Outdoor toys.......Which ones have your kids used most ??

[nutcracker]

My kids now have an endless list of what toys they would like for their new garden,but a) i don't have a bottomless pit of money and b) i would like the room still to be able to walk around the garden .

So which toys have your kids used most ??

P.s Am very tempted to buy a big plastic playhouse i saw reduced by 125 quid (shhh don't tell dp).

We have summer birthdays so have lots of garden toys. Second much on here, sandpit, slide, trampoline (we just have the small ELC one), pop-ups. Also got DS2 a rocker for his b/day this year, indoors or out, seats three. Look in yr local paper for a lot of these as they don't get worn out and people sell them once outgrown for space reasons. Bizarrely most popular thing esp with visitors is a ride-in fire engine that was so old and faded that it was given free!

'remove frame and call mini digger'

pmsl

don't know why, it just made me giggle.......

Nutty, how about a wigwam? You could dress up as cowboys and indians, and invite a certain housemate from Big Brother.....

definitely recommend the mini trampolines (haven't room for a big one). mine are 6 and 7 and still bounce on it every day.they are quite lively kids and its a great way to wear them out! mine also always loved those cozy coupe cars at other people's houses. at the time we didn't have a garden, but they seem popular. my friend has a plastic playhouse, her kids are 6,3 and 3 and they all play in it everyday and mine too when we are there and its not a big one!

mine love their slide and trampoline. The 3 year old is forever in his sandpit which I've put under a mini gazebo so he's in it all weathers!

Agree with mummysurfer about the toy library if you've got one. I know people who've used them and they're great. I think they even deliver toys?

This Quadro stuff looks great esp as we have very small garden (too small for the TP climbing frame). Anyone got a recommendation for what to buy? I have found a supplier on Ebay.

Nutcracker - a word of warning - I bought a playhouse (125 quid as you say) for my 2 girls - 3 and a half and 1 and a half, 2 months ago, after seeing them playing delightfully with all the display ones in Toys r Us. They've barely looked at it since the day their dad erected it. (There's no emoticon for eyes rolled to heaven in despair!!)

Gingerbear - What a great idea, where can i get an adlt cowgirl out fit from ?? wink{}

At the mo i am thinking i will get a slide, trampoline and sand pit first.
My friend works for ELC and said the outdoor stuff will be going in the sale at the end of august so if i want anything else i'll get it then.

Am also on the lookout for a little tikes cube thingy for Ds.

MD - Yeah have decided aginst the playhouse as i didn't think it would get enough use and would take up too much of the garden.

sandpit, ideally with sides you can sit on, so you can drink tea, wiggle your toes in the sand and keep an eye on them when necessary. you can make one cheaply from wooden planks or decking and a mesh base for drainage.

crazy daisy type thing is ace for all ages and also waters the garden...

we just need some nice weather now!

florenceuk

Quadro stuff is good and adaptable but you do need quite a lot of it to make something with any longevity and it still takes up quite a bit of room (straight slide is similar to TP). ds (6) and dd (almost 3) play on a friend's a lot and you need a wide base to make it stable for more than one child but you can add levels. The panels to make the level platforms are a tight fit so watch fingers too. How old are your kids ?

I've heard one Mum say that the sand pit drove her mad coz all the sand ended up in the house. Anyone else found that or do they get all round M-net approval?

I love our Quadro stuff, because you can just make it up in two bits and drag it round the garden to rearrange in lots of different shapes. Sometimes we cover it up with tarpaulins and all sit in there while its raining!!!!! We're odd like that!!! It gets remade by DH every three years or so, so we've managed to keep it going for a bit. I think it is less good for bigger children and they can tip it over more (and yes they do trap their fingers when they clip/unclip the panels, but hey!!!)Nothing terminal, so far....plus you can drag it onto the patio when you mow! We've inherited two batches so far and basically, the more the merrier

Another vote for the Cosy Coupe. DS has spent at least an hour a day (every day) in his since Christmas day (he'll be 2 this week). It's the one toy he and visiting friends fight over.

He has a lawn mower too (v. cheap off eBay). That is a close second.

DS is 2.5, and I really want something which can be used as climbing frame. TP climbing frame is about 2metres wide, which is about the width of our lawn, so too wide. How wide do you think it needs to be to be stable? The guy on Ebay is offering a (new) Starter Kit for £90 and a Universal kit for about twice the price. I think they don't actually have a UK distributor anymore - they are German-based.

coupe car definately but should be in the 'what outdoor toy do your kids fight over most'..................................

I hated our sandpit so much. Just moved house and didn't bring it with us. Boys did love it but

• house full of sand.
• patch of ground ruined by sand.
• all manner of toys disappeared from house and burried in sand and broken.
• constantly teling them & visiting kids not to throw sand out of the sand pit.
• boys trying to make quick sands by putting loads of water in sand pit, thus making themselves filthy and the sandpit unusable

A sand/water table is better than a sandpit - at least they don't bring the sand in on their feet! Ours gets played with a lot.

Oh yes, gardening tools. DS could spend his life digging. Has a bucket and wheelbarrow and does a lot of weeding. Fortunately he isn't bothered by the flowers but just likes moving the earth from one place to another.

Following mumsnet advice have just bought the Coupe car for DS's birthday, currently £5 of in Toys R Us, down to £24.99. Still £37 in Argos . .

I bought this water spray rocket launcher thing in Tesco's the other day (noticed one in ELC sale yesterday too) You attach it to a hosepipe and the water sprays up and sends the rocket up in the air. it was only #7 and I have never seen my boys laugh so much! They can control the force of the water and the height of the rocket and they stayed out even in the freezing rain playing with it! It is such fun-even in the frozen north.