Trampoline or Wooden Playset?

swingset! It was the best memory I have of childhood. I find the metal kind more fun. We got a Kettler. Either way, swingsets are fun!

I vote trampoline - with a net. You can jump on it too - a good workout and tons of fun! Good luck!

we have had both and the kids love both. The trampoline is extremely hot in the summer unless you spray with water and that is fun. However when we attempted to change homeowners insurance no one would insure us due to having a trampline. Also in a trampoline it is really really important to only let two kids on it at a time because the mat has less give to it. The more kids the harder the mat and this is actually where kids get the most injuries, not from falling off.

Hope this helps! Both can be fun and the kids will love either one.

playground. Your house insurance (if you have it) will go up with a trampoline. A playground I feels opens up imagination a bit more than a tramp. But I have had many fun times on a tramp.

Dear A.:

I've worked in the legal field, so I would NOT recommend a trampoline. You have to plan to be outside with the kids each and every time they are out using it to supervise. I can't tell you how many bad injuries I've seen from trampoline accidents.

I'd go with the wooden play set. You can get different sized awnings to go with your play set that would help with the shade. The plastic slides get hot, but not nearly as bad as anything metal, as in my youth!

L. F., mom of a 14-year-old daughter

i find trampolines very dangerous. plus where we live you need to claim owning one and then home insurance goes up. i'd go for wooden set any day before a trampoline.

We have a big trampoline in our backyard. We have very little shade and it does not cover the trampoline. With direct sunlight you will need to keep it covered as the UV rays break down the mat and pads quickly. Depending on the ages of your girls I would go for the play set. I worry all the time when my kids are on the trampoline, I swear it has caused me more stress than having my kids bored stiff every day. I worry about the sun, injuries, neighbor kids, insurance issues, etc. Its not worth the headache in my opinion. If they are older girls and really really want a trampoline, then make sure you get a safety net, have very strict rules, and never let them jump when no one is home. Make sure you check with your home owners insurance as some policies are made void by having a trampoline. Hope this helps.

wooden playset. kids can play on that without you hovering over them spotting them while they jump. it also won't be something that you will have neighborhood kids trying to get to all the time. won't have to be took apart and stored in the winter and if its a good playset it will last till your grandkids come along

I found out a long time ago that a lot of insurance carriers will cancel your homeowners if you get a trampoline and if they find out. I did some research to find out what the big deal is. I don't remember the #'s anymore, but the stats are high for neck and back injuries and even death from simply falling and flipping wrong. It's not a matter of a net keeping you from falling off.

I would do the play set in a heartbeat if I had the money.

Both if possible.

I grew up 25 yrs ago witha trampoline with no enclosure and we had the best time on that thing. In summer we would wet it down.

Fast forward, we got a Woodlawn play set, premium set about $2700 in 2000. Our daughter and her friends loved it. We sold it this past holiday season and the professionals who were removing it said it was one of the best preserved and kept set they had seen.

We also had a trampoline about 5 yrs. We just got rid of it as well since daughter is 15. It did have an enclosure and the kids loved it.

Kids that played here played by MY rules and I have had any issues.

YES, both can be dangerous and accidents can and will happen. Accidents can happen riding your bike, driving your car, walking and tripping on a sidewalk.

Do check with your homeowners on the trampoline. Do what is best for your family.

Enjoy

Better check with your homeowners insurance before you get a trampoline. Most carriers will either drop you or make you sign a waiver that anything that happens related to the tramp you will be paying for and that could include major hospital bills or a lawsuit. And they can raise your rates because you become a liability just for having the tramp. We just got homeowners last year when we bought our house and that was one of the first questions they asked. We wouldn't have been able to get coverage! My mil almost lost her leg (yep, almost had to have her leg amputated at the knee from a trampoline accident 2 years ago). She was only jumping and came down at the wrong angle, crushed the artery in her leg.

The kids will have a great time with a swingset and it's much safer.

Hi, we have both and my daughter plays with the trampoline more, alot more! We do not have shade either in our back yard and I don't know why but the trampoline material itself never gets hot but the metal parts do.
I use her trampoline to lay out and sun bath, ha ha!

I would definitely go with the play set as trampolines are just too dangerous for your own kids and can cause a lot of problems with neighbors' children as well. An 8-year old boy that lives behind us just broke his leg on a trampoline and will be in a full leg cast for the entire summer all because someone else bounced him off the trampoline as a joke. You just do not want to be responsible for other people's children who may not follow your rules for playing on it and may use it without you even being home.

Good luck,
B.
www.babybearsden.com

Cast my vote for trampoline - I sure wish I had one when I was growing up!

