Trampolines will provide hours of fun for your children, but when misused, they can be incredibly dangerous.
It is all too easy for your children to fall and injure themselves if there are no rules and safety measures in place. To ensure that your children are safe and can enjoy hours of fun, we have detailed everything you need to consider to keep your children safe on a trampoline. These tips include constant supervision and utilising safety equipment, which we cover in more detail below.
Supervise your children at all times
The best way to keep your children safe on a trampoline is to supervise them at all times, especially with younger children. It can take seconds for an accident to happen, injuring your child, so it is important that there is someone watching them at all times. When supervising your children, make sure they understand any rules on the trampoline and are behaving correctly.
As your children grow and become familiar with your rules, they should be able to play safely on the trampoline, but we still recommend monitoring them while they play.
Set rules and enforce them
To keep your children safe on the trampoline, you need to set rules and ensure these are enforced. These rules might differ depending on the age of your children, but usually, you will include rules about how many children are on the trampoline at a time and how to behave. You will want to discourage any horseplay, like pushing each other on the trampoline, to ensure everyone is safe.
Children can easily get carried away when playing on a trampoline and might forget the rules that are in place. When they do not follow the rules, there need to be consequences and your children need to be aware of them, including time away from the trampoline. For older children, you can create the rules and consequences together. Doing so can help the children feel more involved and increase the chances of them following the rules.
Consider the age limits and restrictions
Each trampoline will have an age limit that you need to pay attention to. On most trampolines, an age limit of six years is set. Children younger than six are not recommended to use trampolines unless they are using a trampoline designed for toddlers and young children.
There will also be restrictions in place, including a weight restriction. The maximum weight limit should not be exceeded, as it can reduce the effectiveness of the trampoline and cause damage to the bed or springs. The weight restriction will usually be very generous, but it is worth considering this, especially if you have multiple children playing on the trampoline.
Enforce a maximum capacity
Alongside a weight capacity, there will be a maximum capacity for bouncers on the trampoline. The capacity will depend on the size of the trampoline, with larger trampolines having a bigger capacity. When you exceed the maximum capacity, bouncers will have less control of their bounces and can fall off or knock into other bouncers, causing injuries. It can be fun for bouncers to all bounce together, but it can be a recipe for disaster!
You can consider limiting to one bouncer at a time on a trampoline, especially on smaller trampolines. This will keep everyone safe and ensure everyone can bounce happily. To avoid any issues, you can set time limits for your children so that everyone has plenty of time to bounce.
Place the trampoline on the right ground
To keep your children safe, the trampoline needs to be placed on the right ground, absorbing the energy from the trampoline. Ideally, you want to use sand, a spring lawn, barn wood chips, or any other cushioning material. The trampoline also needs to be placed a safe distance from your home and other walls, with a safe zone of 2.5 meters around the trampoline, especially if there isn’t a net.
Consider the space around your trampoline too, keeping it clear of poles, toys, washing lines, and trees. You don’t want anything nearby that will hurt your children if they fall into it.
Make use of safety equipment
Safety equipment is essential to keep your children safe on the trampoline. Most trampolines will come with safety equipment that will keep your children safe, including a netted enclosure and mats around the springs or hooks. You can purchase safety equipment separately, too, but make sure it fits the size of your trampoline to avoid any issues.
Check your trampoline regularly
Regularly checking and maintaining your trampoline will also keep your children safe. You want to ensure there is no rust or other damage that could impact the performance and safety of the trampoline. If you spot any damage, you should stop using the trampoline and seek repairs.
Trampolines should be protected and tied down on windy days or packed down to keep them safe. The ladder should be fixed to the ground properly if your trampoline has one, and you will need to supervise children when they are using the trampoline, especially younger children.
Find your outdoor trampoline today
Now that you know how to keep your children safe on the trampoline, it is time to buy your trampoline. Vuly has an impressive range of trampolines you can choose from, providing a trampoline for every budget. When choosing your trampoline, check out Vuly outdoor trampolines to see which is right for you.
