We are building a house that has a nice size backyard. When we were looking for a house, I envisioned a backyard that I could put a play set in for my boys (2.5 yrs and 6 mo) to play on for years to come. Well my husband is saying that it is a waste of money to buy a play set because the kids will tire of it quickly. He thinks that once our son has "mastered" it, that it won't be much fun. We also have a couple of public playgrounds within a couple of miles. My argument is that while there are playgrounds close by, having something in your own yard cannot be beat. We not only don't have to leave our house, but there is entertainment when we have family and friends with kids visit. I feel like with the age of our kids, we could get at least a good 8 years out of it, if not more. I know many families out there have play sets...what has been your experience? Was it worth it? How long have you had it? Do your kids still get lots of use out of it after several years? What are the downsides to having one?
Thanks for all of the thoughts on this. I let my husband read my question (so he would know it wasn't biased) and all of the responses. While the responses convinced him a little, he still believes what he believes. However it turns out the bigger issue for him was the cost. He does not want to pay $2K for a play set. So I proposed a compromise and he agreed. What we will do is attach a couple of swings underneath our deck (which is at least 10 ft off the ground), put a slide in to the sloped area of our backyard and buy some type of climbing structure (something like the Step2 Skyward Summit). This will provide all the different activities my older son loves at the playground, make good use of the backyard and best of all only cost about half the price of a play set. I'm actually really excited about this plan.
Yes and no. I really thought my son would play on it more than he has, but I got mine for almost nothing on Craigslist. It is a beautiful Creative Playthings swingset that was at a house when a new family moved in and they did not want it. So, for the money, it is nice to have when he does play on it, but I don't think I would go out and spend lots of money on it. Lastly, we still go to the park because it is fun to be around other kids.
C.
Get one!! We just moved into a house and the family left their big wooden one for us and it has been wonderful. Now I don't have to take my kids to a park all the time, although we still do occasionally, we just go out in the back. My son is 11 months old and even though he can't do anything on his own, he loves it. I let him crawl up the L. rock wall and then go down the slide and he has a great time. I put a sandbox right underneath it and we have all we need. It is definitely worth the money. I DON'T think that one of the Lilliput ones is worth it, however. I have known a few people that have spent thousands on one of those and honestly, I don't see much difference from less expensive ones and kids don't care how much you spend they just want to play!
We have a big backyard with a playset in it and it has been enjoyed by children throughout the years we lived here.(fifteen) My children are grown young men and I want a new one anyway. We could have grandchildren someday!
Absolutely worth it. My kids played on ours for YEARS. Just because they physically "master" it doesn't mean they stop playing on it. It then becomes the castle they have to conquer, or a witches' house, or a store to sell produce. I really think having one in our backyard helped my kids develop their imagination. And my girls spent lots of time just sitting on the swings, gently going back and forth, while they talked and bonded. My son, who has sensory issues, REALLY benefitted from having the rocket swing. The back and forth movement did so much to help ground him. And he and I spent hours sitting on the swings and talking. All in all, that playset did so much more for our family than "just" be a place for my kids to play. It was a destination in our yard that offered real family time!
My husband and I decided to purchase a wooden playset last year. Our children are 2, 4 and 6. For us, it was the best decision ever; I can look out my kitchen window and see them. We still go to the park, however many times the swings are taken or another child is camping out in the tunnel slide. With a playset in the backyard my kids can swing to there hearts content. It also has a playhouse, a picnic table attached and monkey bars. I say go for it!
Personally I don't think they are worth the money. For my son the fun of going to the playground was so that he could meet new kids and other and different kids to play with. Same thing with a community pool IMO. I also agree with your husband that once he has "mastered" it it won't be a challenge anymore. Yes it will be fun for visiting children but thats true of any toy. My son likes the tire swing on a tree more than anything and he loves climbing the trees themselves more than any playground. It can be different every day. My friend got one for her daughter too and she loved it til she was four and then never touched it again. But on the other hand (please take no offense when I say this) I have a friend who hates crowds and doesn't much like leaving her house or like her kids around a lot of other people and its great for her though she does say her daughter is bored a lot. Good luck.
We have one in our backyard that we inherited from the previous owners. We are replacing it this Christmas with a brand new one. Our three year old has already spent hours and hours back there, just swinging and sliding. I know our 16-month old is going to love it when he gets older. The beauty of it, IMHO, is that you can open your back door and let the kids play in a safe environment without packing everybody up for a trip to the park. And kids find amazing ways to entertain themselves. I highly recommend.
