Actually, how old are children allowed to play the trampoline?

Giving freedom to play is very beneficial. In addition to encouraging children to be active, playing also helps to hone brain skills and sensory sensitivity, as well as social skills to interact with other children. One of the games I usually play, be it indoor as well as outdoor, is a trampoline. However, at what age are children allowed to play the trampoline?

Is playing the trampoline safe for children?

Trampoline is a game that hones children's motor skills, especially jumping. Trampolines can be fun physical activity while playing for children besides sports. This game can be played indoors or in the open, such as a home page. However, you need to know that this game should not be done carelessly.

Quoted from the Rider's Digest site, this bouncing jumping game developed rapidly in the 90s. Despite its popularity, the game's injury rate continued to surge to 98% in 1999. More than 100,000 people in the United States have had to be treated for injuries. One of them, Colton, a three-year-old toddler who broke his thigh bone while playing the trampoline.

The number of injury cases in this game, making the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeon suggest that trampolines are not safe enough games for toddlers. Trampoline play increases the risk of high injuries to children, such as sprains or fractures in the arms and thighs and head and neck injuries. Why?

This bouncing jump game is very risky for your little one because the bones are young, not strong enough, and softer. The repetitive jumping motion while playing the trampoline causes the bones to receive repetitive stress from the body's weight, the bones to become stressed. As a result, it can be sprained or broken.

When can children play the trampoline?

Dr. Randall Loder, an orthopedic surgeon at Riley Hospital for Children in Indiana expressed his opinion that there is no safe age for children to play trampolines because this game is very risky for children. According to him, children can play other children's games that are safer.

While the AAP stipulates that children under 6 years of age, should not play this game. Children of this age are not able to balance their bodies and land properly. Moreover, still careless in playing.

Tips for safe playing trampolines for children

Even though they are prone to the risk of injury, increasing the safety of children playing the trampoline can reduce the risk of injury. Some things that must be considered by parents when allowing children to play this game include:

Use a safety net designed to go around the trampoline. This prevents children from jumping out of unsafe play areas. In addition, place the trampoline on a large area without trees or not near the fence and provide soft padding for the child to land beside the trampoline.
Install the trampoline on the ground, not on a surface that is higher than the ground. This can endanger the safety of the child.
Tell the child not to joke, such as doing somersaults, pushing each other, jumping too high on the trampoline. Limit the time you play the trampoline and have to get your permission before playing the game. Make sure there are lots of people playing on the area of the trampoline and supervise the child every time they play this game.