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?

Honestly I would never have one. I damaged my back at the age of 8 on a trampoline and it has meant endless physio and back pain the rest of my life. I did gymnastics so sort of knew what I was doing (or thought I did) and I was still injured for life because I fell funny once.

How are kids supposed to learn to manage risks if they’re kept away from anything dangerous?

As a kid we were taught to cross busy dangerous roads, and bollocked hard if we didn’t do so carefully. We went tobogganing and ice skating on lakes (we lived in a cold country for a few years) and were taught to observe what local families were doing before we got stuck in ourselves. We were made aware of risks and shown safe ways to enjoy the activity without killing ourselves. By the time I was 14 I was riding racehorses over the hills, on my own, and cycling through busy roads and junctions in central London (always with helmet, hi viz, lights). I was aware of the risks and was very careful but also alert and focused.

I was desperate for a trampoline but my parents refused because they’re ugly! When I visited friends with trampolines I’d be on it for hours but was careful because I knew I wasn’t experienced.

I was really shocked when I went skiing as a student with a few friends and realised that none of them had any idea how dangerous mountains can be. We were all beginners, but I knew enough about dangers to recognise that I can’t ‘read’ a mountain and the combination of high velocity and ignorance could be very dangerous. I don’t know where the safe zones are, or what the danger signs are - but at least I knew I didn’t know, and could proceed with caution. My friends had been raised without exposure to risks and treated it like a big playground. They were lucky to get away with only minor injuries.

My brother and I got through our childhood with remarkably few injuries... he broke his arm aged 7 fooling around with an old pram in the garden, and I got concussion falling off a pony once, but that was it

A friend’s mum is a paramedic and she won’t let them on a trampoline because of all the trampoline sustained injuries she had tended to in her job. It didn’t stop me buying one for my kids. Calculated risks/ you should be able to do your own risk assessment depending what your kids are like.

I do worry about it. I didn't have one growing up (too early) but we did a lot of other dangerous things, more wild-roaming for a start and went out on bikes all day without helmets.

@AtSwimTwoBerts

I dont want to be a kill joy but I’am worrying about the landing funny on them and causing a life changing injury

They could do that on a bike, a pogo stick, a climbing frame, a slide, the stairs. One of mine needed surgery after falling from a bed!

Me eldest broke her arm for a second time falling out of bed. First time was jumping into a ballpit at a gym party. Although the first question asked at A&E was 'Trampoline accident?' :)

Of course there is an element of risk, and I know of a couple of broken legs / arms as a result, but we have one, the girls love it, and has been the best value 'toy' we have bought.

Life is full of risks

“How are kids supposed to learn to manage risks if they’re kept away from anything dangerous?” (Quote)

Why not let them stand by a busy road and see who is brave enough to cross last?

Or even better, do this at a nearby train track with oncoming trains: last kid to cross in front of the freight train is the champion!

Not being flippant, the above is some stuff we did as kids in the “good old 70s and 80s” , you know, the golden era of kids doing their own risk assessment

My parents were generally very risk-adverse, but I had a trampoline as a child. They were very clear that the trampoline would be immediately taken away if we broke any safety rules: do the net up, one at a time, no shoes, feet below head (no attempting somersaults etc).

I know two people who have been injured on trampolines. One was a child somersaulting without supervision/instruction, the other was a drunk student who jumped off the edge. I think the risk is much lower if you have clear safety rules in place.

trampolines are great fun but they are also a real danger. Very few children then grow into adults and their lives were worse for not having had a trampoline though... so if it's going to cause you loads of anxiety. Don't get one.

You can’t manage risk fully on a trampoline though. Yes you can have them on one by one, yes you can have a net or have it in ground and but you cannot prevent them landing awkwardly and doing some real damage - more damage than breaking an arm.

I remember being on my own trampoline as a child and sometimes you’d sort of bounce into your own bounce (if that makes sense) and I bet that’s the cause of a lot of these accidents because it takes away your control of your landing.

I don’t doubt there’s risk in almost everything we do and allow our children to do but I think with trampolines the risk is heightened.

www.uhs.nhs.uk/AboutTheTrust/Newsandpublications/Latestnews/2016/Top-bone-surgeon-calls-for-trampolines-to-be-used-under-professional-supervision.aspx

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, more than 13,000 trampolining injuries are treated in emergency departments across England every year, with almost three quarters occurring in the home environment.

13,000 just in England.

As an ex trampoline coach, my kids do not and will never have a trampoline in the back garden.

I would sign them up to trampoline classes with qualified coaches.

I don’t think people realise how very easy it is to suffer a serious, potentially life changing or even life ending injury on a trampoline, supervised and bouncing alone or not. Not how many ‘near misses’ their kids are having without realising.

We all have to weigh up risk as individuals for our own children. For me, the risks far outweigh the benefits.

Also Rospa - 67,000 have an accident in the kitchen and 58,000 on the stairs.

