My husband and I have a 6 1/2 yo boy and a 3 month old girl and have just recently moved into a new home. We had been planning to put up one of those wooden swingset once we were settled. After MUCH consideration (more than we spent on our last car!!) we chose one from Toys R Us. It is not the bigest/most expensive, but I would say it nicer than average. The slide deck is 5 feet tall (some cheaper ones looked lower). It also has a fort/clubhouse and rock climbing wall.
Now that I am ready to put this issue to bed, my husband is voicing all the concerns I had been voicing months ago. Since we are inexperienced at this, I thought I would ask our biggest question.
Do you think a 6 yo (Kindergartener) will get enough use out of it be worth the price??? (We live in a subdivision and getting to any local playground would involve driving.)
I apreciate your opinions. I have read tons of reviews for these sets and most people write them right after they put the set up, so they don't comment on how much use they get.
Yes we have a 13 yr old and a soon to be 11 yr old and they do still play on it. It was worth $1000.00. It is worth it.
My husband built one for our kids last summer it was a home made one not one you buy at the store but basically the same. My kids were then age 1 and 4 and my nieces age 9 and 10 loved it and would come over often to play. In fact the couple warm days we have had this spring they have been over playing on it. They have as much fun as my little kids.
I would caution against swingsets from places like TRU and WalMart. The boards are often thin, cheap and warped. The sets are also small. A friend of mine has one and her 4 year old has already outgrown it. I would look into getting something from an actual hardware store. I know Home Depot has "kits" you can buy. They give you a materials list and directions and you have to put it together. The quality of the wood is MUCH better. It will last you a lot longer than something from TRU.
Oh yes, it will be completely worth it! We put ours up when our daughter was almost 2 1/2 and our son was a newborn. Now, my daughter is 6 and my son is about to turn 4. They play on it all the time! They love to take their food out there and have a "picnic" in the top clubhouse part. Heck, they even played on it when it was all covered in snow during the winter! It will pay for itself time and time again!! Also, when the older cousins are over (15 & 12) THEY even still play on it with the little ones. It just never gets old. Heck, I'm 30 and I still love to swing!!! =0)
ABSOLUTELY! We recently moved and decided not to get the super expensive swingset because our kids are older (10,8,8). My 8 year olds miss the swingset like crazy and I wish I could get one. My son is 10 now and he used it a lot - especially when playing with his younger siblings. I also loved it because once old enough - I could send them into the backyard to play while I was inside doing things. You can't do that at the community playground!
Hello,
We purchased our set when our child was almost 5. He is a little guy, but we bought a larger version, hoping to use it for a longer time. YES, YES, YES! We love ours. We too spent more that we planned (I think about $1,500), but after MUCH review, we felt the more expensive one was worth it. Be sure to stay way form treated wood, and watch out of mail order ones as well. We felt you really needed to see it in person. Ours is great, and our son has emjoyed many hours on it.
We have had ours for 2 years and my almost 8 year old uses it more now than when we first got it. He likes to see how high he can climb the poles, but he really likes it. My 3 year old in now getting in to playing on it as well.
I can tell you if you let them go out every day it will get more use than you thought. Our 15 yr old girls will still occasionally swing on the wooden swing set. We spent about 1500 on a trampoline with enclosure and a self designed and built heavy duty swing set. We have more than got our moneys worth and our younges is only 5. It is a big hit. The first summer they lived on the trampoline and when it was too hot to jump they were cooling off with the swing and slide. You also can save gas not going to the park.
I think it will get used a lot. Especially since it has a fort. When he has friends over I bet they will spend a lot of time on there. And your little one will get tons of use out of it too. You can get the baby and toddler swing attachments. The thing is, you don't need to spend a lot of money on these things. You can get great ones at BJs or Sams Club. I hear the hardest part is putting the thing together. It almost takes a professional or someone that has done it before. My friend purchased a smaller one and they finally had to hire a carpenter to put the thing together. Whatever you get, they are worth it.
We have had a wooden playset in every house. My husband has become an expert on putting them together. We have moved 6 times in the last 15 years.
Yes yes yes they are absolutely worth every penny. My kids are homeschooled and are out there for recess every day. But even when they weren't at home they had their friends over and that is where they played.
When we move this summer we will build another, my youngest is 9.
We won a swing set once from Radio Disney and let me tell you ALL my kids played on it and they were 2,7,10,12 and 14. Kids love playgrounds, love climbing on them. My kids favorite thing--swinging. So I think it'll be well worth the money. Of course there will be times he may want to go to the park, but for the most part, he'll play in his own yard.
I just bought one from TRU this past weekend. We have an 11 yo and a 4yo. Our 11yo is a short guy *smile* so I think even he will enjoy the swings... but our 4yo will LOVE it. So my opinion, yes. I think you will get the use out of it. Ours came with a 10 year warranty on the wood...
good luck.
I would say that your children will get plenty of use out of it. My twins are 9 and they still play on our set, it sounds similar to this one, not as much as they did of course, but it still gets lots of use. Don't forget your daughter will be ready to play on it before you now it. I found ours to be a really good investment.
Good Luck and God Bless!
my 3 year old uses it more than my 6 year old but i would say my 6 year old uses it at least 4 days a week in the summer
We bought our son one when he turned 2. He started using it around 3 and is now 6 1/2. He does not necessarily 'swing' much but he does get up in the clubhouse part. We have trees though and he is more into climbing the trees. If you don't have much else for him to play with, he may get a lot of use out of it. We also have a 4 yr old daughter who wants to swing but since her brother doesn't much, she plays with him. Your younger child will get use out of it so it won't be wasted. I think that if I got out there with them and pushed them they would get more use out of it. Maybe if you are involved they will play on it more. I think all kids should have a swing set at least once in their life.
