Because Jumping is Dangerous

Once upon a time I confessed to the internet that I do not let my kids eat cookie dough because I’m too afraid they’ll get salmonella poisoning and quite possibly, die.
The conversation that took place in the comments was interesting. Some people were like “Raw eggs are dangerous! You are so right not to let your kids eat it!” Other people were like “JOY THIEF! You are depriving your children of being a child! LET THEM EAT THE DAMN CAKE BATTER!”
I’m proud to say I still do NOT let my children eat raw cookie dough/cake batter.
Today, I am confronted with another parenting dilemma in which I question whether I’m being a paranoid, over protective freak.
I will not let my daughter jump on a trampoline.
This issue came up a few times when the boys were little. They’d ask if they could jump on the neighbors trampoline and I’d be all “No!” And they’d be all “But mom! Why.. ha ha Did you hear my fart? That was the best fart ever! LET’S PLAY BASKETBALL!”
Gabby is not as easily distracted. She made a new friend in the neighborhood and this friend has a MOFO trampoline. She was invited over right now and the first thing out of her mouth was “May I please jump on the trampoline?”
Here is the conversation that followed:
Me: No. You can’t jump on the trampoline.
Her: Why not, Mommy? They’re so fun!
Me: Because they’re dangerous! You can injure yourself so easily!
Her: Oh my GOSH, Seriously, Mom? That doesn’t happen in real life! That only happens on America’s Funniest Home Videos!
(hahahahhahaha)
So, I ask you, Awesome People Who Read My Blog, do you (would you) let your child jump on trampolines? If yes, tell me why you’re not afraid they’ll flip off, land on their head and break their necks.

84 thoughts on “Because Jumping is Dangerous

  1. Neal

    Not only NO, but ABSOLUTELY NOT !!!!! (I”d say Hell No but I don’t cuss in front of kids).

  2. Julie

    We have a trampoline. It has a safety net. No one has ever had more than a bumped head in the three years we have had it. If there was no net, I would be a little concerned.

  3. Heather

    I would, but I’d also let her eat cookie dough, so I think I’m just coming at it all from a different angle. If it really makes you uncomfortable, I say just don’t do it. She’ll get over it.

  4. Nancy P

    Do these people have a net type fence around it? I have seen those and would assume that people who are brave enough to buy a trampoline would be smart enough to have the side protection. Also, will they be supervised

  5. DeannaBanana

    This was my hard line NO issue in parenting. I detest them, and absolutely not….with or without a safety net.

  6. Sarah

    You can tell her my Mom’s story.
    When she was in elementary school and they had trampoline IN gym (they did when I was little too…feeling old here)…anyway, in that ‘controlled’ environment my mom jumped on the trampoline.
    She ended up completely knocking her tooth out on the trampoline.
    Went to the dentist…the dentist put the tooth back in and put a cast on it for two weeks and the tooth reattached.
    Freaky but true.
    Oh wait, this is against trampolines…well, even in the most controlled environment you can say
    “It’s only fun and games until you lose a tooth and look like a crazy redneck.”

  7. Amy --- Just A Titch

    My mom didn’t let me do all sorts of stuff (go places my friends were allowed to go, eat fruit roll ups, etc.) and while it annoyed me as a kid, I totally know that I’ll be even more worried as a parent. I think you need to do what works for you as a mom.

  8. mommabird2345

    I’ve only let my kids jump on a trampoline once, while I stood RIGHTTHERE, and there was safety net around it so they couldn’t fall off. I wouldn’t just let them go to a friend’s house and jump on one. I don’t trust other people to watch *my* kids as closely as I do, but that’s just me.

