Baby Life Topic

Did you know that trampolines are not just a fun addition to your backyard, they are also regarded as a powerful therapeutic tool to support your child's physical development? Not only that, it's not just for kids, it is a great play space for all the family to bounce, bond and play endless games all year round. 

Growing up, there weren't any trampolining centres around, so, the fond memories of trampolining had to be formed in my own backyard or at play dates at friends houses. These days, there are trampolining centres even in regional areas, and they make a great day out with loads of fun for both kids and adults. 

Fortunately, modern backyard trampolines don't typically have the same x-factor as the older style spring trampolines which always carried the very real chance of mislanding either on or through the springs or even worse, flying off the side and ensuring the local emergency department remains a busy hub of activity. Two broken arms later and those bones have never been the same again... Even now, trampolines have a voluntary safety standard, meaning you can still buy trampolines without padding around the springs and without nets. Fortunately, loads of companies are choosing to make products that meet or exceed those standards, and serious backyard trampolining injuries should become a thing of the past.

Nevertheless, there are tonnes of reasons to rekindle your relationship with trampolining when you have your own kids and they graduate to an age where they can enjoy the freedom of the bounce. Besides, why should they get all the fun? Big kids can have even bigger fun!

For the mums, trampolining after having kids can be an experience that can take some time and body healing just to feel comfortable jumping again, let alone learn to love again. Whilst it can be a challenge for the bladder, trampolining regularly is said to be better than Kegels at getting everything tight again. Whilst things are tightening up though, it can't hurt to wear the Modibodi undies for some insurance and assurance!

Trampolines are great across many age groups as well as many abilities. Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists often recommend trampolines as a great therapeutic tool for neuro-diverse populations such as those on the Autism Spectrum (Asperger's and ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) as well as those with anxiety and other mental health conditions. No matter your level of ability, trampolines have something for everyone.

Let's dive into the loads of health and development benefits of trampolining for your baby/toddler right through to big kids with the top developmental and therapeutic reasons to love trampolining:

1. Gross motor skills including core strengthening:

Trampolining is a great just-the-right-amount-of-impact strengthening activity. Jumping on the stretchy yet firm mat works the muscles and joints simultaneously to both jump up and to then brace the muscles and joints as you hit the mat on your descent. The forces that move through the body during trampolining are great for developing joint stability, lower limb/foot/ankle strength, core strength, balance, and coordination. Whilst toddlers are developing confidence on even ground, they will be challenged by the unstable surface of the mat to keep themselves upright and propel themselves in different directions. Toddlers who can't yet jump confidently will start by 'walking' around the trampoline, then progress to running, and then once confident, will move to jumping and even hopping. All these skills can be practised and perfected on the trampoline and are especially fun if incorporated into a chase, ball or any number of made-up games.

2. Great exercise for strength and cardiovascular health

Trampolining will get the heart pumping for an overall great form of exercise. Trust me, if you get on that trampoline, it will feel much harder going than your children make it look! Your legs can begin to burn after just a few minutes of jumping and your heart will be pumping at pace! There is something magical about bouncing on the trampoline, you feel alive and experience a joy where it is hard not to smile which quickly escalates into laughter. You can stimulate the feel-good hormones known as endorphins with many forms of exercise, but there is something truly exciting and special about jumping that seems especially effective at boosting the endorphins. When it comes to trampolining with others there have to be rules in place to ensure no one gets hurt (especially with a mixture of big and younger kids). If you can all play by the safety rules, the fun and energy seem to multiply to add to the excitement. Here, the rule of the more the merrier really rings true. 

3. Vestibular and Proprioceptive skill building

You use your proprioception skills and vestibular system every day to achieve smooth and purposeful movement. These skills develop over time through doing, through bodily movement experiences which develop through childhood. There's a reason why toddlers never seem to be still, they are naturally driven to move! 

Proprioception is the name for the sense that gives us a knowing of where our body's position is in space. We sense where our body is at any given time because our brains are receiving feedback from our muscles, joints, skin and nervous system. We develop our proprioceptive system over time and through sensory and motor experiences. When we bounce on a trampoline, we receive extra feedback through our muscles and joints due to the extra forces of gravity and additional forces placed through our body. Jumping and feeling the pressure of the mat through our body gives us a great opportunity to develop an internal 'map' of our body which helps with a whole range of movement activities such as climbing and kicking a ball. In short, trampolining is great 'cross-training' for all sorts of sports, play activities and primes bodies for higher learning.

