Should I buy a pickler triangle for my 8 month old?

[Peridotty]

My husband isn’t really convinced. He says they look dangerous AND quite expensive. I found one on sale for £125 from Etsy. I have looked at alternatives like a plastic slide or foam crawling shapes but he has said no to those.

My baby can stand on her own and loves pulling herself up on furniture. She can almost walk.

So are the useful? Are they dangerous for babies? Too expensive? I don’t earn any money (I’m a student).

Sorry should say a Pikler triangle in the title.

Didn't know what a Pikler Triangle was till I googled! It looks like a really versatile, fun piece of equipment, and says its suitable for 6+ months. The one I saw was over £220, so yours sounds a bargain, as long as you can afford it. What toys/equipment does your dh favour, then?

I also had to Google! Pic attached for the benefit of other users...

I have a 2.5 year old and I'm currently expecting another baby. Now I know that these things exist, if I had the space, I'd buy one! Babies who are starting to climb etc would need close supervision, but they'd need that regardless...

It looks versatile and fun, would help teach climbing, pulling up, balance, coordination, etc. The slide addition would be great for most ages. Older children could convert into a den with sheets. For any future younger babies it could be used as a baby gym (e.g. clip pram toys to the bars and put them on a mat underneath).

For what it's worth, I'd choose a pikler triangle over a plastic slide (far more versatile and more uses = better value), plus you could add a slide in future in any case. Foam crawling shapes are fun (my 2.5 year old enjoyed them at soft play when he was a baby) but of limited value as children start getting more agile (they would have been packed away in the loft by now, whereas the triangle would still be out, if I'd bought them) so again, the triangle would offer interesting options for longer.

Useful? Yes.
Dangerous? Most things in the household have the potential to be dangerous. It's about risk assessment and supervision. Just make sure you buy from a reputable brand/seller who spaces the bars safely (you don't want little heads getting stuck).
Too expensive? I think they seem like good value, given the versatility.

As an aside, does your DH prevent you spending money on things, or is it this just a topic of conversation because it's a large item (both in terms of floor space and money)?

He probably thinks our baby has enough toys. He says I’m just trying to make our house into a ‘funhouse’. He thinks that when she is old enough we can just take her to the park and use the climbing frames there and doesn’t see the point of the pikler.

@Poppins2016 thanks for your detailed reply! Well he doesn’t like to spend a lot of money and he often questions my purchases. I sometimes buys things without asking cos I know he will say no! Once its bought then he will have to put up with it! I’m not a shopaholic by any means though. Since I dont earn the money I am quite careful. He always asks me to sleep on things. He is a man who likes to properly research everything he buys and then buy the best. He thinks it’s expensive on face value but he won’t mind buying it if it’s worth it. For example, we just spent £350 on two playmats and a playpen because he wanted them and thought it was good value.

I can see both sides... there is something to be said for not allowing toys to take over the entire house (I get a bit tired of my sitting room looking like a playroom), however I think the primary caregiver (presumably you) should have the most say in this... you're the person who needs to find things to occupy your child the most often!

There was a time during the pandemic when the playgrounds were closed near me (and of course soft play is still closed), so just being able to pop out for activities isn't exactly guaranteed at the moment. I'm thinking of getting some play equipment (mostly a swing, possibly a small climbing frame) for the garden for this reason.

Posted before your 2.45 response!

Glad you feel you can buy things without asking, that was what I was worried about (but was equally worried I was seeing red flags that weren't there)!

It's a tricky one. So much play equipment is over priced (especially branded) and there's no way of knowing the true value to you until you have it! But as a general guideline if it seems versatile, I'm happy to spend a bit more money.

With a bit of DIY you could buy a wooden ladder off eBay, saw it in half , screw 2 triangles of ply on each side and make one for a fraction of the price !

I’d wait for her birthday- then you’re more justified to spend that amount on her. And she will love it. Then get the slide for Xmas that attaches.