  9. Margie K

    Only if under close adult supervision, with numerous spotters, and with a trampoline that has padded coverings on the springs and frame. So most of the time, no — but not never.
    Fortunately for us, the opportunity to play on a trampoline didn’t come up very often, so I didn’t have to get very many “but mom!”s about it.
    That said, my boys (who are now into their 20s) were very much into BMX bike riding-jumping-tricks, and we have the ER visits and broken bones that ultimately went along with it (so glad they wore their helmets when they did this).
    Both boys also wrestled for teams supervised by good coaches, elementary through high school. Still, one of them got a few concussions and ultimately had to sit out regionals the year he was “ranked” and most likely would have qualified for State.
    Which all adds up to:
    – boys will be boys
    – if it’s not one thing, it’s another
    – no matter how careful you are, something can go wrong
    – you have to “pick your battles” and weigh the risks.
    And I totally let them have a little cookie dough. Probably because my mom let us when we were kids, and I’m still alive — plus I figure a few bites isn’t enough to make them sick (I’m probably wrong about that and have just been lucky all my life).

  10. jonniker

    I do if I’m there, and if there’s a safety net. But only if those two things are present. 1) I’m there; 2) safety net. Otherwise, no sirree.

  11. Y

    Amy- I wasn’t allowed to do a bunch of stuff either, but mostly stuff that would hurt my ETERNAL SALVATION. I could jump on trampolines all day long if I wanted to, because trampolines could kill my body, BUT NOT MY SOUL. hhaha

  12. Audrey

    Without a net? Absolutely not! I do let my older boys jump on the neighbor’s trampoline (with net), and they mostly wrestle and monkey around, but Peanut has still come home injured. It’s definitely a personal decision, and it is a dangerous thing, no question. If you’re not comfortable, I say “no dice.”. She’ll get over it. Or wait until she’s old enough and sneak it when you’re not around.

  13. Nil Es

    Well, theres your way out: no net no jump. But expect that sooner or later, if they really are the friends for keeps, sooner or later this is gonna be a big problem.
    That said, I survived my cousin’s trampoline. The big, no pads & no net kind in the 70’s. Many many afternoons. Yes, we fell off. And we jumped off. We fell through the springs. We crashed into each other. We had too many kids at once and mixed age groups (4 year old cousins, 15 year old cousins and everything in between). By today’s standards all of us should have broken something at least once. But I don’t recall any of us ever breaking anything.

  14. Scout's Honor/Heather Murphy-Raines

    I used to be a “oh, hellz no, no way, you may not jump on a trampoline” type o’ mom. I actually jumped on a friend’s trampoline in middle school–no net of course, no pads on springs, and on concrete. I fell backward through the springs and bashed my head and….
    …Now I’m a republican. “Nuff said. Heh!
    No really, it hurt and I was dazed. I also removed most of my inner thigh. Fast forward 20 years, I always said no, no, and no. Then I had an epiphany.
    Guess what we got from Satan Clause this year? 15 foot monster of a trampoline with safety net and pads. The kids have played on it endlessly–all under my thumb.
    Now when they go to friends’ houses, they never want to jump. It’s boring and no longer a novelty. They’d rather do other stuff. And kids that have trampolines never want to jump at our house for the same reason. {yawn} Boring!
    So there you go. Go git yerself one and they’ll never want to jump at a friend’s house again and you won’t raise any republicans like me! 🙂
    You’re welcome!
    ~Scout

  15. chrissylas

    It’s definitely your choice but I can say that I grew up eating cookie dough and jumping on trampolines. I loved every minute of it and while I had a few bumps and bruises, the memories I have were worth it.
    I don’t have any kids but I am not ashamed to admit that I want a trampoline for myself! So fun!

  16. Julia

    if there is a net around the trampoline AND a parent supervising, then yes. if not both, then NO WAY

  17. Jennifer

    I have always let my daughters jump on trampolines. When they first started I would tell them repeatedly to stay away from the edge & I would stand there & watch. Now? Not so much. And, knock on wood, there has never been an accident. Flips are Fun!

  18. Maggie

    I greatly discouraged the trampoline but I know they did it any way. I begged them to at least only go one at a time to reduce the risk of injury. I’m sure they were also the kids that had their bike helmet hanging from their handlebars once they were out of my sight. BTW, I used pasteurized eggs so my kids could eat the raw cookie dough.

  19. Daisy

    So, I was totally allowed to eat LOTS of cookie dough…but I was NOT allowed on trampolines or carnival rides. See, when my Mom was 12 her best friend had a horrible accident on a trampoline (with my Mom watching) and my Mom fainted from the sight of all the blood and hit her head on the way down. Her best friend’s Mom had to drag BOTH of them to the car – a VW Beetle Convertible- toss both girls in and take them to the ER. Traumatized FOR EVER.
    I don’t feel the least bit slighted about the trampoline thing, but I’m still a little sore about the carnival ride thing.