The vestibular system is a key part of our sensory system which is concerned with keeping us upright and knowing where our head is positioned in space including our orientation in relation to the ground and acceleration as our head moves through space. Our vestibular organs are located in the inner ear which gives us feedback to help us balance when combined with sensory input from our vision, muscles and joints. When trampolining, we have to use our vestibular system to control our movements to move in different directions, know when to right our body position, shift our weight to remain upright and practise the feeling of working with the forces of gravity. Trampolining provides opportunities to continually challenge our vestibular system as there are so many ways to play as when jumping gets mundane, we can attempt more complex actions like forward rolls, flips, twisting our bodies and controlled tumbling. 

4. Self-regulation

The movement and sensory experience of trampolining is a great way to release stuck mental and physical energies and help with self-regulation. You can see the importance of physical release especially in the toddler phases, movement is the best medicine for a frustrated or overwhelmed toddler. When kids are becoming restless, that's a great time to go outside for a bounce if weather and the time of day permits or go for the inside version and bounce on a Swiss ball or mini trampoline.

5. Relaxation space

Although trampolines are usually high-energy places, they can also be perfectly just the opposite. With enclosed sides, and an open top, they are a perfectly safe, secure, comfortable and interesting place to chill, lie down, watch the clouds, star-gaze and generally just be. You can also get some trampolines with shade covers and tent layer which make the space even more calm and enclosed. Trampolines can be enjoyed as a relaxation space solo or as a family a long as everyone is in the same mood. 

6. Creative game-play for fun/happiness and joy (being)

Trampolining has so much creative play potential, even when there are next to no props around. Childhood games including ring-a-ring-a-rosie, duck duck goose, copy-cat games (where one does a move, then the other has to copy), and chase, are among so many that can be enjoyed. You can even buy accessories including a basketball hoop that attaches to the top of the safety net to enjoy shooting practice, throwing and catching.

The trampoline games can get even better when you add simple toys such as balls, toy cars, plush toys and jump ropes to name a few - the trick and skill is in not tripping over them! You don't know fun until you have a hundred ball pit balls bouncing with you on the trampoline and the temptation to throw them all over the net kicks in. Somehow, they either 'magically' come back (magic meaning the parents are usually picking them all up) or gradually get 'lost' never to be seen again.

A favourite trampoline made-up activity in our family was made up by Dad who lays under the trampoline and uses his feet against the bottom of the mat to 'rocket launch' (force adjusted according to age of course) the willing mini-astronaut into space. Watching their faces as that feeling of weightlessness kicks in is priceless, and then they get the fun of an extra big first bounce once they hit the mat again.

The time outdoors and to get that much-needed dose of Vitamin D from the sun can be greatly encouraged and extended by incorporating imaginative games. The more time spent out on the trampoline and out in the backyard together, the more potential you have to create the next family favouite game. If you have a great game idea to add to this article, please get in touch!

What Trampoline is right for your family?

Ok, so you now appreciate the benefits of having a trampoline, what do you do if you don't have a trampoline? Well, there are many ways to enjoy trampolining, both indoors and out. Before you go out and buy a trampoline, why not try it out at your local trampolining centre and/or friends and family's places?

If you are sold, and feel that your child/ren are the right age, you could start small and grab yourself a rebounder mini trampoline, or just jump right in and look at your backyard options.

If you are interested in a rebounder, you can find these relatively cheaply for around $100 or splurge on a pro version for up to $800. These could be used for the whole family (but not at the same time!) Shop the options at Amazon Au or eBay Au or Toymate (search Rebounder) or check out the Little Tikes Easy Store 3ft Trampoline at Toymate.

As a second indoor option, it's a great idea to have a Swiss ball floating around the house. These can be used in multiple ways and can be used by all age groups. Swiss balls are great for proprioceptive, balance, and strengthening purposes. When you can't get outside, the Swiss ball is a great alternative. Look for the softer/bouncier material balls without the harder ridges - this will be more comfortable to tolerate. Shop the options at Amazon Au or eBay Au.  

If you are ready to invest in a backyard trampoline, you have options! These things can be expensive, but well worth the investment given the years and potentially hundreds (or thousands) of hours of entertainment they provide. It is still possible to buy trampolines without nets, but mostly, nets are included as standard for safety and you should be looking to buy a trampoline which meets the voluntary safety standard.

