Trampolines -- Yeah or Nay? (party, games, boy, accidents)
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I had one back when I was a kid in the early 90s. Me and my friends played on it just about daily. Did we get hurt? Sometimes. Did we have fun? Hell yes. Most of the time it was a leg going through the spacing of the springs.
We would put it against an old barn on our property and jump off the barn onto the trampoline. Put it beside the swimming pool and bounce in or put it beside the basketball goal and perform dunks. It was very handy and entertaining. We basically used it exactly the way you're not supposed to.
Then one dreadful day, it finally happened. It already had a few tears on one side where it had came unattached from the springs. We had maybe 5-6(Too many) people wrestling on it one night and she finally gave in and we fell through and hit the ground. Great times.
What a sad world we live in. We have to worry about liablity insurance and getting sued for having a trampoline. I remember the days that if we were at a friends house and got hurt, the last thing a parent said was, can we sue? Kids will be kids and they will get hurt no matter what you have or don't have.
Somebody upthread mentioned needing an MRI after a child hit his neck. The out-of-pocket cost for an MRI under my insurance is $800. (Without insurance, it's more than $2K.) My ER copay is $100. I think when people sue, they are usually just trying to get someone else's insurance to pay their medical bills, and that's why homeowners insurance doesn't want to cover trampolines.
Before any of my kids friends come over they have to have their parents sign liability waivers.
Ok, really I'm JK! LOL
We have strict rules....no warning, break a rule and everyone on the trampoline is done.
IMHO if an insurance company threatens to dump you for having a trampoline they're probably not worth having. I'd be shopping around for another company.
I'll always remember being about 12 and my mom taking us to her friends to "play on the trampoline". We arrive to a line of kids next to a trampoline. Basically, you stand in line and when it's your turn, your parent comes up and stands next to it. You get 3 "jumps" (straight up and down, only in the middle) and then your turn is over and you are welcome to get in line for another. Yeah. Not so fun.
Tough call. I'm a huge fan of trampolines in terms of fun. There isn't much more instant fun than a trampoline. But, it should be supervised at all times, the end. I've had many close calls from a severely sprained ankle, landing off the side, all types of out of control landings (don't let the kids play "popcorn"), and don't let two on at one time.
Otherwise it's fairly safe if you establish the rules. It's good for exercise and for balance.
I had one back when I was a kid in the early 90s. Me and my friends played on it just about daily. Did we get hurt? Sometimes. Did we have fun? Hell yes. Most of the time it was a leg going through the spacing of the springs.
I recommend one with safety nets lol.
That is how I sprained my ankle, toes caught on the outside rail, leg tried to go through the hole.
I also ended up getting one leg through the hole, other leg outside the rail, while going off the trampoline backwards. Could have been disastrous, but I just ended up being fine just hanging there with my one leg wedged between the rail and fabric until my friend lifted me out.
We were taught how to use the tramps by our gymastics coach; this was partly a gymnastics session and partly an optional "play" recreation session. We learned how to do front flips, back flips, double flips, how to STOP (you don't bounce your way to stopping, that's how people get hurt). We were taught how to fall, how to roll, donkey kicks, sit-spins, and double-jumping (with two people, intended to get better height). If there weren't a minimum of 5 people including the counselor selecting the tramp for that hour, then the session was called off. No one was allowed to jump unless there was at least 1 person to "spot" them head, foot, left, and right. They were -very- strict about that and no one -ever- got hurt.
I didn't even know anyone would want to jump on the thing *just* to jump up and down and nothing else. That seemed pretty pointless. But then, we had pogo sticks back then too, and that's what those were for
I think if more parents learned HOW to tramp, and taught their children HOW to tramp, the whole family would have a lot more fun with them.
Again, sisterhood!
I had a semester of trampoline classes in high school. We didn't have a trampoline but our Y had one. They enforced the same safety restrictions and taught actual techniques. (I have one of the small trampolines now to burn a few calories. I imagine someone could figure out how sprain an ankle with those too.)
With a good net and padded poles, it is not an unreasoanble risk. If it encourages your kids to do more active play and less X-box, the health benefits outweigh the risk IMO.
Most homeowners policies either exclude it, increase your premium or cancel your insurance. It is an issue to be aware of and investigate.
Do nto ask an ER nurse for this opinion. They only see the bad side.
I think it is like a pool, or a horse, or a minibike, or a tree fort, taking kids for a ride in a car to the dentist, or lots of other things. A potential fun and learning experience for the kids, considerable health benefits, but not without risk.
Yay definitely yay.
I never had a trampoline growing up, I had friends who had tampolines and I hardly every got to use it and then when I was 17 my friend had a trampoline but her mother ran an in home daycare and my mom needed to sign a waiver and my mom wouldn't because she was so against them, I was 17 and should have been able to make that decision for myself but I wasn't able to.
Now there is a trampoline at the house where I live now. It's awesome, when I have time I go and jump on it, I am trying to get back into being able to do a front flip.
I think trampolines are awesome, they probably help build coordination, the more active and the more complicated something is that your child does (trampolines, skateboard, gymnastics etc) the better their coordination will be.
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We have to worry about liablity insurance and getting sued for having a trampoline. I remember the days that if we were at a friends house and got hurt, the last thing a parent said was, can we sue? Kids will be kids and they will get hurt no matter what you have or don't have.
