I'm going to have to spend over £1.5k on this aren't I?

[elliejjtiny]

Our 10 year old climbing frame with a slide, 2 swings and monkey bars had finally got to the point where it is no longer safe and we have to get rid of it. I've been looking at suitable replacements for a while now and now that the dc are older anything that will be challenging enough for them and take their weight is extremely expensive. I'm looking at the growplay one that has all different bits on it but it's £1.5k, plus extra to add a bucket swing. Our one has been used every day by our younger 3, currently aged 13, 11 and 10. 16 year old has only recently stopped using it and still uses the trampoline most days. We don't have a park near enough for the younger 3 to go to on their own so we really need to have stuff in the garden. 13 year old has adhd so needs loads of exercise or he won't sleep. Is there some kind of climbing frame suitable for older children that's cheaper or do I need to note the bullet and fork out £1.5k for a new climbing frame? I miss the days when they were toddlers and were happy with a little slide that cost £10 second hand!

When we wanted a climbing/play frame for our garden, we bought a plan for one from the US. It was like an architects plan with measurements and a list of all the materials needed. There was scope to add ropes, climbing net, fireman’s pole, hut with roof, swing set, slide, see saw, climbing board etc depending on what you want.

My children and friends had great fun in it from aged 4 to 16, we let them sleep out in the hut in the summer as it had a solid roof ( part of the climbing part) and we could attach fabric sides to it with zip locks. Our garden was big enough for us to create quite a large set up and still have loads of room for football and bikes, as well as room for adults to sit out.

It took my husband and his friends about four weekends to construct and we added extra things such as pull up bars and a trapeze as they got older, buying the toys as birthday presents.

Ive no idea of cost as it was years ago but the plan itself was not expensive and once you factor in the basic construction materials, you can spend as much as you want on toys. I think if I was doing it again, I would pay a handyman to build it!

Thank you everyone. We already have a massive trampoline that also gets used daily by all my dc. 16 year old doesn't use the climbing frame any more but he will walk the mile and a half to the park to use the equipment there. The costco ones look great but are for children up to 10 years old so wouldn't work. We have the money saved but it's all my birthday and Christmas money saved up for about 5 years so I wanted opinions/advice before buying something so expensive. I anticipate the dc using a climbing frame for a long time yet which is why I was looking at the growplay one which has a massive weight limit and is suitable for adults to use. The only problem is that it's triple the price of the children's sized ones. I have found another one that is ok for adults but it's just a swing and my dc like climbing as well as swinging. I thought about outdoor gym equipment instead but they have those at a couple of the parks we go to and my Dc2 don't really use them much. They mostly like climbing, zip lines and squeezing into one of those big bucket swings together and pretending to be pirates.

After it's plummeted does the value bounce back? 😉

As long as you remain confident that it will still get good use, and given your child with adhd will likely benefit from more time on it than many NT children that PP may be referring to, I would get it.

Would bikes be an option? It sounds mad to be buying playground equipment for youngsters of that age unless you've money to burn.

Hi op. Family fund helped us with a grant towards play equipment for our ASD adhd grandson

Have you looked at Brave toys? We have the treble teen swing set, and we got it because it can take up to adult weights. We bought it in lockdown and it was a great purchase, the kids still use it constantly

I suspect the 16 year old wouldn't have using the equipment halft as much had he not had younger siblings, I wouldn't expect the younger two to use it as much.
Might be worth looking into outdoor equipment though,aybe even a pool?

The wickey and dunster ones look really good but they don't mention age/weight limits as far as I can see. I have contacted them both to find out more. They already have bikes. I did think about a pool but I wondered how much use it would get with the British weather!

Have you thought about doing a ninja warrior course type thing for them. You sink metal posts into the ground and then hang the stuff from them

My young adult still likes to go to the swings when the playground is quiet, might invest in one for the garden ourselves

Your kids are just about to grow out of this? 16! 😂

I don’t get it either. I really don’t. But I also assume OP knows her children/teenagers best.

OP you don’t have a wall big enough to put climbing grips on?

Some friend sf ours have a structure made out of scaffolding poles in their garden. The teens can reconfigure it themselves.

Parks round me all have playgrounds exercise areas for adults in them with chin up bars and the like. Don't see why teens should be too old for this.

A badminton net is fairly cheap. Mine loved their ping pong table. You can have a big old table and just buy a ping pong net. All your kids are old enough for it.

We made a fabulous set of monkey bars from a pair of wooden ladders and 4 fence posts. They lasted for years and our kids loved them

I think at that age I'd just get some monkey bars, you could even attached a swing to the bars if you feel that's necessary. Or something like a badminton net/swingball set. You have a trampoline, they can get plenty of exercise just with that. I wouldn't think a £1.5k climbing frame will have enough of a lifespan to make it worthwhile.

Oh sorry, just seen that you posted this just before me. Yes monkey bars are great, so much cheaper than a climbing frame, and good for adults too!

We had an adult size set of monkey bars that were used by kids and adults. You could attack things to it easily enough too.

Table tennis table

I'd go for a ninja warrior course (search on amazon) and a decent swing instead.

I would also worry that they would grow out of it soon. A 16 year old playing on garden equipment with younger siblings is different to a 16 year old choosing to play on it without younger siblings.

If you have a park 1.5 miles walk away with equipment that is more advanced, I would just encourge them to go there.

I too looked forward to going on the swings, i was excellent at "pegging up" and never needed a push. Got on the thing only to feel violently ill when I attained any kind of hight. Sad times. I also cannot go on waltzers without feeling like I am going to vomit for about four hours after, something to do with your inner ear and the hairs being more rigid as you age. I was an old mum though . So just beware!

Could you please share a link to what you’re talking about? It sounds really good!

Oh crap, I'm 38!🤣