Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To cancel the new trampoline?

368 replies

ChampagneWorries · 01/03/2021 09:49

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?

OP posts:
NatMoz · 01/03/2021 10:42

Each to their own.

I don't have children but I used to work with a colleague who was on a garden trampoline and broke his back! Has been in a wheelchair paralysed from the waist down ever since and has lost function to a degree in both arms.

Wife2b · 01/03/2021 10:43

Way too over cautious. Everything comes with a risk, bikes, scooters, roller skates, skateboards, hoverboards. Are you going to ban your child from playing with all of these? If you’re that worried you could make sure they wear a helmet?

BugsAndBeesAndBirdsAndButterfl · 01/03/2021 10:43

Ours has been the most used piece of equipment we've ever bought - used most days apart from when its raining. Certainly helped to keep them moving in covid times.

We have strict rules about one at a time when bouncing but we've had it about 7 years now and it has been fantastic.

We also say no flips.

rabbitholes · 01/03/2021 10:44

YABU.
Mine have (touch wood!) got to adult hood with only one injury (a sprained thumb from tripping over Dcat) despite having been scuba diving, rock climbing, caving, abseiling, kayaking and coasteering and numerous other things.

FurrySlipperBoots · 01/03/2021 10:44

I'm intrigued to know if the 'Life is for Living!' camp believe they'll feel that way after a child of theirs has an accident, or just before? If one of yours landed awkwardly on the thing, badly broke their arm, needed surgery, had ongoing discomfort from the pins, maybe further surgery and limited movement in that limb long term, would you still be letting them and their siblings use the trampoline or would it be gone? Genuine question!

My personal stance is that I would have a springfree one buried in the ground, with a safety net. The main danger then would be letting 2 or more children on together. On the one hand I'd like to limit the risk, but on the other it's much more fun bouncing and playing together, and if you were relaxed in this aspect you wouldn't be have to be hovering over them policing it. A trampoline can keep kids out of your hair for a couple of hours, not to mention burn off their energy, and what parent doesn't want that?!

MuddleMoo · 01/03/2021 10:44

@UhtredRagnarson

I think I'm missing why the size of your son's head is important. Could you expand?

It makes him more top heavy and likely to fall over head first rather than landing on his feet when jumping.

Ah I see, thanks.

I personally don't want to look back and regret buying a trampoline if my child injures themselves on it. I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. It sounds like your instinct is no so I'd stick with your gut feeling.

MuddleMoo · 01/03/2021 10:47

www.rospa.com/leisure-safety/advice/trampoline

This might be helpful if you do go ahead

PinkSpring · 01/03/2021 10:47

Nope, I won't have a trampoline. DD is four and I think too young for one anyway despite many of our friends buying them for their two year olds.....

I think they are dangerous, not to mention an eyesore in the garden!

MuddleMoo · 01/03/2021 10:47

Says not for under 6

lalafafa · 01/03/2021 10:49

my friend is a Paediatric Dr too and she wouldn't have one. My kids have had years of fun on ours, 1 kid on at a time, no injuries at all. Also last summer, loads of cushions and blankets on top, movie on the iPad in the evening, heaven. Sheltering underneath in a den when it was hot, great fun.

BugsAndBeesAndBirdsAndButterfl · 01/03/2021 10:49

Are people against trampoline also not allowing bikes, scooters etc....!?

ittakes2 · 01/03/2021 10:50

We have a springfree and highly recommend but no playing apparitus is completely safe and you have to use parent supervision. We would never get a normal trampoline but we are happy with a springfree. We have the very large one and my son at 14 still plays ball on it with his friends (you can bounce both your body and ball against the sides of netting as their netting is different to normal trampoline netting). We had one uninvited idiot over who got on it with two other boys and then pulled these boys into the side netting - so well over 100 kilos of teen boys slipped off the trampoline matt and ended up just touching the ground but still being held by the netting in one big 100 kilo plus bundle of bodies, arms and legs. Luckily we were there so grabbed them and managed to get them back on the mat before the weight could tip the trampoline over - but I was so amazed the netting did not rip and so amazed the trampoline did not tipover. I completedly recommend them.

MuddleMoo · 01/03/2021 10:50

No but I see those as more essential. A trampolines is a luxury extra.

ILoveYourLittleHat · 01/03/2021 10:50

I've been considering getting a trampoline soon - what are the injuries frequently caused by? We'd be getting one with covered springs and ensuring the net is always zipped up, but I only know this from seeing friends who have them - I've not really gone looking for danger stories myself....

One of my DC is v cautious so won't be doing flips or anything any time yet. I'd supervise them with every use - for the next few years, at least....