I had one for my girls. It was one of the metal ones. It was definitely worth the money we spent for it. The girls played on it for years. Even with a playground close by, you can't always get there. It's nice to let them play in the backyard while your doing dishes, prepping dinner, etc.
I vote - YES! For us it is definitely worth it. We go to the park a lot too, but there are many days/weeks where we really can't get out of the house much. And when you have more than 1 kiddo, you have to accommodate for both schedules. So while my youngest is sleeping, we are outside playing on the swings (don't worry, I have the monitor with me). Also, in the cold weather, I like to stay home more often in the event that it just gets too cold we can quickly come back in.
We also have older nephews and nieces ranging from 7-9 and they LOVE to play on the play set. BTW - they are here everyday after school, so it isn't like they enjoy it because it is something new.
To answer your other questions - we have had it for 2 summers so far. My hubby built it (he is pretty handy). I can't think of any downsides to having it.
They are so worth the money, your kids will get many years out of playing on them. I have a small plastic climbing thing with a slide, meant for ages 18months to about 3 years of age, we finally threw it in the garbage after about 12 years of use when it was no longer safe, the older kids loved it just as much as the younger. Perhaps get one that you can add onto in the coming years. But definitely get one, you won't regret it!
I think girls use swing sets for much longer. I go over my sister in laws house all the time and they have one of the wooden sets and the boys don't really use it that much anymore they are 5, 3 and 1 (the one yr old is a girl I'm sure she will use it a lot) and my sons are 8 and 3. Last summer you couldn't keep the younger boys off of it. My hubby and I feel that a swing/playset would be a waste of money so this spring he is building a clubhouse for the boys. I'm sure they will get much more use out of that.
YES it is worth it. I have a park at the end of my street. You are talking 7 houses down, and I would rather have my kids play in my yard then the park. I can controll what they hear, what they are exposed to. The germs in our yard is theirs. Older kids pee on the park equipment and then my kids go their and play. I have a 4 swing , fort, 1 slide and a small fort set I got in the paper for $75. and I have a 8'x8' sand box and a pool in my yard. they could not ask for anything more. Besides I can get yard work done while they play. I have a 7yr old, 4 yr old and 16 month old. I do not get much done when the 16 month old is out but the kids play very well out there.
Yes they do LOVE going to the park for a change but the convienence has not price.
We purchased a used wooden playset that my husband disassembled and reassembled in our backyard, and it has been absolutely worth it to our family! I was insistant on finding wood that had not been chemically treated, such as natural redwood or cedar. My husband didn't want to pay the pricetag for that quality new, so the used redwood set was perfect for us. The better playsets even offer components that you can purchase and add on later, so that helps with the argument that the kids would outgrow it.
Yes it is worth it, espeically if you get a good quality one.
We built our house in 2000 when daughter was 5. We got a Woodlawn and spent about $2500 and the children LOVED that set. We sold it last year around the holidays. Right now you can't tell it was there because we sodded the area and it looks great.
We had a cheaper model at the other house we built. We bought it when daughter was about 18 months old and that was used a LOT daily as well. Actually, the people who bought our house had to move and they took it with them when they moved.
I'd say at your children's ages, No questions asked, YES YES YES
We have 3 kids that are complete outdoor kids inside to of course but we have the wooden playset 3 swings that are interchanable to a baby swing or use a monkey bar or whatever you want to put the wavy slide wall climber & of course my hubby had to make it more he built a playhouse underneath the fort they love it.We bought ours at Walmart after much searching they were the best & cheapest hubby knows his wood & the others jsut didn't measure up to the one we have for the quality & money spent
I think so. A friend of mine has one and the kids always play on it. We have parks around here, but it's great to be able to go in your backyard and play whenever you like. Since you live in a warm weathered state, you'll get more use out of it too, so it's well worth the investment.
worth it! When our kids were little we bought a kit and built a wooden playset. It was less expensive than buying a set already assembled. They are a little older now, but when my daughter's friends come, they still climb up in the crow's nest and play and my grandson uses it whenever he is here.
Definitely worth it, esp. if you have to drive to a park!
