline, so that the second person lands on a harder surface.
• no somersaults allowed.

My ex was a gym teacher and I remember him telling me how unsafe they were, even with a net and that anyone who wanted to trampoline should join a club so they can do it safely.
My dd is only 3 but I know she is going to want one when she is older as she loves them but I won’t be letting her

I got one about 5 days before my 13th birthday as my main present. By the time my birthday rolled around 5 days later, I'd been on crutches with a broken ankle for 3 days. 10 years later and it still gives me a pain sometimes.

Oh bloody hell I wish I hadn't read this thread! We don't have one, but my MIL does, and quite often there are several kids on it at one time. There is no point at all trying to tell her not to allow this. Now I'll just be even more paranoid when the DC's spend time at hers

We got a large 14 foot trampoline for our sons 5th birthday, we had it for 9 years. It was used a lot, by loads of different kids and we never had 1 accident.

If it makes anyone feel better, my other DC managed to fracture their collar bone by doing a forward flip - nowhere near a trampoline!

We have had trampolines for 18 years , no net and no broken bones.

We had one for years. No injuries.

OTOH my kids have broken bones doing gymnastics and skiing, and also hurt themselves pretty badly falling off bikes, closing car doors, walking down stairs, and doing school sports.

I don't allow my DC on them. They are not toys. The problem with them is that when it goes wrong, it goes very wrong. I have two friends who are a paediatric doctor and radiographer respectively as well as a friend who is a trampoline coach. All three think they should be banned for home use. The healthcare workers say they not only keep them in work but nearly every catastrophic or life changing injury they see is trampoline related. Several paralysed children over their careers, life changing head injuries, severe concussion, compound fractures and one death.

No way would I buy one.

My last boss was an orthopaedic surgeon and he said he has seen the damage that can be caused on trampolines and his kids wouldn't be having one. The following summer they got one. He decided it was fine provided precautions were taken eg net and supervision. They aren't really designed for very young children in my opinion

We've had 4 broken arms, 2 kids - one soft play, one climbing frame at a local activity centre (really awful break), one at school - tripped over, one on the ice walking to school and all this time we've had a trampoline - no injuries!

Trampoline safety instructions say only one child at a time, under supervision only, for 6+years only.

No-one I know who has one sticks to any or all of these rules.

The risk assessment would be high. Severity of outcome x likelihood of occurance of accident would be medium to high on both counts.

The risks would be reduced if the guidelines were followed but they aren't in most cases. I mean, let's face it, most people want their children to be able to play in the garden without supervision.

And then there's the added problem of letting your child's friends on it. If they are in your garden, on your equipment, regardless of permission from their parents, you would be responsible for that child's injuries. If it turned out you also weren't following guidelines of said equipment you could find yourself prosecuted and/or sued.

My son fractured his arm on a trampoline 8 years ago. I've never let him on one since or any other of children! Lol

We had one for about 10 years

3 children, and no accidents

Like others have said it doesn’t mean that they are safe ...probably more we were lucky

We did have a safety net though

I nearly broke my neck on one when I was about 11 so I reckon they are pretty dangerous.

Oops, we've just bought a 10X8 one. 😐