In its latest report on the safety of trampoline use in the home, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is advising pediatricians to tell parents to keep their kids off of trampolines.
Some of the recommendations in the report are:
- Pediatricians should advise parents and children against recreational trampoline use.
- Current data on netting and other safety equipment indicates no reduction in injury rates.
- Failed attempts at somersaults and flips frequently cause cervical spine injuries, resulting in permanent and devastating consequences.
- Homeowners with a trampoline should verify that their insurance covers trampoline injury-related claims.
The younger your child is, the more dangerous a trampoline can be. The report  states that data reveals higher rates of hospitalization for trampoline injuries in children younger than 4 years old.
Do you have a trampoline in your yard? What are your thoughts on the recommendation?
And by the way, is anyone interested in this indoor mini-trampoline I bought my daughter a couple of years ago for her birthday?
We had a full size trampoline when we were young, no netting, no pads or covers for the springs. The matt even ripped in half and we still used it. I think back and wonder how we didn’t hurt ourselves more than we did. One of my best friends still carries the scar on his forehead from the stitches he got going headlong into the metal frame. We weren’t even home at the time. Scary.
No possible way I’d have one in my yard now.
We already had our injury on a trampoline, and I don’t care to try my luck again. I know I’m the party pooper mom, but somehow I survived a childhood – and had fun! – without ever getting on a trampoline (by me, only the super rich people had them back then), and so will my kids.
Trampolines always struck me as dangerous. Now, those big blow-up jumpy castles are another thing…
There is always at least one accident when a bouncy house is involved. Every single time someone gets a bloody lip, a head injury, or worse.