I definitely think they are worth it - you can't always take the kids to the park every time they want to play and they won't get tired of it as quickly as your husband thinks they will. And you have something that will help keep them exercised and entertained when other kids are over.
You can try looking for one on Craig's List or similar - they will still be in decent shape but cheaper. That's how we got one for our daughter, and it was set that the guy actually built himself. That is always an option too.
Yes, but whatever you do, don't buy a Playnation swingset. We did, and by 3 months later the side post had cracked from the top to bottom. I e-mailed the local rep last Friday with pictures and still haven't heard from him.
We love ours! Get one in the fall when they are cheaper and make sure you apply sealer on it if its wooden. Also buy one slightly larger than your kids ages as they grow so fast and it will last a long time. My kids go down the slide even into the snow in winter.
I just read your follow-up post, and it sounds like you have a great plan in place. I just have one other suggestion that may help... Our playset came from some neighbors whose kids had outgrown it (they didn't even ask for any $$, although we did give them some). Depending on your timeline, you may want to see if you can find any "hand-me-down" sets in your neighborhood that can fill your need (assuming that the moving process isn't unmanageable)...
We got a wooden playset last year when summer began. It's a smaller one with two swings, a slide, we put our sandbox on the bottom and there's a platform they can climb to. I have two kids (3.5 year old and 6 year old). They both loved it last year and played on it almost everyday. They still love it this year and play on it every time we're outside. They even played on it in the middle of winter last year. Is say it's worth it. It's even sturdy enough that I can climb up with them and play with them.
This is the time of year when a lot of the playsets go on clearance! You might want to look around in the fall and just store it for winter, put it up in the spring.
I have a swing set/slide/seesaw set, and also a swing hanging from a tree.
I had the exact same argument with my husband about both things - which he now has to eat his words about seeing as it is the first thing both kids go to when they go outside!
We have had it about a year, they are not tired of it - get a good one though, our is a bit cheap and wobbles a bit.
they love their tree swing, which cost less than $40 - including the rope and the swing seat itself.
We have moved 7 times and set up 5 of those wooden playsets. All made from scratch.
We don't have one here yet but it is on the list for next spring.
My daughters who are 12 and 15 still played on the one in NC, we moved to VA in July. My 9 year old was on it all the time with his friends, it takes on a new form every day, one day it is a swingset, the next a pirate fort, the next a jungle gym.
My dogs even know how to use the slides and climb the rock wall.
The only time in 17 years we didn't have one was on base in NC when we had to jump through too many hoops to get the big one we wanted. We bought a huge plastic slide thing and we still have that in the yard.
I would say they are worth every penny.
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We have moved 7 times and set up 5 of those wooden playsets. All made from scratch.
We don't have one here yet but it is on the list for next spring.
My daughters who are 12 and 15 still played on the one in NC, we moved to VA in July. My 9 year old was on it all the time with his friends, it takes on a new form every day, one day it is a swingset, the next a pirate fort, the next a jungle gym.
My dogs even know how to use the slides and climb the rock wall.
The only time in 17 years we didn't have one was on base in NC when we had to jump through too many hoops to get the big one we wanted. We bought a huge plastic slide thing and we still have that in the yard.
I would say they are worth every penny.
We got our wonderful playset for $50 off of Craigslist. The one before that from Craigslist for $100. We borrowed a truck and had to replace one swing. We bought a $1000 years ago and had to leave it behind in a transatlantic move so ever since, with each move, I've been doing the Craigslist thing and it has worked great.
We have loved ours! My oldest son (who is now 4) got it 2 Christmas's ago from all of his grandparents. He is still enjoying it! They may "master" something like the climbing wall, but then they invent new games and pretend things to do with it. Our youngest son just turned 2 and is just now starting to enjoy it. We have one infant swing and one regular swing, and when the 2 year old is a little older, we can switch out the infant swing for a regular one. We also have a sand box underneath the "clubhouse" area, and they both LOVE that and don't tire of it! The oldest plays pirate ship and all sorts of games and they both love the slide. I envision them enjoying it until they're at least 8, so that would give us 6 more years for the youngest one. I think the biggest downside is getting rid of it. I know several people who have scored nice ones simply by answering ads asking someone to come disassemble one and haul it away! However, that's also a pretty easy way to get rid of them -advertise on Craigslist for someone to come haul it away -and they most likely will!
