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Babiekins Magazine

A Trendsetting Magazine & Online Community For The Trendsetting Child + Parent

Playground Sets

By Priscila Barros, Editor-in-Chief Leave a Comment

I remember a few years back when I decided it was time to buy a playground for the boys to place at the farm. There were SO many options and it was quit a overwhelming item to buy.
If you are looking to buy a playground set.. here is some impotant info to keep in mind!
Looking To Buy A Playground Set? Don’t Forget To Ask Yourself These Five Questions


Fall is in full swing, and your kids want to get outside and play before the cold weather hits! Purchasing your own playground set may seem like a good and fun idea, but are you asking yourself the right questions to make sure you make the right purchase for your yard and your family? Maybe you moved into a new home with young kids, or simply want to dedicate a space in your garden or yard for a playground. Whatever your reasons may be, you will need to ask yourself five important questions before making that purchase. These questions include all equipment involved, correct measurements, spatial and safety considerations, and other issues.

Will it fit our space?
Be realistic and practical about where you will be putting what (even if you have fantasies of a play space in your home that rivals the grandeur of a theme park). You will need to tailor your playset to the size of your yard or any location you plan to put up a playground. Take measurements before buying equipment, and allow some room to change or expand things as your children grow. You will need a cleared area that extends six feet from all sides of your playground. Swings need cleared space at least twice the height of their beams.

Even if you don’t have much space, innovation and creativity can be your tools. Remember the days when a rubber tire on ropes tied to a tree branch was enough to keep kids happy in the spring and summer? 

Is it age-appropriate?
Playground equipment fall under three age groups: “toddlers” (6 months-2 years), “preschool” (2 years-5 years), and “school age” (5 years-12 years). Playground manufacturers are supposed to design their sets and equipment with these groups’ physical, intellectual, and social skills in mind. Doing this prevents potential injuries resulting from kids playing on equipment not meant for their age group.

Consult manufacturers’ guides for the correct age group. Toddler sets typically include full bucket seat swings, spring rockers. single-file step ladders, ramps, and climbing equipment that are no more than 32 inches high. Preschoolers can have merry-go-rounds, full bucket seat swings, rung ladders, and horizontal ladders less than or equal to 60 inches high for kids 4 and 5 years old. School-age kids can have horizontal, rung, and step ladders, overhead rings, fulcrum seesaws, arch climbers, and more. 

Has it passed safety standards?
Perhaps the most important consideration you have to make regards safety and durability. Aside from choosing age-appropriate equipment, you should carefully look into the manufacturer’s background – check if any of their products have been recalled or deemed substandard by the ASTM, CPSC, and other product safety experts. The CPSC has a safety education page on their official website that gives alerts, guidance, information, and the latest news on playground safety, so that’s a good place to start.

Will it protect my kids from injuries?
As previously mentioned, consulting safety experts is a good idea before making a playground purchase. Aside from the equipment, you will need to invest in proper surfacing material that acts as a cushion for potential falls and spills. Recycled Rubber Mulchis a good option because it offers the best shock absorbency, as well as the least maintenance, among all playground surfacing materials. 

 
However sturdily built a playground is, you are going to have to commit to keeping your kids safe while playing, especially if they are very young. Constant supervision is a must if you want to prevent injuries, accidents, and other untoward incidents from happening.
 
How much maintenance is involved?
Of course, the price tag is also a good consideration, especially if you are paying for a good design with quality materials. A playset is more of a luxurious investment than a necessity, after all. After deciding to buy a playground set, remember to keep maintenance in your budget, as well. You could need some re-coating, re-varnishing, and sealant to protect your playground’s wooden parts as seasons roll by. Commit to regular inspection. Check for rotting wood, rusting metal, loose parts, peeling paint, and other hazards. Test surfaces constantly to see if they are too hot or too cold for your kids to use. 

Guest Post  Bio:
RhiannaMilleris the Home and Landscaping Design Expert at https://rubbermulch.com/, the original and environmentally responsible mulch made from 100% recycled rubber used in gardens, playgrounds and sustainable landscaping. RubberMulch is weather resistant, durable, and the most cost effective mulch around and is specifically designed to protect children from falls on the playground. 

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: kids toys, outdoors for kids, playground, playground sets Posted By: Priscila Barros, Editor-in-Chief

About Priscila Barros, Editor-in-Chief

Priscila Barros founded Babiekins Magazine in 2010, and has since been featured in Vogue Brazil, Mollie Makes, Mollie Makes Mama, CIFF Kids Magazine, Kidswear Magazine, WGSN, Cosmopolitan, CNN & more. In addition to her role as Editor-in-Chief, Priscila also stays busy producing editorial shoots, styling lookbooks, creating props, and working as a brand consultant and Creative Director. You can often find her with her three curly-headed boys somewhere on her thirteen-acre property in Northwest Arkansas, where she's remodeling a 1920s farmhouse in between traveling to LA for work. You can find her on Instagram @mamaandthetribe and @folkandflora.

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Copyright © 2023 · Babiekins Magazine | A Trendsetting Kids' Fashion Magazine and Online Community for Parents and Children Alike · Since the Southern California birth of Babiekins in 2010, the magazine has grown from into an internationally-recognized print publication with a global circulation and now a thriving online community. We are more than a kids’ fashion magazine. We search everywhere for inspiration, and go beyond trends to bring you fashion, style, decor, design, books, DIY, parties, and playthings. Our readers look to us to keep up with the best and most up-to-date concepts in the children’s market worldwide. We have an eye for quirk. We’re high-fashion, but we value whimsy over tradition. Playful childhood is more important to us than making kids into copycat adults. We believe life is beautiful, life is valuable, and life changes when you see it through the eyes of a child. We seek to transcend skin color, language and zip codes and bring out the real, wild, magical creativity inherent in every child. And behind Babiekins is an optimistic team of mothers-turned-editors, working from home, often with our own little babiekins climbing on, under and around the desks. We want to encourage you, and challenge you to see something different — something special — in yourself and in this world we all share. Welcome to Babiekins!

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