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Claudine M Jalajas

Writer, Web Developer, Decorative Painter

I'm a tired, worn-out mother of three young children. I never really fully appreciated what being sleep deprived was like before my children--and I now believe it is a valid form of torture. I live on Long Island with my husband (who I rant about frequently) and three little angels. ;)...

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How To Break Your Neck: Get a Trampoline

Claudine M. Jalajas

I belong to a professional writers' forum called freelance success.   This morning, one mom said that she was going to get her daughter a trampoline for her birthday and did anyone have any suggestions on what kind she should get and if the fencing was a good idea.  The onslaught of negative emails and speed at which they arrived was impressive. 

My children have all done supervised gymnastics classes and no matter where you go, those gym coaches will all tell you the same thing--no trampolines in the backyard.  It's hard because when you see how much fun your kid's having on the thing you wonder if this might the gift that makes them say, "you're the best mom EVER." 

But, here's what the Academy of American Pediatrics says about trampolines:

“Despite all currently available measures to prevent injury, the potential for serious injury while using a trampoline remains.

• Trampoline-related injuries increased 140 percent from 1990 to 1996.
  
• An estimated 83,400 trampoline-related injuries requiring an emergency department visit occurred in 1996 in the United States.
  
• 30 percent of trampoline-related injuries treated in an emergency department were fractures, often resulting in hospitalization and surgery.
  
• Catastrophic cervical spine injuries are rare, however head and neck injuries constitute a notable number of the more serious injuries requiring hospitalization.
  
• Since 1990, the CPSC has received reports of six deaths involving trampolines. Victims ranged in age from 3 years through 21 years. Most deaths occurred when victims fell from the trampolines, and most involved the spinal cord. "

Another article called, "Trampoline Safety" offers some insight too.

Last year my son came home bloody from the neighbor's house.  When he walked up to me I thought that the chocolate ice cream treat he was eating was dripping all over his shirt.  When I scolded him for being so messy he looked up at me and I saw that his lip was swollen and split.  It was then that I realized it wasn't chocolate ice cream all over his shirt, it was dried blood.  I asked what happened and he said that they were all jumping (5 kids) on the trampoline and he and another girl collided.  His friend said, "yeah, there was blood everywhere."  I asked what her mom thought when she saw all the blood (and wondered why I wasn't given a phone call) and it turns out that she was sleeping.  Excellent! 

My neighbor is an EMT (we keep this poor guy so busy) so I brought Duke over for a quick look.  I was thinking stitches but Joe was more concerned about concussion (which I had not thought of).   Thankfully, Duke was fine.

Before you say, "I'll watch my kids use it.  We'll have rules." Consider this--my homeowner's policy (I use Nationwide) states that if they find a trampoline on my property I will be canceled immediately.    They don't care if I have a pool.  They haven't asked if there are guns in the house.  But, a trampoline has zero tolerance.  What's that tell you?