Trampolines continue to rise in popularity, and are a staple item in many Australian backyards. They’re a fun and relatively inexpensive way to get our kids outside and exercising outside of school gym classes and extracurricular activities. Gone, however, are the days when a trampoline surface could be attached to springs, and it would be open for business to the neighbourhood, no matter who came to play. A rise in serious injuries made it plain how unsafe trampolines had become, so trampolines began to evolve. Springs were covered in pads, legs were made sturdier, and even large nets were added to prevent users from bouncing right off the apparatus. All of these changes helped in limiting the number of injuries, but they did not eliminate them completely.
One of the most important things you can do as a parent and trampoline owner is to keep a close eye on your children while they and their friends are bouncing away in your backyard. Keeping a close eye on your kids and the equipment while using a trampoline is crucial to maintaining a safe environment. Kids will always engage in behaviours that are dangerous, even if there are nets and pads protecting them.
Here are some things that adults can do and look for while supervising their kids on trampolines.
The safest number of kids to be on a trampoline is one, and that’s it. As soon as another child is put into the mix, they become two flying objects just asking to slam into each other. Unfortunately, kids will try to get away with these things, so it’s important to have an adult there to make sure that no one extra hops onto the trampoline when someone else is already there.
An adult should be checking the trampoline for any issues on a regular basis. Make sure the connections are still tight, the springs are still connected all the way around, and that there aren’t any holes in the netting if you have a net around the outside. Once a hole forms in the netting, it becomes easy to make the hole bigger.
The same goes for the trampoline surface as well. If you discover a hole, then replace it immediately without using it any further. Also, check the ground to see if it’s still level. Sometimes the bouncing pushes down the ground on one side and makes it uneven. This can cause erratic bouncing and the potential for injury.
Some kids like to take their fun to another level by bringing in extra items with which to play. A popular item is balls. They play catch with someone on the outside while bouncing, or play some other game that is more challenging because of the jumping. The problem is, the ball can get away and go wherever the trampoline takes it. If a child were to land on it at a funny angle, they could seriously injure their ankle. Or, even worse, they may not be aware of their surroundings fully when trying to catch the ball and fall off the trampoline.
One of the greatest joys of playing on a trampoline can be landing a flip or somersault. The problem is that most kids don’t have the training or knowledge to do those moves properly, even if they are landing them. A child landing on their head can do serious damage to their head or neck, including paralysis. Your child should only be performing gymnastic moves if they’ve had some form of training.
A good age guideline for trampolines is that no one under the age of six is permitted. Children that small are still developing, and their muscles and bones might not be strong enough to withstand the constant impact when using it. They can be especially susceptible to injury if there are larger kids on the trampoline with them.
Many people use a ladder or a step stool to help kids get up on the trampoline surface. This should be put away after use so that no little children manage to sneak up when it’s not in use.