LongCOVID · 01/03/2021 10:51

YANBU - it's your choice.
Perhaps look up the ROSPA guidance - www.rospa.com/leisure-safety/advice/trampoline that suggests home trampolines are not suitable for under 6's anyway.

5zeds · 01/03/2021 10:52

If the only exercise you take that isn’t highly helmeted/soft play/supervised, is on a trampoline then that’s where you will see most accidents. Mine had/have one and it now is used mostly for sunbathing but has given us over a decade of fun. If you or your children don’t like it don’t get one.

wokeasfuck · 01/03/2021 10:53

@FurrySlipperBoots

I'm intrigued to know if the 'Life is for Living!' camp believe they'll feel that way after a child of theirs has an accident, or just before? If one of yours landed awkwardly on the thing, badly broke their arm, needed surgery, had ongoing discomfort from the pins, maybe further surgery and limited movement in that limb long term, would you still be letting them and their siblings use the trampoline or would it be gone? Genuine question!

My personal stance is that I would have a springfree one buried in the ground, with a safety net. The main danger then would be letting 2 or more children on together. On the one hand I'd like to limit the risk, but on the other it's much more fun bouncing and playing together, and if you were relaxed in this aspect you wouldn't be have to be hovering over them policing it. A trampoline can keep kids out of your hair for a couple of hours, not to mention burn off their energy, and what parent doesn't want that?!

Well accidents could happen at any time doing anything. I'd certainly not stop doing something because I or my child had an accident. I would hate for my kids to grow up being scared of life, it would be very boring.
Landofthefree · 01/03/2021 10:53

@ChampagneWorries YANBU

My DN broke his leg and my DSS broke his arm on trampolines. Neither injuries were straightforward breaks. I know that children can break bones or get hurt doing any sport but trampolines seem to cause more severe problems.

I always refused to have one because they look so awful in the garden!

Myneighboursdomyheadin · 01/03/2021 10:53

www.rospa.com/leisure-safety/advice/trampoline
looks useful.

Hoppinggreen · 01/03/2021 10:53

A couple of Hospital Doctors I know won’t have them so we decided not to get one.
Then mil “kindly” sent one anyway. The dc are a bit old now and we have got rid of it, there were no major injuries but a couple of sprained ankles.

wokeasfuck · 01/03/2021 10:54

And we've had ours for ten years. Not. One. Issue.
Maybe because my kids are allowed to take risks and know limitations.

Rainbowroads · 01/03/2021 10:54

Your reaction seems a bit over the top and to be honest I don't really see the relevance of your son's head size, unless he has a medical condition or a reason why he would be particularly unstable. His body will be well adapted to carrying his head around by now!

It is true what pp say about how they could have an accident on anything, like a bike or a pogo stick etc. However I think it's a question of absolute vs total risk. The thing about owning a trampoline is that kids tend to then spend a LONG time on them in a way that they perhaps wouldn't on something like a bike or a pogo stick etc (I know this from living next door to several trampoline-owning families whose kids would invariably spend entire days on their trampolines during the weekends and summer holidays, whilst shrieking and yelling at each other Angry). The longer that they spend on the trampoline the more likely they are to have an accident. The only way to mitigate this would be to say that they can only go on for X amount of time per day but then that seems to kind of negate the point of getting one, and you wouldn't be getting so much use out of it for your money.

Also i think if you're going to worry about it endlessly then it will be very stressful for you as a parent having to watch them constantly. And watching/supervising doesn't even necessarily help - yes it can stop them messing around or fighting but accidents happen even when jumping 'sensibly'. Just means you'd get to watch them break their leg as there's nothing you could actually do to intervene in the space between watching an accident about to happen, and one actually about to happen!

IloveFebruary · 01/03/2021 10:54

@OrraBoralis

Most pead doctors will not have a trampoline in their garden.
I was going to say the same about A&E doctors. I will never have one in my garden after hearing a horror story from one. Yes I know kids can hurt themselves every day doing all sorts of things but trampolines are a no in my house.
wokeasfuck · 01/03/2021 10:56

This thread actually makes me feel sad for the kids. It's like how nobody lets their kids out anymore. Ridiculous.

nancywhitehead · 01/03/2021 10:56

It's a balance of risk and reward as is everything.

You can't keep your children safe all the time. I don't think jumping on a trampoline has any more risk than a lot of the things they would do at the park, using a climbing frame, firemans pole etc.

It's good to be cautious but not the extent that it involves banning them from doing things they want to do and are within the realms of possibility.

You can always have strict rules and time limits around the trampoline if you're worried, e.g. 20 minutes at a time (so they don't tire and are more likely to hurt themselves), supervised by an adult, one person at a time etc.

I don't think you should deprive them from doing what they want out of fear - that's no way to live your life :)

Swipe left for the next trending thread