to worry about Invitations to two parties at house with giant trampoline with no net!

[lingle]

My DSs(6 and 3) are avid trampoliners but are used to trampolines with nets ie they jump high and freely and rush across it bouncing against the sides.

This weekend, DS2 is invited to a 3rd birthday party at a house with a huge trampoline with no net. He's been to the house before, I've let him on the trampoline but have stayed next to it/been on it with him holding hands at all times and to be honest my heart was in my mouth the whole time. It was safer being on it with him because I could make up games involving holding hands, etc. If I ban DS2 from the trampoline he will scream the party down, the hostess will say "don't worry, he'll be alright, my daughter falls off all the time and she's fine" etc etc - not great.

Two weekends later, DS1 is invited to the same house for a 6 year old's party . He's also been to the house and, because I can reason with him more, last time I just banned him from the trampoline. Result? He ran across the garden, slipped, skidded, crashed into the underside of the trampoline and still ended up in A&E!!!!

Needless to say, the trampolines will be more dangerous if all the kids get excited and clamber on at once.........

I do not want to offend my friend who is (i)not from this country (ii)too broke to buy a net just now. But I have gone so far as to suggest that she declare the trampoline out of bounds for the party . I felt pretty aggressive doing that so there's nothing more I can say to her now......

HELP!!!!!!! I think the other mothers will feel the same as me.

[Hulababy]

blondeshavemorefun - we removed the net from DD's trampoline as it was damaged and would no longer remain fully upright, making it dangerous in places to bounce as she'd get tangled ont he net. The damage to the net was caused by being pulled over in the garden, by the wind. As our trampoline is not a standard size a replacement is not that simple to find. Instead we have taught DD to remember to bounce sensibly - she has had trampolining lessons int he past for a while and she is generally supervised if using it for any length of time (simply as we are oftne int he garden at the same time or in the kitchen overlooking the garden), although not closely.

[wh00ps]

YABU to expect your firend to make the trampoline out of bounds at her childrens party. If you feel that strongly about it you should refuse the invitation. IMO it's her house, her rules.

I have a trampoline with no net and my children (9 and 3) and all the kids in the neighbourhood use it fine with no problems or accidents so far. If someone came round and told me I had to put a net on before their child could come round I;d tell them to sod off to be frank.

[LadyPinkofPinkerton]

YANBU for not wanting your children on a trampoline without a net. But YABU for letting them run against the net on their own. THat is not what it is designed for.

We have a net but DS1 has been told that he must bounce in the middle, and not lean against the net

[Morloth]

Hah, we used to put the trampoline between the swimming pool and the tool shed, jump off the shed on to the tramp and into the pool. We used to put the sprinkler underneath as well on hot days and it got all slippery. We all made it to adulthood.

No idea whether YABU or not, but I would probably not invite your kids to my place again just because of the hassle.

[SusieDerkins]

Morloth - we used to do something very similar except if we were feeling really brave we'd put fairly liquid on the trampoline.

[Madmentalbint]

YANBU - I wouldn't be happy either - even with a net.

[Morloth]

Bugger Susie we didn't think of that! Don't know why with all the other crazy shit we used to get up to!

[hippipotamiHasLost43Lbs]

My parents live in Holland and they have never sen a trampoline with a net. All the ones in back gardens there are net - free.
Perhaps this net thing is one more way for manufacturers to obtain more money from British parents whilst at the same time feed their neurosis?

My dc have bounced on both netted and un-netted trampolines. Dd has fallen off once - off the netted trampoline. (she was trying to climb off and got her foot caught in the net, went headfirst onto the floor)

I think standing by the side of an un-netted trampoline is fine, but constant hand holding is counter-productive; the child needs to learn to be safe, needs to learn to stay in the centre of the trampoline and needs to learn to assess and weigh-up risks. This is an important part of childhool and growing up.

[hippipotamiHasLost43Lbs]

yes, childhood ends with a d, not an l.

[Zebrastripes]

Morloth you make a very good point, some of the crazy shit we used to get upto as kids, would nevev let my two do anything that daft

[jellybeans]

I wouldn't let them go oif not happy with it, yes I am overprotective but having lost children it's not worth the risk of more trauma.

[foofi]

YABU. You expect your friend to make a trampoline out of bounds at a kids' party becuase your kid is used to one with a net??

[zipzap]

I managed to give myself whole body whiplash on a trampoline (apparently quite a difficult thing to do as usually you get whiplash sitting down) - whilst alone on a trampoline being supervised at school, when I was 16. I'd only been at the school for a week or two and I ended up in A&E because they were worried I had broken my neck... hadn't, just badly hurt neck and back, but it was quite a worrying time and underlined how easy it is to seriously injure yourself. And I still suffer from a bad neck and back as a result of it!

So even with a teacher (ie qualified supervision as opposed to well meaning adults) telling us exactly what to do it can be a dangerous place.

My dh wants to get a trampoline now for sd1 who is 4 and can't understand why I am so against it!

[Fimbo]

My trampoline has a net round it. My garden is usually the hot bed of action in our street because of it.

I vaguely supervise.

If you are bothered about a net, could you and the other parents club together to buy one?

[hocuspontas]

I don't think I would encourage bouncing off the sides of the net. It is a safety precaution for an awkward bounce not part of the fun!

If I felt the same as you I would refuse the invitations.

[lingle]

Thefool - the DS1 hitting the underside of the trampoline is an aside - a sort of "well that's ironic" type thingy.

Truthfully I wish I had a reason not to go but I don't and I think my friend would be really hurt (she has not always been accepted in our town because she is "different").

Oh well, maybe there is some mileage in the "no net is safer than a net" idea.....

The DS1 party will be ok because I'll tell him not to go on it and he will happily play football instead. The DS2 party I'll have to be trampoline monitor.

[tommypickles]

why is she different?

[SoupDragon]

I would not let my 3 year old on a trampoline with no net if there were not sufficient spotters surrounding it.

[lingle]

She's colourful, dramatic, speaks her mind, from a Baltic State.

Has different values (drinks heavily then drives home for instance).

Feels looked down on in the playground.

Being different doesn't go down too well in our town but she's a breath of fresh air. Wouldn't get in a car with her though.

[lingle]

Actually I guess if there are quite a few of us worried (nets are the norm round here so it generates disapproving looks) then it might be a bit more sociable stood around the trampoline as there would be lots of spotters.

[Morloth]

Zebrastripes I am not sure my Mum let us get up to this sort of thing exactly, we were usually very careful to keep her in blissful ignorance.

[5Foot5]

You don't even have to be on a trampoline to be injured by it. The DS of some friends of ours was at a house with a trampoline and went underneath it to get something. Another kid didn't know he was there and bounced on it. Lad underneath got his arm really badly broken, needed an op and was in plaster for weeks.

Supervision definitely needed.

[cheesesarnie]

ds2 had trampoline accident a few weeks ago.he landed funny and badly hurt his leg.hes 3 and although he couldnt walk on it for 3 days he was desperate to do normal 3 year old things.
i hate the blardy things.

buy the 2 birthday children a net between them for their birthday.

i agree with bike=helmet
trampoline=net

[MissSunny]

Message withdrawn