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Bouncing around on a trampoline can be an immense fun, but there some trampoline safety tips you need to consider when buying or playing with one. It’s true that trampoline can be dangerous at times, but so is driving or cycling, we just need to make sure we do it carefully by following all the trampoline safety tips you can.
It’s impossible to pick one safest trampoline and be done with it. However, if you follow the trampoline safety tips you can find a lot of safe ones that are going to do a great job. Here are my 12 best trampoline safety tips that will help to make your trampoline experience safe.
1. Always install on level ground
I’ve seen some cases where people just drop a trampoline wherever they find convenient, without putting much thought into it.
Having a trampoline on an uneven or not stable enough ground can easily lead to collapse or injuries.
Always place your trampoline on a level and ideally, energy absorbing surface like grass.It’s also a good idea to place safety pads on the ground as you never know when you might need them.
2. Place it far from other hard objects
Before installing your trampoline, find a place that doesn’t have trees, fences, walls or other hard and sharp objects in the proximity. For safety’s sake, there should be at least 3 meters of clearance around your trampoline. Placing the trampoline in such way will prevent more serious injuries in case someone jumps too high or too wide.
3. Don’t let your kids on a trampoline unsupervised
Children will quickly get bored of just jumping up and down and if left unsupervised, the will try some stunts to make it interesting most of the time. You don’t have to hover over them and tell them what to do all the time, but be close enough to be able to see if they are doing something wrong.
Similarly, don’t let them do somersaults. I know how tempting it can be for them to try it, but bad landings could cause potential neck and back injuries. Make them follow trampoline safety tips until they are old enough to think about it themselves.
4. Make sure that are parts are properly assembled
One of the most important trampoline safety tips is to check on springs before the use. All springs should be properly attached at each end, otherwise, the trampoline might malfunction or injure someone. Don’t neglect the screws either, check them individually and tighten where necessary.
5. Avoid jewelry and clothes with drawstrings
Take of all the jewelry or sharp accessories from your body and make sure that your kids don’t wear any if they are the ones jumping on the trampoline.
Drawstrings can potentially be even more dangerous than jewelry, so ban any clothing with them on the trampoline.
Strings can get stuck in the springs or trampoline construction and cause awkward and highly dangerous landings.
6. Don’t have anything under the trampoline
Before every jumping session, remove any potential objects from underneath the trampoline. The surface of the mat stretches by a lot and any object beneath it is a potential injury danger. Also, don’t let kids hide or crawl under the trampoline.
To help with this, you should not let the safety net cover the area beneath the jumping mad. This way you can clearly see if something or someone is hidden there.
7. Get safety pads for the frame, springs, and hooks
Most of the units that follow trampoline safety tips and guidelines will come with safety pads. However, if you have poles, springs, hooks or any other metal parts exposed you should protect them with safety pads.
8. Install high quality net enclosures
Just like safety pads, either you will get trampolines with safety net included or you are going to get one yourself. Safety nets prevent the kids from getting in contact with the frame, as well as falling out while jumping.
Make sure that the safety net is tall enough and that it’s installed properly, without leaving a gap between the net and the jumping mat.
Even with the safety net, you should still discourage your kids from jumping too high. They will get excited and try to jump higher every time, but high jumps can get out of control and cause uncomfortable landings.
9. Only one person at a time
Besides falling off, most injuries on trampolines happen when two or more people collide while using the trampoline at the same time. Discourage your kids from jumping together unless there’s not plenty of space in between and they are able to control their jumps. Most units come with trampoline safely tips on maximum number allowed for that unit.
If you just got the trampoline, it’s also a good practice to make your kids to try and jump at the center of the trampoline every time until they get more comfortable
10. Kids younger than 6 should use mini trampoline
Full size trampoline is not suitable for small kids, they are too young to control their jumps and it can cause unnecessary injuries. You can always get a mini trampoline for your youngest ones to bounce on.
11. Teach your kids not to jump on or off the trampoline
Ladders on trampolines are there for a reason. Many children get hurt while getting on and off a trampoline by jumping instead of using the ladder. Teach your kids proper trampoline safety tips and make them use the ladder every time, especially if they are younger.
12. Keep the jumping mat clean and dry
Wet and slippery mats are a real hazard, one of the most important trampoline safety tips should be to keep it clean and dry at all times. Don’t let the kids jump right on the trampoline in the morning before checking for and wiping down the dew that could accumulate overnight.
I don’t want to scare you, trampolines are a great way of having fun and can be an enjoyment for the whole family. Just be cautious and use it responsibly and there should be no problems at all. I hope that these 12 trampoline safety tips helped you learn how to enjoy these bouncy fun machines in a safe manner.
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