Trampoline-what size is best?

[Albertan mom]

I am sure this will turn into a 'trampolines are so dangerous, do not buy one for your children you irresponsible mother' thread.

But for those of you who are also irresponsible, reckless mothers, what size of trampoline do you have?

Is a 12 foot a good size? Too big? Not big enough?
Our yard is average sized, our kids are 8 and 11.

We are also going to get the netting.

Any comments/ suggestions on good/bad brands?

Thanks!

 

[sajetto]

Geez, you are the worst mom in the world What are you thinking?

Really, I know they are dangerous, but there are preventative measures. My sis who I will admit I love, but is very floored me yesterday when she said she bought their son a trampoline b/c he loves jumping so much. They live in a very Posh Buckhead, Atlanta neighborhood that doesn't allow trampolines....that is until they decided to dig a HUGE hole in the yard that makes the top of the trampoline level with the ground for safety and appearance. They chose to buy the largest version available b/c they have the yard space. If you are worried about safety you could buy a net or do what she did (at a huge cost) and only let one child jump at a time.

If it were me I'd probably buy the largest size I could for my yard so that there is more trampoline to fall on than the ground


Good luck!

 

[ChristmasElf]

No lectures from me. But I will tell you I was fairly surprised when I called for a Homeowners policy on this house and they asked if we had a trampoline?
When I said "No we don't" she then responded with "That's good as you are not covered on those" Meaning if your child invites a friend over and said friend gets hurt on the trampoline, the liabilty coverage will not kick in and the parents could possibly sue the trampoline owners.

 

[flaps]

Trampoline-what size is best?

the more folks it can hold at one time, the better

(I'm beyond irresponsible and reckless when it comes to trampolines )

 

[Albertan mom]

the more folks it can hold at one time, the better

(I'm beyond irresponsible and reckless when it comes to trampolines )

 

[soccerfreak_08]

I am a teenager and would love for my mother to buy me a trampoline. The one I have fallen in love with they have at Sam's Club(don't know if you have a membership). It is the biggest one I have seen and they also have a net for it there. The best part is... it isn't that much more(if more at all) then the other sizes and brands.

 

[kaylajr]

We have one that is 14ft
we have a safety net and
a list of rules that the kids know if they don't follow they don't get to jump

I still think it was a good purchase
the kids love it


Good Luck

 

[carone0318]

2nd vote for a 14'.

My kids love it dd(9) and ds (5).

DD can practice her gymnastics. She is fairly small, but with the 14', she can do a back handspring back tuck, no problem.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

I'd go with the 14ft.
we had one, but DH got rid of it when construction started on the house.

my insurance company doesn't cover you if you have a trampoline.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

We have a 15' from Sams with the safety net. Gotta love it.

 

[rayelias]

No lectures from me. But I will tell you I was fairly surprised when I called for a Homeowners policy on this house and they asked if we had a trampoline?
When I said "No we don't" she then responded with "That's good as you are not covered on those"

Ditto here.

Before you go out and buy the trampoline, it's worth a phone call to your insurance company. I guarantee your rates will go up immensely if they don't cancel you.

And, don't think you'll just buy one and they'll never find out. I know two people who did that. The insurance company found out. They had 48 hours to take it down or risk losing the policy.

 

[paigevz]

When I was a kid, we had a 14 foot.

Not to rain on your parade, but we actually DID get hurt on it. Might've happened anyway on something else, but my brother had braces and flew off the trampoline hitting the ground. His braces went through the area under his lower lip..........all the way through, had to have stitches. That, of course, would've not happened if we'd had netting around it. I had "popping" knees as a teen, and unfortunately, one "popped" as I came down on it on the trampoline. I actually tore one of my two major knee tendons in half. It was two surgeries, 5 different knee braces, and a year and a half of recovery to fix. My little brother never got hurt on it though, beyond the occasional bruises of falling in between the springs (also wouldn't happen these days with spring covers).

My friends bought one, and they were actually renting a home..........AFTER they got it, the landlord found out, said it wasn't covered on his insurance, and made them take it down.

 

[tnkbl]

We have a 15' from Sams with the safety net. Gotta love it.

Ditto

 

[MichelleXL]

I have a 14' trampoline, but am very strict about who uses it, how many people can get on it, and what it is to be used for.

When used properly, it can be a great form of exercise. My brother (14) has juvenile diabetes. He uses it when his sugar is high and as his daily regiment of exercise. He sometimes invites a friend over to jump with him, but she is the only "outsider" allowed. She knows the rules, and is very careful.

The maximum I allow on the trampoline is 2 people. Any more than that, and I feel it starts to get hard to control the situation. It was a birthday gift to me, so I feel that I have every right to "police" it. You can never be too careful.

I currently do not have a safety net on it (springs are covered though), but with the precautions I have taken, there have been no accidents for the past 8 years ::knock on wood:: If your child would like to invite over friends though, I would suggest a safety net for it. It just really depends on how you plan to use it.

I hope I've helped in some way.

Michelle

 

[mom2rb]

I teach gymnastics and my boys have a trampoline. Any size that fits in your yard is good. Get a net. Have basic rules.

1. Put a big X with duck tape in the center of the trampoline. That way when the tape wears of the mark will stay. Tell the kids to try to jump and land on the X.

2. Try to have only one person at a time on the trampoline. Sometimes this isn't going to happen. NEVER let two kids of different size on the trampoline together! This is how most injuries happen. Same for parents and kids together.

For the mother of the gymnast, I don't let my girls work back flips at home. They will learn to go back instead of up. This is a hard habit to break. If I can spot 50 a week at the gym correctly and she can do 500 a week at home wrong then the wrong way is going to win. Ask her coach for some drills she can do at home that will help her.

 

[Southern4sure]

We have a 14ft without the net but cover the springs with the pads. We've had it for 5 years or so. We packed it up when we moved and just recently set it up after a year. Our homeowners does cover it, that was the first thing they asked. My kids love it. We have never had any accidents.

 

[Albertan mom]

Thanks for your suggestions.....
sounds like the 14 foot is the way to go!!

I am a little nervous, but my kids are so excited to get one!!

Another question-Do you take it down in the winter? Is it a big job to take down, store, re-set it up etc....?

 

[dairyou]

Can someone tell me how safe the net is on the trampoline? We always considered getting one, but the only area we have to put one is on concrete. How well does the net really work?

TIA!

Deb

 

[Albertan mom]

I also wonder about the net---does it really make it safer?

Because kids mostly get hurt falling the wrong way right?

But do they use the net as a big stretchy wall to fly into (could see my DS7 doing that!!) and bounce off of?

 

[jjohnson]

We bought the 14' from Sam's too. My kids jump on it every day until dark. (only 2 at a time).We did take the net down during the winter because I was afraid of the snow damaging it.