I'm Looking for a Climbing Toy for My 13-Month-old Granddaughter.

We had one that looked like this, except it was only the slide, no swing attached.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Little-Tikes-Hide-Seek-Climber-...

Kids liked it and even when it was too small to be exciting on it's own, I would put it so that it landed in the baby pool so then it was exciting as a water slide. I suggest that these kinds of toys last forever, and that if you go to thrift shops and yard sales, you can find them very inexpensively. Sometimes people are even giving them away on Freecycle.

For this age child, in child care we are required to have indoor climbing items, or a 2 step slide. They are old enough to start climbing on safer things or with side by side supervision. I sat a chair next to climbing toy so that I could assist the kids up the steps and down the slide. It was time consuming because they had to have assistance each time.

I took them out and got Kangaroo climbers by Step 2. Tyco/Little Tykes all have similar items. You can also find them used on Ebay and at garage sales if you look.

Here are some that I have opinions about. They don't make the ones I had in my center and in my grand kids bedrooms at home anymore. They have improved them and made them even safer.

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This one has rails and a little one can climb up and slide down with just a bit of supervision. When they're walking better and have better balance, age 2 and up, then they can use it without standing beside them supervision. They can also climb around the bottom and through the legs and circles.

This one will last them until they're 2 or 3. It will not challenge them at that point. It's good indoors our out.

http://www.step2.com/p/panda-climber

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This one is cute, it looks like a tree, but it doesn't have anything on the bottom for them to play in or climb through. It's a basic crawl/climb up the ladder and then slide. It does have the periscope that makes it more fun.

Again, this one won't last more than a few years but it will retain it's resale value for a good price if it's kept indoors. Step 2 and the other brands last a long time, sun damage can make them brittle after a few years outside.

http://www.step2.com/p/naturally-playful-lookout-treehouse

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Basic 2 step slide, this one folds up so you can put it in a closet when they aren't playing on it.

http://www.step2.com/p/play-fold-jr-slide

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Next size up 2 step slide, very basic and easy for little ones to use.

http://www.step2.com/p/naturally-playful-big-folding-slide

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This slide is very low to the ground so I don't imagine it will hold much interest to a 2 or 3 year old. But it would be great for a toddler that is just learning to walk. Safer too if you can't be right there hands on, like you're cooking lunch or something.

http://www.step2.com/p/sports-tastic-activity-center

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This 2 step slide has another form of activity on the side so that makes it more enjoyable to an older preschool age child. It's a challenge for a toddler that is learning to climb and slide but then as they can stand and use their fine motor skills they can manipulate balls and play more with the side.

http://www.step2.com/p/play-ball-fun-climber

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Similar in activity level to the previous one but a different ball activity on the side.

http://www.step2.com/p/all-star-sports-climber

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This link is long, sorry, but the photo leads to a pinterest page and I don't know if you have pinterest. This is exactly like the Kangaroo Climber I had in my child care centers, in the classrooms. In the toddler room, 2 year old room, and the 3 year old room. The 4 year old kids didn't have any indoor climbing toys. They had other various centers in the classroom and they went outside every single day of the year for at least a few minutes.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fs-medi...

If you have pinterest then this is the page that the previous link goes to.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/129267451777857549/

This is a link to another version of it.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/step-2-natur...

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The reason I liked the Kangaroo climber has an opening where they can climb onto the platform from the back or there's a little door they can open then climb up onto the platform. Then they can play fort, climb over the sides onto outside steps, swing on the bar across the top, and much more. They can slide down if they want to. There are many holes they can climb through under the platform and on the sides.

Overall the Kangaroo climber had everything and kept kids interested for years.

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One last thing. If you keep these inside the house they will stay nice and have great resale value. If you do take them outside they are easy to clean and will last as long as this little one will have interest.

There are many Step 2 play sets that can be bought piece by piece and then joined together to make more challenging toys. You can also make a whole room of them with a climber, kitchens, baby stuff for pretend play for playing mommy or daddy, they have so many things. And they last if taken care of.

couch, chairs, steps, and an outdoor playset that they will be able to climb and play on till they are adults.

My son was an early walker and loved to climb too. He had a Little Tikes climbing cube with a small slide, a crawl space on the bottom, and a bunch of holes to climb through and hold on to. We kept it in the family room even though it was kind of big for the indoor space, then moved it outside in the good weather. It was indestructible. We put some of those big pillows around the outside of it if he was climbing more than just holding on. Best investment we ever made. Little Tikes makes others you can put outside with more "attachments" that make it bigger and with more features. But she won't need that for a little while.

We have the Step 2 Panda Climber. Best investment we ever made. It's a climber, can be a fort, it's a slide, it's just pure fun. Every kid that comes loves it. Lifesaver in winter. We have it in playroom. It was a 1st birthday gift. We have had it 4 1/2 years.

I never had climbing toys for my kids. They climbed on our couch, up the stairs, and whatever else they felt they could climb. If you don't want to spend money or use up space, I would advise against getting one. Just take your granddaughter to a playground.

When our son was about 3yrs old my mom got him his first Quardo kit.

https://www.phunzone.com/Quadro%20Residential/basicII.htm

We built things for him at first, then he helped us build, then he was building on his own - but we HAD to inspect his creations first before he could climb on it - check it for stability and safety, etc - and then by about 9 yrs old he was really quite independently using it.

He still uses it when ever he needs a spare worktable - he just builds what he needs.
Yes it is expensive but it's cheaper than some swing sets, very versatile, can be used inside and outside, they never out grow it and stores in a small place when you put it all away.

My 4 grandchildren never had climbing toys. They did love climbing. I've seen the Fischer Price climbing toys in day cares and homes. I've never seen kids climbing on them.