Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Safety And Age; Essential For Choosing Your Children's Trampoline

By Jane Bracken

There are a number of things to consider when purchasing a trampoline for your family's children. One of the most important aspects of this decision is selecting an age-appropriate trampoline. For many families, safety is the biggest issue that prevents their purchase of a trampoline or has made choosing a trampoline extremely difficult.

Today, most injuries (according to doctors) come from the jumpers falling off of the sides. Secondly, they come from collisions and then lastly from the mat springs. Now, parents can fight back against their child's injury with many safety options.

The purpose of having so many models of trampolines is to account for the safety reasons. There are large trampolines that can hold up a large number of children at once while there are also trampolines designed specifically for kids under ten years old. To pick the right one, being informed is key.

Larger trampolines can be over 14-feet wide, and come in a variety of shapes. It is commonly thought that round and octagonal trampolines produce the best results. Corners do complicate safety issues by creating an area of the trampoline mat with two sides connecting to the frame instead of one. If worried about spring injuries, a square or rectangular trampoline may not be the right for your children.

Today manufactures have started to provide protection from the springs. They are called spring covers, a piece of plastic that wraps all the way around the trampoline and covers all the springs. Often times they are reinforced by foam or some type of padding. These are not all that reliable as they often shift and jar when someone is jumping which opens up the potential of spring injury. Spring covers are great for older jumpers as they understand the risks of being near the cover.

Another innovation that would fit the same type of trampolines is an enclosure. The same 14-foot trampoline mentioned above would have an optional 14 trampoline enclosure that is made specifically for it. There are a number of universal enclosures as well. The enclosure is a high net that is designed to protect jumpers from the springs and from falling off. Models that protect jumpers from the springs are more effective because the netting is more rigid than a spring cover alone.

Enclosures, like the spring covers, are not foolproof. Larger children can sometimes break through the netting and injure themselves. Though enclosures greatly increase the safety of a trampoline, they, like any sports equipment, must be used with caution. Enclosures work best with smaller children.

For toddlers and those under 10 years, manufacturers have produced a trampoline with handle. This trampoline is small enough to use indoors, and offers extra stability while being used. It is the one of the safest kinds of trampolines for small children, and is often not subject to the same issues occurring with larger trampolines. Maybe of these models are only a few inches from the ground; falling is not such an issue. Even more importantly, many of these types of trampolines do not contain springs at all.

These springless trampolines are by far the safest on the market. So if safety is your main concern, purchasing a springless trampoline with enclosure is the best option. It can easily put any doubt of injury out of your mind as there is no chance of falling out or getting a spring related injury - because there are no springs. Not only are they safe but they are less expensive to ship, cheaper to repair, and last longer than the traditional spring trampoline. A springless trampoline is the safest route, however there are many other models and methods you can use to have a safe and fun jumping experience. - 16003

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