Need Outside Toys for 1 1/2 Year Old

I bought my granddaughter a little Tikes swing and slide toy and a "rock" wall to climb up to the platform. She is now 2 and half and while she is out growing it, she still loves playing on it. It would be a good investment for you since you are going to have a second child to use it also. It cost us just around $100.

www.littletikes.com has what's called the Swingalong Castle which is a swing and slide set that we bought for our daughter when she was 1. By 18 months she could do it all by herself. And it's not too high either.

I know you said you don't want a sandbox, but have you considered a sand table? It stands on legs of the ground so the kids stand as well to play. We have one and our daughter plays with it all day when outside. It has an easy on/easy off cover and we have never had any bugs in it, and especially no animal poop since animals can't get to it! It's worth looking into.

have you tried "Step2" catalog or online? THey have great products and they are easy to assemble. We had the little single slide and my daughter LOVED it. Also, Fisher PRice had last year a small sprinkler set of 3 animals that were connected--got it when she was actually 4. It says ages 3 and up, but it's small enough your 1 1/2 your old would be perfect for it since he will be supervised anyway. I am not a big rummage sale goer, but sometimes you can find things there--you just have to get there Right away. Watch the local papers too for outdoor stuff for sale. Have a great summer! Oh, and a larger ball to kick around on a not-so-windy day. Bubbles==we got a bubble blower as a gift. Thought it was cheesey, but it worked great and daughter loved it--she can then chase the bubbles around the yard.

Have you checked out freecycle.com? It's a yahoo group. You can post stuff on there that you want to get rid of and also post 'wants'. Then you arrange a pick-up and everything is free. A Mother or Grandmother with older kids may post toys for your little guy. And you can clear out the basement or garage of stuff you no longer need.
I have seen everything from clothes to furniture to computers.

I purchased a used little tykes climber with a slide from once upon a child. I have a large wooden playset in the backyard now but before that I used the little tykes climber and a slide that I bought used, now I bring them inside in the winter time so my kids can climb all year round. Good investment, someday I will sell them to the next person. There are plenty of consignment sales this time of year and you could also check craigslist that is where I sold my big step one climber.

I have a daughter who is 19 months...and she LOVES her little castle climber. I believe it's by little tykes and you can find it at Shopko for about $70. It has little green "climbing wall" that's 2 rocks high and a little blue slide. It's PERFECT for her age. Our big kids will go on their big swingset and she is content on her castle climber.

There is a great product out there called a sand and water table. It has a compartment for sand and water, it's not something they sit in. They have umbrellas and covers to keep animals out and the sand/water in. It has wheels, so you can take it in and/or move it around. just a suggestion. otherwise, look at garage sales, there are little tykes mini-slides out there, I'm sure someone will be selling them. Balls and waterproof toys also work well. You could also consider a little kiddie pool. Good luck!

my son is 18 mo's and all i can say is balls!!!!! all sizes. we have about 15 in our backyard and i've got a few buckets or boxes around which he tries to play basketball in. he also likes kicking it around which wears him out. this usually keeps him happy for about 2 hours! these things work wonders at our house. good luck!

We recently bought a small slide at Toys R Us for about $20. I think it is a Little Tykes brand. It folds up so it is easy to move around and store. Our daughter is about the same age as your son and she loves it!

Step 2 Kangaroo Climber..

http://www.step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1305

We actually have one inside for our 1 1/2yr old daughter.

Try Craigslist, that's where I got mine....

There are a lot of cute little climbers and things for toddlers. We have a "Kangeroo Climber" that's really low to the ground and plastic. There's a little slide on it and stuff. Little Tykes makes a little plastic toddler slide. We also have a little plastic "house" for toddlers. You should look on Craigslist for "kid stuff" in your area. You can get used stuff really cheap! There's also trikes, little sit scooters, small basketball hoops, t-ball, etc. Tons of stuff out there for toddlers.

We got our son a "jump-o-line" at wal-mart. It wasn't too much. Its bigger than we thought it was going to be.. it took up most of our play room! We just put it outside with a tarp under it. He loves it!! It's an air filled plastic trampoline with air filled sides to it. He loves to crawl into it and jumps for a long time! He also loves his little Tykes slide. It only has two steps to it. We have a little Pooh Play house, it has two steps to it also and then a flat spot for him to stand in and a slide on it. We got the slide and the play house at garage sales, they were in perfect condition, the play house was 20 and the slide was 5. garage sales can be great places to find things like this.. they outlast the kids way before the kids can break them down!

Check out www.onestepahead.com they have a variety of indoor/outdoor equipment for kids of all ages. Good luck!
A.

I bought a used covered sandbox shaped like a turtle (the turtles shell was the lid for the sandbox. Then I bought 200 plastic colored balls (the type you find in ball pits at indoor playgrounds). They are available at Target or Wal-Mart (they come in boxes of 100). I tossed all the balls in the sandbox. It was fun, safe, and the lid closed over everything when we were done to keep it all clean.

A sand and water table with a lid is also a good way to go. We have cats and raccoons around here so I have never let my DS have a big open sandbox, but the sand/water table is off the ground and came with a cover.

Try craigslist, garage sales....

Menards has a display of outdoor swingsets and different outside toys they sell, you can try it out too. They carry alot of Step2 products.

My in-laws found one at a garage sell so it was cheap for us, but probably expensive new. One thing that is a big hit for that age is the little slides that just have a couple little steps. Also the little basketball hoops, or cars, or side walk chalk.

If you have a fenced in area I highly recommend balls of differnt sizes for kicking and running and chasing and active play with you and dad! You can get a set of 5 sizes of the nice playground balls from Discount School supply online for $13 and I think shipping is another $5..so about $20 for nice quality durable ones. They ship flat so you have to add the air..pumped or compressed would sure be easiest. If you don't have your own compressor, likely someone you know will!

As for a climber..Little Tikes used to make a small cube climber like this..but personally I would not pay what they are asking (I was just looking for the picture for you)..but you should be able to find one around somewhere..or something similar..made for toddlers...

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/bab/1096415967.html

I do home daycare (12 years now) and these are popular..along with swings (but those are not as active!)...but if you have a raised deck you can add a swing real cheap and safe!

Have fun!