What Backyard Play Euqipment Is Best?

D.,
I work for a playground safety company. We do not sell residential but we recommend Eastern Jungle Gym.

C.
MOM HELPING MOMS WORK FROM HOME!

http://www.stayinhomeandlovinit.com/Col

Hello... We picked up a Rainbow mainly because they retain their resell value and have a lifetime warranty on the wood. They built it for us so we didnt have to do anything. (But Ill tell you my husband thought he could, lol) I love the Rainbow and so does my daughter (5) and I am happy knowing that its excellent quality. Weve had it for 2 years now and it still looks as great as when we got it and we all use it. Even my sons that are 15 & 13.
But to be honest it did cost us about $4,000.

Costco has one that is pretty big & reasonably priced. I would say, go for the big one now. Your daighter will be climbing before you know it. We're also thinking about getting one and I suppose I'll wait for the responses to your e-mail before we take the plunge.

We bought a design package from Home Depot that allowed several different versions of building it. We ordered the materials and had a family friend build it. Cost $1200 and it has two levels, climbing wall, 3 swings, sandbox area, slide, monkey bars and outside swing area for speciality items. You can have Home Depot put it together for you also. This is our second year with it and we love it. We have a 6 and 2 year old and it has been great becuase our kids have many years to grow with it. We sold are other playset- little tykes becuase our two year old was getting to tall for the top castle and we did not want to keep two outdoor playsets.

We are going through the same thing. We found a good deal at Costco, but my husband is not the type to put it together, and there is no installation.

If you are looking to spend $1700 at Sam's check out the Rainbow ones. They can be bought and installed for that price! I think that is the way we are going to go. Our little guy will be 3 in Sept, and Rainbow has some interchangeable pieces so it grows with him (like infant swings, then regular swings, etc.)

Hi D.~
My husband and I decided on a Rainbow play system for our
3 and 5 yr old last spring. I know they are wicked pricey,
BUT you need to look at the pros first. They are made of Redwood, so they will NEVER ROT out. They are so sturdy that
they dont have to be cemented into the ground. The kids will
not out grow them, because they are sooo big, even We adults can swing HIGH! They have a gaurantee for LIFE~! a waranty
that will go WITH the set to the next family when we sell it!
Thats awesome! So we can take it down ten years from now and sell it for about $1000 and the new family can take the waranty with it!!! We paid around $3000 for ours, and I know you said your budget, but they do offer financing, which was what we did and we were able to pay it off with no interest.
It has 3 swings, a fort, rock wall, playhouse, tire swing, jacobs ladder, slide....its huge and so much fun! my 3 yr old will play on this till hes 10 or 12 and then we would have really gotten our $ out of it! ALSO they fix anything! They come out and put it up for you, then they come back if anything needs fixing or replacing, thats all part of the deal. We put this to the test once already and they were here the next day and it was taken care of! They have great
service and its totally worth it in our opinion, we went without landscaping or a walkway/patio last year to give our
kids this, and let me ktell you, TOTALLY worth it all the way around! They love it, and its hours of entertainment in the backyard! They are on it constantly. So think about that before you end up with something that she will outgrow, something you will have to replace, and something that will rot out.

Hey D.,
Check out your local craig's list.org
I know the one for my area has had quite a few and a couple were free if we removed them. Also BJs wholewhole club has a great one for $749 right now.
I would spend the money now, do the labor now and it will pay off. We have not done it and I regret it. It will be worth it too if you plan to have another one. Think of it as an investment in your childs imaginative play.

I bought a swing set last year for my grandkids and my daughter picked out a simple metal one with room for 3 swings, a slide and a swing that fits 2 kids. There was budget but she pointed out that the kids kind of outgrow the swingsets when they around 8 or 9 and she didn't want to be stuck trying to figure out what to do with a $3000.00 wooden set.

A playhouse is nice but they get tired of it realy quickly. You'd do better getting a cheap tent or making one out of a card table and blanket and letting her play in there every once in a while.