[quote Rainbowroads]@wokeasfuck presumably you have a line somewhere though. There are surely some things that you wouldn't let your child do because of safety concerns? I'm pretty sure you don't let your kids just randomly go climbing on the roofs of houses. White water rapids and canyoning are supervised activities anyway with qualified instructors, life jackets etc. That's not the same as just letting them go swimming in a fast flowing river.

Also my point about absolute versus total risk still stands - one off activities (like white water rafting) are relatively unlikely to lead to injury, even if they are in and of themselves reasonably high risk activities, because you're only doing them once but something that is done day in day out is more likely to result in an injury.[/quote]
Well you're making an assumption about instructors. We take them. Me and my partner.

@Soontobeseller

You can’t manage risk fully on a trampoline though. Yes you can have them on one by one, yes you can have a net or have it in ground and but you cannot prevent them landing awkwardly and doing some real damage - more damage than breaking an arm.

I remember being on my own trampoline as a child and sometimes you’d sort of bounce into your own bounce (if that makes sense) and I bet that’s the cause of a lot of these accidents because it takes away your control of your landing.

I don’t doubt there’s risk in almost everything we do and allow our children to do but I think with trampolines the risk is heightened.

Yep. It’s a ‘rebound’ landing and it sends a powerful shockwave up the legs and through the pelvis. It’s a great way to pop out your knees, shatter lower leg bones and break ankles.

I do think they are risky but it takes a lot to get my dc off their video games and doing some exercise, in a lockdown there isn't a lot else to do and I can't always take them out to the park or on bike rides, so I can glad of it too.

Well my DC ride horses. You can imagine the potential risks.

But no one here is talking about the benefits of sports, even risky ones, which imho outweigh the potential problems. We take risks every time we get in to a car and drive away.

Sport of any kind is really important in this day and age when DC are stuck indoors glued to screens with a high prevalence of anxiety and obesity.

We don't have a trampoline but my nephew had one for eight years or so and he used it nearly every day during that time without injury. Why does no one emphasise the benefits of exercise and fresh air and enjoyment that a trampoline can bring?

You have to be careful and not be a dick and stick to all the safety rules but I think having to make those judgements is also very good practice for older DC and young teens.

My DD did have trampoline classes at school btw and according to her, the teaching wasn't that great, so it depends on the quality of the supervision in that class or group as to whether trampolining is safer at home or in a club.

For those negating the benefits of an inground trampoline HALF of all injuries are from falling from the height of a trampoline. So, we figured it reduced the risk. As PP have said we've weighed it up and decided to have one.

The PP who said ' Don't buy one if you live next door to me' you cannot police what other people do in their own gardens (within sociable hours). If noise of children playing bothers you, go live in field.

And (sorry don't meant to rant but this is one of my bugbears) what about the long term risk of children sitting on their arses all day in front of screens?

Yes they can do other sports like bicycling but at least trampolining is contained conveniently within the garden and can be supervised by parents out of the window, or after taking a few steps outside. That can't be said for many sports.

I don't mean to contradict experts in their field but you have to take the whole picture in to account. Soon we will be locking DC up from birth in padded rooms.

I think you’re being ridiculous - I have 4 dc’s and they’ve always had a trampoline from being small. They would often all jump on together too - some of the best memories I have of them are playing together on the trampoline. I’m sure some on here will say I’m a terrible mother for allowing that but I don’t give one! No injuries here, in fact the only injuries mine have ever had have occurred at school.

I don’t think you should probably get them one though as you are obviously extremely anxious about it and it probably won’t be much fun for them or you to have you constantly hovering around and stressing about it.

The people who don't know anyone who's had a nasty accident might not get how dangerous they are. All it will take is one nasty fall and that child's life could be ruined.

Wow this thread brings back so many memories. I loved gymnastics and trampoline lessons. When both classes stopped I wrote trampoline on every birthday and Christmas wish list for years. Never got one, instead I started going with older boys to learn parkour. I loved it! I'd have probably been safer bouncing in the garden though tbf haha

Lol! They're really not a death trap OP, chill out and buy the DC the trampoline.

My DC have had one since they were 2 and 3. We have it buried in the garden at ground level and there's a net around it. You won't be able to police the one-at-a-time rule so forget that. I'm often in there running around with them. They're never even had a bump and it was a god-send during the first lockdown. My sister is an OT and was equally ridiculous when I said we got one. Until her DC came to visit and all the nonsense was forgotten as she left them to it. On another thread today people are talking about a lack of resilience in today's children - the juxtaposition to this thread is quite amusing!

All those who disregard the doctors, nurses, etc. saying they would never get one because of the very high percentage of injuries, some life-changing, because "life is full of risks" and "you can't have fun unless you take specific risks" - I presume you'll be fine with your kids injecting heroin in a few years' time?

All those who disregard the doctors, nurses, etc. saying they would never get one because of the very high percentage of injuries, some life-changing, because "life is full of risks" and "you can't have fun unless you take specific risks" - I presume you'll be fine with your kids injecting heroin in a few years' time

That would be a pretty stupid thing to presume.