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?

@AtSwimTwoBerts

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.

Not really the same argument; using stairs is an integral part of life. You don't have to use a trampoline.

But as I say, horses for courses and each to his own and all that.... I make no judgement either way, I merely pass on what was told to me.

Not really the same argument; using stairs is an integral part of life. You don't have to use a trampoline

You could buy a bungalow.
You don't have to use a bike or a scooter or a car instead, or many other things that can cause injuries, but that's not a good reason not to.

Somebody somewhere had X horrible thing happen to them on a trampoline (or whatever) is not a reason not to have a trampoline (or whatever)

@AtSwimTwoBerts

Not really the same argument; using stairs is an integral part of life. You don't have to use a trampoline

You could buy a bungalow.
You don't have to use a bike or a scooter or a car instead, or many other things that can cause injuries, but that's not a good reason not to.

Somebody somewhere had X horrible thing happen to them on a trampoline (or whatever) is not a reason not to have a trampoline (or whatever)

I agree with you. It's all to do with perception of risk.

I think that you’re being a bit over cautious. My kids had one when they were small and they loved it.

Yes injuries can occur, but they can occur doing just about anything. But your kids your choice.

My DS has had 2 accidents one he fell of his bike being an idiot trying to a jump of some kind and one of what was my brothers kids trampoline.
As soon as we entered a&e via his leg was in very bad shape and obviously Severly broken.
The first thing they said “ trampoline by any chance “
They explained how majority of their severe breaks are from trampolines.
His bike accident which in theory the accident it’s self looked more severe as healed in a case for 6 weeks.
Trampoline he was in a hospital bed after having his leg repositioned in traction for 6 weeks.

This discussion is all anecdotal, yes even the doctors and nurses who are not experts on assessing risk but do have an inflated sense of the dangers because they see all the trampolining injuries.

So we need the following data:
Number of trampolines in the country
Number of children in the country
Average time per year a child in the country spends on a trampoline
Number of injuries on a trampoline and a measure of their severity
Impact of factors that reduce the severity of injuries (e.g. having a net, one child at a time, spring free trampoline, trampoline fitted into the ground)
Benefits of trampolining (increase in the amount of exercise being done by children being the main one)

Knowing all that data and getting an idea of the risk to an individual child of having an injury that would result in death, or permanent disability (most people on the thread seem happy with the risk of what would be called a 'lost time incident' at work) is the only way trampolines can be compared with other risky but beneficial activities like horse riding, cycling, rugby, cricket, walking to school, swimming. All physical activities by their very nature could lead to injury. However generally we accept the risk because of the massive benefits to physical and mental health for the majority of participants. Sitting watching TV all day might not result in an injury but long term a sedentary lifestyle has all sorts of health issues associated with it.

[quote XelaM]@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[/quote]
I hear you XelaM being the parent of horse-riding DC is scary. It's a conundrum though because learning young and having lots of experience riding different mounts can help them develop a good and balanced seat which is safer for them.

I'm very glad to hear your DD was ok (eventually) after her fall. That sounds like a seriously dangerous situation.

I believe a lot of risks can be reduced with proper schooling and ground work and time being taken (which costs money of course) to start horses properly.

It's difficult to advise over the internet but if I owned a horse that "has gone mental out of the blue" then I would be investigating causes. And I wouldn't be allowing DC on it until the situation had been checked out. Horses very rarely go mental for no reason if they have previouslyhad a good temperament.

Is it because she is fresher because she is not being exercised as much during lockdown? If so then I would be lunging her before hacking, certainly before allowing an eleven year old rider on her. I would be having a vet checking her back and teeth in case she is in pain or has an injury. (Many back and teeth issues go undetected.). Or is there something off with her hormones? Has a stallion moved in nearby? Or has she gone up a level in training and things are being rushed a bit? Or has there been a change in her food? Or her living conditions? Less turnout maybe? Hope you get to the bottom of it.

Sorry meant to tag @XelaM about post below and apologies for hi-jacking of trampoline thread!

