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

[StephMK]

Thanks so much for all the opinions & advice! I think we'll look around for a used set. It does make sense to save the $ if we can. The oldest won't use it but the younger two are best buds & I think would really enjoy a fort type space.

Our craigslist is not busy at all but I threw a wanted ad on there & already have a response for a free one! I don't want to be ungrateful but she didn't include any details other than it's 13 yrs old. I'm not picky but don't want to disassemble someone's trash if it's not usable either, kwim? Would I be rude to ask for more details?

 

[feedindy]

We do not have one, though I wanted one for years. We also have a neighborhood playground that is a bit of a hike. We try to go as a family about once a week during the warm months. A neighbor has one and the kids don't use it often enough to justify the cost.

I find if I provide a lot of unique outdoor toys they are well entertained while they play outside. It has the added benefit of lower cost and no large item in the middle of the yard-leaving plenty of room for tag & relay races.

My kids have pop-up tents, tunnels, bubbles, moon-shoes, wagons, wheelbarrows and a patio set off the top of my head. Our garage is really full right now. They also have tons of gardening things and you would be surprised how excited they get about digging out weeds, watering the garden and helping to plant.

We honestly end up with the neighborhood kids in our yard most of the time because there is so much to do and plenty of room to run.

 

[Mellie2162]

We have a big wooden one. It has the fort with a sandbox underneath, monkey bars, a slide, 2 swings, a glider, and the other thing thats like a glider but only holds one person on each side, and the big ball sort of thing. Its a big set. We got it about 3 or 4 years ago. The first year we got it they played the entire spring, summer, fall, and some of the winter. The second year they could have lived without it. Now they are 12 and 8 and they are on that thing every free second they have. DD12 especially likes the fort now to go in with her friends and get away from her brother. Also, ive found that if I keep the sandbox full of good clean sand all the time they live in that thing. I did buy the sandbox cover which was a total waste of money. They cant possibly put it on because its too hard and me and DH never make out there to do it. They wont use the monkey bars anymore since DD broke her arm when she fell off of them. If we had to do it over again I would buy it again but ditch the glider and extras and go for maybe a swirly slide or rock wall. Oh now I remember why they didnt go near it the second year. My husband put a tire in the tree and made them a tire swing and they thought that was the greatest thing and played on that all summer.

 

[kmk160]

Yes, we have one and LOVE IT!!!!
We're here in PA, so now its too cold, but when the weather is right, ds is out there all of the time.
I'll be honest, we looked at alot of them and did quite a bit of research.
Some were 1500.00 + and for us, that was way too much $$$ for a swingset.
We do Disney every year as well as the shore, etc.. and I'd rather the big bucks go into that.
We found one at Toys R Us that I think we spent about 400-500 on.
It has two swings, a bar, a slide, a fort (covered), and climbing wall.
It was very time consuming to assemble and my dh did so with some pals.
What I found very helpful was that I laid out all of the pieces the night before and labeled them so that they knew which nuts/bolts went with what piece.
My dd, 9 mos, will be getting a swing that we can attatch to it for her in Spring.
Best of luck!

 

[DisneyPhD]

We have a small wooden one that we bought from Walmart for only $400. For the money I think it is very nice. I would of liked one of the cost co ones, but our back yard isn't that big and that just wouldn't fit (or at least it would take up the WHOLE back yard.) Ours has 2 swings, a glider, a slide, and a fort. It also has a monkey bar part for older kids, but it really isn't that easy to use since the swings hang off it.

My kids use it, but it isn't that sturdy for bigger kids (10 and up like my nephew.) We live around the block from the park. We still go there, to meet and play with other people or a change of pace. However we love having it in the back yard to play with too.

