Do you own a swing set & do your kids use it?

[StephMK]

This is budget related as I need to get more info for a debate with DH involving buying a play set - we'd save a lot if we don't buy but I really want to get one for the kids. I think their entertainment & exercise would be worth the cost. Ideally, I'd like a small wooden one w/a fort, 2 swings & a slide or rock wall. Our kids are 13DD, 7DD, 5DS as of bdays this year. He doesn't feel they'd use it long enough to be worth the cost. I think the younger two would if we get the right set.

We just moved out of state & our new neighborhood has more older families than ones w/kids the younger ones' ages. There is a neighborhood playground but it's definitely a trek & not one they'd do alone for several years. Plus they usually like to play at a time I need to be cooking dinner, etc. We have a nice fenced yard, not huge though.

If you have a play set, is it wooden or metal & do your kids use it? Was it worth the purchase? If you bought, what features do you recommend or not? My other option is to place an ad & try to find a used one from one of these families that probably still has it but kids have outgrown it. Any & all suggestions appreciated!

 

[Shells9]

Yes we have one, and no, she does not use it.
She never did.
It is the same one you are describing..I think it might be because DD is an only child and there was no one to play on it with her.

 

[jessica52877]

We have a little tikes swing set (largest one made) and absolutely LOVE it! But I got it when my son was just over 1, he is now 4, given the ages of your children I can see your husbands point. I wouldn't invest alot of money in one, but then again if you don't then it probably won't last as long. We use ours everyday that it is nice enough!

 

[Banana magic]

We have a Rainbow playset. Our kids are DS5 and DD8. We bought it 2 years ago when we moved to our new house. This playset was more money than we should have spent, but we also have a fenced in yard, and its nice that the kids have something to play on in it. Our set has 2 swings, a rope swing, a rock wall and a chain ladder, a fort, a tire swing, a regular slide and a swirly slide. We went with a bigger set so that the kids could use it longer, so ours is one of the taller ones. We have a neighborhood park on the opposite side of a pond behind our house, but its too far for the kids to go alone yet. My DD loves the swings, and DS likes to climb and go down the slides. Each year they do something different, or learn to use things differently. We are happy with our purchase, although I still feel that these playsets are way too expensive. That said, they are also very sturdy and I don't have to worry about them falling apart anytime soon.

There are always alot of ads in the paper here for playsets that people are selling, you just have to take them and assemble them. That would be a good way to save some money, as long as the person has taken care of the set. The wood needs to be stained at least every other year here.

 

[Soupermom]

My DD 12 and DS 9.5 still use our wooden one; rarely by themselves though. I think given your ages you'd get a lot of use out of it. Heck, even I go swing once in a while. Check the paper and ask around...ours was GIVEN to us!!!

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

We also have a Rainbow Playsystem in the yard and it was way more that we should have spent but we also put down recycled rubber mulch with it that cost big bucks but never has to be replaced. The kids use it once in a while but not as often as I'd like.

 

[twinklebug]

In the long run, kids far prefer to use their own creativity in playtime as opposed to the swing, slide, climbing area bit (they outgrow the swings FAST). The best of both worlds would be a play set that would allow the kids to move the pieces about & create a new look & feel all the time. I don't know a company that creates this sort of a setup.

I agree with your DH. The usefulness of a set is just too short. Your 5yo will use it for a bit, the 7 yo too, but the 13yo is proably too old for one now unless you create something special: Do you have any good big trees? Tie up a big tire swing (horizontal with 3 ropes attached is best) Create a sandbox, around the edges, brace up a few poles and tie on fabric for a fort. Pop in a family porch swing or a stand-alone. As a kid I would have loved to wrap up in a towel and rock on one after running through the sprinkler or to take a nap on. Adults like them too

 

[CinderellaIam]

We put one in when my DD was 6 and step son was 4 (he was only with us every other week and vacations), similar to what you are describing. The kids used it, as did any other kids that came over to play, but I have to say that once they hit like 10 yrs old, they started to loose interest and by 12 definately no interest. We did okay, we got a few good years out of it and then it was dismantled and given to my sister for her girls. Now that her girls have outgrown it, it will be dismantled again this Spring and brought to my brother's for his 2 year old to grow up on. I should add that my DD is now 20 yrs old, making this swingset 14 years old!!

