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?

@Nicolanomore24

I feel sorry for your children. Are they allowed to have any fun?

There’s a lot of fun kids can have that isn’t a trampoline. People make their own choices but feeling sorry for dc without a trampoline is ridiculous.

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

Why does not having a trampoline mean they aren't being a child? Before about 2005 ish garden trampolines were unheard of. That's like saying your child is deprived because they didn't have roller skates or something. Don't be ridiculous.

We had a trampoline for years. Always strict about making sure it was maintained and the net was safely zipped up. Multiple children on it and no injuries whatsoever.
DH did break his ankle on it though!

We've had our kids skiing and snowboarding since they were toddlers.. because it's a fun activity, builds life skills as well as fitness and a love for the outdoors. We take all the proper measures and precautions to keep them safe, but we accept they might get injured, as might we.

Living life is worth the risk sometimes.

During my life I have had accidents when riding horses, rock climbing, ski-ing, etc etc. I walk in the high fells, swim in the sea, cook on camp fires.

The only time I have broken any bones or needed hospital treatment was tripping over a waste paper bin in my own bedroom. In plaster for 6 weeks, physio, fully recovered.

Any other trampoline I’d say YANBU.

But springfree are amazing. Genuinely the best thing we have ever bought for the kids. They get so much pleasure and joy from it and they are about as safe as a trampoline can be.

Kids can injure themselves anywhere any time. One of mine once fell off the sofa and broke his leg. They can trip over their own feet and smash their front teeth out. Anything can happen.

You have to weigh up risk benefit in all these things but overall with a springfree trampoline the benefit massively outweighs the risk tbh.

When I opened this post I really thought it was going to be about a child behaving badly and therefore losing the trampoline....

I agree with you, those big trampolines are a death trap and mine arent getting one.

People just saying 'let them get hurt' and 'they'll heal' what wonderful parenting

Injuries can be life changing, not a trampolining but a boy my DS was friends with was paralised in an accident a few years ago and will never walk again, not all accidents are just a cute cast with their friend signatures on they can change their whole life.

Personally I think you're being over cautious, but it is ultimately your decision and you definitely don't owe a salesperson an explanation. If you have decides that you don't want the product then that's up to you. Don't get drawn into a conversation about your reasoning.

@mam0918 I’m surprised how many on this thread seem to think a broken bone is the worst you’ll get on a trampoline!

You can’t win with this: either the risk to health from a lack of exercise, or risk of trampolining injury.

Trampolining does give a sense of being strong / capable even to less sporty children, and IMO this helps them feel confident to try other physical things.

efore about 2005 ish garden trampolines were unheard of

Absolute rubbish.

Springs/ no springs...kids were never meant to live without risk. Let them play, YABU.

When our son was having his broken arm fixed, following an unsuccessful forward flip on the trampoline (he didn't fall off, or trap anything anywhere - just landed awkwardly), I was excessively apologetic to all the NHS staff we met. Eventually, the consultant told me not to be so daft, that trampolines are great exercise, and that he'd much rather see children playing actively, and even taking a few risks, than being cotton-woolled.

Incidentally, said boy's twin brother broke his arm a few months later, climbing on a very low fence around a playground.

I'm another with a family member working in paediatric A&E who has begged me not to get a trampoline because of the many life-changing injuries she has seen (paralysis etc).
Otherwise we're not at all risk-averse, we do lots of jumping and climbing activities and I have two very adventurous healthy children, but I agree with her that a trampoline is not worth the risk.

YABU OP - we have a Springfree trampoline coming later this week and I can't wait! For what it's worth I've found their customer service to be brilliant so far, really nice and helpful ladies.

You will need to make some rules though - I would be wary of letting a 3yo on a big trampoline at all, and I definitely wouldn't allow them to bounce with much older/bigger children.

For all these people saying children wont have any fun if they dont have a trampoline .why is it so important when there is an obvious risk factor here? Children can get injured very quickly .I went to a nearby small town the other day for an appointment ,2 children maybe 9 and 12 ,something like that .Walking along a 6 ft wall! No parents in sight .There were a few people around and everyone looked aghast! What if they had fallen off to a concrete ground below? Maybe stick to bikes /scooters .As someone else said these are not used in such long periods or with other children of different weights .

@ChampagneWorries as part of my professional role we monitor A&E attendance as they allocate via medical database 3 things that always standout
1: people overuse A&E usually because they can't get GP apt or Mother waits for partner as has no transport or doesn't speak English
2: When I'm doing home visits and ask them to put dog away the more they insist that he's gentle the more likely I will receive a report that the dog has bitten one of the toddlers
3: Trampolines are responsible for fractures in lots of teenage boys and minor head injuries in younger children usually when using at the same time as a bigger heavier child.
I would still have one but you have to supervise younger children.

@AtSwimTwoBerts

Retailers say garden trampolines - which typically cost between £100 and £500 - really took off in 2005. Sales tripled that year at John Lewis, and outdoor toy company Big Game Hunters says sales increased by 132%.

Before then very few people had trampolines in their garden. And in the context of my reply, even if trampolines were common from 1970 it still wouldn't mean that children who grew up before then without one were deprived of being a child.

i think youre being overcautious. Of course bouncing around has risks, as does climbing trees and running, biking and swimming and playing with dogs and pretty much anything thats fun.
my kids have never injured themselves on a trampoline. I fell off my bike and injured myself pretty bad as a child, but i still think kids should cycle.
I think its one thing to supervise and encourage safe jumping, but trampolining is brilliant fun and great exercise for kids

My children had a trampoline ordered the day before my then 3 year old broke his wrist on a friends trampoline. I was going to cancel it and then changed my mind. The years of fun they all had on it was so worth it. Children need to learn about risks . There is a risk in so many activities. I fell over last year in broad daylight,wearing sensible shoes whilst walking the dog ..dislocated my shoulder and broke my arm so accidents happen when least expected

Our A&E dept gave me his list of dos and don’t for having a trampoline safely (as safe as possible).

We waited until youngest were 7 and have an igloo style entry so no danger of them falling out after forgetting to zip it up or the zip being broken. Only one bounces at a time and other 2 stand to the edge (it’s big enough for this). I made it clear this wasn’t negotiable and 2.5 years on they take turns to bounce (3dc).

@MahMahMahMahCorona

Friend is an paediatric physio. I've just asked, and the majority of her patients are referred to her after sustaining (private household) trampolining injuries. She wouldn't have one in her garden, and she's always suggested that we don't when the question has come up within our friendship group.

Yeah, my husband is an orthopaedic surgeon who is adamant about us not having one because of the injuries he has seen. It’s not a broken arm which can happen any time, it’s the broken necks and permanent paralysis.

I’ve read the thread about letting children be children and life being full of risk, and I do agree. I don’t think anyone is irresponsible or wrong to have a trampoline. But because of what he has seen my husband isn’t comfortable with the risk of having one, and I respect that, so we don’t. Our daughter is very active and has lots of fun, along with lots of trips and bumps. Deciding the specific risks of a trampoline isn’t worth it doesn’t mean a child is wrapped up in cotton wool and not allowed a childhood.

OP you aren’t comfortable with the risks of having one so YANBU not to, as long as you aren’t judging other people who do have one.

[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]
And the amount of people who seem ok with them getting a broken bone!

I think they are quite dangerous from what I've read. If you are concerned it's better not to have one.