A wooden playset. We have had ours for 7 years - my kids are 9, 7 and 21 months. Ours is not too elaborate. It has a fort with sandbox underneath, slide and 3 swings (1 being a baby swing). My boys love to play on it and they pretend pirates, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc on it. In fact, we bought our used but it was in excellent condition. We have repainted over the years. I am sure they would enjoy a trampoline but they make me very nervous. A coworker's son broke his femur while playing on the trampoline.

Tramps are dangerous, no doubt about it. There are ways to minimize injuries: one child at a time rule, nothing jumps with the kids, ie plastic swords, keeping it netted, etc. That being said, our mini-tramp was an absolute favorite at our house!!

If it were me: I'd by a metal swingset, used if possible off Craigslist and a mini-tramp...I think they're called toddler tramps, they're 5' across, come with a net and are roughly 12" off the ground. It provides a ton of fun jumping but is not a huge monster of a tramp and is a bit safer since the kids can't jump super high or fall off at any great distance.

After being through a ton of outdoor toys, and seeing what kids play with here in the neighborhood I say without any hesitation the wooden playsets are not worth the money. GL!

trampoline all the way!! My parents bought one for us kids almost 25 years ago and the thing is now being used by my daughter. It has gotten so much use, and no one has been seriously hurt.

Well, we have both. We just got the trampoline a week ago and the 6 and 8 year old love it. I get on it too. Yes, you do have to be careful on it. Ours came with a net and it does not get hot on the trampoline in the midst of the summer day. it is in the shade in the morning, that's when they go out to play. Then again in the evening. The trampoline instructions say not to use a waterhose or jump on it when it is wet. States you could slip and injury yourself. Just taking precautions with it as with anything you play on. One could get hurt with a swingset too. So just peek on her from time to time or go out there and enjoy the sunshine. It is medicine to our soul!

My 3 have a wooden playset. They love it. We have no shade in the backyard, but there's a canopy on the "fort" part of the playset where they like to sit and have snacks & drinks or tea parties or even color. The slide is plastic, and gets fairly warm with no shade, but they grab old dish towels to sit on! They LOVE to swing, and I enjoy being able to switch out a swing for the trapeze bar. In our area, homeowners insurance goes up a LOT with a trampoline, but no change for the playset. Last year, my daughter (then 7) broke her arm on her cousin's trampoline. No one was fooling around, but she's a lightweight and caught the "bounce" from someone's big jump. Instead of landing on her butt, she put her arms back to catch herself...snap! The was the only time she had been on a tramp. Mine are 8, 4, and 4 now, and we've had the playset since I was pregnant with twins and my oldest was 4. No one, including neighbors and friends have ever been hurt. I personally think trampolines are a lot of fun, though! On hot days, my kids love to run around in their swim suits through the sprinkler and then "dry off" as they say in the wind they make while swinging!

Trampolines are lots of fun, but also dangerous. We have an 8 year old relative who just had surgery on his leg after a trampoline accident at somebody else's house, and now those people are being held liable for the expenses!

My little girls have a small playset with just 2 swings and a slide, but it gets a lot of use. They can swing forever! We plan to invest in a bigger wooden one next year.

Trampoline, for sure! (You can always play on the structure at the park) ALL kids love the trampoline and you can buy those net things for around it while the kids are young. Like someone else said, just put a hose on it or sprinkler under it in the summer and it adds even more fun! It's great exercise too!

We've had the wooden playset for 5 years and the kids still use it regularly. The oldest 2 were ages 3 and 1 when we bought it and now we have an 8, 6, and 2 1/2 year old. They all still use it a lot.

Our neighbors have a trampoline that they purchased at about the same time, 5 years ago. Their kids rarely go on it. Usually just if they have friends over that don't have one of their own they go on it with the friends. On their own, they're tired of it. Their kids are 9, 7 and 3 1/2. The 3 1/2 year old comes over to our backyard to use the swingset regularly.

Good luck,
K.

Play set, if you don't know how to use a trampoline properly it is the most dangerous thing you can possibly own for your children.

My children are grown and gone and you didn't mention the age of your daughters. Regarding a trampoline, you need to check with your homeowners insurance before buying one, some companies will not write your insurance if there is one on the property. Some will write if the yard is fenced and others want a safety net around it. As for the "no shade", put a sprinkler under it! We use to love that for summer fun!

I would purchase a swingset. You can walk away for a couple minutes if the phone rings, neighborhood kids can join in. More versatile overall. More options on a swingset.
Our house happens to be the house were all the kids hang out. We have a swingset. If we had a trampoline the chances of someone getting seriously injured in greatly increased.
Our swingset gets used every single day. It would a good investment. Good luck.