The resell value will be really good, so that could be a good reason to go for it.

We have one with a slide that I bought during lockdown 1. I’m not sure an 8 month old will get much use out of it but they will definitely grow into it. The only thing I’d say is that they are surprisingly high, my youngest was about 18 months when we got it and if they’d fallen off it would’ve hurt! However they did adapt pretty quickly and has actually never fallen off.
We’ve had a lot of use out of ours. And it folds so doesn’t take up loads of room.

I bought a Pikler Triangle with slide for my DD as a sort of panic buy during the first lockdown. The only regret I have is that I didn't buy one sooner!

It's the single most used toy in our house and it's done wonders for her physical confidence. She has the Triclimb, which folds away very small. She's 3,5 now and on it every day.

We have the triclimb and slide. Kids now 2 and 5 (we’ve had it a year) and they use it every day. Brilliant piece of kit. We also love our river stones, they make assault courses with the triclimb.

My son never used his. He prefers coffee tables and couches for climbing

They're brill, even for very little ones like yours. They can really improve baby's confidence in climbing, walking, standing etc and like PP have said they last for years. Have a good resale value too. And they're excellent for helping baby get physical exercise on days you don't want to go to the park!

We have a triclimb with slide and love it. Bought in the first lockdown just after dd’s first birthday and it’s used every day still. Never considered it dangerous as she’s a very good climber anyway and it seemed safer than letting her climb the furniture. She was walking at 8 months so has always been very physical anyway. My older ones love to play with it too. Hideously expensive but excellent resale value when the time comes to pass it on. Personally I’d be weary of smaller handmade ones. I did a lot of research before buying ours and settled on the triclimb because of all the safety testing they’d done, not to mention I liked the design more than most. It has a double bar at the top that my dc just like to sit on, and the longer bars at the bottom make it more stable. I’d be happy to buy one secondhand but I wouldn’t touch one from Etsy with a barge pole, sorry.

@tenredthings

With a bit of DIY you could buy a wooden ladder off eBay, saw it in half , screw 2 triangles of ply on each side and make one for a fraction of the price !

Please don’t do that! It would be so dangerous (unless you’re a qualified joiner of course...)

Can't you just buy a cheap plastic slide to go in the garden?

I almost bought a similar product a year ago but saw sense at the last minute.

www.montessoriinreallife.com/home/2020/3/6/how-to-build-a-pikler

There are some good DIY instructions here!

I wouldn't. I've had one DC that would never have used it, always more into books and intricate fine motor things rather than gross motor, and another Dc who is so into climbing that a Pikler would only serve its use as a starting platform to climb the bookshelves

Similar to a PP, I'd buy one that has been robustly safety tested. We have a triclimb and I chose it for the testing and the high weight limit. 8m old baby loves it as does 3.5 yo DS. I'd definitely buy it at this stage.

We got our triclimb when lo was 8 months, we have slide now and love it. Go for it!

@Poppins2016

www.montessoriinreallife.com/home/2020/3/6/how-to-build-a-pikler

There are some good DIY instructions here!

I'm not a DIY expert at all. By the time i've bought all the tools / materials and suffered cuts, bumps, and drank several bottles of wine as well as eating enough chocolate to help numb the trauma, I think paying the extra to buy one would be a sensible decision.

Good luck to all those with the skills to build their own. 🍷🍫

Ah yes I agree with making sure you buy a good one. Ours was from rainbows and sawdust and is sturdy and chunky. It did cost about £350 for the triangle and slide though

Everyone I know who has one, says it’s the best thing they’ve bought their babies.

They look quite nice too, so not like having enormous paw patrol flashing musical plastic tat in the living room (which gets on my nerves, and I’m quite relaxed generally about toys etc).

If DS were a very little younger, I’d have scraped the money to buy one. As it is, he’s scaling all the furniture all the time anyway ... much to the detriment of the furniture