  20. sophie

    I ate cookie dough and cake batter as a child, and my sister and I let her kids eat it as well.
    A friend had an “in the ground” trampoline when I was a kid, so nobody could fall off. However, I managed to faceplant into the metal rim and got stitches, clumsy me.
    i would say no tramoline without a net–and then only if you are okay with it. You have to feel comfortable because accidents can happen, and if you let her do something you aren’t sure about and she gets hurt, you will feel guilty.

  21. Jen Higgins

    I wouldn’t let my daughter do that, although I have one exception. Sometimes people dig a hole and put the trampoline in it so it’s level to the ground. Then, if you bounce off it, it’s not like you’re falling. I would reconsider ONLY if that was the case.

  22. jen

    i’m with you. when i was 12, i broke my arm so badly that it almost popped through the skin. i now have a perma-crooked arm. i didn’t even fall off…i fell on the black part!

  23. amanda

    No to cookie dough… Yes to trampoline with RULES. No more than 2-3 children HER SIZE with her… if your older boy got on with her, heck yea, she’d be up with the electric lines in a minute… and then on the ground. But with a couple of other children HER SIZE she should be FINE!! Does the trampoline have a safety net? Does it have padding on the springs?
    My son has had a trampoline since Santa delivered it to him at age 3. He turned 13 three days ago… same trampoline. It started out with mats over the springs and a net… now it’s just the trampoline with years of experience. You also need to teach her how to land. FEET FIRST at all times…. 🙂

  24. Katie

    I let my kids eat cookie dough and cake batter but NO to trampolines. I hate those things with a passion. I’d rather deal with puke/diarrhea/dehydration than broken arms/concussions.

  25. Emily

    A neighbor up the street had a trampoline and I let my daughter jump on it as long as an adult was there.
    One day there was nobody home and the neighborhood kids decided to jump anyway.
    One kid pushed another, who bumped into my daughter…who broke her arm so badly that it required surgery, pins, and 10 weeks of physical therapy once the cast came off.
    No jumping.
    Distract her with the cake batter!

  26. Steph

    Even though I would be a nervous wreck I would let her, I mean kids will be kids and regardless things can happen weather she is jumping on a trampoline, or riding her bike she may fall and get hurt.

  27. Jen

    We have had one for years… 3 boys (8, 12, 17) and they absolutely love it. Neighbor kids use it, and my boys use others. Always a net…
    The hardest part is how many want to be on it at a time…we have a 4 person limit (its a 14ft) and if my oldest is on it (he is a trampobadass) he has to be extra careful with the youngest ones.
    There are about 18 kids in our neigborhood and 3 tramps. The biggest issue has been our skate ramp in the street. When we got that one of the dads wanted waivers signed and everything to protect his kid. Yet that kid is on the tramp all the time. lol
    Good Luck. Do what you feel is right.

  28. daysgoby

    Nope.
    Husband is a paramedic, I work in an ER. Too many broken limbs, popped joints, neck fractures *wincing at the very thought*. Too many kids red faced and keening screams while their parents swallow panic about how FAST everything can go wrong.

  29. Karly

    While I will happily admit that I think you’re INSANE for not allowing your kids to eat cookie dough (unless, of course, that’s just an evil plot so that you can get the raw cookie dough to yourself, in which case you are an evil genius), I get the trampoline thing.
    They ARE dangerous. (Unlike pasteurized raw eggs. Sorry, couldn’t resist…I’m just teasing you.) That being said, we bought our kids a trampoline a few years ago. We did have the enclosure around it, although that was my husband’s doing. I’m more of a “eh, all kids need a broken bone or two or it just isn’t childhood” kind of mom.
    Also, I grew up jumping on trampolines so maybe that has something to do with it. Just don’t ask me to get on one now…the last time I did I peed EVERYWHERE. Stupid babies.

