Seeking Trampoline Input

well I don't have any suggestions as far as type or brand of trampoline, but I did see at a friends house an awesome idea, she has one of those big trampolines, and they dug a whole in the ground and put the trampline down in it so that the trampoline was level with the rest of the back yard, it still had the guard around it and everything, but it was easier for the kids to get on and off of, and I just thought that was a great idea so I was passing it on....Hope you got the information that you needed from others! (since I am no help in that area! LOL!) ~ Janine

I do have a trampoline and my boys have a blast with it. It does come with rules as most know already. If there is more than the weight limit, the springs will fly off. My boys did end up losing more than one spring, but my neighbor was nice enough to give us his nylon cover and they restored it. For me it makes a great clothes line,lol. Many are sold are Wal-mart, other places I don't know. There is two brands, a small one or a big one. There have been times I went on it, and got shocked on the metal coming off. Of course the boys laughed at me.Its been over two years and its still in my yard. My boys are more wild they would jump off the house onto the trampoline. None of them got hurt.Good luck, G.

invest in the safety net and invest in the weather cover for the mat (the part you actually jump on). We LOVE ours and my kids STILL play on it. We got it when my youngest was about 2 and he's now 11 so it was well worth the investment. Make sure the kids know the net is NOT meant for playing WWE wrestling and bouncing off of or the netting WILL rip. Don't know if they've improved them since we got ours and since my kids are all older now they don't need the net as much.

Also be aware on hot days that mat gets REALLY hot so it's not a good idea to jump on it then. Or hose it down first. It also get slippery when you wet it so be aware of that also.

Ours is a 14 foot round and I sometimes wish I'd invested in the larger rectangular one. But we still love our trampoline. And it's great exercise for someone who has joint issues.

Just wanted to say that our kids LOVE our trampoline.
Have fun!

We researched and opted to go for a pricier model. That said, we bought at the same time as a friend who bought her's at a discount store. Two years later, ours is as good as new and her's is trashed and ready for the garbage heap. We both have two children, about the same ages and have used it about the same amount of time (and yes, my husband and adults use it too!)

Summer 2007, we paid $2200 for our 14 foot round double bounce AlleyOop! Trampoline - that's out the door, delivery, set-up, net, ladder, everything. We ordered ours through Kiddie World in San Jose. We had to wait a week or two for it to be delivered rather than walking out with it that day. We're very happy with it, never had any problems with anything, there's nothing I'd change about our purchase .

Greetings K.: I feel that I could not live with out our trampoline, and I do have strong feelings about them all for the good.
Let me warn you now that in about 20 years you will hear the true horror stories that your kids did in having fun with the trampoline but I figure that all 5 of mine have grown to adulthood and are ok so we can't get to concerned. But I would advise that you not put it near the 2nd story window that my teens tell me jumped(and their friends and cousins) from. That said SMILE -- We have had 2 different styles 3 in total. I really believe that the rectangle is the best one- they are harder to find but as the family gets going on it they hold up better.
For the round one that we have now we have several grandchildren 12 and their friends, and yes that adults that jump on it. We have kept the fencing around it for saftey- and recently because the netting had gotten torn by some active teens of mine I went out and got the bright orange fencing and put that around it IT WORKS GREAT!!! in fact we took the old netting and stretched it across the top and made for some shade for the little ones to play in. I detest all that foam they put on them because when it rots it is a mess.
My girlfriend did a great thing that I hope to do with the next one. She had a deep hole dug and the legs went into that and then they built a deck that went around the entire trampoline and covered the springs area. It is the coolest thing and when you go to get on its like just walking apart of a deck. It has made it fun for our group of women to do exercises on as mine it so much harder to get up on.
We have had them on patio's, grass, and tanbark dirt areas and they have all been fine. So have fun and enjoy your trampoline and don't sweat those that do not like it. Yes, people have been hurt on them but I have had at least 30 ER trips due to jogging , skateboart & bike accidents.
I wish yo well in this adventure- get lots of pictures the are ariot to talk about(smile- and learn the true story about) years later. Nana Glenda as a side note- we have found that you can get them on line and all the replacement parts as well. I really regret not getting another rectangular olympic size but the large round is great. Nana Glenda

