Trampoline Rules To Keep You and Your Kids Safe
Trampoline rules are an excellent way to ensure kids stay safe, have fun, and enjoy all the health benefits of jumping on a trampoline. They reduce your kids’ risk of accidents and injury and contribute to the health and happiness of your family.
Below, we look at the essential trampoline safety rules you can implement to ensure your trampoline is an injury-free zone. We’ll also share some trampoline safety tips to help you prevent common pitfalls.
What Are The Basic Rules Of Trampolines?
The basic trampoline rules are as follows:
Only Allow One User at a Time
The first trampoline rule you should implement is to limit the trampoline’s use to only one person at any given moment.
When multiple people use a trampoline simultaneously, they are likely to collide due to constraints in space.
With only one jumper, there is freedom of movement and no risk of collision.
Ensure the Trampoline is in Good Condition
Always perform a safety check before using a trampoline to ensure it’s in good working condition.
Start by inspecting the quality of the mat and frames.
If there’s no wear and tear, check whether the springs are properly secured to the trampoline.
Repair damages as soon as you discover them, and if that’s not feasible, suspend the trampoline’s usage until you repair it.
Clear the Area Around the Trampoline
Keep the trampoline’s environment clear of any items–such as landscaping or lawn equipment–that may harm your child if they accidentally fall off it. Ensure that no people or pets are near the trampoline during use.
Practice the Basics
Before allowing your children to jump independently on the trampoline, ensure they know how to do so safely.
Demonstrate how to land on both feet and provide a recap now and then to ensure it remains fresh in their mind. It’s also an excellent idea to show them how to perform an emergency landing in case they lose control.
No Tricks or Stunts
Consider enforcing a rule against rolls, flips, and other stunts on the trampoline, especially for beginners.
As part of the physics of trampoline, its bouncy surface is one reason why kids love to jump a lot and may sometimes want to try new tricks while playing around. Such activities may seem harmless, but they can result in life-changing injuries, such as spinal cord injuries, when they go wrong.
Don't Allow Alien Objects Into the Trampoline
Alien objects such as toys, equipment, accessories, and shoes can be a recipe for disaster when jumping on a trampoline.
Before climbing the trampoline, jumpers should remove accessories such as jewelry, a hat, or sunglasses.
Confirm that they don’t have any loose objects in their pocket that may fall out and injure them.
It’s equally important to clear the trampoline of toys and equipment as they can turn into real projectiles, creating interference and injury during jumping.
Use the Ladder to Enter or Exit the Trampoline
Jumpers should always use the ladder to enter or exit the trampoline. Jumping on and off the trampoline is hard on the ankle and knees and increases the risk of injury.
We recommend that you disconnect the ladder after use and keep it away from the reach of children.
Supervision at All Times
Supervise the jumpers to ensure they follow trampoline rules and stay safe.
One of the benefits of keeping an eye on the jumpers is that you can quickly spot and respond to accidents should something go wrong.
If you have something urgent you need to attend to while your kids are jumping, leave them under the supervision of an adult.
How Old Do Kids Need To Be To Jump On A Trampoline?
Kids must be at least 6 years old to jump on a trampoline. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this as the right age because younger kids are more prone to bone injury.
AAP’s recommendation is based in part on data it analyzed from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) that revealed a higher prevalence of dislocations and fractures in kids below 6 years (48 percent) compared to their counterparts (29 percent).
Kids below 6 years are lighter and don’t have enough coordination to help them land correctly on a trampoline.
Moreover, their bones are usually still at an early stage of development. Jumping on a trampoline puts enormous pressure on the developing bones, increasing their likelihood of sustaining fractures and other severe injuries.
Do Nets Make Trampolines Safer?
Yes, nets make trampolines safer. Trampoline nets reduce accidents and injuries in the following ways:
- Preventing jumpers from falling off the trampoline
- Encouraging jumpers to spread out
- Acting as a protective layer against the sun
The Reduce the Risk of Falling Off
Sometimes, miscalculated jumps can catapult a jumper over the side of the trampoline, resulting in severe injuries. Using a trampoline net to enclose the trampoline can help you prevent this kind of accident.
They Prevent Collision Between Jumpers
People prefer to jump from the center of a trampoline to ensure they don’t fall off it. This natural inclination poses a big challenge when multiple jumpers are on board the trampoline: collision.
Using a net encourages jumpers to spread across the trampoline, ensuring they won’t fall off. Spreading out reduces the chances of collision.
They Protect Jumpers Against Burns
Trampoline frames can get extremely heated during summer, causing burns whenever your skin comes into contact with them.
Since trampoline nets use soft and strong synthetic UV-resistant materials, they don’t get very hot in high temperatures. Therefore, contact with the net will not cause bruising or burns.
Final Words
Trampolines provide a fun, exciting experience and a range of health benefits to jumpers. However, they can also cause accidents or injuries. Thus, it would be best if you enforced trampoline safety rules to make the most of these benefits while minimizing the risk of injury.
The following basic trampoline rules such as limiting a trampoline’s use to one person, regularly inspecting the condition of the trampoline, prohibiting tricks such as summersaults, and providing supervision to jumpers, can help you reduce the likelihood of accidents and common trampoline injuries from happening to you and your kids. Remember that just like in everything else, even in trampolines, prevention is better than cure!