  30. DogsDontPurr

    Oh hells no! I can see twisted ankles, twisted knees, torn ligaments, broken arms……and DOCTOR BILLS!!!! EEEeeeeek!!! No, just say no. no. no. no!!

  31. Kandace

    LET! HER! JUMP! Remind her to be safe. One at a time. Not jumping out of trees onto it (kid you not, my boy thought it was an excellent idea). Kids break things, and hurt themselves and get salmonella. I survived.
    If you really can’t stand it and she still insists enroll her in gymnastics.

  32. Thumper

    There was a time I allowed it; then he was 14 and stood there and watched a friend land wrong on one, bounce off, and land on his head. The kid broke his neck, and at 14 years old became a quadriplegic.
    So no, it doesn’t just happen on AFV. Sometimes kids have to see their friends paralyze for life, and they never get over it…

  33. Nanette

    Hmmm…
    We haven’t faced that scenario yet with our toddler. I probably would if it was netted and I was there, much like how I hover when she’s in a bounce house. I’m not so worried about her hurting herself on her own as she’s generally quite cautious — it’s the other crazy jumping kids I worry about.

  34. pgoodness

    We have a trampoline. BUT we have a net around it. No net=no jump for me. Also, if you decide to let her? Get in with her – and let me know how hard you laugh, ok? 🙂

  35. Jessica

    I do let my toddler jump on the neighbors trampoline. It has a net around it so I feel safe letting him do that. He is also in gymnastics and they have an in-ground one that they jump on…two at a time. But as he gets bigger, I know it can end with an injury so I just hope he learns to be safe now. I don’t feel right telling him no when I spent hours and hours on them when I was younger!

  36. Nicki

    I do. My daughter started gymnastics at 12 months old and trampoline is part of her gym class. They taught the kids early to stay in the middle (on the star drawn on the trampoline) and how to get on and off safely. Those trampolines don’t have nets and although you can’t fall off because they are floor level, you could potentially fly off onto the harder floor. We also have a netted trampoline at home.
    I can honestly say that after 6 years of trampoline ownership and 4 years of gymnastics class, not one of my kids ages 5-16 has ever been injured on a trampoline.
    I think the key is to control behavior on the trampoline and to only let one kid jump at a time. There is little cause for injury – no more than riding a bike or jumping rope – in that case.

  37. ElizabethZ

    Net? Yes. We had one till a recent storm blew it into the neighbor’s driveway and destroyed it. We will be replacing it soon. No net? NO WAY. I have 5 y/o twins and I will NEVER allow them to jump on a trampoline with no net. They are however “sturdy” boys we have created, my husband and I (or so the pediatrician says, and I must say it is true) so I don’t worry too much about them. As long as they aren’t running in the street or jumping off the roof, they will probably be fine.

  38. coralie

    as someone who was double bounced and had a life threatening broken pinky finger that still aches almost 30 years later on cold days, i have my heart in my throat the rare time my kids have been on trampolines. i would never buy one, and fortunately none of their friends have one anymore, but when they did it was only with nets, only one at a time, and only with adult supervision. trampolines make me want to puke!

  39. Lisa

    We bought a 15′ trampoline with safety enclosure last year for our two kids (5 & 8 years old) and it’s got to be the best purchase we’ve made in years. They have an absolute blast on there and get tons of exercise. We do supervise them and there are rules, which they occasionally need reminding of, but it’s been totally worth every cent. Even my husband and I love to hop on and go for a jump too!
    I’ve been a nurse for 18 years in the acute care setting. The odds are more favorable for being seriously injured in a car accident than on a trampoline….IMO.
    Seriously Yvonne, you should give the trampoline a try yourself. It’s lots of fun!