With the ages of your kids, my suggestion would be to buy one used. Check local ads and Craigslist.

Good Luck!

 

[tedhowe]

We have a swing set and our girls use it a lot when the weather allows.

We got a nice wooden set from BJs Wholesale Club (they seem to have one model every year). We got it 2 years ago when the oldest was 3 and the little one was 6 months.

The swingset itself was pretty reasonable for what we got: $859 for a wooden swingset with wood roofed upper level playhouse, spiral slide, ladder, rock climing wall, integrated kid size picnic table and sandbox, money bars across where there are 3 places for swings (two belt-type swings and 1 glider).

I had to put it together myself - about 15 hours of work over 2 weekends - needed help from a second person for about 2 hours of that.

All in all, it was a great deal... what was more expensive was the decision we made for ground cover. We decided to go with a playground cover that was made from recycled tires... it cost about $1600 to cover the large area (about 28' x 24') to a 4" depth. It was expensive, but is supposed to last at least 20 years and is not supposed to break down or wash away, so we'll never have to replace it like we would wood mulch or sand. After 2 play seasons I have to say it is holding up well, and I don't think I'll need to replace it at all before the girls are done with the playset.

 

[Gillennj]

We have a wooden set with a fort, slide, 3 swings, monkey bars and climbing wall. It is a Playstar from Menards (Lowes carries them, too). They do use it, and it's GREAT for when their cousins come over. We probably over spent on it, though. I went in thinking I would be able to sell it once the kids outgrew it, so we should get at least a little back out of it.

I would encourage you to check around locally to see if anyone is selling a used one.

 

[1of6]

We have a wooden playset, well actually 2. We have an A-frame wooden swingset that has 4 swings. We then have a wooden fort with a slide and a sandbox under it. It was left at our last house and we moved it when we came here 5 years ago. The swings get the most play. DS5 learned how to pump last summer and lived on it during the fall. DD3 is a slide fan. Up-down, up-down, up-down...

My oldest was 18months and an only when we got the set. All of the kids have gone through the same pattern of loving the slide and then moving to the swings as they got older.

 

[hollieplus2]

We also have one of the Rainbow ones from Costco. It was a gift to DS now 6 about 1.5 years ago from is Grandparents. He uses it a lot. He's an only child so he really only plays with it when friends are over but they do use it. The next door neighboor comes by and uses it to. They have a 2 year old and he loves the swing and slide. We kept a baby swing up just for them. They are great neighboors and we don't mind. DS loves to use it during the summer especially. All the boys on the court will get the slip and slide out or the blow up pool and put it at the bottom of the slide and then set up a sprinkler so the slide is wet and they will have fun for HOURS. It's safer than a pool and they like it just as much. As long as they are wet they don't care. They also like the little clubhouse thing up top.

 

[NeedaVacation03]

We are in the minority. We have a metal one that we purchased when we moved in 11 years ago. Metal was all the we could afford at the time. It has held up well for us. I am looking at replacing some of the parts this spring for DD2. We have talked about getting a wooden one, but get stopped by the price everytime. We just put that $$ in our barn fund . We think the barn may be of more benefit than the swing set. I would love to find one that someone wants to sell, but have had no luck with that near us. DH is not exactly Mr.Fixit, so we have to watch what we bring home.
We will probably justify the wooden one someday for grandkids that hardly ever come to visit. LOL

 

[87Heel]

We built ours using the pieces/sets sold at Home Depot (Lowe's has similar) and wood to make our own design. DH and my dad built it when we lived in Virginia and our oldest DD was 2 (and an only). When she was 4.5 (and second DD had just been born), we moved to PA... and we took the playset apart and moved it, too. Now DD is 13 and will still play from time to time (when she's watching her brother and sister in the yard for me). DD8 and her friends still play on it a lot. DS3 is using it more and more. We do need to replace the canopy/roof, and we have replaced a few swings along the way.

