Needed: Alternative to Cedar chips

What about something like this? http://www.homestead.com/prosites-cl...tirechips.html

I have never heard of cedar having toxic fumes. Plain old cedar? We get organic cedar mulch and have it under our playscape, all over the flower beds, etc.

Anyhow - what about another wood mulch? Pine?

Some of the local playgrounds around here have rubber chips - which smell horrid, migate all over the lawn, don't biodegrade, and are hot.

Really, are you sure there is a problem with cedar chips? As far as I know, they are just fine. We always had sand under ours as a kid, though, and that seemed just fine.

Well, you made me question myself - maybe this was a false memory? Here are some sources I googled on cedar, unfortunatly pine seems to be the same. I have not done extensive research, just a few things on the internet, not sure about organic stuff -
Also, some of these articles are about other animals (not humans) but I still find them compeling.

http://www.trifl.org/cedar.shtml

http://members.aol.com/bunrabtoo/cedar.html

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plant.../msg00330.html

They are talking about cedar beds (where a sensitive animal would sleep) and cedar oil allergies in some animals who sleep on cedar beds.

You would not be using them that way, and unless your child has a cedar oil allergy, I don't find any information that would show them to be dangerous.

That said, can you do another kind of mulch if yu are worried? What about just planting grass, and letting it get tramped on? (I would suggest sand, but I know sand has also been shown to be a problem).

We have guinea pigs and I know they are not supposed to have cedar but that doesn't mean it's bad for US... they're not allowed any wood shavings/chips that have oils in them and should preferably have kiln-dried only (if we could afford it) or paper/straw bedding.

I think cedar is a great option and the oils may help keep out bugs and other animals. Grass just gets yucky / muddy under play structures...

Another option might be seeing if your area gives away free woodchip mulch (ours does!). Much less costly, although it's probably less beautiful as well.