  40. Karate Mom

    When growing up, our neighbors had a trampoline and my parents wouldn’t let us jump on it without supervision. My dad is a physical therapist and had worked with kids and, while I’m not sure he ever treated a kid who was a quad BECAUSE of a trampoline accident, he was still very concerned about that possibility. One day, my mom looks out the back window and sees my brother’s head appearing and disappearing over the fence…because he was jumping on the trampoline. Anyway, he got in big trouble for breaking the rules. It makes me laugh inside, to this day, thinking about how easily he was caught!
    Anyway, enough nostalgia. I’m with the people who say if you’re uncomfortable with it, don’t let her do it. However, we have two friends who have trampolines and I do let my kids jump, usually unsupervised. (Now that my kids are older, I’m of the “GO and play” camp. I love my kids but I don’t want to stand and watch them play.) Also, at one friend’s house, there are often anywhere from 3 to 8 kids on the trampoline at one time, all running and jumping and bashing into one another. Nobody’s gotten seriously hurt yet and I just pretty much of pray for protection when they’re on there!
    Let us know what you decide!

  41. Nina

    I always wanted a trampoline while I was growing up. My mother always said no. Anytime I went to a friend’s house that owned a trampoline that’s the first thing I wanted to do. (Even in high school, when a friend’s little sister got one, we’d all go over to jump. lol) Of course, when my stepfather offered to buy one for my kids I practically did a dance while singing yes! It came with a net, because I’m paranoid to the extreme. And the kids were small enough (7 and 3, I think) to not want to do tricks yet. So they got comfortable just jumping. Now that they’re big enough to do tricks? I just turn my head. It makes my stomach ache, but they’re having a wonderful time.
    I’d also let them eat raw cookie dough or cake batter. And, I let them ride bikes with no helmets. I’ve never seen a kid ride a bike with a helmet other than on TV. Probably, I let them do all kinds of stuff because I don’t want to pass my anxiety on to them, so I hide it while “OMG they’re going to get HURT!!!” is screaming inside my head.

  42. KimC

    Only if there is a net around it. When I was a kid I was doing handstands on one and flipping off of it (daredevil) and I once put my hands down over the springs, put 5 or 6 bloodblisters across each palm, and never did that again. Same trampoline succeeded in knocking out a few teeth and breaking a collarbone on a few other kids… but this was before they had made the nets that go around them. And raw dough? My husband thinks that I am nuts, but NO! No salmonella for my kids.

  43. Carrisa

    I jumped on many a trampoline in my youth and none of them ever had a safety net. I never injured myself. I even remember my mom letting me sleep over at my friends house outside on her trampoline.
    Anything bad can happen any time anywhere. You can’t live your life in fear. So I think if you establish ground rules or safety guidelines for trampolines, then you’re good. Because you know that if you forbid something, they will just do it behind your back anyways at some point. I mean, didn’t we all do that?

  44. Margaret

    Never Never Never. Worked in ER too long. Husband an MD still sees too many bad trampoline injuries. Broken arms & legs are one thing, it’s the head & neck trauma. It happens too fast and although it is rare, when you see it happen, you remember it forever. I have been the same way about ATV’s and motorcycles.

  45. MaryB

    No to ATVs, motorcycles, bikes without helmets, fruit roll ups, and trampolines. Oh and no to jolly ranchers. Yes to raw batter yumminess. YES to doing what YOU feel is right! Just brace yourself, my son told his friends mom I thought she was a “dangerous Mom” because of their trampoline, and a “bad Mom” because she fed them fruit rollups with (gasp) Kool aid. I did not say those things of course, but maybe I thought them-Ha!

  46. Amy

    No net, no jumping!
    We HAVE a trampoline and both my daughter and I have a blast jumping on it, but a net is a requirement. I would not let my daughter jump on one without a net.
    When we have other kids over, there are rules they have to follow to keep everyone safe. Only one kid can jump at a time and they can’t do any stunts… jumping and landing on your butt are about it for kids that don’t belong to me!

  47. Sandra

    NEVERNEVERNEVER without zipped safety net+covered springs.
    My daughter (10) is a gymnast and her play on our home trampoline is a big enhancement to her tumbling skills! My son (12) does UFC-type reenactments on it with his teenage friends… they occasionally collide but have never had a serious injury.
    But seriously… no net is asking for trouble. Keep on being a harda$$, mama!

  48. Susan

    Am I the only one wondering about the cookie dough? I picture Y’s cute kids sneaking licks when Y’s back is turned.
    I say yes to the cookie dough and no way to the trampoline, especially one without a net.

