Needing Advice on Which Playset to Buy

We've had the swingset from Lowe's for about a year. It is wooden and has lots of different elements you can add. We went with the tree house, rock wall, slide and swings. We also have the picnic table and sand box. We did not get the monkey bars because our kids are still young. We've loved it. The only downfall has been the sandbox needs a cover because it gets kind of gross when it rains or you mow the grass!!!

We have just a regular swingset (I think Hedstrom is the maker) that we purchased at KMart for around $199. It has a slide, three swings, a glider swing and one of those that you "push/pull" to make it swing. The kids have really enjoyed it. I does say to wax the swingset once a year (haven't done that yet!) to keep the paint from rusting. We've had for almost 4 years, it has held up really well. I would say that will all of these playsets, you need to keep an eye on any cubbyholes that wasps or hornets might build nests in, my kids have been stung by hidden wasps in the Little Tykes-type playsets.

http://www.kidscreations.com/wooden-swing-sets.cfm?cpao=1...

KidsCreations had the best prices for the quality. If you plan to have the set for more than 5 years, it is definitely worth the investment. The wooden sets from Sam's, ToysRUs, etc are fine for a period, but not nearly as sturdy and will take several days and much frustration to install. My recommendation...bite the bullet and go with KidsCreations, Rainbow, or some other similar brand.

Don't get anything that has, as part of its construction, pressure-treated wood.

L.

Ok, so we have a wooden playset in our backyard. We love the 'tree house' feature where you climb the ladder and go down the slide, but if you chose this style, be sure that the kiddos don't bring up chairs or tables, because we've actually seen little ones try to climb on them, which of course they could fall out of the tree house. Thank goodness we were supervising and immediately brought the tables and chairs down. And under the 'tree house' you can place a sand box, but our girls don't like sand, so that is where the table and chairs go now. One of our friends have a regular playset (not wood) and our kids loved it just as much (if not more) because they could hang from all of the bars. If you're looking for something that isn't as expensive as the wood ones, I think the regular ones are just as good. I guess it all depends on what your kiddo likes! ;0)

A.,

It is so funny that you made this request at this time. My husband and I have been researching the same thing for quite some time and as of last night decided on this one - Woodridge Wooden Swing Set with Slide http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&i... We will be getting it for our girls (ages 3 and 1) for Christmas. We feel that this one is large enough for them to grow into. We feel it is the best price for the quality. Most things we found comparable averages about $2500-3000. I encourage you to read the reviews on it. We did and that is what sold us on this one. I don't know if you are a member of Sams Club or not. If not, I feel it would be worth the $40 annual membership fee just to purchase this swing set. I am not sure how much are you looking to spend, but if you can afford the $1500 I feel that this would be your best bet. By the way, we are members of Sams Club and pruchases everthing from produce to diapers to matresses to patio furniture and even laptops and have always been pleased with it. In the spring, I will be also be purchasing rocking chairs from Sams. Let me know if there is anything else I can do. S.

I would go for just about anything made by Little Tikes.
Little Tikes make fantastic products that last and last and you can clean them easily with a pressure washer - they come up like new. You can also get replacement parts easily from Little Tikes too.

We had a Jungle Climber by them when the boys were little. It was made for toddlers. It sat in the backyard for about 12 years and then we passed it on to a work colleague with little one.

We also have the Log Cabin House - boys like houses too, and a Cozy Coupe.

We now have the Little Tikes playground. We were the second family to have it - came up like new when pressure washed. (It and the Log Cabin will soon be going to new home as we have now outgrown them.)

You might spend a little more but you can't fault the quality.

Last year my husband, brother, and dad built a wooden swing set for my daughter. We bought the home depot kit and put it together ourselves. Doing this allowed us to pick the kind of wood we wanted it built out of so that we know it will be dependable. All we have to do is once per year treat it with water sealer. My daughter absolutely loves it.
Good Luck!

We just recently bought and built a SAMS swing set. Tax and all when you pick up was $1300.00
It took for ever sense we didn't have anyone to help it was me and him. No one to watch our kids so they were underfoot and parts were missing and weather wouldn't cooperate. BUT, as frustrating as it is we LOVE IT !!!
holds 9 kids 150lbs each.
Has a tunnel, slide, fort, swings bench, rock ladder, and a spot for a sand box. You can go to www.samsclub.com and look for it. it's great.
GOOD LUCK!
Jan