what do you think of this? re: Trampolines

[npmommie]

so one of our friends has a trampoline and my kids love it when we are over there. I think they are dangerous, but that is another post .

so we have homeschool functions at this persons house periodically and she refuses to monitor the trampoline, there will be 5, 6 kids on there at once age range 6-10, I think that is so dangerous, and I try to keep mine off in that circumstance.

I think when she has 15 kids at her house she should either monitor the trampoline when they are on, or ban it.
I end up monitoring it only because I don't want anyone hurt.
her kid ended up with a broken arm once.

any thoughts? we are going there tomorrow for something, and there will be 17 kids, and I already have anxiety over the trampoline situation.

 

[Colleen27]

That's why we don't have one - I don't want to monitor it when we have a dozen kids in the yard. With a 10-year age gap between my oldest and youngest and us being the "hang out house" for the older kids' friends, there are just too many kids with too great an age range for me to feel comfortable with having a trampoline in the yard.

Absolutely it should be off-limits for the day if she's not willing to be out there enforcing safety rules, and even if she's not willing to do that I'd tell my kids it is off-limits to them because that kind of use isn't safe.

 

[SideshowBob]

Many insurance companies won't allow them ... have had a couple of neighbors have to remove them or lose their policy, so gives an indication that many accidents do happen, especially in case of bad usage.

 

[Acklander]

I don't have a trampoline, and am not planning on getting one, but don't think it would bother me that much if it wasn't monitored. I guess I don't see how monitoring it is going to make a difference on if someone gets hurt or not. I assume if someone fell off and broke a bone one of the other kids would go get an adult for help.

 

[tlbwriter]

I'd refuse to monitor it and I wouldn't let my kids on it, and honestly, I'd probably skip any events at her house. She sounds really irresponsible.

 

[npmommie]

I don't have a trampoline, and am not planning on getting one, but don't think it would bother me that much if it wasn't monitored. I guess I don't see how monitoring it is going to make a difference on if someone gets hurt or not. I assume if someone fell off and broke a bone one of the other kids would go get an adult for help.

monitoring so that 1 or 2 are on at a time, not 6 or 7.
that is what I meant. if only 1 or 2 at a time are on, I don't have as MUCH of a problem, but she doesn't enforce the rule. she allows as many on as they want which I think is dangerous.
thats how her kids arm got broke, someone fell on him.
heads have bumped in the past , someone always ends up hurt in some way.

I emailed her to see what her plan is for tomorrow, I asked her if she planned to allow trampoline or ban it for the day.
I'll let you know what she says. she will probably be annoyed because I asked.

 

[npmommie]

I'd refuse to monitor it and I would let my kids on it, and honestly, I'd probably skip any events at her house. She sounds really irresponsible.

You would let your kids on it?

I only monitor it cuz my own kids are getting on it, I want to tell them no for it tomorrow.

 

[Pigeon]

Trampolines are dangerous, period. Having someone monitor a trampoline isn't going to make it safe. It just gives the parents a false sense of security.

I would either skip the function or forbid my kids from going on the trampoline. I wouldn't try to tell the other person how she should manage her house.

 

[tlbwriter]

You would let your kids on it?

I only monitor it cuz my own kids are getting on it, I want to tell them no for it tomorrow.

Whoops... meant to say "wouldn't"...

 

[Momvic5]

If you are really worried about it, I would not go to the function. Make plans to do something else.

 

[Sleestack]

Trampolines can be MUCH SAFER when monitored.
When my own kids are on it they know and follow the few rules.
Like, no flipping and bumping into anyone (on purpose) and things like that.
When we have friends over, sometimes the behavior is wild! If I wasnt monitoring and setting some ground rules someone would get hurt.
We have one of those net things around our which helps. Guarantee safety? No way.
In your case I'd have a chat with that mom and tell her it worries you and ask that the rules change on homeschool days. Like, suggest two at a time or something. See if she's open to it. Are any of the other moms worried, do you know? OR... Host the next event at your house

 

[Hannathy]

ARe the other kids parents not there?

It is not up to you how anybody parents there kids. You may say you don't want yours on but if she is ok with it and the other Moms are ok with it then it is none of your business.
I would never email someone over how they were running activities at their house it is none of your business.

I would be annoyed at you to and think you quite nervy.

 

[Belle0101]

When DS was in K the teacher held an end of year party at her home. She had a trampoline and if we would allow our chilren on it we had to sign a waiver that we would not hold her responsible for accidents. In that waiver she was very clear that she would NOT monitor the children.

I decided not to sign the waiver so my son wasn't allowed on the trampoline. These were 5 and 6 year olds, at the teacher's home and she wasn't going to monitor then? Sorry, safety first.

My son is now 15 and he still talks about how he was the only kid not allowed on the trampoline. I'm a bad mom.

 

[eh24fan]

I'm always surprised by these trampoline threads. Until the Dis, I never knew they were so controversial! When I was a kid, a couple of my friends had them and we LOVED jumping! When I was in HS we'd have 5, 6, 7 of us on at once...some jumping, some sitting. My cousins had one when they were little and there were always a few of us on there too. Some kids did flips, some tried to steal your bounce, etc. But never, did any of us break anything. If we had, big deal. Kids break bones doing all kinds of stuff! I knew LOTS of kids that broke arms at recess in school but I don't recall there being huge controversy over the safety of the playground.

 

[laurie31]

monitoring so that 1 or 2 are on at a time, not 6 or 7.
that is what I meant. if only 1 or 2 at a time are on, I don't have as MUCH of a problem, but she doesn't enforce the rule. she allows as many on as they want which I think is dangerous.
thats how her kids arm got broke, someone fell on him.
heads have bumped in the past , someone always ends up hurt in some way.

Yes, it's the "more than one child at a time" that makes it truly dangerous. You can fall off and be hurt, but the really serious injuries usually happen when one child lands on another. If an adult can be there to at least make sure there is only one child on the trampoline, you can prevent a majority of serious injuries. LIke others have said, though, an injury can happen with the adult standing there watching.


http://www.nymetroparents.com/newarticle.cfm?colid=7190

Another factor closely associated with trampoline injury is the common practice of several children jumping on the trampoline simultaneously. Injuries are usually most severe when the child lands with great force. Besides the risk of collision between children, having another person jumping on the trampoline can significantly increase the force with which a child lands on the mat itself. For example, if one child jumps up at the same time another child is coming down (and the mat is accelerating upwards), the child who is landing may hit a mat that feels like concrete. Dr. Smith saw this precise scenario one day when a mother brought her son to the emergency room with a shattered leg. She told Dr. Smith that she was standing right by the trampoline and videotaped the entire sequence of events. Indeed, when he reviewed the film, he said it was remarkable how innocent the scene appeared as the boy landed correctly on what should have been a soft mat (but instead was rock hard due to the altered forces from another child jumping at the same time). Dr. Smith calls this type of situation the Myth of Supervision, whereby a parent believes that "if I follow the directions and I watch my child, there will be no injury." Unfortunately, with regard to trampolines, this is often not the case. Which is precisely why no matter what preventive measures one takes, backyard trampolines are simply never safe for children to use. So what should parents do if there is a trampoline already accessible to their children? Dr. Denise Dowd, chief of the section of injury prevention at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO, advises, "If it's your neighbor's trampoline, don't get on it. If it's yours, get rid of it."

http://emj.bmj.com/content/early/2010/07/28/emj.2009.085803.abstract

Abstract
Background: The recent popularity of domestic trampolines has seen a corresponding increase in injured children. Most injuries happen on the trampoline mat when there are multiple users present. This study sought to examine and simulate the forces and energy transferred to a child's limbs when trampolining with another person of greater mass.

Methods: The study used a computational biomechanical model.

Results: The simulation demonstrated that when two masses bounce out of phase on a trampoline, a transfer of kinetic energy from the larger mass to the smaller mass is likely to occur. It predicted that when an 80 kg adult is on a trampoline with a 25 kg child, the energy transfer is equivalent to the child falling 2.8 m onto a solid surface. Additionally, the rate of loading on the child's bones and ligaments is greater than that on the accompanying adult.

Conclusions: Current guidelines are clear that more than one user on a trampoline at a time is a risk factor for serious injury; however, the majority of injuries happen in this scenario. The model predicted that there are high energy transfers resulting in serious fracture and ligamentous injuries to children and that this could be equated to equivalent fall heights. This provides a clear take-home message, which can be conveyed to parents to reduce the incidence of trampoline-related injuries.

 

[Tink888]

Her house, her trampoline.......I wouldn't care what she does.

I'd just tell my kids that they weren't allowed on the trampoline and be done with it.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I'm ok with them but pretending they aren't dangerous is a bad idea. My 12 year old DS and his friends were on one and my son got up with a broken finger. It wasn't his first broken bone and it hasn't been his last, and I'd bet money there will be more. The way I see it childhood is full of potentially dangerous stuff and sometimes you just have to let go. Of course, I don't mean life threateningly dangerous is fine but danger vs fun should be measured. Realistically speaking a Trampoline is less dangerous than a bike or swimming in a pool but most people let their kids ride bikes and swim.

If I was in your shoes, and I often am BTW, I would have no problem with monitoring the trampoline. Sure you don't want to do it but if you don't you have 2 choices, either let it go and deal with what happens OR sit back while your kids are left out of fun stuff. I know it stinks to suck it up and watch but when I do it I keep in mind I'm doing it for MY KIDS not the others.

My personal favorite pet peeve happens when we go to the beach with other families. I sit there and watch my kids while the rest of the adults drink themselves into oblivion and the little ones always come to me asking me to do stuff for them. I just send them off to their parents if they want or need something, DH & I may be the only responsible adults there but I'm no babysitter.

 

[npmommie]

ARe the other kids parents not there?

It is not up to you how anybody parents there kids. You may say you don't want yours on but if she is ok with it and the other Moms are ok with it then it is none of your business.
I would never email someone over how they were running activities at their house it is none of your business.

I would be annoyed at you to and think you quite nervy.

you didn't read my post.
I am not tellling anyone how to parent, I monitor it because my own kids are getting on, so I make them stick to the 1 or 2 kids on at a time

 

[npmommie]

thanks for all the replies, I was really curious if I was the only one that thought this way over the trampoline.

so she emailed me back and said she would stick to the 1 or 2 only at a time for tomorrow.
and she posted it on our group yahoo site so everyone will be aware of the rule.
she wasn't annoyed with me at all.
at least she didn't sound annoyed.

and I didn't tell her she should do that, I only asked her what the plan was for tomorrow

 

[npmommie]

I'm ok with them but pretending they aren't dangerous is a bad idea. My 12 year old DS and his friends were on one and my son got up with a broken finger. It wasn't his first broken bone and it hasn't been his last, and I'd bet money there will be more. The way I see it childhood is full of potentially dangerous stuff and sometimes you just have to let go. Of course, I don't mean life threateningly dangerous is fine but danger vs fun should be measured. Realistically speaking a Trampoline is less dangerous than a bike or swimming in a pool but most people let their kids ride bikes and swim.

If I was in your shoes, and I often am BTW, I would have no problem with monitoring the trampoline. Sure you don't want to do it but if you don't you have 2 choices, either let it go and deal with what happens OR sit back while your kids are left out of fun stuff. I know it stinks to suck it up and watch but when I do it I keep in mind I'm doing it for MY KIDS not the others.

My personal favorite pet peeve happens when we go to the beach with other families. I sit there and watch my kids while the rest of the adults drink themselves into oblivion and the little ones always come to me asking me to do stuff for them. I just send them off to their parents if they want or need something, DH & I may be the only responsible adults there but I'm no babysitter.

I worry more about head and neck injuries when they are on it.
and especially when there are so many at a time, its easy to fall in that situation.
bump heads etc.