I am wanting to get an outdoor playset for my almost 2 year old twins and 4 year old. I would love to get a Rainbow set but they are very pricey and am having trouble convincing my husband into buying one. He says we have a playground a block from us and also if we plan to move we can't take it with. We aren't handy so we wouldn't want to uproot a playground set and have to install at another location. However, sometimes we talk about just staying here for good...
So right now I'm just thinking of getting something not so expensive under $500 that my kids would have endless fun on and if we decide to stay where we're at and convince my husband then maybe get a rainbow set a couple years from now. So is there any outdoor play structure that your kids absolutely love and play with all the time? I saw this climber that looks really neat - step 2 skyward summit. Wondering if this is what I should get for now or if there is something better for under $500...
http://www.step2.com/p/Skyward-Summit
Thanks everyone for your advice! I'm going to look into those other brands mentioned and see how they compare to Rainbow. I am iffy on those off brands since I know someone that got a $700 set from toys r us and after 2 years it's falling apart. I did call Rainbow and they have last year floor model that I may be able to get a good price on so I'm going to go to their showroom and check those out. I will just need to bring my husband with and try to convince him! ;) I think if I could stay @ $1000 then it would be easier to convince my husband but also I don't want to buy a set unless it's good quality.
We went to home depot and got a set where you buy the components in a big kit then buy the support wood beams separately.
It's a really great set.
I'd go with a swingset instead of that. We got ours at walmart (wooden) and it was about $200. We had it about 4 years until they got a little big (my daughter is 10) then we gave it to someone else with little ones. For $200, it's lasting a long time and when we had it, my kids could swing for a long time. It also had a bar that they could do a flip on and a slide. It took about 3 hours to put together when we got it....a lot quicker to take apart.
I think they'd get bored with that climber pretty quickly.
We had a wooden swing set. No slide, monkey bars across the top, two regular swings, a horsey swing and a trapeze bar with rings. It was worth every penny! It was made by Childlife and cost around $1,000. My kids played on it from the age of two to twelve (it was full size so it could accommodate swingers up to 150 pounds.) We gave it to my SIL to use for her grandchildren. It's still going strong!
If a play structure is out of your budget then invest in a good, large sandbox and a water table. My kids LOVED those as well, they spent money happy hours pouring, scooping and building :)
My DD is 4 and we have had a few Step 2 products over the years. In my honest opinion they overstate the age range for their products. We had a little climber with a slide that was rated 2 and up - my DD had definitely outgrown it by age 2.5. Fortunately I had bought is used and was able to sell it...it would have been a waste of money.
So if you are going for one of those things make sure you look at them in person to see whether they are what you expect.
GORILLAS are the best.. check into gorilla playsets.. they are as good as Rainbows and cheaper
We looked into the rainbow stuff, too. Completely aside from being pricey, the installation is a pain. They require professional installation, so much so that I wouldn't trust moving them. Not only that, but our yard wasn't quite big enough for the installation requirements, anyway.
We ended up with an old-fashioned A-frame swingset that we bought at Toys R Us for about $150. Bought some anchors for it, too, which my husband then re-inforced by sinking into concrete, so it doesn't even wobble when I swing on it with them. The kids are enjoying it quite a bit (they are 6 and 3). Plus, throw an old tarp over it, and it can be a pirate ship or a circus tent, too.
Honestly, I think they'd get bored pretty quickly with that.
Love the ideas that some of the other moms offered. We have been so tempted to buy a Rainbow play structure too, but have a park at the end of our block. We are resisting the urge and using our yard for other things.
Sand table, sandbox (both were free on Freecycle), kiddie pool for my 1 yr old, larger inflatable Intex pool for my 3 & 5 yr olds, whiffle balls, bats, tee, ride-on toys, etc. I will be getting one of the Walmart swingsets later this month. That should be enough for us for the days we don't want to go to the playground.
Both of my neighbors have big playsets, but no one even uses them because the kids want to be at the park with all the other kids.
Costco has some nice sets, check there
We have a Rainbow and love it. We got it when our twins were 18 months. They are now six . The neighbors play on it too . It's nice because I can keep the kids close to home .We bought one on the low end . It has the picnic table underneath,side rock wall , 2 swings and a bar swing. If you get one , get the yellow slide because the guy said the green one gets too hot. I thought they were having a sale recently. You can go to their showroom and try them out. The price includes installation . They don't let you install them Good luck =0)
That's a cute climber, but I thnk the kids might outgrow it pretty quickly. My suggestion is to keep an eye on Craigslist or other classified ads. We lucked out and got a FREE nice wooden playset from a coworker who had just bought a house (and doesn't have children)! We just had to dismantle it and move it to our house! I like the playsets (and accessories) that they sell at Lowes/Home Depot!
Also, like someone else said, the sandbox & water tables are cheap, easy to move, and the kids can come up with all kinds of fun things to do with them!
I have a 2 & 4 yo girls. We have a huge 3 level play set (with swings) that I won't let the 2 yo climb on because she will fall off. So that means 4 yo isn't allowed either bc 2 yo will follow her. They do love to swing on it though. We just bought them a playhouse (1story) that they love. My 4yo enjoys her sand box the most though. Maybe just get a metal swing set that is only swings? They are inexpensive (metal ones), but if you decide on that, get one now. They are seasonal, unlike the wooden play structures.
