Mother issues trampoline warning after toddler breaks ‘strongest bone in his body’

“Our lives have been turned upside down”

3-year-old Colton is now having to adjust to life in a cast which covers both legs for the next six weeks

A mum has issued a warning to other parents about the dangers of trampolines after her three-year-old son suffered an horrific injury.

They’re a popular choice for back gardens in the summer, but Kaitlin Hill, from Florida, is urging parents not to let their children play on trampolines in a heartbreaking post on Facebook.

The mum said her son, Colton, was “innocently jumping” on a trampoline at an indoor ‘bounce spot’ when he fell and broke his femur – the largest and strongest bone in the human body.

The toddler is now having to adjust to life in a hip spica cast – a cast which covers both legs from the ankles, all the way up to the waist – for the next six weeks.

But, in a shocking discovery the mother learned that no children under the age of six should ever use a trampoline.

This, according to their paediatric surgeon, she says “is due to the fact that their fragile bones are not meant to withstand the repetitive pressure from jumping.”

“As hard as it is to relive the past 12 days, we feel compelled to make other parents aware of the danger associated with indoor trampoline parks,” Hill wrote.

“We had no idea and were shocked to find this out from our pediatric orthopedic surgeon during Colton's hospital stay.

“We share this with you today to spread awareness that these facilities are specifically advertising for Toddler Time, when in fact toddlers should be no where near trampolines.

“We hope by sharing his story it will prevent a child and their family from experiencing the trauma and heartbreak associated with trampoline injuries in young children.”

The post has since been shared more than 260,000 times and accrued 50,000 comments, many of which thanked the mother for sharing her story.

“I had no idea. My kids love trampolines but maybe we’ll go find other things to do,” one parent wrote.

Another agreed adding, “I never knew about this. Thank you for sharing.”

The report by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), which the concerned mother refers to in her post, says that children “aged five and under appear to be at increased risk of fractures and dislocations from trampoline-related injuries”.

And, that due to the risk of fractures and head, neck and spine injuries, trampolining is only suitable for “structured training settings”.

Similarly, in the UK, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) advises that children under the age of six should not use a trampoline.