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We have £500 to kit out the garden for our 18month old, what would you invest in???

12 replies

tryingtobemarypoppins · 28/06/2009 18:31

new baby on the way also!

OP posts:
WriggleJiggle · 28/06/2009 19:50

Most timeless garden toys for us have been: play house
slide
ikea swing chair hung from a tree
climbing frame

These all 'grow' with the child, and can be used at any age from crawling onwards. Years of use in them.

If you get a playhouse, it must have a door that closes completely (i.e. full length not a half door) and you must fix up a doorbell!

tryingtobemarypoppins · 28/06/2009 19:57

A door bell!!! He would love it! I have seen a house on a platform with a slide coming off, or would you go for a house and seperate slide??

OP posts:
spicemonster · 28/06/2009 20:01

Oh yes, a proper house would be fab. A swing and a climbing frame would be ace too. If I had a big garden, I'd have a tree house with a slide and a ladder to get up to it with a sandpit underneath and swing hanging underneath. That would be pretty much perfect

Sputnik · 28/06/2009 20:03

I was going to suggest playhouse with incorporated slide.
You'd probably have change for a sandpit too.

tryingtobemarypoppins · 28/06/2009 20:11

This is the one I was thinking off
www.tptoys.com/OutdoorToys/Catalog/Outdoor/Wooden-Playhouses/Forest-Lodge-Wooden-Playhouse/TP515

any better ones seen?

OP posts:
FanjolinaJolie · 28/06/2009 20:11

Sandpit - our 2 play in there (not fighting) for a good hour!! Brilliant fun.

Playhouse

Slide

Rocker

Climbing frame

Our back yard is an homage to Little Tikes. Fence to fence plastic tat!

tryingtobemarypoppins · 28/06/2009 20:16

Love plastic tat if it keeps them busy!!Do those Little Tikes cars (the red ones with yellow roof) move well on grass?

OP posts:
WriggleJiggle · 28/06/2009 20:22

No, no, no to everything as plastic tat! If you can possibly afford it go for a woden playhouse - they will use it for much longer. The plastic ones have very low roofs. If you get a proper 'shed' sized one, then when they are stroppy teenagers they can have their own chill zone and the loud music won't annoy you.

Slides, on the other hand, should be plastic - far better for sliding on. Ours is a stand alone type, about 1m30cm ish, which is a good size for the 1-4yr range. If it is a stand alone one, then you can move it around to add interest, and have it going direct into the paddling pool .

Climbing frames should always be wooden - if you've not tried climbing on a wooden one, have a go and compare it to metal, it's so much nicer to hold and use. Metal is horrible to hold when wet or cold, whereas wood is fine in the wet and cold.

Definately go for a sandpit. A few sheets of plywood underneat and just sticking out by a foot makes it good for kneeling next to, and makes sweeping up all the spilt sand much easier.

Paddling pools are another essential, but only if you are prepared to sit and watch them or at least be pottering around keeping an eye on them. The very cheap ones from Asda are good £2.97 I think, as if they get a hole in, you don't mind just replacing them. THey also make great drinks coolers for BBQs.

purpleflower · 28/06/2009 20:22

DS 2.9 would love that playhouse/slide you linked to.

We have lots of ride ons, a little tikes house, a horse rocker, a car (DS moves it on grass fine) a double swing set, a massive paddling pool, trikes and a cube with a slide.

We were lucky enough to be given most of it and we have a huge garden. DS loves the house, the car, the paddling pool and the ride ons. He won't touch the swings as he is scared of them so I need to buy a baby seat for them and the cube is barely touched as he has grown out of it already. He would adore a sandpit though which I think we will get him next, I also want to get him a bigger slide.

WriggleJiggle · 28/06/2009 20:24

Oh, the other reason for getting more of a shed type one (or at least ground level), is that over the winter you can store all their outdoor toys in there, and also throw everything in very quickly when you get the occasional thunderstorm and downpour!

purpleflower · 28/06/2009 20:25

LOL wrigglejiggle, the reason I want to get him a bigger slide is to direct it into the paddling pool

Loopymumsy · 29/06/2009 13:12

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