This weekend, Chris and I were out and about and came across one of those beautiful backyard wooden swing sets. They run from about $800-$20 grand-obviously the latter being well out of our price range.
So we go over to Toys R Us to check out some of the swing sets because now I’m seriously thinking of buying something for our tiny backyard and we found these (which are under $1000 if your wondering). I am trying to decide if this is a good investment:
My office is right off of our backyard so its a great way to send Charlotte out to play and since we live in the South, she really should be soaking up the sun all summer and not sitting and watching Spongebob reruns.
I can’t decide which one I like the most because I like them all for different reasons. I do think that Chris will probably cut off a few fingers putting it together, but it should make for a funny video for YouTube.
We generally don’t buy things on a whim, so when I came home to run some research on cost and quality, I found these swingsets:
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and this:
I am not sure she would ever grow up and move out if we bought this kind of stuff. Not to mention I would have to live in this house and play on this playground, because I wouldn’t have any money left for a mortgage payment!
I could guarantee she would be the most popular kid on the block though.
Then I ran across this contest thanks to Suzanne brought to you by Dad Blogs Big Spring Contest and Kids Creations swing sets. I am begging them for this swingset. Ill even Vlog/Blog the whole putting it together thing and do some more link back posts! Not to mention, since we all know Im too afraid to get pregnant, Charlottes going to need a back yard swing set to mend her sorrows of not having a brother and sister.
~Trisha
The last two are completely awesome. If we had a house like that I would never get my girls in the house.
We bought a Rainbow Castle package 5. It was a huge investment and my husband and I can both play on it with our children. We have no regrets and our children will not outgrow it in a few years. They have many options and the quality is wonderful.
I LOVE the castle set and the playhouse…sooo freaking cool! Now i just need the money to buy them….Oh, publisher’s Clearing House Guy, where art thou?
We bought a swingset 2 years ago for my daughter from Rainbow. It cost us about $3000. It was worth every penny. It is reliable and very sturdy. They came and built it within 3 hrs. It is a great investment for kids. It also saves the trip driving to a park when you have your very own swingset in your backyard.
We have one, very similar to the 1st one and I got it for free because the people across the street were getting rid of it. They wanted to put in a pool and their boy was 11 now and didn’t use it anymore. It really does take up alot of space and my son loves it but one big problem here (I’m in florida)is that wasps love to make nests under the edge of the slide! Lots of then! So before he can play on it I have to go out and kill wasps. They don’t make nests under the wood parts, just the plastic slide! He got stung once and now isn’t so keen on it. Just remember to check under the edges before you play!
I’m looking at buying one in the next couple years for my boys. I have test run the ones they sell at Lowe’s, HomeDepot, and Costco. My sister use to work for the manufacturer and my son participated in a photoshoot (he’s in the sandbox). So while he wasn’t shooting they were playing on 3-4 of the demo playsets. They were very sturdy, mid-level, roughly $600-$1200. They are made out of higher quality wood to withstand the elements (its manufactured in Michigan so we have the elements).
I think alot of it depend on how well you secure it to the ground. I had the cheap metal one growning up and it survived. But it was also cemented into the ground.
I recommend looking on craigslist.com for a swingset. There are ALWAYS people just wanting to get rid of theirs. It is usually a situation where an older couple just bought a home and if you come pick it up, it is yours for free!! We watched Craigslist DAILY and after about a month, we came across one for $100. It looks a lot like the one in your 2nd picture. We go to pick it up and the lady let us take it for FREE because there was a tiny crack in the wood. When we got it home, my husband just redrilled a spot for the bolt to hold it together and it works PERFECT. You can’t even tell that we had to add another spot for a bolt.
On the other hand, if you can’t find one on craigslist, I do tihnk that this is worth the investment. Our son LOVES his and it keeps him entertained for HOURS. Plus, you don’t have to walk to a park to let them have play time, or go to a friends house, everyone can just come to yours.