...can I just ask how the heroin analogy poster knows about the pleasures of heroin? Having never tried it, it's not an activity that would come to mind if I was thinking of "pleasurable high-risk" activities. Surely rock climbing or a similar high-risk sport would come to mind and have more similarities with trampolining than "heroin"

@Runwithtorches Thank you very much for your advice. It's not a horse we actually own, it was a Pony Club horse and my daughter has not been on it since the accident. At the moment we do loan livery, so she only rides the horse that she has on loan 6 times a week. I must say she needed some time before she got her confidence back again, as this was the first injury she has sustained when falling (and it was scary to watch!). It wasn't her first fall over the years, but all the previous falls were thankfully injury-free and this one was the most serious. She does some low-level show jumping competitions as well, which doesn't help with my stress-levels! She wants us to buy a pony and the original plan was to get one this spring, but I am happy with the loan livery to continue for another few months.

And ai think the reduced exercise during lockdown was the reason the pony went wild. I'm no expert though

Glad to hear your DD is avoiding that particular horse XelaM ; surprised by the Pony Club using it though as they usually have reasonable safety standards. Sticking with the loan pony for a while sounds v sensible! Good luck to you both. I would suggest a nip of calming alcohol for parents watching DC jump but we are usually the ones driving the ruddy truck!

Doctors are always over cautious because they’re exposed to the potential end result. However, they admit it skews their idea of the actual risk. (All my family are doctors). My brother works in A&E and deals with a lot of severely injured cyclists, but he still cycles to work he just wears a really good helmet.

Everything in life has risk attached but it’s about managing risk and reward.

I think you’re looking at the safest type and trampolining is excellent fun and bloody good exercise. Just the risk management is making sure they’re supervised while they’re on it.

Oh sorry, I opened this thread aaaaaages ago and only just got round to posting so missed a lot of activity.

@wokeasfuck

Also we don't even have a net on our trampoline. Fuckinghell I must be trying to kill them!

Why the hell not?

My now adult dd broke her leg really badly taking part in a trampoline competition with her school.

So - supervised, had had training, and was spotted. She finished her routine and her leg snapped the bone came through her skin. She was immobile with a fixator for months and now has a huge scar on her leg and doesn;t like people to see it. She also still gets pain from it.

She will never let any child of hers anywhere near a trampoline.

I had been like most posters on here and thought it was good exercise and fun but after her accident wished she had never gone anywhere near one.

I don't think you're being overly cautious. My parents (usually fairly lax about safety) wouldn't let us have one as children because my dad is a GP and was aware of injuries they can cause. Having said that they may be safer now (I'm in my 30s).

My sons both had heads on the 98th centile. We have had a trampoline since they were 3 and 2. A big one, 12foot wide with a net.

All fine. They use it daily. Both love it. Brilliant exercise.

We had a trampoline, not spring free though. DD fell and broke her elbow, she was in a cast for weeks. I left it in the garden of our old house when we moved.

[quote Soontobeseller]@mam0918 I’m surprised how many on this thread seem to think a broken bone is the worst you’ll get on a trampoline![/quote]
Quite.

I'd be more worried about failed somersaults and neck injuries.

@llm24

i can t believe what i have just read to be honest , we all w at to keep our children safe but we also got to let them be a child

My DC and my DGC have all managed to be children without a trampoline

@Rinoachicken

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.

^^This

And if you don't have a net around it then I think you are criminally negligent.

Many thanks for all the response, I’m still sat on the fence!

I didnt know it was good for core strength which is something i really need to work on.

They do a showroom 30mile from me so i may go to look at them but I’am well aware they are there to sell them to you.

I’am very worried about them landing funny on it and therefore ending up with head and neck injuries or worst being paralysed.

On the other hand I’m thinking they could land funny playing on anything and be paralysed?

My children will argue constantly about one on at a time.

I have read 3 stories from people within a 30 mile radius who have been paralysed on a trampoline within the last 10 years.

I think you may have answered your own question there- you honestly sound like you might be a bit too nervous about it? That would just translate to you being on edge every time they were on it