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Trampolines
The Dragon is desperate for a trampoline. A big one. We told him we could get a swingset or tree house for the backyard but no dice. He has his heart set on a 10- to 14- foot trampoline. Now may be the only time in our life that we actually have the money for it.
I love them myself but am a little afraid of, you know, six or eight kids all jumping ten feet in the air in a ten foot radius of each other.
Anyone here have experience with trampolines? What do you think -- in terms of safety, maintenance, liability for other people's kids? Annoyance factor for the next door neighbors? Specific product recommendations? Etc.
I love them myself but am a little afraid of, you know, six or eight kids all jumping ten feet in the air in a ten foot radius of each other.
Anyone here have experience with trampolines? What do you think -- in terms of safety, maintenance, liability for other people's kids? Annoyance factor for the next door neighbors? Specific product recommendations? Etc.
Tags: trampolines
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mommy Monster on -
All I know is that A) they are a ton of fun! and B) if you get one, make sure it has the fencing thing around so no one can fall off it.
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Permalink Reply by CrazyPlateFace on
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OH - MY - GOD! Tramampoline! Tramampoline!
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Permalink Reply by sarah on -
First a words of caution - the netting really doesn't prevent as many accidents as they'd lead you to believe. As an ER nurse I've seen a few nasty accidents where the kids didn't hit the ground, but may have been better off if they had.
They are not safe.
Of course we gave one to my 2 yr old for x-mas (It's indoor - a bit bigger than an exercise one) and the kids love it. Also when I was a kid my friends had one _ tons of injuries - but never me, and we loved it.
If you are going to get one make some ground rules - as long as the rules are followed they can have it - otherwise no dice.
One at a time (the kids never like this rule, but pretty much all accidents happen when multiple people are on it.)
If someone is on it - no one goes under it. Trust me - this is a valid rule : )
next rule might be best left un mentioned until they try it - items such as shaving cream, oil, should NEVER be used on one. Trust me - it causes a fair amount of pain.
Also coke is a huge no - maybe mention no food or drinks?
Good luck, have fun. Warn them they may get hurt if they get one.
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Permalink Reply by jenra on -
YAY! I love trampolines.
Make some rules about it if you end up buying one and get the cage around it. Kids on the trampoline at the same time need to be about the same size (no 20 lb kids and 90lb kids jumping at the same time), and limit the number on at one time. Generally two bigger kids or three smaller ones is more than enough.
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Permalink Reply by hermit crab on -
This is how I officially know that I am a cranky old lady - I look at full-size backyard trampolines and think "lawsuit waiting to happen."
That said, good luck and happy jumping! I know there are a lot of ways that you can mitigate the associated dangers. Definitely an enclosure and a big ol' padlock.
John T. Capp said:Depending on the state, there can be liability concerns. A trampoline is a classic "attractive nuisance." Kids see it and want to play on it. If they are on your property playing on something like that, which you know is inherently dangerous, and they're injured, they can try to come after you for monetary damages.
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Permalink Reply by Herasmus B. Dragon on
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I wouldn't, but that's mostly because Big O watched a lot of AFV. Trampolines keep that show in business.
What about his own bouncy house?
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Permalink Reply by Mamawho on
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We had one given to us without our permission, for GirlWho's birthday. We stalled as long as we could on setting it up, and then gave it away as soon as we could - thank God we couldn't move it to Chicago. GirlWho wrenched her neck and back on it a few times. I'm not a safety freak, but I'm not a fan of trampolines. A friend of mine blew out her ACL in the 5th grade on one.
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Permalink Reply by ks on -
I wouldn't let my kids have one. My cousins had one when we were kids and we loved it, I don't trust my kids not to do some of the same stupid shit we did on it and more (my kids are evil little monkeys). Plus, I'm not related to any of my neighbors and so I also worry about liability issues.
Actually, I'm kind of surprised that all of us (my cousins, sisters, and me) made it to adulthood all in once piece with all the parts more or less in working order, considering some of the dumbass moves we used to pull. There were trampolines, riding skateboards and sledding (doubled up, of course) down the very steep alley to the bottom of the hill/side of the mountain we lived on, piling 3-4 kids on to ATVs and racing and jumping them, swinging across ravines on old vines hanging from trees, and all sorts of dangerous crap that would give me a heart attack if my kids were doing it, and nobody even thought of safety equipment, much less owned any.
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Owning a trampoline can also be an issue with your homeowner's insurance. Some policies exclude any injuries on the trampoline from coverage, and some policies will even deny or cancel coverage if you have a trampoline. It would be worth a phone call before buying one.
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Permalink Reply by Kiwi on -
A few of my friends had the big trampolines growing up and all of us that played on it were injured at one time or another (fortunately I never broke anything but I had several bruised muscles and a couple twisted ankles).
1st and 2nd Kid have a 36" Mini Trampoline they were given as a gift a few years ago and they love it. I enjoy that that
A) its small size makes it portable so it can be used indoors and out
B) they really can't get that much air jumping on it and only 1 person can jump at a time
C) On a rain day if you turn on some upbeat music they can really wear themselves out jumping
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