The Risks of Trampoline Jumping

Multiple Jumpers

• There should never be more than one individual jumping on a trampoline at a time. As one person bounces, according to Dr. M. Douglas Baker of Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital, other individuals become "projectiles that can easily be catapulted off the trampoline." Also, simultaneous jumping may result in serious head and body collisions.

Hard Landings

• Many trampoline injuries happen when an individual falls off the trampoline and onto a hard surface. This may be the hard dirt of a family's backyard, the rocky cement around a poorly placed trampoline or a random sharp, rough or pointy object in the trampoline's vicinity. Even when falling onto a cushioned trampoline mat, according to one Alaskan study, 40 percent of the children in the study were still injured from falling off a trampoline.

Choking

• A child may carelessly jump onto a trampoline while chewing a piece of gum or other food item. Just as a person should never run or laugh while eating, jumping with food in the mouth can be a sure cause of choking. Take care to ensure that children never start jumping with food in their mouths or hands.

Unstable Trampoline

• Trampolines are often placed on a grassy patch in a family's backyard. The unevenness of the rugged lawn may cause a trampoline to wobble when jumped on, and, if jumped on in the wrong spot, to flip over, injuring the jumper as well as any close-by onlookers.