 

[traces7]

We have a small metal one that we bought when our DD was about 3 (she's now 7). She has always played on it alot, even in the winter and the snow and by herself! She's very active! She's starting to outgrow it a bit now. I wish we had originally bought a bigger wooden one for her (but at the time we didn't have the money to spend on it), I think she would enjoy it a lot longer. But at this point I don't think it's worth buying a new wooden set for her, we do watch for used ones in the paper though. I think this summer will probably be her last one for her little metal playset though. (She's too big for most of it).
I would definitely get a bigger wooden set and maybe see if you can get one used or they also have the kits where you build it yourself, maybe that would be cheaper. ??? Hope this helps.

 

[jmpellet]

We have an expensive wooden one from Backyard Adventures -- it was somewhere in the $4000 range and that's with us assembling it. We bought it right when they were young (4 years ago) so we feel we'll get a lot out of it. Our kids are 6,5, 2.5 and they use it all the time -- even in the northeast winter. It has 4 swing attachments, a fort, a straight slide, and a twisty slide. If I had to do it over again I would forgo the twisty slide, which I think was about $600! Some people don't agree with our choice to also buy a trampoline but this thing provides hours of enjoyment. Ours is from Sam's and with the enclosure was only about $400. We have the put crushed stone in the entire area so our backyard looks like a playground

 

[It's A Happy Day]

Thanks so much for all the opinions & advice! I think we'll look around for a used set. It does make sense to save the $ if we can. The oldest won't use it but the younger two are best buds & I think would really enjoy a fort type space.

Our craigslist is not busy at all but I threw a wanted ad on there & already have a response for a free one! I don't want to be ungrateful but she didn't include any details other than it's 13 yrs old. I'm not picky but don't want to disassemble someone's trash if it's not usable either, kwim? Would I be rude to ask for more details?

I would ask for more details and pics if possible. Let her know that you want to make sure it will fit into the space you have in mind, will be able to reassemble, someone else has offered one but you want to pick one most suitable for your kids, etc.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

We have a wooden one, we bought it online, I can't remember where from now, it wasn't a well-known place like TRU. It has a big fort that we added a telescope and steering wheel to, a small slide, rope ladder, two swings and a glider (which we took down to put up a baby swing). It came with a spiral slide, but with one of our moves we couldn't put it back up because of underground lines (it requires digging) so Dh built a rock-climbing wall with supplies from Lowes.

Ours gets tons of use when the weather is nice. DD and her friends take their dolls out there to play in the fort and put them in the baby swing, DS's swing and climb, play pirate, put bionicles together in the fort, they roll hot wheels cars down the slide and I made it a water slide with the baby pool at the bottom last year. They even color on it with sidewalk chalk. I definitely think it was worth the expense, but we have 5 kids so there's always someone to play with.

I like the wooden one because there are alot of things you can add-on/change so it doesn't get boring. Plus it's sturdy. We had a metal one for about 3 years and it rusted and bolts kept coming out of it, but that could've been that brand or something , who knows.

 

[Not so Dumbo]

yes, we have one. It's a huge wooden jungle gym. We spent $600 on the supplies and DH spent days putting it together, and No they don't use it. Well, let me rephrase, they use the swings but nothing else.

 

[twinklebug]

I would ask for more details and pics if possible. Let her know that you want to make sure it will fit into the space you have in mind, will be able to reassemble, someone else has offered one but you want to pick one most suitable for your kids, etc.

Rude? Not at all. Ask her for more details & pics, perhaps if you could drop by to see it. Make sure you don't have a vehicle you can bring it home in when & if you see it or you might feel pressured into taking it right then & there, even if you don't like it.

 

[Pembo]

Yes we have one and yes they use it. My boys were 8 & 6 when we bought it, dd was 2. We had it built and got to pick out what config we wanted. The boys chose to have a rope swing and monkey bars. It has a small fort, slide, 2 swings and a trapeze bar. The fort is 5 feet off the ground. We paid about $1400 and that included delivery and set-up.

