Whether you’ve got yourself a new backyard trampoline or just have you eyes on one of those mini trampolines for kids, you might be wondering if it’s actually safe for your little one to jump on. Cause you know toddlers, they have a way of getting themselves into things before you even know what’s happening.
And it often seems like jumping is a toddler’s favorite past time.
Luckily, those mini portable models are designed specifically for toddlers and their love of bouncing. In fact, they are designed with a safety bar for your kiddo to use for balance and steadying while learning to bounce on its springy surface.
This is really the safest way for a toddler to use a trampoline. But should you let a kid that young on any type of trampoline?
Are Trampolines Safe For 2-Year Olds? What The Experts Say
In 2017, a mother took her then 3-year-old son to a local indoor trampoline park to play. What happened next is something that no parent wants to endure.
The little boy broke his femur bone in one of his legs. And in case that middle school anatomy class was too long ago, the femur is known as the strongest and largest bone in the body.
So, why did this happen?
As doctors will tell you, the truth is that no child under the age of six should ever use any type of trampoline. The reason why might surprise you.
With kids under the age of six, their bones are too fragile to handle the pressure that comes with the repetition of jumping up and down.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says the boy’s injury could have been worse. With trampolines, kids have the potential of injury to the neck or head, which can lead to paralysis or death.
The youngest kids are the ones most at risk for injury on trampolines.
What About Those Learn To Bounce Mini Trampolines?
As you may know, this type of trampoline is designed specifically for the toddler age group. So, surely they must be safe for the little ones to play on, right?
Well, maybe they’re not such a good idea after all.
Yes, those toddler trampoline models don’t have as much bounce as your average backyard model. So, the little one isn’t going to get all that high in the air when bouncing.
But that’s really not what is important here.
As a variety of doctors and medical organizations have clearly stated, no children under the age of six should ever be using a regular trampoline. And many of those same doctors and organizations also agree that even the toddler-sized models are a bad idea for your young ones.
Remember, the younger the child, the more likely that he or she is going to get injured from all that repetitive jumping that putting pressure on those weak bones.
And no parent wants to see their 3-year-old with a hip and leg cast on after an afternoon bouncing on the trampoline resulted in an injury.
Another important thing to note about trampoline safety for children is that the more kids who are jumping on it at the same time means the higher the likelihood that one of them gets injured during the bouncing. This also applies to recreational trampolines, which are just your average backyard model.
So, do yourself and your little ones a favor and let them bounce without a trampoline.
top image credit: Lars Plougmann/ Flickr, CC 2.0
