Springfree Trampoline: To Buy Or Not To Buy

05/30/2016

When I was growing up, our next door neighbor had a trampoline. We begged and begged our parents to let us get a trampoline too, but they were dead set against it. As a rational adult, I can see upon reflection why they felt that way. Our neighbours had one of those old school trampolines (yes, I was a kid of the 80’s), that had the blue tarp around the edges with springs between the tarp and the trampoline surface. I can remember time and time again, ankles, knees, arms and hands all falling through the springs and more times than not accidents happening. They eventually got rid of the trampoline, I don’t remember why, but one year it was just gone.

So when my husband mentioned that he wanted to get a trampoline for our young kids, I didn’t even pause before saying no. We have a house, we have the space, my three year old is super active, why wouldn’t we get a trampoline he argued? I relayed my concerns about injuries and accidents that I remember growing up with and ended the discussion abrubtly. No trampoline.

But as time went by, I realized that I was naive. Times have changed, we don’t live in the 80’s and the technology has changed in a big way. That and I noticed a Springfree Trampoline in numerous backyards around the neighbourhood.

So we went down to Springfree Trampoline, tested out various sizes of trampolines and finally got settled on the medium oval trampoline. (As an aside, I had to drag my husband out of the store as he was testing out the new gaming device tgoma.)

And I again realized I was wrong about safety. In a big way. With the large netting that surrounds the Springfree trampoline, the cushion that it gives jumpers who might fall, plus no exposed springs, the incidence of injury is drastically reduced compared to the ‘old-school’ trampolines that I grew up with.

On the day we got our Springfree Trampoline, they came, set up and installed everything plus gave me instructions on usage, safety features and maintenance. They even tested the trampoline (how cool is that job, installing trampolines and getting to test them after every set up)!

My daughter couldn’t wait to get on the trampoline (slippers and all) and truthfully she probably would never get off it, except for the fact it’s Calgary in May and it’s rained and snowed more than the previous two months (haven’t checked the facts on that statement but it sure feels like it)!

As a Mom I have become a fan. It gets her active, there’s numerous games/activities that she can do on the trampoline and if we don’t have a very busy day, I know she’ll get some of her energy out by going on our Springfree Trampoline. But the enthusiasm over the trampoline also has extended not only to our family, but our neighbours and friends.

When we have friends over, the first thing they always want to do is jump on the trampoline, and they usually do so for at least an hour. Then they’ll play with the other toys in the backyard, but will eventually gravitate back to the trampoline. It’s a kid magnet and I wouldn’t have believed it until we got one. It’s sleek, doesn’t take up a lot of room in your backyard (we don’t have a huge backyard but it fits with plenty of space to spare) and most importantly, if you follow the rules, it’s safe.

If you’re concerned, like I was about safety, I suggest watching this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5rcx1PuGGU

The good news is that my daughter is only three and my son isn’t yet a year, so we’ve got many years ahead of us for the kids to grow up playing and being active on it. It is a big investment but I think based on my daughters activity level and how her friends have reacted so far, it will pay off. As long as the safety rules are put in place, I feel confident that my kids will benefit from having a trampoline and will grow up with positive memories with their Springfree Trampoline.

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If you have a Springfree Trampoline, make sure to check out ideas for new ideas/things you can do:

https://www.pinterest.com/springfree/

One quick note: Those of you who remember the ‘old-school’ trampolines? You can now go on pinterest and find a page dedicated to ‘Repurposing an old trampoline’. So I guess that’s a good indication that the old ones were NOT built to last.