Trampoline?

[tmarquez]

DD has asked for a trampoline for Christmas. I'm not sure. It's pretty expensive and she just turned 12, so I'm thinking she might be too old for one?

If you have one, how old were your kids when they stopped using it?

And do you have any recommendations? We would need one with a decent weight limit since older kids will be using it.

Thanks!

 

[pryncess527]

My sister got a trampoline for Christmas when she was 9 and I was 13. We both loved it! I'm pretty sure I kept using it till I graduated high school and moved out. I always thought it was such fun exercise.

 

[bjscheel]

My kids are 13 and 16 and if our trampoline wasn't so broken, they would still enjoy using it. Iowa winters are too hard on it. We moved it inside for the first few, then got lazy. We have considered getting another if we find one on clearance or something.

I don't know the brand, it was just one from Pamida (a small town discount type store), and probably about $150. I do recommend the netting for the perimeter to keep them from falling off the sides. Also recommend staking it down- they do catch the wind easily!

Another thing that made it a good thing for us is that we live out in the country and there are no neighbor kids. So nobody is climbing onto it uninvited. There's your liability to consider if you might have kids helping themselves. On that note, also check with your homeowners insurance. My sister's agent made her take theirs down.

 

[karenbaco]

I bought one in the spring. My kids are 11 and 13. They love it as do all their friends. We got it at Walmart and it came with the nettting. I highly recommend the netting, there were so many times my boys would have flown off that thing had it not been there. I have had 4 13 yr old BIG boys on it at once and it stood the abuse. It still in great condition considering the beating it has taken. I highly recommend it. I am undecided about taking it apart for the winter, it can't be easy to do. Maybe just take the tramp part off and leave the netting, I am undecided.

 

[Nayan]

Another thing that made it a good thing for us is that we live out in the country and there are no neighbor kids. So nobody is climbing onto it uninvited. There's your liability to consider if you might have kids helping themselves. On that note, also check with your homeowners insurance. My sister's agent made her take theirs down.

Agreed. You have to tell your insurance company if you are considering buying one of these. Depending on the company, they will either tell you your rate will go up due to having one or they will drop you. If you do not tell them and someone gets hurt, they will not pay the claim, which opens yourself up to a whole other can of worms. Not to be a downer, but I would just suggest not getting one at all.

 

[karenbaco]

Agreed. You have to tell your insurance company if you are considering buying one of these. Depending on the company, they will either tell you your rate will go up due to having one or they will drop you. If you do not tell them and someone gets hurt, they will not pay the claim, which opens yourself up to a whole other can of worms. Not to be a downer, but I would just suggest not getting one at all.

I only let my friends kids on my trampoline. I also texted them asking for their permission and asked that they not hold me responsible if their child got hurt. They all texted back with a yes and agreed. At least I have that.

 

[disney world dreamer]

you're never too old to use a trampoline as long as you are in good health.

my dad bought our trampoline for christmas 1996 and we set it up in summer 1997.
when we set it up i was 11, my one sister was 13, and my other sister was 17.
we loved it and used it daily.

18 years later we still have it and its been used every year in those 18 years.
no longer by my sisters and i (i'd continue to use it but i hurt my back a few years ago when i fell down a flight of stairs at disney) but it is being used by my nieces and nephew.

while it is expensive its a good investment that will get years of use vs buying some new electronic that costs just as much and breaks within a year.

plus your child will be getting her exercise in without even knowing it cuz she's have so much fun so that is an added health benefit.

 

[DizMe]

We bought ours about 7 years ago and the kids all still use it constantly. They make up games and have all sorts of fun with it. I'll echo the others and say that you seriously must get the netting around it.

I called my insurance company (State Farm, and I'm in California) and they told me there was no problem and no extra charges. I do live in the country and we also have a swimming pool so maybe I'm already covered for 'attractive nuisances' or whatever they're called.

Be sure to insist on following some basic rules when on the trampoline. Multiple people jumping at once is absolutely not allowed, for instance.

 

[mjkacmom]

I only let my friends kids on my trampoline. I also texted them asking for their permission and asked that they not hold me responsible if their child got hurt. They all texted back with a yes and agreed. At least I have that.

