Kids climbing frames and trampolines

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Subyland

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Hello all,

yes the time has arrived where my 4 year old daughter needs to have some fun outside. We would like to buy her for her birthday a swing/slide set and a trampoline (for daddy as well...:D ).
Having had a look on the web there seems to be a lot of choices and widely varying prices for what look like similar items. Does anyone has experience in buying such things and can share with me? I am struggling to see the difference between a climbing frame that cost £500 and one that cost £1000 when both of them offer the same facilities..:confused: Same with the trampolines...Any comment/advice gladly received!
 
Regarding these items, my own thoughts are price should be secondary to quality. I'm sure that pictures will always show any item off in the best possible way, but will it be rigid? Will it be designed to to suitable for the age of child you want? Will it rust as you look at it?

I was shocked to read that parents are now legally responsible for the safety of anyone using an outside activity in their garden. If you have a friend of your daughter play on these activities and they hurt themselves, then make sure your household insurance covers this eventuality.

Go for quality

regards
John
 
Regarding these items, my own thoughts are price should be secondary to quality. I'm sure that pictures will always show any item off in the best possible way, but will it be rigid? Will it be designed to to suitable for the age of child you want? Will it rust as you look at it?

Go for quality

I also favour quality (why would I have an MB otherwise???) but without actually seeing the frame it is difficult to see why one is twice as expensive as another one.
 
We had a TP double swing frame for our kids - it's now been handed down to the neighbours. Well built - scaffold pole size tubes (but thnner guage steel) and galvanised, with stood everything the kid threw at it. A couple of bolts rusted, but these are easily available, some waxoyl early in it's life would have prevented this.
 
A slide and swing, ok... but trampolines are really dangerous and my advice would be to steer well clear.

I've seen first hand a trampolining accident that resulted in permanent paralysis.
 
A slide and swing, ok... but trampolines are really dangerous and my advice would be to steer well clear.

I've seen first hand a trampolining accident that resulted in permanent paralysis.


And the neighbours trampoline ended up in my garden the first time there was a gale. And that was over a 6 foot fence!

I've seen photos after stormy weather of trampolines embedded in neighbours roofs, so maybe I was very lucky.

Russ
 
Hello

If you have a costco near you they have a suberbly made play house / swing / slide / climbing wall etc etc...

Our little one is too small yet but if she was bigger we would have that.

Think its around £1K and its quite big but I can imagine her and her friends spending hours using it.
 
Why not make one. I made this
Picture398.jpg
Picture399.jpg
in 9 hours for my Grand children in St Albans
 
Malcolm's garden looks nice! I wondered what he got up to when he wasn't on the forum!!!! ;) :p :D
 
Hello

If you have a costco near you they have a suberbly made play house / swing / slide / climbing wall etc etc...

Our little one is too small yet but if she was bigger we would have that.

Think its around £1K and its quite big but I can imagine her and her friends spending hours using it.

Yes the Costco ones look quite good, as like the one that I built has no sharp corners and imposible to get a splinter. they are extendable and you can add things for birthdays
 
My daughter decided she'd like a trampoline for her 10th birthday, so after much trawling throught the internet, doing lots of comparisons on the quality of the materials used (not the price I might add), I eventually bought the Jumpking Pod, a 12ft trampoline with a net surrounding (imperative), cost £180. There are more expensive ones out there, but I am not convinced they are any better, bigger maybe yes.

I also read a link to RoSPA here.

Despite the information there, I purchased the trampoline and Matt and I erected it, properly without cutting any corners. Ellie-May knows the rules and the dangers that are possible and I am pleased and glad to say she adheres to them.

The one we have has a minimum age of 6, and limited to one person at a time and strictly no somersaults.

Adult supervision is important too, I have to say when she has friends over, I leave them to it, don't stand and supervise, they know the drill, but then they are 10.

Also, had a swing, slide and climbing frame thingy from ELC when she was 3. Was quite good, cost around £300. A metal frame job, and plastic slide with a ladder up to a catwalk to the main part, but I wasn't convinced that the metal prongs that you secured it into the ground with were particularly good. As she got bigger, I often thought the whole thing would come flying towards the house!

Good luck and make sure you choose something safe. Produces hours of fun if used properly.

Nat
 
Go for quality! Particularly the climbing frame / swing. You will probably recoup more when it comes time to sell anyway.
You can still pick up decent stuff quite cheap too. We bought a decent quality 14' trampoline for £150. Toys 'r' Us I think.
Anyway, the most important thing is not so much the kit but how it is used. If you have young kids make sure you supervise ALL of the time. This may seem a bit overboard but I speak from experience; when my daughter was six she and some friends were playing on a small trampoline one summer. I was at work and my wife had left them playing happily while she popped into the kitchen. One of the kids thought it would be funny to soak the trampoline with their water pistols. Cue much fun and giggling until my daughter slipped and broke her arm. I will never forget the phone call that I got at work or the look of fear as she was wheeled into the operating theatre. She still has the physical scars, I still have the mental ones!
I don't want to dampen your enjoyment.
Have fun, but be safe first and foremost.
 

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