 

[mouseketeer_mom]

We have a great wooden set that my kids (7,4.5 and 4.5) use tons. But it was el-cheapo. About $270.00, my father built it for them. It has two "big kid" swings, two toddler swings, a fort that has a slide coming down from it and it ends in a good sized sand box. He bought the slide (7ft long) at Lowes, I think, along with the lumber and hardware. He sunk the support posts pretty deep and poored a good bit of concrete into the holes. Even when DH and I swing that thing doesn't budge. We joke that if a tornado comes through we should all anchor ourselves to the swing set, that sucker is going no place

 

[Mouse House Mama]

We have the largest Little Tikes one. It has 2 swings, a glider, a rope ladder, a fort, a slide and a sandbox (which we do not use). The kids love it and play on it all the time. It was the best investment. My kids are 4.5, 3, 15 months (and 1 on the way!). We also have 2 little tikes playhouses, a climber with a slide, a teeter totter (little tikes), a bounce house and a few other things. They play with all of it and it is great when their friends come over. I would look on Craigs List for your area. So many people get rid of the swingsets- all you have to do it come take it away. You can also get a great deal on them too.

 

[autumnsmommy]

We have the $400 walmart one, but paid 250 for it at the end of the season. 2 swings, glider, slide, fort, and the "get down from there you're too little" monkey bars that dd4 seems to enjoy scaring the beejeebers out of mommy with. She uses it a lot, especially the glider that she can "push" herself on.

 

[tinytink]

We have the $400 walmart one, but paid 250 for it at the end of the season. 2 swings, glider, slide, fort, and the "get down from there you're too little" monkey bars that dd4 seems to enjoy scaring the beejeebers out of mommy with. She uses it a lot, especially the glider that she can "push" herself on.

We have the one from Costco got it last year and our kids as well as the neighborhood kids love it. Our rule is when our kids are outside playing the neighborhood kids are allow on it. We live in a cul de sac so it's nice and quiet and we know all of our neighbors. Our kids are 11, 9, 4, 2, the neighborhood kids are 5-13. Costco also has a coupon for theirs now I think we got it for $1300 but we had to assemble it ourselves(1 weekend). Our kids use it all the time. Ours has a wavy slide, four swings (three regular and one infant)but only room for three, one tire swing, a trapeze/bar thing, a covered fort, monkey bars, a rock climing wall w/rope, a steering wheel, a telescope. It's a wooden one I think it is similar to the Rainbow brand sets. Good Luck

 

[twoeeyy]

we have a swingset from an old school when they had HUGE slides with no sides and somehow kids never seemed to get hurt . I mean this slide has got to be 15ft high it it is metal and you go real fast ( lookout when it hot out though ) has two swings and a trapeez. Our daughter has been using it since she was about 6 she is now 14 and her and her friends still use it, you can go REAL high on the swings . We have never had anyone get hurt on it.

 

[Kellydelly]

We have a wooden one that my husband built from a Home Depot kit 4 yrs ago. Our kids were 2.5 and 6 months old at the time. Now we have two more kids and the four of them LOVE their play structure ! We have two neighbor girls that are 10 and 12 who are often over playing with our kids and utilizing the swings or monkey bars. I think you'd still get a good 5 yrs of use out of one if you decided to get one.

 

[isla bonita]

We have a Rainbow also. We payed $1,800.00. It was the largest purchase we have ever made for our children.

We bought it when our now 17 year old was 1 it was for his first Xmas. We have had 2 additional children and it is the most used and loved.

It has been a fort, rocket ship, gymnastics balance beam, that one is my daughter and she is quite scary. My 17 year old was seen a few months ago sitting up in the fort part hanging out listening to his ipod it was a real kodak moment.

For us it has been the most used, best purchase we have ever spent. I would do it all again for sure.

 

[mamalle]

we bought ours at costco back in sept 2001. My daughter was 18 months old at the time. she is now going on 7 and ds is 5. It was well worth the money. we have bought a trapeze for it over the year along with the rubber ball and round swing.- dh took the monkey bars down and changed it to a wooden bridge to go across the one side. all the kids love to come over and play. He also added a two sprinklers to it over the slide and the swings that I can connected the hose to make it a "waterpark" for the summer months. Its very sturdy and has made it through all of the hurricances over the years.. well made investment of $700 back then..