Choosing the right trampoline for your family - all the answers one click away

Choosing the right trampoline for your family

With all the answers one click away

Never has there been more information online about trampolines. With over 25 years since round trampolines came to the market through department stores and all the experiences accumulated of talking with family and friends; there is still so much confusion for consumers around "choosing the right trampoline for your family".

It doesn't help when your kids go to a friend's home and jump on their trampoline then come home gushing about how wonderful it is; yet don’t want to use the trampoline they have. Parents wonder why this is so.

Parents; we know it is difficult to negate and sift through all the marketing to understand; especially if your garden has the trampoline that is twice the price, size and looks amazing yet isn’t used.

• Where do you go from there?
• How do you decide which trampoline is right for your family?

"Buying a trampoline online is easy, buying the wrong one is even easier...."

Your best trampoline advisors are your kids

As a priority have a talk to your kids. Especially if they are over eight years old they will be starting to know the differences of friends trampolines. They will also be informed of what is expected of them in their training for dance or martial arts, gymnastics or whatever other activities they’re into.

First, have them answer the following questions yourself; then use their answers to discuss your guidelines of  any real limitations of available space or budget with the kids.

What size is the preferred area of your garden to install your future trampoline?

• Pre-measure the space in your garden so you can go to the kids with what the maximum size trampoline is that you can fit as it might be that only one size and shape will work in your space.
• If you are restricted could you make the space bigger by trimming a tree or moving a garden bed back a bit?
• If you have unlimited space it might also mean that everyone jumps to conclusions and wants the biggest trampoline you can fit. Don’t stop here, keep going through this process and make sure that is what will be best for one and all. Rarely does the biggest trampoline work for everyone in the family.

Know your trampoline budget

• A budget can range from Free on Gumtree or from neighbors and well into the thousands.
• A link with a couple of articles with tips on what to look out for if buying a secondhand trampoline 
• Many kids contribute themselves to their trampoline purchase, save birthday money, and do lots of work too. Very good to see, and the kids take such ownership and good care of their purchase for having put so much into the process.
• Decide what you will contribute and offer the kids the opportunity to save and do extra jobs, or save by not having a certain treat etc. towards their trampoline if they want one that exceeds the budget. One 6 year old gave up McDonald's after swimming for a year as her contribution, mum and dad were proud of her, and everyone was healthier for that one change too. Recently another family took the kids door knocking to sell soap over many weekends. Be creative; as it could the catalyst to instill some great future saving habits.

Know if you are comfortable with more than one child on the trampoline at a time.

• If you are going to keep strictly to one user at a time on the trampoline, make this clear and why.
• If your family can manage the risks of more than one user at a time this will change how the trampoline is used and which size you are potentially going to go up to.

Will it be in a position that you will be able to see the kids on it if you are inside?

• This may determine or change the position of where the trampoline will be in the garden. It is also known that there are fewer injuries on and coming off trampolines if there is adult supervision nearby even if that is a known being watched by mum from the kitchen window; as our kids were when little.

Then set up a time to talk with the kids. Ask them

• Why don’t you like the trampoline you have now? (If you have one of course)
• Do you know what trampoline you want?
• Why do you want this trampoline?
• What do you think you can do on this trampoline that you can’t do on the one you have?
• What do you want to do on your trampoline?
• Who has a trampoline that you really like?
• What do you like about that trampoline?
• How often do you think you will use the trampoline?
• Do you want to bounce for a long time every day or get on and off, several times?
• Do you want to have a lot of space for tumbling on your trampoline?
• Does the shape matter to you?
• Do you like a spring trampoline or one that has a different mechanism for creating the bounce?
• Have you given thought to an inside or outside frame net?
• Do you need to get a lot of height for your tricks?
• Do you want to have a firm mat or a softer bouncier one?

Phew – got the answers – what now?

• With all this information you are either sorted and ready to google and go shopping, or you are even further confused. This is a good time to call us. (03) 52921100 or email
• You will come to us with all the answers and we will be able to guide you with all your personal specific information just for you. Or continue and keep reading. There are links that follow to give the pros and cons of certain aspects.
• The more kids and varying ages you have, the more likely, the harder it might be to make a decision as they may all have different needs; again a very good time to call us to help you, cut through the chaos.

Nuggets from our blog articles on choosing a trampoline that may just be able to help you - Click on the links for each one, for more information

General additional things to consider before buying a trampoline

• If you don't do all your research before purchasing your trampoline via online or asked the neighbors about their kid's trampolines etc you are likely to come up against some unexpected trampoline problems. This will be especially true if you have the idea and assumption when buying that a “trampoline is just a trampoline”, which most of us have done until we encounter a trampoline problem, then we learn a lot! This article goes over the 13 most common trampoline problems.

Some safety considerations before buying a trampoline.

• Increase your understanding of Australian Trampoline Safety standards, ensuring where you buy a trampoline from that there are spare parts available as they are often needed sooner than you think.

Various sports requirements for training on trampolines

• Awareness of the kid's different sports and how each sport does have different criteria for bounce more or less, space and how shape affects the training.

• Trampolines are widely used for training in various sports – some are pretty obvious that a trampoline is used, others you may not have ever considered.

• Cheerleading article by our own resident Cheerleader Jazzy - Having a trampoline makes self -training at home 10x easier as, it allows the athlete to have more of a comfortable place to try new skills, and brush up on the ones that they already have.

• Gymnastics is a big sector of kids and does take some serious considerations – we have quite a number of articles getting down to specific sizes so follow this link to our gymnastics article and you are sure to find one applicable.

Shape

• Comparing round and rectangle trampolines. Both round and rectangle trampolines can be excellent choices, depending on your needs. Comparing both round and rectangle trampolines against knowing what your families needs are, will assist you in choosing the right trampoline for your family.

• Rectangles came first followed decades later by round trampolines. They were much cheaper than rectangles and soon flooded the marketplace the upside is that more families than ever before could afford a trampoline. This link goes into understanding the differences in the design and materials used for the frames.

• A rectangle trampoline buyers guide with videos of kids testing them and giving direct feedback - Kids are becoming more discerning as every year passes, we see kids who have a very clear idea of what they want from their trampoline and they are able to convince their parents to travel long distances to come and test our trampolines.

• Why athletes prefer rectangle trampolines 

The Bounce

• Kids benefit greatly by being able to achieve height with the least amount of effort so they can clear their necks easily. Having an effortless bounce on a trampoline means kids are able to stay out and play or train longer with the right sized trampoline for them before fatiguing. 
• Finding the trampoline with the best bounce for an individual or family is a bit like a "Goldilocks experience"; to find the "just right" trampoline.

Kids ages 

• Toddlers and little kids are avid jumpers but trampolines aren’t recommended by manufacturers for these ages. However, with full parental supervision, a trampoline is a safer place for a little person to jump than on a sofa or lots of other places they try to be acrobats.

Spring or springless

• Understanding the pros and cons of both trampoline designs  Let's demystify what each one means to you as a consumer

Netting inside and outside the differences

• Let's have a look at the pros and cons of both types of trampoline nets, the inside net, and the outside net so that you can make an informed and ultimately the best choice for your family.

We are here to help, we have a chat field on our website for silent instant communication, email, or call us on  0352921100