Climber & Swing Set ( Too Many Choices )

My girlfriend bought this set and our kids all loved it!!! I know you said you had your mind made up but I also wanted to let you know that you can get a swing seat for it http://www.littletikes.com/toys/2-in-1-snug-secure-swing.... It comes in different colors and all. It attaches in the same holes that the regular swing goes in. So if you buy this now your daughter who isn't old enough to swing herself can still use the swing portion. This was the only "upgrade" she did to hers and our kids have played on that thing even still! (I have a six yo that is tiny and she still plays on it...my girlfriends son is a little bigger 4 yo and he still loves it too!)

We bought the Little Tykes Clubhouse Swingset for my 18 month old son at Christmas for two reasons. First, it was the only one that had an age recommendation as low as 2 years old and he could play with it immediately. The platform was close enough to the ground that I wasn't as nervous about falls. Second, it wasn't very expensive and I won't be upset about getting rid of it and upgrading to a bigger one in a few years when my son (and his brother to be born in a few months) out grow it (it is recommended up to 6 years). My son LOVES it!

(Per the Toys R Us website):
That Little Tykes set is nice and good... I have friends that have that and it's great.
But yes, when your kids are older.... over say 6 years old.... when they are taller & heavier... you'd want to get a set that is for older kids. Because their height/length will outgrown the proportions of the set.

But, this Little Tykes set will last a long time... and when your daughter is 5+ years old... your (eventual) younger child/baby, will be at that age where THIS same Little Tykes set will be appropriate for him/her. There will be an "age" gap... in the type of outdoor apparatus's they can use. SO... actually, by the time your eldest daughter is 5+ years old... you MAY decide to "keep" the Little Tykes set... for the younger child, still. THUS, there may be 2 outdoor apparatus's for "both" children. Depending on their age gap.... and you can never really "plan" the age gap between children.

As an example: we have the "Step 2" Kangaroo Climber (from Toys R Us) in our yard, which we got for my eldest child when she was a toddler... then 4 years later we had a son. NOW at their ages (2.75 yrs. old and 6.75 years old) they BOTH can still play on it, although my daughter is naturally too heavy/tall for it per her age. But the apparatus does accommodate them both & is very strong. So, we still keep it in our yard. And they both have fun with it. Still.

As with anytime when you have more than 1 kid... you generally can "keep" the equipment you already have... for the newer/younger child... because after the eldest child has outgrown it, it will be perfect for the younger child.

The Little Tykes Clubhouse Swing Set to me, looks more fun.
But kids have fun with both configurations....

ALSO, since your current child is only not even 1 years old... make sure you note the "recommended ages" of the apparatus... at this young age, a child can't "swing" by themselves on a swing or balance properly on it yet. So, they need a swing that has the waist bar across it... for example.
Most kids, even at 2 years old, can't really "swing" by themselves on a swing or balance or hang on to it safely enough yet... so... you might want to consider what kind of "swing" you get.

Once you do have 2 kids.... parents usually KEEP what they already have... so that the younger child will still have something to play with or use, and even if it is outgrown by the older child, it will be still useful for the younger child.

ALSO, try to get something gender neutral... with me, we had a girl then had a boy. But for their outdoor things, they both can use it since outdoor things tend to be gender neutral, and therefore you get more for your money.

Good luck,
Susan

We got ours at "Swings n' Things" in Mission Viejo. They were amazing. You can essecially design one exactly how you want it and the best part is as long as you seal it once a year, it is guaranteed for life! They will replace or fix it for free. We've had ours for almost 5 years now and it looks like new. One of the greatest investments we've ever made. We gave it to our oldest as a gift from the baby that was on the way and he's now 9 years old and we've had two more since then and they all use it every single day. If you have a chance you can visit their showroom in MV - lots of fun.
Good luck.

Hi F., Go to the Walmart web site thats when i got mine for my daycare kids, it's not a large set but it serves the purpose, i wanted one with wood frames becasue the onther ones rust to much, I don't remeber the name but it has a slide that you can climb from either side, one side is a regular ladder the other side is like a rock climbing side, it has two swings, monkey bars, and a swing bar, home depot has some really nice ones but you have to buy the lumber seperate. So my thougt was when all else fails check out Walmart. J.

PS it's nice to hear coulples do family planning.

I took a peek at the one you're looking at and it looks better than ours. I just wanted to recommend against the one we have which I don't see on ToysRUs' website now. It's a Little Tikes, too, but it only has a small red slide, a steering wheel, a parascope, and one swing that my son totally outgrew at around 19 months. What a waste of money! Like I said, the one you're looking at is one I should've looked into, too!

I'm just writing to say how much I love your "A Little About Me" description. Ha! That is exactly how I feel!