what do you put under swingsets?

[spu]

My DH was thinking pea gravel... I was originally thinking wood chips... are there pros or cons? or something better? It will be close to the woods. How do you contain the material? with railroad ties? would that get all oozy (sometimes they can be oily...) or is there something else to build up around the edges to contain the gravel or mulch?

thanks!
susan


susan

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
nursed for 3 years!
http://sunger2.home.comcast.net/superpower.gif

charlotte + else

http://bd.lilypie.com/u2jym5.png
http://b4.lilypie.com/Bmr5m5.png

[elliput]

I think it is recommended to use sand or woodchip, ie something soft. The pea gravel would have the give necessary, but I wouldn't want to fall of a swing backwards onto it. Ouch! I have seen railroad tie type timbers at home improvement stores that are for just this type of purpose yet are a bit more environmentally friendly.

[CecilysMom]

Where is a good place to purchase woodchips?

[muskiesusan]

We put in pea gravel and it has been wonderful. The boys are constantly playing in their "construction site." It is surprisingly not hard at all, I have been known to walk barefoot on it!

Other options and why we didn't get them are: sand (potential litter box for critters), mulch (my sister has this and regrets it, they have a huge mosquito/bug problem; she likes us backs up to woods, so that might be a factor), and shredded tires (my first choice, but very expensive and I have heard it can stain clothes).

We do have the pea gravel contained with 2x4s. Here's a link to a post with our setup.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=201454&mesg_id=201454&listing_type=search#201811

Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04

[annasmom]

I am not trying to be morbid, the attached report contains guidelines concerning ground cover for home play equipment. HTH!

http://www.cpsc.gov/LIBRARY/playground.pdf

[spu]

I didn't think about attracting critters in the mulch. Good point! and we're loaded with mosquitoes and ticks up here in the north east...

Eileen, I noticed you're having a c/s for your next baby. I'm pg w/#3 (1 and 2 were twins, c/s)... did you have a c/s for your first? If you don't mind my asking, why are you having another c? Is it safer than a vbac? thanks!!


susan

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
nursed for 3 years!
http://sunger2.home.comcast.net/superpower.gif

charlotte + else

http://bd.lilypie.com/u2jym5.png
http://b4.lilypie.com/Bmr5m5.png

[spu]

thanks for the great link too!! I downloaded it and will save it so we can read it when we're ready to set up. (we're moving in August, so we're hoping to get something this fall maybe...)

btw- are swingsets hard to set up? Can you pay to have it set up?

thanks!


susan

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
nursed for 3 years!
http://sunger2.home.comcast.net/superpower.gif

charlotte + else

http://bd.lilypie.com/u2jym5.png
http://b4.lilypie.com/Bmr5m5.png

[annasmom]

Susan, I would actually love to have a VBAC but I am disqualified for a few reasons. Both my #1 and #2 were emergency c-sections (at 32 and 33 weeks) for different reasons. I also experienced placental abruption with #2, and had to have a classical incision on my uterus with #2. All these factors up my chances of uteran rupture, so together I am a really bad candidate for VBAC. I actually brought it up to my doc anyway, and she said no way. Actually, they won't even let me go past 36 weeks because of the classical incision. Every birth is different, so people have different factors that make them a good or bad candidate. I would ask your doctor to see the studies that have been done on the safety of VBACs. My last OB was able to give them to me for my review. Good luck!

[dbianca23]

do you have to put something underneath, can it just be placed on a lawn?

[brittone2]

It is considered much safer to have some sort of layer underneath to protect kids if they fall. I grew up with just grass underneath and survived, but a lot of the swingsets today are far bigger and more elaborate than what we had in our backyard. A fall from 5, 6 or 7 feet can be pretty dangerous for a child if they land on a hard surface.

[nigele]

Hi Susan!

Congratulations on your pregnancy! We put in a swing set last year and decided on rubber mulch for safety reasons. With Tom's vision problems we wanted it to be as safe as possible and we are thrilled with the rubber mulch. It's not made from recycled tires but rather recycled industrial molds. From far away it looks like wood but it is safer. It also doesn't attract bugs and is not messy when wet like wood mulch can be. And the kids love to play with it, which is an added bonus, lol.

[vsmommy123]

Hi, we are getting our swingset installed as I sit here! I am also interested in the rubber mulch, which product did you buy? I saw a product online, the website I went to was ruberstuffmulch.com. It is pricey, but I can't stand wood chips. It get stuck in the kid's socks and gets everywhere, not to mention all of the biological stuff going on in it. Not too crazy about pea gravel, just because I don't really like the way it looks, but that's my problem. If it looked nicer, I would probably go that way. Getting back to the rubber "mulch", where did you buy it, etc. The rubberstuffmulch said it was avail. at Home Depots (most) but the one my DH went to check it out at said they didn't carry it but might be able to special order it. I need to do more research now that the swingset is here. Thanks!

[CiderLogan]

The previous owners of our house set off an area with basic wood pieces (I have no knowledge of lumber but I guess they are 4 inch by 4 inch logs or so -- they varied from 1-3 pieces high based on the slope around the area). They took their playset with them, but I really want to get another one to go in there. The one thing I want to mention about containing the materials is that I am worried about the possibility that someone could fall off the swing and land on one of the pieces of wood. So you might want to plan on the sectioned-off area to be bigger than you think.

Another option I've heard about as far as under the swingsets goes... is just a sheet of rubber (like the kinds of floors they have at gyms - you know?) under the area. I have been wondering if that's a real possibility. I like the idea of pea gravel or the recycled rubber pieces, but we have trees over our playset area that shed lots of leaves in fall, and I think it would be impossible to get all of those leaves out of a pile of loose material. Has anyone ever looked into this sort of thing?

Jenny
Mom to Julia, 8/03
...and another GIRL due 5/29/06!

[MrsZaz]

Just curious - what type of swingset did you get? I can't decide what to buy - I'll probably go with cedarworks (my sister has one and loves it).

Thanks

Colleen