  49. Valley

    Oooh, CONTROVERSIAL topic! We had a trampoline when i was younger. The kind withOUT the safety net…& nothing bad or dangerous ever happened. My parents supervised & we were never allowed to do those crazy jumps where two ppl jump consecutively, launching one SUPER high up where it’s scary! …although, of course, we still did! But i think it’s ONLY ok to allow your daughter to jump on one if you supervise her and discuss what she is or isn’t allowed to do…MAYBE. idk. Ay, this is a tough one! :/ Stupid trampolines. >.>

  50. Adrienne

    My opinion is that now they are going to do all these things and not tell you about it.
    And when they don’t “die” from either activity they will think you are wrong when you tell them something truly dangerous, say drinking and driving or unprotected sex, will harm them.
    Establish safety parameters instead of mandates.

  51. Charlaine

    We have two, they jump from one to the other (well the big kids do) they do back flips and front flips and crazy stuff I’d rather they get out of their system outside on a trampoline rather than in my living room. They jump in the summer and they shovel them off and jump off into the snow in the winter. They’re jumping fools 😉
    But I’m with you on the batter (except I do let them have a bite or two once in a while anyway, I don’t like to be too crazy about it)

  52. Operation Pink Herring

    I was bounced off my friend’s trampoline in high school. No serious injury, but I will never go near one of those things again and neither will my children if I have any say in it! I didn’t feel like barfing for three months straight and give up coffee so this fetus could go breaking bones on a trampoline 🙂

  53. L

    I would say no, even if it had a net. Last year I would have said yes if it had a net, but recently a friend broke his neck (honest broken neck) ON the trampoline, not due to a fall off. They really are so much freaking fun, but really could have life ending or impairing consequences for a minor slip. Our insurance guy now cancels policies of homeowners with trampolines. That’s another thing to think about, if your daughter were to be injured, are they insured for that trampoline. where my friend was hurt their policy didn’t cover trampolines and his health insurance was quite difficult about it.

  54. Ben

    My kids have a best friend that has a trampoline. They spend hours and hours jumping to their hearts content.
    I have never heard about a single injury while this has been going on.
    Meanwhile, my son (one of the jumpers) has hit three different cars (two of them parked) while riding his bicycle.
    YMMV.

  55. Vickie

    No. ANY potential bump to the head is not to be taken lightly. Let her jump on inflatables. No net, no question.

  56. Kristy

    Maybe with a safety net, but those things are still dangerous. A friend’s son dislocated his shoulder when he landed wrong on a trampoline.
    This issue came up only once when my kids were younger. The neighbor in question had a policy where she made the parents of anyone jumping sign a liability waiver. I just refused to sign. Problem solved.

  57. wookie

    With the explanation that most of my family are ER nurses…
    No. Nor will I let them ATV or snowboard.

  58. amanda

    I had a giant trampoline growing up, no net, and I only fell off once, and I wasn’t even jumping that time, I was chasing a chicken across it. (Long story.)
    Of course the decision is yours and yours alone, but I know that if I ever have kids, trampoline-jumping will be the least of my worries. As long as they’re properly educated about jumping in the center, one person at a time, etc, it’s pretty safe & SO FUN.

  59. Nicole

    If there is a safety net, go for it. Childhood and parenting isn’t about keeping your kids in a bubble the whole time. It is about teaching them how to act in a safe, responsible way. Explain to her the dangers and how she should jump on the trampoline (up and down, feet only). And to only use one with a safety net, one at a time and with no shoes on.
    Nothing in life is fool proof. Yes, you can hurt yourself on a trampoline. But you can also get hurt riding a bike, playing at the park, or even doing crafts at the table (something has happened to my children in each of those instances!). There are dangers everywhere. Our jobs as parents are to give them the tools to navigate it the best way they can. And if she gets hurt, she will get better.
    Signed, the cookie dough eating, trampoline jumping freakshow mom.

  60. Judy

    As a pediatric nurse practitioner I have always told my kids, “No trampolines unless there is a trained gymnastic spotter available to supervise.” This pretty much made it impossible for them to enjoy jumping- and allowed me to not worry about broken necks and paralyzed children. My son “forgot” the rules ONCE (I am positive) and broke his ankle- just as he qualified to swim in a national swim meet. No punishedment required- he paid the price. I’ve seen too many kids injured seriously to allow any kids I love to risk the same.

