To not get any sort of large garden toy

[lecce]

Sorry this is so dull but it is on my mind as neighbours have just installed a huge slide/swing/cabin-combo as well as the trampoline they already had. This has been noted by the dc.

These things all cost a bomb and I am unsure whether we would ever get our money's worth. We have two decent parks with a variety of play equipment within easy walking distance, as well as loads of countryside we can walk to from the house. We get out and about all the time to various places with adventure playgrounds etc so they have plenty of access to playground equipment of various kinds.

And yet...I look out of my bedroom window and most of the gardens have a trampoline, a swing, a slide - often more than one item. Some houses must be childless, so the vast majority of families have these things, right? Are they worth it?

We could afford to get something but money isn't limitless and I would feel mightily pissed off if it sat there ruining the lawn and not being played with.

AIBU?

[MammaTJ]

We have two decent parks with a variety of play equipment within easy walking distance, lucky you. I will continue to provide a 'park' in the garden for my DC, in the absence of a decent one round here. They removed ALL the play equipment from our local one and we now have 5 tractor wheels, which were donated and half buried in the ground, which is a start!

[Ericaequites]

There's a middle ground in all this. Nicely maintained toys when kids are young are great fun. My cousins have over sixty outdoor toys in their yard. There's a nice swing set, but also lots of items picked up from posh neighborhoods on bulky trash day. My mum and I refer to it as "redneck preschool".

[cathpip]

We have a trampoline and a large slide, which are the most played with toys ever and worth every penny. Even if it's raining my two will be in the garden playing on these.

[NotYoMomma]

slide and swing here - basics only
you can get some cheaper on eBay etc

[bdbfan]

We have a trampoline (bought by my mum) a swing and a slide I got from free cycle. So lots of stuff, and didn't cost me anything

[julesyd]

Hi does anyone have a current discount voucher for ELC. I have not received one from the birthday club and want to buy presents for ds birthday next week.
thanks

[AmberLeaf]

My parents bought our trampoline and it is fab.

I think it is 10 or 12ft?

Would like to have had more stuff, but my youngest is 10 so not likely now. [we have only had a garden for the last 5 years]

Trampolines are definitely worth it.

[Linnet]

Our garden is shared with the flat upstairs and it's not big enough for two whirly gigs and a slide/trampoline etc. Which is a shame as my kids always wanted a swing/slide then a trampoline when they became popular, they just had to make do with the local park instead.

[BeeMom]

I'd be curious to know if that includes the anchors to prevent it from blowing away/tipping over, or just those things that are "permanently" secured (like posts for fences, garden sheds or elevated tree houses).

Anyone have any idea?

[ThisWayForCrazy]

Beeway, my comment is relating to planning permission. I was not commenting regarding safety etc. If equipment is fixed to the ground you may require planning permission.

[pictish]

We have a small house but a good sized garden. There is little room for large toys in the house but outside we have a double set of swings, a trampoline (8 ft), a large sandpit, and a see saw.

We are currently restoring a wooden wendy house we got off Gumtree for £30. It will have a play kitchen etc inside.

I don't think it's a must have...but my parents never went in for any of that either, and I remember finding it a bit miserable of them. My kids love the garden, and have their own wee park to play in any time they like. And they DO like.

[McNewPants2013]

mine isnot anchored to the floor, it is heavy enough not to need it. Unless someone can tell me otherwise

[BeeMom]

ThisWay - my trampoline is attached to the ground by 4 16" long auger anchors... I'd rather be able to prove to my home insurance company that I had it secured when it gets ripped out of the ground and sent flying into a neighbour's house. We also keep a lock on the kipper of the net enclosure - that way, if any neighbourhood kids go on it when we are away and get hurt... again, they were clearly not authorised to be on it.

Maybe I am overcautious, but the anchors and the lock cost me a tenner... small price, IMO.

[Oldraver]

Everything I have bought has been worth the money ok the trampoline was given to us and I probably wouldn't of bought one. DS has a large sandpit and still loves to play in in, as he has diggers and crane things in there

[jamdonut]

I have 3 teenagers. Never had a trampoline. It would take up far too much space in our garden, and DH put his foot down,as the garden is his pride and joy.
Next door ,and the 3 doors up all have one as do next door but one the other way.

If you sit in in the garden , the squeak-thump,squeak-thump is torturous to listen to.

[ThisWayForCrazy]

I don't think I've even seen any gardens toys fixed to the ground in real life.

[Scruffey]

Our park is covered in dog shit so that's why we have stuff in the garden. Yanbu if you have free access to parks not covered in shit!

[PrincePolo]

Yes true, but no doubt many of these pieces of equipment are fixed to the ground, otherwise they would be unsafe.

[ThisWayForCrazy]

Planning permission only apples to things that are fixed to the ground.

[PrincePolo]

Am really jealous of everyone who seems to have the space to put loads of stuff in their garden. BTW anything taller than 2.5m needs to be 2m away from the boundary otherwise it needs planning. And technically anything with a 'raised platform' above 30cm needs planning (so any non-sunken trampoline, any slide, etc).

[ThisWayForCrazy]

FFS, stalls means smalls...

[ThisWayForCrazy]

We have lots of toys in the garden. I have two stalls only 14 months apart. If I take them to the park I need 4 hands and to split myself in half, it gives me the shakes. So we have a park in our garden. We spend a lot of time in our garden and they love it.

[Tailtwister]

If you have a big enough garden, I think it's nice to have these things. Small urban gardens aren't really big enough though and trampolines can be especially intrusive for neighbours. We don't have any large garden toys, but spend a lot of time out of the house and do things like den building and gardening when we are at home.

If we had a big garden I think we would have them though.

[JollyOrangeGiant]

We have a huuuuge sand pit. I can lie flat out in it. DS is 2 and loves it. The idea is that I can just open the back door and let him out. If we didn't have the sandpit he'd be a lot more hassle.