How to choose a trampoline

I’m not sure I know any children who don’t love trampolines. And for parents, it means being able to let the children expend loads of energy without having to break a sweat yourself.

But there are so many on the market. Hundreds of different ones at various price points, with different inclusions. Choosing a trampoline can take months. In this post, I’m going to help you with an outline on how to choose a trampoline.

There are four major considerations to take into account when deciding on the right trampoline for your family. I’m going to take you through each one of them now.

Safety, safety, safety. My daughter is an absolute hazard on trampolines so for me this has to be the first consideration.
Design and durability.
Childhood development.
Price point, of course. Well you don’t want to scrimp on safety, you also have to purchase within your budget.

A massive thank you to Vuly for the guidance and helping me work through this minefield while understanding the safety aspects.

In Australia, trampolines have always been synonymous with outdoor fun! But in recent decades the trampoline has been upgraded over and over again. Today there are so many trampolines available!

Choosing the trampoline that’s right for your family, your budget and your outdoor space can be overwhelming. I know families who have taken months to make a decision.

With so many different options on the market, how do you know which is most suitable for your needs? Here are the 4 considerations to make sure you pick the trampoline that’s perfect for your family.

1. Safety first!!

For all parents, ensuring your child’s safety is the number one priority. My daughter will always find the slight gap in the trampoline and somehow injure herself as a result. I am so so glad she hasn’t experienced some of the trampolines we used to jump on as kids.

Thankfully, trampolines have come along way in terms of safety features from when I was a child. In the good trampolines, the safety features are incorporated into the design.

Three key safety elements to look for

Some of the design elements that you want to look out for, when choosing a trampoline:

The most advanced trampolines on Australia’s market are fully enclosed with a tight-weave net. This net can be anywhere up to 175cm tall.
The safest trampolines are also designed with structural components (such as metal coils, frames, springs and poles) outside of the net, to prevent contact injuries.
Check that the trampoline’s springs are fully covered to prevent catching little fingers or toes!

2. Design and durability

With good trampolines, safety features always go hand-in-hand with superior design. Added to the design has to be the durability, it’s not like you’re going to bring it inside the house when the weather gets unbearable.

Four design and durability to look for

Today, the best trampolines available in Australia are designed to withstand our tough climate and as such, you should look at the following:

Trampolines should be designed with high-durability fabrics, such as polyethylene, which is UV-resistant.
Galvanised frames will also offer a level of protection against rust.
Look for those trampolines which are safety-tested to perform in wet weather conditions.
In addition, you may wish to select additional design features, such as wheels for increased mobility, or in-built shade cloths for added sun protection!

3. Childhood development

Physical

Simply bouncing up and down on a trampoline will help improve your child’s motor skills and cardiovascular fitness.

Mental

Additionally, trampolines also provide a creative outlet for kids to invent new games. I’ve heard a few stories of camp outs on the trampoline complete with sleeping bags and midnight feasts.

And while they’re jumping, camping or even having a tea party on the trampoline they’re nurturing important social skills. Have you ever noticed when kids are spending time on a trampoline how they have to practice their communication skills, sharing strategies and cooperation.

Do you want additional features?

You may wish to choose a trampoline that has additional features designed to support your child’s development.

There are trampolines that come with a range of fun extensions, such as:

basketball hoops,
water misters and
even games mats!

4. Value for money

Of course, the bottom line has to be value for money. Using the 3 factors above, against your budget, you should get value for your money.

In my personal opinion, trampolines with superior design and enhanced safety features are worth the long-term investment. Knowing my daughter’s propensity to injure herself and my son’s desire to continuously test boundaries I have to make sure that my children are safe. I would rather invest in a trampoline with safety features in a strong design than having a unsafe trampoline I can get cheaply.

From another angle, consider whether buying a quality trampoline upfront that is built to last will not be a better decision than acquiring one that falls apart quickly.

What I would choose?

The Ultra Medium trampoline from Vuly Play (RRP $849) This Australian made trampoline offers the perfect blend of safety, durability, design and fun!

You can view all their trampoline models at https://www.vulyplay.com/en-AU/trampolines.

There are so many trampolines are the market now, how are you meant to make the right decision. There are four key components, made up of other elements that will help you choose a trampoline that's perfect for your family. — How to choose a trampoline: this is the one that I would choose for 4 main reasons.

Why I would choose the Vuly Ultra Medium

The structure of the door.
The net.
When jumping, my kids will only land on soft surfaces.
The five year warranty.

There are a lot of other reasons and this particular model has a fantastic set of design and safety features. You can check them all out here.

From my own experience, one of the features I really like about this model is that your little child can get in and out of the trampoline without fiddling with zips. While this sounds pretty silly, it is so important. When trying to get in and out children will often leave the zips open and forget about it, leaving the door hanging open. With this model, the trampoline is always closed.

I also love the height of the net. At 175cms, it’s too tall for the kids to try jump up on it and bounce on the top of it. Yes, I have seen young boys doing this on other trampolines.

The exposure to bumps and scratches is limited by the fact that your child will only land on the jump mat or net – never the metal coils, frame or poles because of: