The Importance of Trampoline Safety

While trampolines continue to gain in popularity because of their tremendous appeal, there is a very serious side to all the fun: the safety risks. With the growing popularity has also come very serious injuries incurred by young children, most of them under the age of 15. The most common injuries are fractures, but there have been incidences of spinal injuries and head injuries too. Many of the injuries are serious enough to warrant a visit to the emergency room. The seriousness of this cannot be overlooked, and the trampoline cannot simply be looked at as another toy.

Trampoline safety is very important, but it is possible. There’s no need to forego purchasing a trampoline; your family can enjoy the delightful activity of bouncing on one as long as you are aware of what it involves to keep your children safe while they have fun. In other words, if you plan to enjoy the benefits of owning a backyard trampoline, you’ll want to be sure you make trampoline safety a high priority.

Injuries can happen most often when children are left unsupervised, so always providing adult supervision should be the first guideline for trampoline safety. Make sure that when your children get on the trampoline, they aren’t doing anything else at the same time. For instance, they shouldn’t be eating anything, or even chewing gum. This is not the time to have a ball game. Why? Because this can be distracting and can lead to a lack of balance. Proper footwear should be worn, and any long necklaces or key chains should be removed before jumping.

Children should just jump and bounce – no fancy flips or other acrobatic maneuvers. And a good rule for trampoline safety is to allow only one child at a time on the trampoline. Children colliding with one another in mid-air cause many injuries.

Consider a child’s age before allowing him or her onto the trampoline. Very young, preschool children are probably too young to participate in this activity.

Make sure the trampoline itself is safe and secure. You do get what you pay for, so make sure you have purchased a well-made trampoline from a reputable dealer. Often the bargain brands skimp on certain features and this can lead to injuries. You’ll want your trampoline to be sturdy, rustproof, with a well-made mat that won’t tear, causing a child to fall through it. The springs should be padded with guards, and the trampoline should be designed to hold a good maximum weight. It’s a good idea to purchase an enclosure for your trampoline; this is netting that surrounds the trampoline, providing prevention for children losing their balance and falling off the trampoline.

Safety and Fun

While there are certainly serious safety issues surrounding the use of home trampolines, if correct trampoline safety guidelines are followed, the trampoline can provide hours of safe and healthy fun for the whole family. There are many benefits to using a trampoline, but like with everything else, you as a parent must take the responsibility to insure that the activity is safe and supervised.