Here you will find best trampoline buying and guide
Trampoline Buying and Guide
Tired of the kids bouncing off the walls? Maybe they could use that energy bouncing on a trampoline instead. Trampolines can be a great way for kids to have fun, get exercise and develop coordination, but unfortunately they're also a common source of injuries.
Most modern trampolines come with nets to prevent falls and pads to cover the springs. These do help reduce injuries but they're no guarantee of total safety. Our guide will help you choose a good trampoline and use it safely, so the kids – and maybe you too! – can bounce to their hearts' content.
What to look for
Space
First, do you actually have the right space for a trampoline? It should be placed on a level surface that's free of hazards such as furniture, and the area around the trampoline should be covered in soft, impact-absorbing material. Lawn, pine bark, wood chips or sand are good. Not paving or concrete – there's too much risk of injury from falling onto a hard surface. Fall injuries commonly occur when mounting and dismounting. You need two metres' clearance on all sides and five metres overhead.
Safety padding
The metal frame and springs should be padded to avoid injuries should a child fall and hit them. The safety pads should be a contrasting colour to the mat of the trampoline – this helps define the edge of the mat more clearly. Unfortunately we found in our 2012 test that although all of the models came with safety padding, none of them passed the safety tests. Padding on the frame should meet the current Australian trampoline standard AS 4989, but there's no easy way for the average buyer to tell, other than looking for a statement of compliance to the standard.
An alternative design that needs little or no padding is a soft-edge system, which has no steel frame or springs. In 2012 we tested only one of this type of model, by Springfree, and found it to be the safest design of all the trampolines tested, Trampoline Buying and Guide.
Netting
A netted enclosure helps prevent falls from the trampoline and we strongly recommend you only use trampolines that have one. It shouldn't be suspended from unpadded rigid or stiff poles, as this introduces another hard object that could pose a risk to a child. Ideally, the safety netting should be fitted on the inside of the padding as that reduces the chance of hitting the trampoline edges in the case of a fall.
Ladder
A ladder or steps to help kids climb onto the trampoline isn't necessarily a good idea. If a child is unable to get up there alone, they may not be at the right developmental stage to use a trampoline at all. So we recommend limiting access to a ladder. A ladder can be used to help kids get on and off a trampoline safely, but it should be removed when the trampoline is not in use.
Instructions
Instructions need to be clear, comprehensive and complete with good text and pictures. They should specify how to assemble the trampoline, maintain it and use it safely.
Are they really that dangerous?
More than 3000 trampoline-related injuries are reported in Australia every year. These injuries - mostly on children - range from cuts and bruises to more serious sprains and fractures. And at least one death has been reported; in 2009, a five-year-old boy died when he became tangled in a clothesline that hung above the trampoline.
Trampolines are the second biggest cause of hospital-treated injuries on play equipment, just behind monkey bars. Children aged five to nine are the most frequently injured, though there's also an alarming number of injuries to children aged under five.
Children can fall off or hit the side of the Trampoline Buying and Guide, bounce into one another or be injured by a double bounce. Younger kids are at risk if they wander underneath and get hit when someone bounces above them. Injuries range from cuts, bruises, sprains and fractures all the way up to serious damage to the child's brain and spine.
A 2007 baseline study of consumer product-related injuries conducted by ACCESS Economics estimated that there were 9006 accidents involving trampolines that year in Australia, 11% of them requiring hospitalisation.In NSW, Westmead Children's Hospital reported 86 trampoline-related injuries in 2005 which almost doubled to 153 injuries in 2008.
In Victoria, the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) reported 7813 hospital-treated trampoline injuries between mid-2002 and mid-2007, with 79% of these caused by falls. Other causes were collisions with people or objects, resulting in cuts and wounds.
Tired of the kids bouncing off the walls? Maybe they could use that energy bouncing on a trampoline instead. Trampolines can be a great way for kids to have fun, get exercise and develop coordination, but unfortunately they're also a common source of injuries.
Most modern trampolines come with nets to prevent falls and pads to cover the springs. These do help reduce injuries but they're no guarantee of total safety. Our guide will help you choose a good trampoline and use it safely, so the kids – and maybe you too! – can bounce to their hearts' content.
What to look for
Space
First, do you actually have the right space for a trampoline? It should be placed on a level surface that's free of hazards such as furniture, and the area around the trampoline should be covered in soft, impact-absorbing material. Lawn, pine bark, wood chips or sand are good. Not paving or concrete – there's too much risk of injury from falling onto a hard surface. Fall injuries commonly occur when mounting and dismounting. You need two metres' clearance on all sides and five metres overhead.
Safety padding
The metal frame and springs should be padded to avoid injuries should a child fall and hit them. The safety pads should be a contrasting colour to the mat of the trampoline – this helps define the edge of the mat more clearly. Unfortunately we found in our 2012 test that although all of the models came with safety padding, none of them passed the safety tests. Padding on the frame should meet the current Australian trampoline standard AS 4989, but there's no easy way for the average buyer to tell, other than looking for a statement of compliance to the standard.
An alternative design that needs little or no padding is a soft-edge system, which has no steel frame or springs. In 2012 we tested only one of this type of model, by Springfree, and found it to be the safest design of all the trampolines tested, Trampoline Buying and Guide.
Netting
A netted enclosure helps prevent falls from the trampoline and we strongly recommend you only use trampolines that have one. It shouldn't be suspended from unpadded rigid or stiff poles, as this introduces another hard object that could pose a risk to a child. Ideally, the safety netting should be fitted on the inside of the padding as that reduces the chance of hitting the trampoline edges in the case of a fall.
Ladder
A ladder or steps to help kids climb onto the trampoline isn't necessarily a good idea. If a child is unable to get up there alone, they may not be at the right developmental stage to use a trampoline at all. So we recommend limiting access to a ladder. A ladder can be used to help kids get on and off a trampoline safely, but it should be removed when the trampoline is not in use.
Instructions
Instructions need to be clear, comprehensive and complete with good text and pictures. They should specify how to assemble the trampoline, maintain it and use it safely.
Are they really that dangerous?
More than 3000 trampoline-related injuries are reported in Australia every year. These injuries - mostly on children - range from cuts and bruises to more serious sprains and fractures. And at least one death has been reported; in 2009, a five-year-old boy died when he became tangled in a clothesline that hung above the trampoline.
Trampolines are the second biggest cause of hospital-treated injuries on play equipment, just behind monkey bars. Children aged five to nine are the most frequently injured, though there's also an alarming number of injuries to children aged under five.
Children can fall off or hit the side of the Trampoline Buying and Guide, bounce into one another or be injured by a double bounce. Younger kids are at risk if they wander underneath and get hit when someone bounces above them. Injuries range from cuts, bruises, sprains and fractures all the way up to serious damage to the child's brain and spine.
A 2007 baseline study of consumer product-related injuries conducted by ACCESS Economics estimated that there were 9006 accidents involving trampolines that year in Australia, 11% of them requiring hospitalisation.In NSW, Westmead Children's Hospital reported 86 trampoline-related injuries in 2005 which almost doubled to 153 injuries in 2008.
In Victoria, the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) reported 7813 hospital-treated trampoline injuries between mid-2002 and mid-2007, with 79% of these caused by falls. Other causes were collisions with people or objects, resulting in cuts and wounds.
Comments
Post a Comment