The next thing to consider is springs. Budget to mid-range trampolines will have springs, but these are typically covered with padding and are outside the netted area. Springs are economical, but will eventually wear/rust, the padding will deteriorate in the summer sun, and you don't seem to get the bounce or weight capacity you can achieve from a springless/springfree trampoline. If the budget can stretch to a higher cost/better quality trampoline, you are unlikely to regret it.

The next consideration is size and shape. There are heaps of options to choose from and lots of resources to help you choose. A great place to start is to visit Springfree Trampoline to use their decision tools including the Model Selector, Model Comparison and Augmented Reality which will help you choose the perfect-sized trampoline. If it is to go onto lawn, just remember to allow enough space to move the trampoline between at least 2 different spots to give your lawn a chance to recover and not die off completely.

Where to buy

Toymate has a range of great brand trampolines for the budget-conscious conscious including Action, Lifespan, Plum, Starflex and Vuly brands.

Vuly Play has a range of trampolines which all come with a safety net and shade cover (and other outdoor play equipment including swing sets, monkey bars, basketball hoops, sandpits, bikes, wagons) in a range of budget levels and sizes. Their base range have springs around the outside of the safety net, covered in padding, however, if funds can stretch, their Thunder and Thunder Pro trampolines are springless and offer the best bounce out of their range. Be sure to check out their website for promotions as they run great sales at different times of the year. 

Check here to view current Vuly Play promotions. 

If you are after quality backed by a 10-year warranty, and the best safety profile around, a Springfree Trampoline is an obvious choice. Springfree Trampoline claims to be the only trampoline (out of 10 brands) to be recommended by CHOICE® and pass all major safety tests without any serious failures. Having owned a Springfree trampoline and having family members also raising their kids with a Springfree, this is the one I would recommend over the others. You can get decades of use out of a Springfree Trampoline by taking advantage of their after-sales replacement parts service. Although they are priced accordingly for thier quality, they offer some great payment options through their website and don't forget, you could get a good re-sale price if you needed to on-sell it. 

Find out more about Springfree Trampolines here on BabyPeg or jump straight to their website here. 

My 2 cents

We have owned both a Springfree Trampoline (second hand), a new ultra Vuly Trampoline (and 3 bay swing set), a mini trampoline/rebounder and a few Swiss balls.

For the big trampolines, these are a little hard to compare as the Vuly is a budget-friendly sprung trampoline that was bought and self-assembled from new, and the Springfree was purchased second-hand (self dis-assembled and self re-assembled). I suspect the Springfree Trampoline was not treated as well as promised by the family that sold it to us but I would say, this was a lesson more about checking the condition of anything you buy second-hand before you hand over the asking price! At the time, it was hard to find second-hand options and we weren't in a position financially to buy new. In saying this, I have family who have bought Springfree from new and at well over 15 years old and with being well looked after (including a replacement mat) they are still going strong and will outlast all their children's childhoods. In terms of assembly, the Vuly was easier to assemble than the Springfree with the hardest part being attaching to rods to the mat (although there is a kind of art to this).

The two trampolines we had were very different designs, with the sprung Vuly being very different to the Springfree's fibreglass rod system directly attached between the mat and the frame. There is definitely a better bounce from the Springfree and no creaking sounds as you bounce that you get from sprung trampolines. I would be interested to see how the Thunder and Thunder Pro Vuly Trampolines with their leaf spring design compare with the bounce you get from the fibreglass rodded Springfree. The sprung Vuly trampoline is much like the trampoline I grew up with in that it takes some effort to get a good bounce going and the springs do creak as they are stretched and rebound. 

Overall, the Springfree was more robust, had a better bounce and was always ready to take whatever weights/forces we put through it. It was easier to bounce on the Springfree for longer as the mat was softer and more responsive. The basketball hoop with the springfree ball was also loads of fun to play with. Vuly also has a basketball set option for the trampoline or their swing sets but we haven't tried it personally.

When it was time to mow, we had the shifting wheels for the Springfree as the frame was otherwise quite heavy for one person to move. For the Vuly, this is not as heavy to move as the frame is not as thick/heavy - one person can fairly easily move it over the grass without damaging the grass. One thing to be aware of is that the darkness/UV protection of the mat seems to cause the grass underneath to die off, so make sure you have the space to move the trampoline to different areas so that the grass can have a chance to come back OR put the trampoline on a concrete pad OR alternate surface with weed matting. I have seen people build their trampoline into a custom-sized ground pit, so the mat is at ground level. This looks like a good idea if you can dig a hole that big, but I'm not sure how this goes with spiders and maintenance of the trampoline as it would be hard to access underneath once in place.

