[lithoG]

I have two toddlers who have become climbing maniacs.

They're climbing everything in the house-safe or not. I don't want to dicourage climbing, as I believe that it's good excercise and good for their gross motor skills. I just want to provide them with something safe and appropriate to play on. With cold weather coming I want to find a climbing toy like one of the smaller, toddler sized Little Tikes things. But I'd really love to find something made of wood rather than plastic.

Does anyone know of a good web-retailer or source for this kind of thing? Or have you had experience with a product like this?

 

[wendy1221]

I worked at a child development center when I was in college, adn they had a realy nice one that was super easy to put up and take down. It came w/ mats that fit around it. I can't remember the brand, but I'm pretty sure I saw the same one in daycare equipment catalogs. I don't know if that helps, but maybe Googling could get you somewhere.

 

[GeezerMom]

I'm having a lot of luck right at the moment with a de-cushioned couch, its pillows, their toddler table, and some beanbag chairs.

They also loved the Little Tikes "Castle Climber" I bought them in the spring - we don't have space for it right now, so it's outside & not being used. However, climbing up its slide was a huge passion.

 

[~Nikki~]

Haba makes some fabric climbable toys:

Haba House

I googled indoor wooden play structures, and came up with this great site (haven't noticed any prices yet, but i'm going to show it to DH to see if he can build one for our playroom).

Indoor Wooden Playstructure

Ikea also has a few wooden and fabric toys that are fun to climb. We have a storage bench by them, that has a slide on one side, and two big bins underneath (that hold pretty much ALL of our little toys).

Right now, we have a few of the Little Tyke plastic climbers. But like you, I'd like to go with wood/fabric when it's time to upgrade from the baby climbers. We went with Little Tyke because it was the best we could afford at the time.

 

[alegna]

Those wooden ones are cool, but pricy. They seem to START in the neighborhood of $1500

-Angela

 

[ayme371]

Holy crap, Lov'em b ut I need to hit the lottery.

 

[johub]

The price you pay for natural materials.
We have a step 2 kangaroo climber and it is perfect for indoors.
When we can afford it we will use the kind of money mentioned above for a HUGE outdoor wooden play structure.
Another thing my kids like is when I get boxes of all sizes and tape them shut. They build them like blocks and climb all over them. Of course they dont hold up that long but they are free, and recycling so it doesnt matter! LOL

 

[johub]

Holy mother of pete! I checked out the WOoden playstructure site.
They make $1500 look like a bargain!
The small ones start at nearly $4000

 

[alegna]

yep. love 'em but just not gonna happen any time soon....

(okay, ever....)

-Angela

 

[lithoG]

Ok, I spent the whole morning looking for one of these things. I found the same as you all. Holy Expensive Batman!

I think we'll be looking at the ugly plastic Little Tikes stuff

. The cubes and step2 kangaroo climbers look like something my toddlers would go for.

Thanks for all of your responses.

The other thing I'm gonna do is something I saw in a church nursery. I'm gonna buy a $10 infatable pool and fill it with ball pit balls. I figure that'll help my little guys work off some energy this winter.

 

[alegna]

Watch clearance sales for ball pits. I got one for my neice for about $10. It was an inflatable boat and came with like 50 balls (they ended up getting more to have enough...) but if you happen on the right sale, you might find one cheaper than the pool (though that's a great idea too... taking notes)

-Angela

 

[pumpkinsmama]

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/store...ts=10106*10196

I can't wait to buy one of these when DS is old enough!

 

[moma justice]

my dd LOVES to climb our friend's cat tree....i think they are around 200$...it has tunnles and a ladder..
it is made of wood (actual branches) and looks pretty cool
it is sturdy too.

 

[VeganSculptor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumpkinsmama http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/store...ts=10106*10196 I can't wait to buy one of these when DS is old enough!

Is that for clothes or climbing? Would it be safe?

 

[pumpkinsmama]

Both! I'm not sure if Toddlers would be safe, but for kids it should be great! It says in the description that it is for climbing, and how good climbing is for muscle development. The hooks for hanging clothes on are pull away, so if you are using it to hang clothes on and your DC decides to climb anyway and gets caught, they won't get stuck.

Ikea has several different kid swings as well. They have special mounting hardware for these items. All that said, I have never seen one IRL and can't say for sure "safe".