Thursday, December 18, 2008

Age And Safety; Vital In Choosing Your Family's Trampoline

By Jane Bracken

When you go to purchase your family's first trampoline there are numerous things to consider. The first and quite possibly the most important is finding one that fits the age. However, other things such as the safety rating is another thing that families look into. Both of these issues make choosing the right trampoline a very hard task.

Doctors point out that the most common injuries from trampolines occur from falling off of the trampoline, jumpers colliding, or injuries involving the mat springs. Luckily, parents can now choose a number of safety options that can help protect jumpers from injuring themselves.

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.

These large trampolines are often fourteen foot or larger. Not only are they huge, they come in a variety of shapes ranging from circular to square. However the corners of trampolines often cause the most problems as they give a higher spring related injury potential. So if you are really concerned about spring injuries a circular trampoline is most likely the best option.

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.

Enclosure is quite possibly one of the best technological advances in the trampoline safety world. Even a huge trampoline of fourteen or more feet can be completely secluded with a net that provides all jumpers the security of knowing they can not fall out. Not only do they protect jumpers from falling off but also against the springs, which means they are much more effective than just have a spring cover.

Sadly, enclosures do not always suffice. Older or larger children do have the chance of falling through the netting to potentially severe injury. Even with the secured area inside, they are not safe for all children. If you have smaller children, you cannot go wrong with an enclosed trampoline.

There is one last group left; and that is the toddlers. Those children under ten that want to jump but you are scared they are at a high risk on a larger trampoline. Luckily there are trampolines designed specifically for them that provide maximum safety. They are close to the ground, have no springs, and are extremely stable.

A springless trampoline, when used in conjunction with the safety equipment mentioned above, can eliminate many safety issues will also being a longer-lasting, more cost effective choice in trampolines. These trampolines replace springs with elastic bands, which are inexpensive to replace and last longer than the conventional metal springs. These elastic bands eliminate all possibility of jumpers injuring themselves from coming in contact with the springs because there are none! Because of the reduced weight, a springless trampoline costs less to ship through the mail. This reduced weight also makes storing the trampoline in the winter much easier. These attributes make a springless trampoline an excellent choice for children of any age. - 16083

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