Are Adult Mini Trampolines Safe for Young Children?

You may have already suffered through the drama of telling your kids you wouldn't put a trampoline in the backyard due to safety concerns. However, if you have an adult mini trampoline for your workouts that you let your kids play on, there is still a risk. Even jumping on small trampolines can result in a variety of scary injuries. Keeping kids off trampolines of any size is your safest option, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  1. How Injuries Occur

    • There are several ways your child could get hurt while using a mini trampoline. The most obvious is falling off the device, but that's not the only possibility. If your child lands wrong, she could be injured as well. Likewise, attempting stunts and falling on the springs or frame of the mini trampoline can hurt your child, according to the HealthyChildren.org, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Colliding with another jumper or trying to jump from the trampoline to the couch or a chair are other instances that can result in injury.

    Common Injuries

    • Injuries sustained on an adult mini trampoline range in severity, but you'd probably like to avoid any of them. About 50 percent of childhood trampoline injuries affect the lower body and up to 17 percent involve the head or neck, notes the American Academy of Pediatrics in a 2013 Huffington Post article. Your child could break a bone, sprain a muscle or suffer cuts and scrapes from the springs or frame of the mini trampoline, according to the Healthy Children website. Concussions and other head or neck injuries can also occur, some of which are serious enough to result in paralysis or death.

    Trampoline Safety

    • The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly encourages parents to keep trampolines out of the home, including mini versions. However, if you decide to purchase one, following proper safety recommendations keeps your child safe when he jumps. MayoClinic.com suggests ensuring that the trampoline is on level ground and that only one child jumps at a time. Apply padding to the springs and the edges of the frame and keep kids from doing stunts on a mini trampoline. Never let your kids jump unsupervised. Check the trampoline often for broken or missing parts.

    Alternatives

    • If your child loves to bounce, but you're adamant about not owning a trampoline, choosing fun yet safe alternatives keeps everyone happy. Let your child bounce on an exercise ball in the backyard instead. Some manufacturers sell spring-free trampolines or versions that are installed in a hole in the ground, which keeps them level with the yard. These may be safer choices than indoor mini trampolines. On the other hand, free-play without any fancy toys or devices is good for kids' creativity and imagination, notes sports medicine physician Dr. Michele Labotz on the CNN Health website.

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