My husband and I are wanting to purchase either a large trampoline or wooden play set for my daughter's but we aren't sure which one we will get the most use out of. What do you recommend? We don't have any shade in our backyard so I am concerned the trampoline tarp will get to hot to jump on through out the day. Any comments and advice are appreciated!
Thanks!!
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.
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.
I vote trampoline - with a net. You can jump on it too - a good workout and tons of fun! Good luck!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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,
Karen
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,
Beth
www.babybearsden.com
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
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
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!
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.
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.