Trampoline Safety: 4 Things to Keep in Mind
I love trampolines as a way to keep kids active and get them out of the house, but any parent with some sense also understands that there are some risks involved, just as with any other type of active equipment. It’s important to acknowledge that, but it’s also important to not let risk scare you away from ever buying one. Listen, anything your kids do is going to present some type of risk—that’s just living—you just need to understand what the risks are and do the most you can to prevent them.
Here are some safety precautions to keep in mind when purchasing a trampoline.
1. Know the Dangers
Knowing the dangers is important just to have that awareness, as mentioned before, but it also helps in making the right purchase. Some of the common injuries that happen with trampolines are collisions with the metal frame, getting pinched by springs, flying off, and colliding with another body. Check out the type of protection and padding that comes with the model of your trampoline. Is it adequate to cushion the impact if they were to hit their head on it? Is the padding secure enough so that it won’t slip away and expose the springs? Some models even have padded poles that hold up netting, so that children can not fly off while having fun.
2. Establish Rules
Rules are always a good idea when you purchase something like this. Make sure your kids know just what is and what isn’t allowed, and enforce those rules. Don’t let more than one kid jump around at a time. Tell them they have to sit down and climb off the trampoline rather than jumping off. And realize that some kids that like to push the limits might even try to move the whole thing across the yard and jump off a higher surface to land on it—I hardly think it is necessary to explain why that is a bad idea.
3. Adult Supervision
Make sure that there is always an adult around when kids are playing. This doesn’t really mean you need to sit out there and hold constant vigil, but at least be around to peek out the window and see what’s going on from time to time. This not only gives you the opportunity to stop any kind of behavior that is pushing the envelope but also means that should something happen, you will be there to respond.
4. Proper Setup
And of course, setting trampolines up properly plays a huge role in how safe they will be. Keep it a good distance from other structures and objects on all sides so that if someone does fly off they aren’t likely to collide with anything that could hurt them. If you have dogs, make sure that there is no way for them to get under the trampoline. You may even want to secure it to the ground so it doesn’t move around while being jumped on.
If you take these precautions for a little additional safety, there’s no reason why a trampoline can’t still provide loads of safe fun for your family. Like I said before, everything has its risks, but with all the health benefits that come with this type of pastime, it’s pretty clear that this is a situation where the risks are outweighed by the rewards. And minimizing those risks is not a difficult task.
Have fun!
