Trampolines and safety

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ckc123

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Nor sure if this is the right place for this question....
Our kids are pestering us for a trampoline - I have heard a lot of people saying that they are actually very dangerous - is this still the case if you get an enclosure with it?

Thanks!
 
Try asking anyone working in any A&E dept round the country: my guess is their answer will make your mind up for you.
 
5 and 6 - we were looking at a 13 foot one with an enclosure from Smyth's.
 
ckc123 said:
Nor sure if this is the right place for this question....
Our kids are pestering us for a trampoline - I have heard a lot of people saying that they are actually very dangerous - is this still the case if you get an enclosure with it?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Ask in your local A&E and see what they have to say. They look every bit as dangerous as bouncy castles to me. See some on special offer if you do decide to go ahead.
 
trampolines are fine and safe for children if used properly. Only one child on it at a time and small children should be supervised until they get used to it and of course definitely needs to have an enclosure without a doubt.
accidents happen when lots of kids are on it at the same time or a big kid on it with a small one is not a good idea.
also, they are actually a good form of exercise. my 6 year old jumps around on it for about 15 mins at a time.
 
one of my kids friends has one and its a nuisance cos they don't follow the rules of one child on it at a time so I cringe every time I see my 2 year old on there with their crazy 4 year old - awkward to make a fuss about it though
 
ckc123 said:
5 and 6 - we were looking at a 13 foot one with an enclosure from Smyth's.
Click to expand...

Ask yourself are you honestly going to supervise, each and every time it's used?

Any comment you see here is likely to be anecdotal at best (on either side).

At our last two visits to A&E at Crumlin, there was a steady stream of injuries coming in from trampolines. Talking to the nurses they said they thought they should be banned. Some of the worst cases were with enclosures fitted.

My own conclusion is that they're not inherently dangerous (they do have to conform to relevant safety standards after all). However, they have to be used appropriately: supervised for younger children and never a wide mix of ages/sizes at the same time etc. etc. The question is, how likely is this in the real world? Hence my question.

In my case a five minute conversation in A&E was enough to make up my mind.
 
I should clarify in the last post, our own reason for being in A&E on both ocassions wasn't trampline related - I just couldn't get over the number of cases that were howerever.
 
Toby said:
I cringe every time I see my 2 year old on there with their crazy 4 year old - awkward to make a fuss about it though
Click to expand...

Where your childs safety is concerned you should make a fuss. Five year old nephew broke his arm in a trampoline last year.
 
Two years ago Santa brought a 13ft one to my three children (5,7,& 9 at the time). It was the best thing they ever got. Of course you should have an enclosure for safety (don't buy a cover - waste of money). The children are restricted to 3 max at a time and know, after being grounded from it several times, to go easy when smaller children are on it. When they have friends over I solved the numbers on at a time problem by letting them split into groups of 3 of similar age and I leave an egg-timer beside the trampoline. That way they get a 5 minute turn with no fights!!! If you get one it is very important to set rules at the very beginning and strictly enforce them until they get the message!!! It's also good to have to hang over them when they misbehave. My 3 go out there all year round and I get turn on it too! Fantastic when used sensibly. Remember how we were warned about the dangers of roller skates, skateboards, rollerblades etc
 
OMG I just bought a 12ft one, even though my son is 14yrs, I was talking to ambulance driver and he said just like the above 'broken limbs', its still in the box, not sure if I should dissapoint my son and return it, or sit cursing for hours in the A&E. Any reassurance!
 
A few things that I would do to improve them, where the bars come from the ground they slot into one another I would suggest you put a revet or screw in the joint, this would stop the bars ever coming apart with the bouncing, I believe someone got impaled on this bar when they split but it had no side nets and make sure it is properly tied down and I mean tied down tight, I seen one wreck a car when the wind got under it,
 
My nephew broke his arm last week playing football!
 
Most people entering A&E are there because they or someone they were in contact with was doing / using something inappropriately. Alcohol, cars, bikes, knives, kettles, trampolines, hammers, ladders, animals, etc.

Let common sense prevail. Read the manual. Buy the enclosure, tie down kit, ladder and apply the rules sensibly. My kids are 4, 7. Neighbours are 3, 9. The 4 can go on it alone or with the 3. The 7 can go on alone or with the 9. Any sign of rowdy behaviour and they are out. Over time, we'll evolve and get the balance right. Don't panic, and be careful.

I think it is the best 250 quid we ever spent on them.
 
Didn't mean to spread alarm. As others have pointed out, how it's used is the important thing. Just make sure you do supervise etc.

By the way, if it was just a matter of the odd broken limb, I probably wouldn't have mentioned it at all: some of the stories were horrendous, though.
 
2 and 4 year old on our 13ft trampoline nearly every dry day for the last year. As above, best thing we've ever got them. We got that same enclosed one from smyths. Supervise when you can, no pushing, everyone gets a turn, youll get 3 small kids on it ok as long as theyre not too boisterous. Make sure the cover mat is over the springs properly and tied right using the enclosed attachments.

There used to be an A&E condition called Kilternan thumb where people using the ski slope were falling over, using their hands to break their fall, and they sprained their thumb as it was getting caught in the the artifical holes on the ski slope.

I broke my arm when I fell off a wall when I was 7. My brother cracked a vertebrae in his neck when he was 14 playing rugby. A friend of mine broke his nose playing hurling when he was 11. I sprained my ankle when I fell off my bike when I was 12.

As far as I know, kilternan is still open, walls are still being built, bikes are still being sold and its not too hard to get hold of a hurley or join a rugby club.
 

Fair enough, but the big difference that I see is the number of cases of trampoline injuries relative to other causes. Do you get A&E professionals saying they think cycling, hurling etc. should be banned? Don't think so.

Just did some Googling, and came across a study from Waterford Regional Hospital over three months (in 2005) which found:

<QUOTE/>

A total of forty-four patients were collected during the study period. The average patient-age was 8½ years (range 2½- 15¾ years). .....
Twenty-three children (52%) necessitated operative intervention. Of this twenty-three, 4 children required immediate surgery with the remaining 19 needing surgery the following day. Of the group requiring surgery, the average length of in-hospital stay was 1.3 days (range 1-4 days).

/END QUOTE>

The study conclusions are:

<QUOTE/>​
Injuries related to the recreational use of trampolines are an important and significant cause of paediatric injury. To date, no consensus exists as to the regulation of recreational trampolines. These results strongly suggest that there is a clear need for guidelines in this regard.​
/END QUOTE>

I'm not one for wrapping kids in cotton wool, and I think there are cases where H&S has gone a bit mad. However, I think in this case, you've got to ask yourself what is the substance behind the concern?


​
 
Thanks for all the replies. I think I won't be buying a trampoline anytime soon....
 

Is there a reason why you didn't post the number of cases of trampoline injuries relative to other causes?
 
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