We had the step/ladder for both trampolines, and I preferred the Springfree design, as it felt better underfoot even though the Vuly ladder has more rungs. I note that Springfree have further improved their ladder design by adding a top platform which would certainly make it safer and easier for small children to use. If your younger child struggles with the standard ladder, I would consider trying a slide or easy-climb safety ladder accessory available from Amazon Au.

As for the nets, the Springfree trampoline had zippered door which eventually we couldn't zip closed fully, but we could zip it closed enough and had the option to use a clip that no-one ever fell out. If your kids are old enough, they learn to keep away from the door when they are jumping, and as they needed supervision anyway, someone was always close to the door. When they were younger, once it was zipped shut, you knew they weren't going to get out without you there, so there was a peace of mind that they weren't going to fall down trying to use the ladder. It was much bouncier/more responsive to bounce off the Springfree net due to the fibreglass poles which have some flex in them compared to the Vuly net which is secured to fixed poles. The Vuly net has a cross-over door which has no obvious way of securing it shut to stop a toddler from getting in and out unattended. For that reason, you really do need to be standing at the door or on the trampoline with them. Once the kids are older, this is not a concern, but it can be touch and go in the over-confident toddler stage. Overall, I preferred the Springfree net with the zipper enclosure as it was also easier for adults to get in and out, where the Vuly door is child-sized.

The other thing I have found with the padded safety cover on the Vuly is that Spiders love to make their webs under there and it needs to be checked and cleaned out periodically. I'm not one to use surface sprays around anything my kids are on, so regular checks are best way to keep on top of things. I didn't find the underneath of the Springfree Trampoline had as many crevices for spiders to make their homes, and it was easy to get underneath to hose and sweep it out as needed. 

Both trampolines suffered wear and tear from the harsh Australian summer sun and weather conditions over time and require/d replacement parts. Vuly states on their website that that they are committed to supporting your product beyond its warranty period and offer a Half-Price Parts for Life guarantee as long as the product is registered with them - we are due to replace the safety padding over the springs, so will see how that goes. Springfree Trampolines are designed tough with UV stabilised mats and net rods and a triple-protected steel frame. I'm sure the materials and manufacturing process have improved since our second-hand trampoline was made plus they now come in custom colours. We did find their Customer Care team were super helpful and easy to deal with to get the right trampoline parts delivered with easy instructions to follow.

Maintenance

There are a few things to be prepared to do to keep your trampoline working for you. It's a great idea to anchor it down into the ground to withstand those rare but can-happen occasions where wind gusts have been known to transport trampolines across backyards, over fences and into random places. For example, you can buy ground anchors as accessories through Springfree Trampoline or Vuly sells anchor kits.

If you want your lawn to survive under the trampoline, be prepared to move the trampoline regularly. This will prevent the lawn from becoming patchy or just refusing to grow under the trampoline. Due to the weight of some trampolines such as Springfree, you can buy shifting wheels to help with moving the frame of the trampoline.

Some trampolines have padded covers over the springs which can make attractive crevices for spiders. Be sure to check inside the net and under/around the springs for webs before letting your child on the trampoline. Make sure you have a way to get under the trampoline to do maintenance checks and avoid designs that don't give you access underneath.

Like anything that is made up of moving parts, wear and tear can happen. Be sure to regularly check over the trampoline for parts for wear and arrange replacement parts when needed. If the trampoline is out of warranty, make sure you have the model number handy to go back to the manufacturer to arrange for parts. For example, when you register your purchase with Vuly, they offer half-price parts for life as long as you register the product, so if you do buy a Vuly product from a re-seller, be sure to register it directly with Vuly. Springfree has great info on maintenance and spare parts and encourages contact through their Customer Care Team hotline to arrange spare parts. 

You're bound to have family fun trampolining, can't wait for you to give it a try and let me know how you go :)

Written by Anna Noud

Anna is a mother of 2 boys and an Occupational Therapist, holding a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy with Honours from the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia. A lifelong learner with a passion for everything health-related and a drive to improve the lives of Mothers and the babies who will be the leaders of our future. The most important assets we have in this life are our health, well-being, and happiness. Writing for BabyPeg is a passion project alongside life parenting, caravanning and working as an OT to help people with disabilities fulfil their potential. Find me on LinkedIn or message me through the BabyPeg Facebook page.

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