Tips on Buying a Backyard Playset

I recommend checking out Step2 play sets. The wooden ones are great but you have to maintain them and the kids get slivers. Where with a plastic Step 2 or other brand you just put it out there and pretty much forget about it. We do take the swings off in the winter to save the rope from getting bad but that's it. Check out www.step2.com We did find that ours cost a little more(I think $100 more) then the wood one we looked at but it's been well worth the difference. Our neighbors got a wood set at the same time and have all ready had to sand and stain thiers which took a whole weekend. Good Luck!
Rachelle

Hi T.. We bought a wooden one from Toys R Us last year. It comes with 10 yr warranty on the wood. One downer with wood though is the manufacturer recommends that you sand and seal it each year. I did a lot of research, both online and in store, before we bought ours. I would check out Costco or Sam's as well as Toys R Us and just compare how many features you get (the one's you think your children would enjoy most) for the money as well as the warranty and maintenance required. Also, I would not recommend one the has a spiral slide, it was very difficult to assemble and the kids shoes get stuck on the sides of the slide as they come down. I'd stick with a regular straight down slide. Hope this helps you, happy hunting!

Now I bought a plastic one for my daughter last year when she turned one. She LOVES it it has a slide with a little platform 2 swings and what I call a horse swing that holds 2 children. I did not want the maintance of a wood set and all the ones in my neighborhood are falling apart. Good Luck!!

They are cheapest at Costco or Sams. I do not believe that price included construction though and they are very complicated to put together.

We have a Little Tykes plastic set (it came with our house when we moved). It is smaller, but has a slide, teeter tooter, swings and sandbox and my 4 year old loves it.

Over the years we have constructed many wooden playsets for our children. When the grandchildren started coming, we built one for them! My one suggestion is to get/build one with enough swings. We've had huge playsets and small ones, and no matter how grand they are, if a child has to wait in line for a swing...well, opt for more swings over "speciality" equipment.

Also, this pass fall, we bought 30 straw bales to use at our annual pumpkin carving party. We created a small maze with them, but since, they've been moved to make castles, obstacle courses and snow forts. The creative possibilities are endless, children can take an active roll in "construction", and they can easily be reconfigured. Our yard will never be without them again :)