 

[A&CsMom]

We have a wooden one we bought used ($150) and my DH repainted it and we got a new tarp made for the fort part, DH put new bolts on it, and a new swing. We got in for our DS8's birthday when he turned 4. We also have a DD4 (turning 5 in less than a month). They use it a lot when they are in the back yard, in fact it is usually the centre of their games. It has a fort area that you get going up a ladder, with a slide going down from the fort area, and DH has made the ground area of the fort a partially closed in area as well. There is a rope and a swing as well. They even use it in the winter when they are playing in the yard. Since we didn't pay much for it, we feel we definitely have gotten our monies worth, and I think we have a few more years of use before we get rid of it (DH doesn't think it will survive another move - we already moved it once when we moved homes).

If you get one, I'd get it used so if your kids don't use it much, it won't be so bad.

 

[pjlla]

I second (or third) the idea of finding a used one. We were given ours for free from DH's sister when her kids outgrew it. DD was about 2 1/2 at the time and DS was just a baby. We were able to take it apart into just two large pieces and drive it in our pick-up truck from Cape Cod to Southern New Hampshire (driving very slowly!). It took DH less than one day to reassemble it, reinforce a few areas and add a few new handles to help DD with climbing. That was in 1998. And it still sees lots of use in the spring, summer, and fall. We did replace one swing a few year ago. And it came with some sort of spinning part that we never installed. We used the space for an extra swing (it came with two, we wanted three for when a friend comes over). Our swing set included two swings, a tire swing, a pair of rings, and a slide (as well as the never-used spinny thing).

My kids also do the same thing that "hollieplus2" mentioned her kids do.... they put the kiddie pool at the bottom of the slide, let the hose run over the slide, and turn it into a water slide. Lots of fun in the spring before we open the pool.

The other thing that sees tons of use is our sandbox. DS and his friends LOVE to play in the sandbox. It is large (about 6 x 6 square) and we refill/refresh the sand almost every spring. They have lots of shovels, buckets, and trucks, plus I allow them to use the hose and make ponds, etc. (We're on a well, so we don't pay a water bill.) Even if we had to get rid of everything else, I would make sure we had a sandbox.

Good luck with whatever you decide......................P

 

[ckoncurat]

We have a very expensive rainbow swingset, and honestly our kids rarely use it. (Ages 3-10). When friends come over, however, our yard is a huge hit. I get mad when our kids say they are BORED, since this expensive playset is sitting there, but at least it will last forever and looks really nice. Your 13 year old is really too old for anything BUT a very sturdy wooden playset like rainbow- most sets will not support the weight of an older child. Rainbow will hold up under a 200lb adult- I can stand upright in the fort.

 

[Frantasmic]

We have a metal one as well. We bought when my DD was 4. She is now 12. We also have DS6. He uses it a lot in the spring and summer. She still will swing with DS once or twice a month. However, she never used it on her own passed age 7. I agree with your husband in this instance due to your childrens' ages. The youngest one is about the only one who will use it and it will cease to be a novelty at about age 8.

 

[runwad]

We have a metal one that the IL bought for DD when she was 2 (I think they got it at WalMart) BEST thing ever, the WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD is on our swing set. Of course its in the best location, under shade trees. We've had it 9 years and it still looks good believe it or not, there are 2 swings (but we put a 3rd where the trapeeze bar goes), a glider, rocket ship and slide. We've had as many as 10 kids on there at a time. We've gotten tons of use out of ours. I love it when they all go back there and swing and sing, youngest child is DS6 and it's still getting a lot of use, even DD11 still goes and just sits and swings and talks with her friends. Best investment I never made. But I do think if you don't have shade in your yard and it's in the sun, that will affect the use.

 

[scouthawkk]

We also have one from BJ's. Slightly different from the one described above. Ours has a wavy instead of a spiral. Got it last Memorial Day weekend. DS (4-and an only child) really only uses it when other kids are over. So we made sure to have some extra play dates during the summer and fall. Plus had his aunts (ages 10 and 12) over for weekends. Also, during the summer, DH turned the slide into a water slide with a little kiddie pool at the bottom. The kids all had a blast!

Hope we get some good use out of the set this year, too. I wasn't overly pleased at how much we spent, when compared with the actual amount of use. DS said he'd play on it, but got bored when playing by himself...but I can't really find fault in that. I hate doing things by myself, too.