To cancel the new trampoline?

[ChampagneWorries]

Dd 8 has been asking for a trampoline for around 2 years. I’ve always said no due to the injury aspect of them but then i came across springfree trampolines. They claim to have eliminated 90% of the injuries children have on trampolines so i decided that maybe i was being over cautious and i should let her have one.

I also have a ds who is nearly 4 but his head is larger than the proportion of his body and he is 30cm smaller than dd.

I know they will be arguing about the one person at a time thing and i am worried about one of them landing funny and causing a significant injury to themselves (more so ds due to the proportion of his head and body)

I know plenty of children have them with no injuries etc.

I ordered a springfree trampoline last night and then after a few hours i decided it wasn't a good idea and have rang to cancel it this morning.

The lady on the phone wanted to know why i wanted to cancel so i explained about ds and the worry about one of them landing funny and causing a significant injury to themselves.

She said there was alot of misinformation online about trampolines and really did the hard sell!

Am i a kill joy?
Am i being over cautious?

@HowManyTimesHaveIToldYou Mon 01-Mar-21 15:33:47
DropDTuning

Here's some actual data which you can share with your 'friends'. Trampolines cause (in the US) about 100,000 injuries per year. One in 200 injuries leads to permanent neurological damage.

So out of 110,000 injures that are so dangerous and life changing, 96% weren't even admitted

Did you read any of those links or information at all? Or take any of it in?

But I guess your kids will be OK, as they are sitting mainlining heroin confused

I'm sorry you're confused. I don't want or allow my children to take heroin. I don't want or allow them to go on trampolines at home either.
I don't think that there is some sort of weird value in deliberately exposing my kids to unnecessary and pointless risks against all medical advice in order to prove that they're not 'wrapped in cotton wool'.

That was sort of the point.

I’m aware this makes me a bit of a twat but I see ‘risk-adverse’ a lot on MN and it’s all over this thread. Maybe it’s an auto correct. I’d rather people found out here from an anonymous pedant than made the mistake in real life with people who matter.

If you generally avoid risks then you are risk-AVERSE. It’s possible that the risk in question is adverse but you are not.

Thanks @JohnMiddleNameRedactedSwanson. I am not averse to being corrected. (See what I did there?)

If you can't spell risk-averse, try "massive fun sponge".

Nice thanks

@MuddleMoo

Thanks *@JohnMiddleNameRedactedSwanson*. I am not averse to being corrected. (See what I did there?)

Every single poster on this thread with first-hand experience has said that they would not allow their child on a trampoline

Well of course. It stands to reason if you have first hand experience of your child seriously harming themselves on a trampoline you probably wouldn’t allow them on one again - or at least, the type of people who wouldn’t allow it again would come on this thread to say so - most people still probably let their kids still play on trampolines even if they’ve had a minor accident. My dd fell off the play equipment at the park and bumped her head - should I stop her from ever playing on the park again?

Over 80% of posters on this thread think OP IBU. Maybe most people in the real world can’t be bothered posting their positive experiences of trampolines? It’s a given that they’re a lot of fun.

My dd choked on a grape once and I would only let the others eat them when they’d been cut in half as it obviously scared me.
Should I tell people not to allow their dc’s to eat grapes? Or anything else they may choke on?

DropDTuning, that has to be the most ridiculous parallel I've ever heard of!

@Loopyloututu2 Every single poster on this thread with first-hand experience has said that they would not allow their child on a trampoline

Well of course. It stands to reason if you have first hand experience of your child seriously harming themselves on a trampoline you probably wouldn’t allow them on one again - or at least, the type of people who wouldn’t allow it again would come on this thread to say so - most people still probably let their kids still play on trampolines even if they’ve had a minor accident.

That wasn't what was being discussed as 'first hand experiences' - it was the first-hand experiences of those who work in A&E - doctors and nurses and paramedics.

And as I said, if you prefer statistics and hard evidence to anecdata (and rightly so), here are those links again:

www.shawcowart.com/7-terrifying-statistics-trampoline-safety/
www.livestrong.com/article/347980-statistics-on-trampoline-injuries/
health.clevelandclinic.org/surprising-dangers-of-trampolines-for-kids/

Over 80% of posters on this thread think OP IBU. Maybe most people in the real world can’t be bothered posting their positive experiences of trampolines? It’s a given that they’re a lot of fun.

Heroin is absolutely brilliant. Really supremely pleasurable.

Of course very risky activities are fun. Otherwise no one would do them.

My dd choked on a grape once and I would only let the others eat them when they’d been cut in half as it obviously scared me. Should I tell people not to allow their dc’s to eat grapes? Or anything else they may choke on?

Er, are you asking if you should cut your kids' grapes in half, and tell other people that they should cut grapes in half before giving them to children? Of course you should. Is this a real question?

It should have scared you, and you should never have been giving your kids grapes that were not cut up in the first place. This is really basic. Is this supposed to be a controversial point?

@Judetiff DropDTuning, that has to be the most ridiculous parallel I've ever heard of!

You are the fourth or fifth poster to call my analogy 'ridiculous' or 'stupid' or 'obtuse'. Not one of you has yet been able to explain why it doesn't work as an analogy with any actual argument, or substantive points.

There were about 200 posts before I posted on this thread. Many of them stated that it is wrong to deny your kids pleasurable but highly risky experiences, even if doctors and nurses advise against them, because avoiding risk is a bad idea per se. I was making the point that this applies equally well to injecting heroin. Would love to see someone at least try to explain why it doesn't, rather than simply throwing around insults.