The sand boxes are really nice and they get a lot of use out of them. You can make your own by throwing a tarp on the ground, making a frame out of landscaping wood, and filling it with sand. If you know someone with a pick up truck it's cheaper to buy a load of sand instead of using the bags. Just be sure to cover it when not in use because every cat in the neighborhood will love your oversized litter box.

OUr kids got a set for their 3rd and 1st b-days this past summer. We spent about $1600 for a wooden playset called the Ranger. It has a slide, rock wall, rope ladder, 2 swings, 1 trapeze bar, a little picnic bench/table, area for sand (which we don't use as a sandbox b/c it can't be covered up, and a little fort. It's a PlayNation set which we bought from Swingset Planet in Farmingdale NJ (but I think they have PlayNation franchises all over). Check out their website. It has a lifetime guarantee & included delivery, leveling, and set-up. We looked around, too, and this was the "cheapest of the best" that we saw out there. We wanted something that we could climb on as well or didn't have to worry about how many kids were up there. Some places had awesome sets but they were crazy expensive. We justified spending that much b/c it was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime purchase for us. And, honestly, just in a year's time, I think we got our money's worth! You'd be surprised at how quick the kids learn to use it~ my almost 2 yr old can make his way up the rock wall! Good luck.

Hi D.,

When my older daughter was 3 we got the $1200 swing set from Samsclub (last year - the one with the clubhouse and tunnel on top too). She LOVES it! It was definitely worth the money and the time to put it together. I did so much shopping around and nothing compared to this set (the cambridge or woodbridge I believe it is). You can probably buy the swingset and hire someone on the side to put it together if your husband doesn't want to. It took me and my husband about 2 days (with chasing my girls at the same time)to put it together. I love doing that stuff though.

In the event you do decide on the samsclub swing and put it together yourself I would definitely say follow the directions and read the directions first.

Good luck and happy shopping :o)
S.

I can't tell you what brand of wood swingset is the best, although we bought one a couple years ago from a little local company with amish made outdoor wood furniture & swingsets. What I can tell you is that a decent metal swingset will last you at least a few years and give you more time to maybe find a used one or a great deal out there. I have 4 kids, and they were all happy with the metal swingset until we got the new one (the oldest child was then 7 and the youngest 2). I also didn't have to worry so much about the youngest children getting on the swingset since there weren't any tall stairs up to a fort & slide. I also picked up a little tykes playhouse for $35 at a garage sale when we had the metal set, so bargains are out there if you keep looking.

One last thing, if you think you may move at all in the near future, do not buy the wood swing now. Not all buyers have kids so the set may not be a selling feature, and any of my friends that have moved never wanted to attempt to move the wood sets.
Good luck!

we are doing the same thing now, not sure what to get. we were going for the one at costco, but someone we know put it up and it already shows a little weather wear. i get annoyed pending alot only to have it look worn, kwim. i literally just got back from bjs and t one on display has the little house on top, a deck underneath, a built in table, slide, 3 swings for $1000. the reason i like it is its all cedar and redwood. i just cant justify spending more than $1500 on one. the quality of the toys r us ones im not sure but looks alone, i love the ashford, its awesome.
and i prsonally prefer covered movable sandboxes. if you decide to get rid of it, its not a bother. easy to remove all sand and replace as needed, no leaves and debri, and most of all outdoor cats often use them as litter boxes and could have parasites. lmk what you get so i can check it out!

We bought one of the $600 Sam's Club ones about 6 years ago. After 3 years it was just looking terrible, it didn't seem safe anymore. They do not last!! I drive around our town and I can spot the Sam's Club ones from a mile away. They all look tired and unsafe.

We tried to move it with us to our new house--the new owners didn't have kids--and decided it wasn't worth it putting it back up. It ended up in the garbage. What a waste of money.

For our new house, we bought a rainbow. The construction is superb. The beams are a lot thicker, they're safer, they have payment plans, they install it for you. We paid $99 for install and it took two guys about an hour.

We bought one of the monster ones. It was very expensive but the size of it means it'll last until our daughter is 11-12. When you prorate the cost over 10 years, it doesn't seem that bad.