We also bought the playset from Sam’s for about $1K. I researched playsets and the ones at ToysrUs and Walmart were flimsy. We bought the playset when my son was 3 1/2 so now (at 6) he is very comfortable with climbing and swinging. The neighborhood kids who have visited our backyard are the ones who have hurt themselves (very minor).
Go for it! Your daughter will remember the sacrifice when you are an old lady and treat you better for it! LOL
I say get the bottom two.
Seriously though, Hubs just looked at some of the plans we liked, and then bought all the lumber and hardware and built it himself. We didn’t buy a kit, just the swings, slide and rock wall separately. Saved us hundreds of dollars. I say “us,” but it was really a Christmas gift from his parents.
@ renee:
would love to see it!
trisha@Momdot.com
@ Lauralee Hensley:
thankyou for your wise advice!
We purchased our outdoor fun from Sam’s. It was around $1200.00 and has a rock wall, tunnel, club house, slide and more. So far it has been a great investment. I will be happy to email you pics if you want.
If you get one with a lot of climbing capabilities you might want to invest in some cool soft bike helmets for the kids to wear while playing outside on this equipment if you’re inside, especially if you don’t have several inches of playground quality rubber mulch for the kids to land into. The playground quality rubber mulch (usually made from old tires, should say 100 percent free of metal). The rubber mulch when put to the depth suggested to prevent injuries, especially to the head is pretty expensive. I think it would be less expensive to buy bike helmets. Only giving some advice because I know of a couple of kids in and around our community that ended up with head injuries (one very serious where the child is permanently in a wheel chair for now on) from fancy backyard play equipment kinda like the pictures above.
My niece ended up with a broken arm falling off the monkey bars at school. A friend of mine growing up ended up with a dislocated knee more than once on playground equipment at school too. There are suppose to be rubber mats you can put down somewhere on the market. I think playground sand would be a cheaper choice, but I don’t know if ants are a big problem where you live or not. Sand wouldn’t work where I live because I already have problems with them.
I just take the kids to the park and watch them carefully there. Our park has the rubber mats and for awhile the kids would wear the bike helmets, but don’t want to anymore.
Don’t think I’m trying to invoke a sense of doom, kids should play outside and should have some growing freedom. Make sure to use sunblock on them if they’re going to be outside more than 15 minutes. Make sure to get them little sunglasses like the Eyes Cream Shades or such.
Outdoor play is important for kids and they don’t need to know you’re keeping them safe if you present things in the right way when they’re small. They’ll just think that’s the way things are suppose to be. However, when they get a little older they may challenge you on some things and then you’ll have to decide which battles are worth fighting them over.
We are looking for one at Toys R Us too but I don’t see the one we’re looking at in your pics. The one we’re thinking about getting (with our tax refund) is like the first one but doesn’t have the twisty slide. And I think it’s only $400! With all my kids’ sensory issues and ADD/ADHD we definately need something to keep them busy and get all their energy OUT! Good luck deciding. Those bottom two are CRAZY!!! I want one!
If you get the tiny cottage I want to move in, I LOVE IT!!! Let us know what you decide! I pewrsonally think for a little girl, a house like that could last forever. My neighbor had a tiny *cottage* like garage in the back yard & it wasnt accessable for playing, but boy did we wish it was..all the way up until we were too old for that sort of stuff ( 13-14ish??) Let us know what you do!!
Make sure if you go the less expensive route that it is a sturdy, safe set. Our house came with one of the less expensive swing sets and it was good for a couple years. But once the kids turned 5 or 6, it was wobbling from the heavy duty workout they gave it. We bought another sturdier one, anchored it to the ground and feel that it’s a lot safer than the previous one.
We got the one at home depot that you put together yourself. It took my husband and a neighbor one weekend to put up. The kids LOVE it. They play on it all the time and really have a blast.
@ Cat @ 3KidsandUs:
We have the plastic one by this company…the neighbors at our lake cabin were throwing it away. It was barely used!! Talk about a good find! Our kids love it.