I'm really sorry op I don't understand the relevance of your child having a large head? Is it large enough that it actually makes him more clumsy?

I do think you are being a little overcautious. Your children are at an age where they can understand simple instructions, and the consequences if they are unable to follow them (i.e not being allowed on the trampoline). If they don't listen and accidentally have a bump then that is a good lesson to them. That being said, you are their parent and you should do what you feel is right for your children.

In regards to the saleswoman, the clue is in the name, it is her job to sell! If you have decided you want to cancel, call back and don't give them an explanation.

DropDTuning

Here's some actual data which you can share with your 'friends'. Trampolines cause (in the US) about 100,000 injuries per year. One in 200 injuries leads to permanent neurological damage.

So out of 110,000 injures that are so dangerous and life changing, 96% weren't even admitted

Did you read any of those links or information at all? Or take any of it in?

Yes, I did. Interesting that one is a lawyer....
We've all seen various reports stating there is a possibility of injury. No one is disputing that. But let's look at the risk, taking your American numbers.
They sell about 500,000 trampolines a year, and there are 74 millions kids. Lets assume only 5% have a trampoline. That's about 3.5 million kids with a trampoline. According to your lawyer friend, 1 in 200 of the 100,000 that turn up with a&e will have some kind of neurological injury. So 500. Out of 3.5 million......

For comparison, 70,000 died of a drug overdose.....

But I guess your kids will be OK, as they are sitting mainlining heroin confused

I'm sorry you're confused. I don't want or allow my children to take heroin. I don't want or allow them to go on trampolines at home either.
I don't think that there is some sort of weird value in deliberately exposing my kids to unnecessary and pointless risks against all medical advice in order to prove that they're not 'wrapped in cotton wool'.

I don't let my kids play on a trampoline to prove anything, I let them play because they enjoy it and it's great exercise

And nobody has come up with a rebuttal regarding your heroin analogy because, frankly, it's ridiculous .

It should have scared you, and you should never have been giving your kids grapes that were not cut up in the first place. This is really basic. Is this supposed to be a controversial point?

Oh I didn’t DropD it was given to her by a friend at school...
but I should probably just ban food full stop, after all you can choke on pretty much anything 🤷‍♀️

Ds broke his arm 2 years ago on the trampoline. It was 5 years old so we left it at that and brought it to the dump saying it was past it's time. I'll be honest of course there will be accidents and you have to be willing to accept that if you're getting one, but it was amazing and the kids had a fantastic time daily. The issue is just when they get older, more adventurous and tougher. Go with your gut, nobody on th his thread can help you when you're sitting in a hospital waiting room but also I know tons of people with trampolines that never had injuries

When I was a child it was bicycles that put the most children in hospital, today its trampolines (probably because so few children are allowed out and about on bikes). I swear some people wont be happy until their kids are kept sedentary and indoors and entirely "safe" .

I had a trampoline as a child and neither I or my siblings had any issues. If it's got a net around it, I really don't see the problem.

I don't have schoolage kids. I wouldn't buy a trampoline however. The estate agent who sold my flat told me he knew a child who was now a quadraplegic - having had someone bounce on his neck on a trampoline.

I know accidents can happen anywhere - and frankly I'm not overly risk-averse, but I wouldn't get one - or if I did, only one child on at a time.

Trampolines are not ‘children’s toys’.

They are pieces of sports equipment which children use, sometimes unsafely.

Treat them as a piece of sports equipment, keep them properly maintained, and children supervised and give them at least some basic safety instruction on its proper use.

Then you should be fine. But you may not be. And unfortunately the injuries caused by trampolines tend towards the nastier side. Parental choice though.

But don’t make the mistake of just thinking of trampolines as toys.

Our A&E has the walls decorated with trampolining injury X-rays and the like.

We did have a trampoline, had to get rid of it (kids are teens anyway) as it got taken and mangled in a wind storm one night!!

A toy is an object for a child to play with/in/on. My trampoline is for my children to play with/in/on. It's a toy, by definition.

We've managed almost 2 decades without any incident, I don't think I need advice from randomers online thanks.

@Runwithtorches My daughter (11) also rides horses. I must say though that where I was never particularly nervous in the past (as she's been riding for years) a mare she has ridden many times has gone mental out of the blue just before the end of last year, threw her off against a wall and my daughter injured her lower back (thankfully not seriously!)

Since then, I still allow her to ride, as it's the only regular daily exercise she is getting during lockdown, but I'm a nervous wreck every time the horse shows the tiniest bit of "character". Not sure how to eliminate all possible risk on a horse though

The estate agent who sold my flat told me he knew a child who was now a quadraplegic - having had someone bounce on his neck on a trampoline

I know an adult paralysed from the waist down, from falling down stairs ergo no adults should use stairs. Same argument.

Children (and adults) have had life changing injuries and been killed on trampolines, and bouncy castles, and bikes, and scooters, and rollercoasters, and boats, and ice skates and skis and pogo sticks.
Why pick on trampolines? If they are too dangerous then so is everything else that can harm.

@DropDTuning

I’m one of the posters whose children are not allowed a trampoline but your heroin analogy isn’t a good one. There is a difference of the nature of the activities of such significant degree that they’re not comparable, but I can see you won’t accept that.

So I’ll mention the difference that heroin is illegal and trampolines aren’t.

We bought a Springfree trampoline about 4 years ago and I reckon it’s one of the best things we’ve done. Our kids (then 8 and 6) play on it every day, both separately and together. They have invented all sorts of games on it and it is hugely popular with their friends when they come over (back in the days when that was allowed!).