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Original poster

Good garden toys - recommendations please...

21 replies

Caznay · 09/07/2001 13:10

Can anyone recommend good garden toys for an 18 month old (upwards)? We had a plastic climbing frame/slide in the garden of our holiday villa that my daughter thought was fab - but I really want to buy something that will last a bit longer than a year or two. Any suggestions?

OP posts:
Mima · 09/07/2001 17:22

I would recommend the tptoys.co.uk website. They sell their whole range through the toy department at John Lewis. We bought one of their wooden climbing frames complete with treehouse for the garden and it is just fantastic. The wooden ones are guaranteed for a lifetime.

Cos · 09/07/2001 20:49

try the tallships website. www.tallships.co.uk
Their garden stuff is really imaginative and also does'nt look tacky
home front in the garden called it play equipment for style facists!

Kia · 09/07/2001 21:11

I'd recommend tptoys too. We had a climbing frame and treehouse in our last house. In terms of cost divided by hours played with - it just couldn't be bettered in terms of value for money. It was a selling point 'extra' when we sold the house to a couple with little children whose eyes lit up when they saw it!!

Kmg · 09/07/2001 23:40

Caznay - ELC do a climbing frame that grows with your child, and is very adaptable. If you get swings, they need cementing in. If you buy a slide, don't buy a little one (just three steps or so), she will outgrow it virtually immediately. If you have a large patio area, ride-on toys and a sandpit will have more play value than a climbing frame for the next couple of years anyway.

Tlb · 10/07/2001 09:34

Toys r us on a weekday can be a pleasantish experience and I recently bought a tent set which had 2 pop up tents (one triangular and one cube) and a tunnel to link them - they were on offer at £30 and should have been £60 and will last your little one throughout the year as they can be used indoors (if you have the room!) as well - they pack into a small bag and can be carried almost anywhere you need them really easily.

I agree on the slide front - we have the little tikes one with three steps and although my daughter still plays with it incessantly it is too small now (she is 2) and their bigger one is much better (but you will need to supervise their ascent)

Paddling pool - when we get the weather and ELC do very inexpensive ones as do most places.

I have also invested in the IKEA table and chairs it is a big yellow plastic one and stays outside in all weathers it was £20 and the two matching chairs (red and blue) were £10 each. I tape a length of ordinary lining paper over the top and she will sit and draw on the paper/stick stickers on there for hours and of course the table comes to no harm and she rarely runs out of paper!

Spring · 11/07/2001 13:39

We have the ELC pop up tent too - however we just can't work out how it packs away into it's bag. As it's too big to leave up all the time it is now left packed down (very badly) in the garage and I'm scared if I pop it open it will be with us all summer again!! My poor 2 year old would probably love to play with it again..............

Does anyone have any tips on how to successfully pack it away without using force?

Kmg · 11/07/2001 17:43

Spring - it's a real knack isn't it? The best solution would be to find a friend who has one, to talk you through it. In the absence of that, I'll try my best ...

Don't be afraid of it - you do have to be quite firm. Grasp the diagonally opposite corners and bring them fairly close together, and flex so that the other two corners meet together too, then sort of twist your wrists, so it all folds together.

My best advice would be tackle it when the children are in bed, put some relaxing music on, and work on it slowly. Once you've done it a couple of times, it will be no problem!

Don't get discouraged - just when you think it can't possibly work, it sort of folds itself up, and you're there! Good luck.

Spring · 13/07/2001 12:23

Thanks Kmg, I'll have a go this weekend and let you know whether I manage it. I do have a friend who has this tent but she asked me how I get it packed away!!!

Bo · 13/07/2001 14:00

No recommendations - just advice to void Mothercare's bubble blowing telly tubbies lawnmower. My quality of life has gone rapidly downhill. Why don't family think of the concequences before buying such noisy horrible things?

bayleaf · 08/04/2002 12:20

Does anyone have any up to date info on nice climbing frames? - tptoys and tallships both seem to have gone out of business....

Twink · 08/04/2002 13:07

TP are still around, our local John Lewis has them and their direct web site have them too. Or you could look at The Active Toy Company , they do mail order too. They stock TP, and a number of wooden frames - lovely but £££.

berries · 08/04/2002 13:46

Bayleaf - Costco! They do a lovely wooden climbing frame, with attached swing set, monkey bars etc for about £500. They do sell out quick though, so see if there is one in your area. We bought ours last year and it has been continually in use ever since (2 friends have one now also)

soothepoo · 08/04/2002 14:57

There are always loads of adverts in the back of magazines like Good Housekeeping for this sort of thing.

bayleaf · 08/04/2002 20:27

Thank you all - yes twink I see what you mean - wonderful but defintely 'second mortgage' range
Will see if there's a Costco around here - sounds a lot more reasonable! - and will look in GH next time am in Dr's waiting room!

fairy · 08/04/2002 23:06

TP Toys are still going strong, we are about to buy their Challenger Frame with Slide etc, and its costing about £340, so not to bad for something which is going to last a good few years for 3 year old ds, then our 4month old ds!

What attracted me to their frames is that you can have then at Toddler height and then move them up to full height at no further expense. Excellent.

Shaz30 · 09/04/2002 11:30

we've just bought our children a sandpit for the garden which they both love. now that the weather is getting warmer it's ideal, i'm also thinking about getting them a little slide. we have'nt very much space as our garden is a yard rather than a proper garden, so these are ideal. it's amazing how reasonably priced these things are.

bayleaf · 09/04/2002 13:52

Do TP have a new website? The reason I thought they'd ''gone'' is that the address given below didn't work.

fairy · 09/04/2002 17:48

Here's the address; www.tptoys.com

Should work!!

sarah01384 · 18/05/2007 15:28

\link{http://tptoys.com} the new tp site is great, their factory shop. \link{http://tptoysdirect.co.uk} is fantastic too.

hana · 18/05/2007 15:42

we bought a water play table from ELC last summer and it's great - lots of good play value for my (then 1 and 4 year old)
and now too - think it's baout £25? usually 20% codes floating about

hana · 18/05/2007 15:43

just saw how old the thread is!

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