  61. BetteJo

    Yep. My uncle had one when I was a kid and I loved it! When my daughter wanted to jump on the neighbor’s trampoline I said absolutely! Kids are way too protected these days – maybe if more of them jumped on trampolines as kids they wouldn’t feel the need to do stupid things like bungee jumping when they get older!

  62. Lisa

    Never ever to trampoline. My cousin broke her neck when she was 4 years old on one. And they were supervised and there were no big kids. She landed wrong is all…freak accident.

  63. Sandra

    we’ve had a trampoline for 11 years, we’re on our 2nd because the first one wore out. We have 4 boys and honestly, they are crazy on there. When we bought our first tramp everyone told us we were crazy and not to do it because they are so dangerous but we have never had a single injury. Our first tramp did not have a safety enclosure and we put it in the ground after the first year. We now have a net and I do prefer that, it keeps the dogs off. I say, let her jump but go and supervise. IMO two little girls jumping alone will not get too crazy. I also let my kids eat cookie dough and always have. I have also had to learn, though, to look away a lot as a mom. I don’t want my kids to get hurt but they are going to at some point, I protect them as much as I can. They wear helmets when they ride bikes. (as far as I know) But, like someone already stated who knows what they do when they leave our sight? Wouldn’t you rather that she jump with her little friend with you there watching instead of her just deciding to do it on her own later? This is a small issue that you can give her as a gift instead of something bigger later that she may just take on her own. Does that make any sense at all?

  64. Helga

    I had a neighbor with a trampoline that they never used but let me & my sisters use whenever we wanted. I could jump for what seemed like hours. I must admit though, all the fancy flips I could do were the result of lots of practice – and lots of flips where I would land on the tarp seemingly unharmed but my head or neck and my body would twist off in the most horrendous directions. When I think back now I could have really hurt myself. My mom put an end to the trampoline when my little sister tried to do a back flip and went right off the end onto the concrete. She was a bloody screaming mess with a huge gaping wound in her knee but she survived. It could have just as easily been her head getting smashed or her ending up in a wheel chair. I will never let my kids on one, because I know what the outcome COULD be. When my kids ask to and I say no, they say nothing bad will happen. I tell them that is why they are called accidents, you don’t plan for them.

  65. Elyse

    I’m only 25 so my childhood certainly was not that long ago…I ate raw cookie dough (and brownie mix and cake mix) my entire childhood, jumped on several neighbors and babysitters trampolines without any kind of padding, wandered around outside with no shoes, and all the other things that certainly seem to scare the crap out of parents these days. Looking back, I certainly wasn’t the only one as many neighborhood cronies and school friends were engaged in these activites with me. And we aren’t really any worse for wear, I’d say. There is ALWAYS a risk with anything a child does, but I have a feeling that being pre-emptive and teaching your child what it means to be responsible and safe before they do it will probably lower the risk of injury significantly. Maybe go to the neighbor’s house, watch them jump. Guide them without hovering and lay down some ground rules for jumping. Maybe jump yourself. 🙂 One of my favorite outdoor activites of all time was the trampoline and that memory is still strong.

  66. Amy

    JOY KILLER! Let her on the trampoline, lady! I let my kids eat cookie dough though. And ride their bike to school alone. And jump on trampolines. And play with knives. So you’re probably better not to take advice from me.
    xo

  67. Julia

    talked with my husband about this — we had a trampline for a summer, we also have a pool with a slide and a diving board & a jet-ski + a big dog (collie). went to increase our personal umbrella policy and the agent said we were uninsurable due to our “hazardous lifestyle” when we asked what we could change, she said if you get rid of the trampoline we can insure you. We couldn’t give it away/sell it in case someone could come back to us for liability so we had to cut it up and take it to the landfill.

  68. Issa

    Yes. I actually own one. It has a safety net even.
    I’ll be honest with you…my kids have gotten more hurt falling off the jungle gym at school and falling off bikes, then on the trampoline. The worst we’ve dealt with in the nearly four years of owning one, is an occasional black eye.