I loved the trampoline when in HS and years later, bought one for my kids for the backyard. I know there can be injuries but we tried as best as possible to watch the kids, lay down rules that lowered the risks and had punishment ready when they broke the rules. The one thing we found after buying our trampoline was, unfamiliar kids came out of the wood work the instant that thing hit the back yard! I was shocked at how many strangers came knockikng wanting to jump. I ended up printing out a rather long very "legal" sounding form and sent them home requiring thier parent to sign and come back in person to talk to me. It stated that I would not in any way be held responsible for any injury, minor or major, or DEATH as a result of thier child using my trampoline. If an inncident did occur, I would call 911 first and then thier home and the ambulance and Dr bills would not be my responsibility.I guess it worked rather well as not one of those strangers came back so the problem was solved pretty much. I did make a hard and fast rule to friends who were allowed to jump. They had to have written permission from parents, and I talked to the parents too. They were not allowed on it when I didnt want them there, and NEVER when I wasnt home. If I came home and found them jumping, they were banned from the trampoline for 3 months. This included my own kids! It was a great rule and we never had any trouble. Also, they werent allowed to leave messes in my yard and I rarely handed out snacks. I was a friendly, nice neighborhood M. but they didnt need to get used to me feeding them all the time. So, have fun with it but watch out for the dangers and the strangers!

We have one some friends gave to us and the only thing I can recommend is to make sure you have a net on it. I feel much bettter about letting my 9 year old and a friend go outside and jump on it while I am in the house folding laundry and such. It also is nice with my younger 2 because they like to walk on it and I am not worried about them falling off.

We love ours- wish I could give you the name but it was a hand me down.

Hi,

Trampolines are so much fun for kids and really good exercise. My kids LOVE ours. My only recommendation is make sure you have a net around it. We bought ours from Sports Chalet and my husband cemented some of the poles in the ground as our first one ended up in the neighbors yard from a big gust of wind. :-)

I think trampolines are great. I would have one but can't due to not having a level space for one. However, my friends all have them. They are such great exercise. I'm not sure of the brands, but the net is a must because it prevents injury or someone flying off.
Adults can use them too!
No shoes, nothing in your pockets....rules like that...
They can really hold up a long time.

Have a blast!

Hi K.,

Good for you to keep your kids active. I loved the trampoline as a kid and wished they would have been affordable for the homes (way back) then. That said, please be extremely careful with letting only one child jump at a time. I was double jumping (with permission of the gym teacher), got thrown off and hurt my back badly. It took years of chiropractic care to feel good again.
J.

We got ours at Sports Authority. It's a big one, so of course we got the protective "fence" (sides) to go with it. I think that is as expensive at the trampoline. If you ever need replacement springs, Orchard Supply Hardware has some that do the trick.

Hi K.,
My family loves trampolines! We have never owned one, but have enjoyed using them at friends houses. I just wanted to let you know a friend of the family had a trampoline for her grandkids. She needed to renew her home owners insurance and decided to go with a different company. The insurance company came and looked at the house and saw the trampoline. They threatened to drop the insurance policy if she did not get rid of the trampoline. She ended up giving her trampoline away. I am not sure if owning one will affect your homeowners insurance. It might not be problem. But, I thought it might be worth checking into. A trampoline is a big purchase and it would bite if you bought one and then had a problem later on.

We got ours at Walmart. I like it because the net laces to the trampoline on the inside of the springs. So when jumping not only can you not fall out you never risk jumping on the springs and getting hurt. We got an after Thanksgiving sale for under 200.00. The net started to fall down with big kids jumping into it. Hubby fixed it with pvc pipe and it seems fine again. Also the material of the part that covers the springs tore after a year. But it was still worth the money and we all still use it. I think it is 13 or 14 feet.

It is good to have a trampoline net. It can prevent kids from falling off. It is good to set a one person on the trampoline at a time rule for two reasons: 1. more than one will wear out the trampoline quicker, it is pulled in different directions. 2. increased injuries. Also, be sure that the kids do not push benches or other items next to the trampoline. My daughter got a serious/dangerous concussion from crawling on a bench next to the trampoline & then hitting her head on the rail. She also fell down as a result of this. It was scary, but she is now fine.

R.