Hey there,
We have a rainbow play system. It is wood 4x6 construction. It cost a little more than we wanted to spend, so we got one of the more basic models. It is so sturdy, my big husband can swing with the kids. It has 2 swings, trapeze bar, monkey bars across the top, rock wall, ramp, and slide that go up to the fort. Our kids are now 9,6,3 and 3. We got it when I was pregnant with the twins and they all love it. We are the house to play at in the neighborhood. Even my 9 year old still uses it.

Don't know if you're firmly settled on wood, but be wary...most wooden play equipment is made of wood that is treated with preservatives so that it will hold up in the weather. Generally arsenic is the most prevalent, with other less well known toxic chemicals included as well. If you choose wood, be extra cautious about what your kids do with their hands after touching the play equipment...be certain that your kids wash their hands before they eat!

Hi D.:

We went through this a few years back - we did lot's of research and our main concern was safety of our children. Rainbox direct playsets were by far the BEST on the market, however you have to pay a premium for quality. I looked around our neighborhoo and got input from other families who had playsets and hands down Rainbow won!

And about the size - why spend money on a small on now only to have to upgrade later? That is throwing money away. Get something that will last years.

good luck!

At costco's they sell one for about 800 dollars that is really nice, and with the money you save, you could pay some one to put it together for you.

http://www.costco.com/
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?whse=BC&top...

This particular one is more expensive,
But not by much.

M

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?catg=1780

http://www.playgroundstation.com/

here is a GREAT ONE
http://www.toysrus.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2257620

Hi D.,
I definitely hear you about the expense of a playset. With that said, my son (4 yrs) plays on ours all of the time and just now our little one (18mo) has been able to join in and I think that the money is well worth it. I also agree with your husband to NOT put together the playset yourselves. You want to make sure that it is put together right and is very sturdy and who better to do that than the people that put them together all day long. Also, when you have them do everything you usually get a really good warranty (any screw loose on mine they will fix-no charge). Mine is from Creative Playthings but I understand the sets at Wood Kingdom are great too! Hope this helps!

D.

Hi D.!
I would advise you to get the bigger one now, if you can afford it.
We just went through this. We bought our daughter a used one when she was 3. It said it was for up to 8 yr olds, but she outgrew it by 4. She'd still play on it, but we knew it wasn't right for her.
We saw one in a Sam's Club last year and fell in love with it. We saved up for it and just bought it two weeks ago. It was $1200 and is much like the one you described. It has two levels. The lower level has a little "room" w/ a bench and a place for a sand box. You go up the ladder and to the "club house" that has a deck. You can either go down the bumpy slide or through a tunnel that goes over the swings and down a rock climbing ladder. There are two swings and a trapeze. Our daughter just turned 5, but it is for 2 yr olds to 10 yr olds. I imagine it would go way beyond that.
Our daughter has playmates that are a year old to about 6 and all of them love playing on it. It can hold up to 9 kids that are 150 pounds each so it is a solid, quality structure.
Having bought the cheap one first, I highly recommend just biting the bullet and getting the bigger set. (The one we bought is the Woodridge 6008.)
The only catch that we didn't realize is that you really should level it and it needs to have playground mulch around it. We just put it on pavers and leveled it that way. They say you need up to 9" of mulch to cushion any falls. We know friends who's kids were injured because they didn't have the mulch so we are planning to get it.
NOw, for the construction. It was overwhelming at first glance. THere are 129 steps and it took my husband about 40 hours to build it. Having said that, the instructions are easy and it fits together like a puzzle....very organized. It just takes time. If you hired anyone who can put in a screw, they would be fine putting it together for you.
So even w/ the building time and having to put out more money for mulch, we are THRILLED with it. I wish we had bought this first because she could have gotten 2 or 3 more years out of it. I don't think she'll ever be bored w/ it. Having a "club house" is exciting....one day it is a space ship, another day a house, or a school, etc.
Good luck! Feel free to e mail me if you have any questions.
T.