It doesn't matter what they promise, because their insurance companies did not enter into that agreement. If their kids get hurt, and the claims are submitted to their insurance, their insure company will inquire where the injury occurred.

 

[barkley]

I only let my friends kids on my trampoline. I also texted them asking for their permission and asked that they not hold me responsible if their child got hurt. They all texted back with a yes and agreed. At least I have that.

just be aware-even if the kid's parents say they won't hold you responsible there's almost a 100% certainty that their medical insurance has a provision that requires they fully cooperate with the insurance company in actively pursuing liability against you in the event of an injury that the insurance company provides coverage for. even a minor injury can be very costly-when dd was younger she got a very minor fracture in her arm that required an orthopedic surgical procedure that ran over $60,000 between the surgery and the follow up appointments.

I caution you on this because my former co-worker made a similar arrangement with the parents of her kid's friends, and despite the parents having agreed (she had it in writing as well), when one of the boys was injured his health insurance immediately invoked this provision which resulted in her homeowner's insurance denying the claim (she wasn't covered for it), and canceling her insurance. this triggered a horrendous domino effect-her mortgage (like everyone's) required homeowner's insurance so when the lender was notified of the cancelation they noticed her that she was in default and facing foreclosure. she tried to replace the insurance through traditional routes but because of the nature of the claim she was designated high risk so her only option to keep her home from being foreclosed was to get a high risk policy through her state which was over 3x the premium she previously paid (with nowhere near the coverage) these added expenses along with the injured kid's medical expenses and the attorney's fees (w/o insurance coverage it was on co-worker's dime to get representation) mounted very quickly (w/in 6 months it was into six figures)

 

[tmarquez]

Thank you all for the great advice!

It looks like Santa will be bringing a trampoline this year.

I checked with our insurance and our policy is fine (but they do require a net enclosure, which I would want anyway).

 

[ktlm]

I'm an attorney and I have defended trampoline cases where people have been sued due to kids being hurt on the backyard trampoline. The netting is not going to be a protection. While most people think that the only danger is falling off, that is not the case. Most injuries are caused by double or more jumping (2 or more people on the trampoline at the same time). There was a study about 15 years ago that found that only about 28% of trampoline injuries were from falling off, while 66% of the injuries occurred while on the trampoline. There was a study put out last year that looked at 100 hospitals across the nation and from 2002 to 2011 there were approximately 289,000 t visits to emergency rooms of those hospitals for broken bones due to trampoline injuries, and for all accidents over one million ER visits to those hospitals for trampoline injuries.

The trampoline is designed for use by one person at a time. You will see warnings in your instruction booklet and sometimes on the trampoline itself that there should never be more than one person at a time on the trampoline. The problem is that what happens is that at some point the trampoline material goes taut. If the other jumper is in the air and hits it when it is at the point, it is like hitting concrete. I had a case where this happened and the kid's leg broke at the growth plate- which can cause that leg to wind up crooked or shorter. The kid was just straight jumping up and down with a friend- not doing anything crazy- and just happened to hit the trampoline at the wrong time. Double jumping also results in a lot of banging into each other or falling on top of each other type injuries. At least around here, the claim against the parents is usually that they were negligent in that they allowed more than one child at a time on the trampoline when the manual and warnings specifically instructed this was improper. Also, flips are dangerous as if they don't make it around and land on their head or neck, they can break their neck and that can result in them becoming paraplegic or quadraplegic. There are several instances where this has occurred.

After defending a couple of cases, I won't ever have one at my house.

There are serveral insurance companies that will cancel you if they find out you have a trampoline. Others will put an endorsement on the policy that there is no coverage for any trampoline injuries. If it is on the application and you are not truthful about it, that can result in no coverage too.

 

[Pumbaa_]

It's a risk to own. Many people never have a problem and love them

However, worst case scenario, are you willing to endanger your kids and their friends?

Please do your own research into the downside of a trampoline prior to purchase

It's the responsible thing to do.

 

[kathy884]

I had a trampoline growing up and before any friends could go on it, my mom had their parents sign a liability release statement. Despite that (probably not an issue now because more people have them), I did not enjoy having it. When friends came over all they ever wanted to do was jump on that trampoline, but that was back in the 70s. Getting that too, my dad increased his umbrella liability coverage to 2 million.

My son wanted to get a trampoline, but I said no. I didn't want to be supervising kids jumping on it. I didn't want to have to check with my insurance company to make sure they allow this (and possibly even have to search for another insurance company.). I didn't want to get liability statements from parents of kids that come over. I have an only child and I didn't want him jumping on it with no one around and I didn't want to spend hours out there watching him jump. I didn't want to up my umbrella liability coverage. It might not again today be a problem, but I didn't want kids just wanting to jump on the trampoline when they came over to our house to the exclusion of other fun activities based on my negative experiences as a kid. Also, I think they are too dangerous. As another poster alluded too there are lots of possibilities for accidents with multiple kids jumping on one together and that's what kids always want to do. I didn't want to turn into a babysitter and a policeman.

Many people I'm sure think they are great to have. If my son wants one, though, he'll have to wait till he has his own house.

My husband supported me on the decision (which I greatly appreciated), so we were united in turning down my son's request.

 

[Luvchefmic]

OP we're in FL too. You know how trailer/motor homes have required hurricane tie downs and how we run around moving lawn furniture etc to a secure place at certain times of year? Well make sure you have a plan with that trampoline. If you're not home and it goes airborne that could be another legal liability. Not trying to be negative either but I saw what a neighbor went through with hers years ago.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I bought one in the spring. My kids are 11 and 13. They love it as do all their friends. We got it at Walmart and it came with the nettting. I highly recommend the netting, there were so many times my boys would have flown off that thing had it not been there. I have had 4 13 yr old BIG boys on it at once and it stood the abuse. It still in great condition considering the beating it has taken.

NEVER let more than one person jump at a time. That's a basic trampoline safety rule.

 

[luvsJack]

My sons had one growing up, until Katrina messed it up.

When they had a group over they just had to follow the rules. One at a time and the others spotting. They all got pretty good at tricks on it. Later on younger DS learned to wrestle on a trampoline.

Dd never really got into it much.
They can be dangerous if not used correctly just like a pool can be. Just have to make them follow the rules.

My sil did break her ankle on one but part of that was her not having a spotter and when she almost fell off she landed wrong trying to catch herself.

 

[Southernmiss]

We had one for about 10 years. Our kids loved it. No injuries. Really got our money's worth. Learned lots of tricks and made up their own games. I agree that it's like owning a pool. Just teach them rules amd know the visiting kids who play on it.

 

[lizzi6692]

I had a trampoline growing up and before any friends could go on it, my mom had their parents sign a liability release statement. Despite that (probably not an issue now because more people have them), I did not enjoy having it. When friends came over all they ever wanted to do was jump on that trampoline, but that was back in the 70s. Getting that too, my dad increased his umbrella liability coverage to 2 million. My son wanted to get a trampoline, but I said no. I didn't want to be supervising kids jumping on it. I didn't want to have to check with my insurance company to make sure they allow this (and possibly even have to search for another insurance company.). I didn't want to get liability statements from parents of kids that come over. I have an only child and I didn't want him jumping on it with no one around and I didn't want to spend hours out there watching him jump. I didn't want to up my umbrella liability coverage. It might not again today be a problem, but I didn't want kids just wanting to jump on the trampoline when they came over to our house to the exclusion of other fun activities based on my negative experiences as a kid. Also, I think they are too dangerous. As another poster alluded too there are lots of possibilities for accidents with multiple kids jumping on one together and that's what kids always want to do. I didn't want to turn into a babysitter and a policeman. Many people I'm sure think they are great to have. If my son wants one, though, he'll have to wait till he has his own house. My husband supported me on the decision (which I greatly appreciated), so we were united in turning down my son's request.

Just fyi, those liability waivers weren't worth the paper they were written on. That's why most insurance companies won't cover claims that result from owning a trampoline. There is basically nothing that can eliminate all fault for a trampoline owner in the event of an accident.

 

[missbrooke06]

Man, this trampoline stuff is so crazy. A car is far, far more dangerous.