I have a 21 month old son and we plan on having more children. We live 1/2 a block from a full park that we visit almost every day. I would like to get a play-set for our back yard. My husband wants to purchase a metal type and I don't think that is age appropriate for my son as all he would be able to do is use the slide (we already have a Little Tikes Swing Along Castle Climber). I was think of one of the wood structures or even a larger plastic set. The other issue is our back yard is not finished (we still want to put in landscaping, we do have a fence though) meaning that I may not want to commit to something large at this time.
My questions:
1. Is my son too young for the wooden type climber?
2. Is my husband's metal set a good idea at all?
3. What do you have and what do you love or hate?
Thanks for your help.
We have a Rainbow playset and we love it! Both our daughters love it, and our 2nd started climbing around on it when she was about 2 years old. There are small sets and large sets to choose from and you can pick what you want on them.
If you are planning on doing landscaping work, I'd go with the metal for now, since they are SOOO easy to put up and remove. The wooden set might be a lot of expense and work to put up, only to have to remove/relocate it when it comes time for the landscaping project.
We are also looking for a swingset, but next summer will be doing a major landscaping project in the yard, so we are opting for metal as well.
http://www.americanplayground.com/swingsets.php
we were going to get the monkey bar T swing set but they are just so big
we just bought one from costco in naperville and had it installed last week
We have a Rainbow set and my kids are 2 and 4. So your son is not too young but im sure you will supervise while he plays on it. Craigslist is the best place to find one if you dont want to pay full price. I dont like the metal playsets, but im sure they are ok for a while. They wouldnt last as long as a wooden set.
We have the Rainbow. My kids are 2 and 5 this summer and they love it. We're on a corner so our backyard is very visible, and the neighbors often tell me their kids want our yard despite the fact that they may have their own swingset as well! My 2 year old was climbing the ladder to the clubhouse last fall at 18 months - that's when we left the dads in charge one afternoon...) We got clubhouse/slide/rockwall, 2 swings, and trapeze bar. For now we have a baby seat from Menards where the trapeze would go. I did get the wooden-shingle roof because I've seen too many of those tent-material roofs look like garbage after a while.
I have a scar on my leg right above the ankle from a childhood scrape on a metal set...so maybe it's an isolated incident but it was enough personal experience for me to knock the metal set off the table.
Also, for your future, even though you live near a park, when you have another newborn around it will be incredibly helpful. I would bring the baby out and watch under the patio umbrella or take the baby monitor outside when baby's sleeping and let the big kid play on the swingset. That use is what caused us to pursue the swingset idea.
Plusses:
1. It looks nice, you can tell it's a good quality, feels like it will last for years.
2. Rainbow will install it.
Minus:
1. Cost. In our case we saw a benefit to someone else hauling and installing. Although, now I think Toys R Us sells them. I'm not sure if that's only a certain level, and I don't know if install is included.
We have had two different sets, both wooden and here are my thoughts.
21 months is not too young for the wooden climber, our 21 mo is a monkey on ours- that being said it could be because she has an older sibling.
In terms of what type - wooden or metal- I haven't had a metal to say either way.
The first set we had came from Home Depot- build it yourself for $1000. It was ok, but our neighbors had good advice that we didn't listen to- get something that you(the parents) can play on too because you will... well we did and my husband broke the slide. We were able to get it replaced but we should have listened. We also had to move and leave it behind- so if you think you are not ready to commit to something or may move a cheaper option is definately better!
When we moved we decided to listen to our neighbors advice and we also knew that we would be home full time with our kids and they would use it a ton- so we got a Rainbow. It is expensive but we got it when our son was 3 and our daughter was 9 months- so we will get a lot of years out of it! We absolutely love it and we(the adults) play on it without fear of breaking it! If you think you want to invest in a piece for years for your family- it is a great way to go!
Given where you live, you might find something on Craigs List.
Look on craigslist for a little plastic climber for this summer, and then next summer, buy a wood set.
