Trying to decide what to put as a play area under the swing set we have coming in a week. So much conflicting information depending who you ask. Landscaper says smooth stone, swing set company says rubber mulch. I thought that the rubber mulch may be toxic?
What do you all use?
We have pea gravel. It is very attractive and fun for the kids to play in instead of a messy sandbox.
We have pea stone over most of it with Quaboing rubber mulch material in all crash zones - under swing, bottom of slide, surrounding the high club house. I had seen Quaboing on Chronicle - it's made from scraps of Vibram shoe soles. Vibram is the company that makes boots for professionals like fireman so they are sturdy and fireproof. Because it's material used in shoes you don't have to worrry about metal scraps or staining that comes from tires. It's kind of expensive which is why we only did the crash zones but well worth it. If I could have afforded to do the whole area - I would have in a heart beat. When you first put it down you can smell the rubber for a couple of weeks but it fades pretty quick - does not stain anything, does not attract bugs, is fire proof and looks great too! They sell it in giant bags and one was enough for the crash zones. Google it.
We have sand under our swingset. It is nice and soft, inexpensive, and when not using it as a swingset, the kids can play in the sand.
There is nothing under our play ground except grass. I figured we survived with just grass and mud under ours my children will too! Also, it was much cheaper.
I would put a rubber covering on a "box" surrounding the entire play area and then fill it all with sandbox sand. I can't stand the rubber "mulch." It reeks and I don't find it to be very soft at all. I dislike the idea of stone because if the kids are playing barefoot it's going to hurt to walk on it. Sand is soft and can be played in. However, then you risk animals defecating in it other kinds of bacterium, so you'll have to make sure that the kids wash up really well after playing outside.
Minus that, I would go with planting a nice soft grass.
We have pea gravel under our swingset - my boys (ages 1 and 3) love digging in it. It is like a giant "rock box". My 16 month old goes out and plays and does not try and eat the rocks, which I was originally worried about, but a younger baby might be tempted to put the rocks in his/her mouth. I have found that the pea gravel really cushions the kids when if they fall, which is nice to know. It's much cleaner than the mulch and looks really "playground-like". Very happy with it!
we used the small smooth pea stone...... sand = cats think it's a liter box, mulch = lots of bugs/worms, stays wet longer after it rains. stones i think were the best choice - we have about 6" anything more than that and it's a little too squishy to walk in.
My daughter's school has black rubber mulch. Her hands and pants get coated in black from it. The school would like to replace it but who has the money?
Updated
My daughter's school has black rubber mulch. Her hands and pants get coated in black from it. The school would like to replace it but who has the money?
A neighbor who does home daycare has pea gravel, that seemed preferable in my opinion. We have grass which works for us.
My play area has both grass and smooth stone. Under the swings and at the bottom of the slides it is just grass, but underneath the platforms are smooth stone. My kids love the stones because they get their dump trucks and shovels and play in the stones. I've never heard of rubber mulch being toxic, but it's just a pain. It gets everywhere and I agree with K.H. that it turns clothes and skin black.
We have pea gravel. The pea gravel is as much a hit with the kids as the swing itself. They have so much fun with it. A friend of ours has rubber mulch. Problem with the rubber is when it's in the sun and it gets really hot to touch, also emits a rubber smell in the heat that I don't like. My kids did not like walking bare feet on the rubber mulch. They say it pokes their feet. The rubber mulch is cheaper though, much cheaper. Whatever you choose, remember to dig deep enough so you have the right amount of material to cushion their fall from the swing. We searched on the internet. I think 4 inch deep is recommended. You could also go to a park and check out their swing area. They have to comply with safety code.
we have just grass under out swing set...when the swing set was put in that is what was there!!! We didn't add anything fancy for our kids considering they are the only ones who play on it.
