As high as you can safely catch and decelerate them from.

Generally they'll let you know before you reach your limits. Oh, threshold testing is best done outdoors.

I notice that you live at altitude. Would the same advice apply at sea level?

I recommend against throwing your kids when you're high, regardless of how high you are. You should, however, be very drunk.

General rule of thumb is that a fall from any height greater than that of the person doing the falling can result in a serious back injury. That being said, it is a wonder that I lived beyond the age of 5...

I don't think that rule of thumb holds true the smaller the individual gets. Wouldn't a person be more likely to hurt themselves the larger they were? More spine, more weight, more force. A cat can fall a long way and be just fine without anyone even catching them, not to mention insects. Throw kids as high as you can for science.

I usually never "threw" them, but sort of put them up over my head like a pairs skater. Toss them up just high and hard enough they get that little feeling of null g at the top without letting them actually out of your hold. Sort of like a human-powered Vommit Comet.

Holding them in your arms and then pretending like you're dropping them by letting go just a little and hamming it up also seems to be a huge success. Especially if you do it repeatedly in little increments all the way to the floor.

My gang's personal favorite was me stomping after them like Godzilla while they laughed and yelled at the top of their lungs and tried to run away. After a suitable interval of crashing around the house (like right before my ears started to bleed from their ultrasonic shriek attack) I would catch them, hold them in my arms and pretend to eat their bellies with great growling noises.

A properly trained MomZilla can catch and eat multiple houseapes at once. Then the ones you couldn't catch jump on your back and vanquish you, freeing your victims. Then it's run and yell time again as you lumber back to your feet. Sort of like a catch and release deal.

No higher than the ceiling (or nearest ceiling fan).

I posted such a thread over a year ago; but my wife was reaching for white trash treat (an oatmeal cream pie or something), not tossing the kid.

Thou shalt not degrade the good name of the Oatmeal Cream Pie!

These are standard Scandinavian-descended Minnesotans.

It's clear I'm going to have to throw my boy higher. He's not going to fall behind at 10 months.

He jumped so high
That he touched the sky
And never came back
Till 4th of July

My thoughts exactly. I toss my kids.. well, my son at least. Daughter is well, a wimply little girl. Only time they wear helmets is on a bike, and then only because they have to.

This is exactly true. As long as they're not hitting the ceiling and/or ceiling fan, I'm throwing them plenty high enough.

However, as ducki points out, bouncier children can be thrown higher; less injury involved if they bounce well.

Practicing throwing kids will help when you're being attacked by 5 year-olds.

Ooh, yea, that's a favorite around here, too.

My daughter always had good neck strength, so throwing her as high as I could was an early game that she loved. (the "safely decelerate" part that LiquidMantis mentioned above is Very Important. And do it over soft ground.)

Until she got too tall, "our trick" was for me to hold her by the legs, face out, then swing her away from me and catch her under the arms. She loved it, but her mom was less pleased.

I'm training her to be an adrenaline junkie like her dad, see.

Throwing kids is so passe. I like to rub them on a wool sweater and stick them to the ceiling like balloons.