  69. Lindsay

    Shockingly, Dennis, who’s like the most permissive parent ever, will not allow a trampoline. Never has. That said, I’d probably let Punky jump on one because she’s soooooo cautious. But maybe not Bruiser. If I let either one, jump, I’d insist on being present the whole time. Which would be a drag. So I’d probably just say no. heh.

  70. ella

    I say let her eat cookie dough while jumping on the trampoline! Woo hoo!!!
    Seriously though, we have one and everyone is still alive and well with all body parts intact.
    Let her jump if you haven’t already.

  71. Kyla

    We have a trampoline and EVERY kid who comes over jumps on it. We have a enclosure, though, and I’d never let KayTar jump on one without a net!

  72. alie

    I sprained the holy hell out of my ankle on one of those when I was in middle school, but I was also an unathletic klutz of a kid. So I suppose if it had a safety net and she was only with other kids her age, I’d probably let her. Her daddy is 30 and still loves to jump on them.

  73. Angela

    Me personally on the trampoline: No. I’m not his friend, I’m his mother and part of my job IS to keep him safe. He can jump all he wants when he turns 18 and has his own health insurance.
    But the librarian in me thought resources would be good:
    http://www.fscip.org/tramp.html#facts
    http://www.springfreetrampoline.com.au/sites/springfreetrampoline.com/files/files/pdf/trampoline-injury-docs/Pediatrices_Furnival_et_all_103-5-57_paper.pdf
    http://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/spinal-cord-injury/trampoline-injuries-emergency-room-visit
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070706104207.htm
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/347980-statistics-on-trampoline-injuries/
    It’s not only on AFHV that people get hurt.

  74. Courtney

    I will say that we had a trampoline growing up, and many accidents occurred when there were multiple people jumping at once (double bouncing someone off the edge and onto the rock surrounding a flower bed…).
    I think trampolines can be safe if there’s only one person jumping at a time, and maybe the children are monitored? It’s hard to say how I’ll feel when my children are old enough to ask – my son is 4.5 months old.
    However, you are the mom and mom gets to make the rules. There were plenty of rules my mom made that STILL seem ridiculous to me, but she was doing what she thought was best for me, and I can’t fault her for that. : )

  75. sara

    Had one growing up and my kids have one. Thankfully the one the kids jump on has nets and pads.
    Pediatric Orthopedic doctor friend told me they key is to keep kids of the same weight together. The injuries happen when a big kid is jumping with a little kid. So that is my rule. And no flips.

  76. Laura aka LaLaGirl

    I’m with you. Our neighbors behind us JUST bought a trampoline last week, and I’m just *waiting* for my kiddos to ask me if they can jump. It’s a definite no, even with the net. Unfortunately, I think lots of the bad injuries occur on the trampoline where the safety net isn’t going to do a bit of good. We actually HAD one, several years ago – Pablo had just received his autism diagnosis and we were using it with an occupational therapist who came to our house. You can read this post from my archives and the comments, where another blogger tells the story of her little boy severely breaking his leg on their trampoline:
    http://lalagirl.org/2006/06/26/yaaaaahaaaawn/
    And wouldn’t you know it, not a month after we got the damned thing, my oldest daughter broke her ankle on it. The week before she started middle school. She wasn’t crazy bouncing, either, she just “landed funny.” We took it down that winter and never put it back up.
    Everyone I know who has had a kid injured on a trampoline is always really surprised that it happened to them, too – they always enjoyed it, and were careful, and blah blah blah. It’s always fun until it isn’t, y’know?

  77. @adelas

    No. My coworker’s little brother snapped his femur WHILE DISMOUNTING (carefully, not being reckless). I just… no. I’m too paranoid. I agree with the Pick Your Battles comment above.
    This, coming from a mother whose 1.5 year old broke her arm while I was out of the room, presumably by jumping on (and falling off) the toddler bed – which she had just gotten yelled at for a few minutes previous. Right now, I’m having a hard time thinking of allowing my kids to do anything that anyone even SUGGESTED is dangerous – like jumping on the stupid bed. Or making a face, because it’ll freeze that way, you know?

Comments are closed.