what do you think about slip & slides?

[chozen]

i have been thinking about getting one and just wondered what other mama's thought about them?

[Moneypenny]

DD loves hers, but we have a slight hill to put it on so she doesn't have to take such a running leap. I've tried it, but am apparently slip n slide deficient in some way. I think I wimp out at the last minute because hurtling myself through the air, with only a thin sheet of plastic and a little water to cushion me when I hit the ground, seems like kind of a bad idea at this point in my life.

[lizzywednesday]

I wanted one in the worst way when I was a kid because it was advertised on TV. And I think my cousins had one.

I would get one now if I could trust DD not to run into the street after she slid down. She's 1; the odds are not in my favor.

Maybe I'll just get a silly sprinkler instead ...

[belovedgandp]

Never had one as a kid, but always wanted one. My kids have now had them. They are fun. The kids love them, but they do torch the grass. We had ours out for 3 hours in a partially shaded area of good grass two weeks ago and there's still a dead streak. So yes, I try to put it out let them use it and pull it up in less than two hours.

As far as adults; it's a long way to the ground. They also come in these cute little boxes, but will never go back in. Ours gets hung up and re-used and then folded (kind of). They are good for one or two seasons, so don't invest a lot of money.

[chozen]

Never had one as a kid, but always wanted one. My kids have now had them. They are fun. The kids love them, but they do torch the grass. We had ours out for 3 hours in a partially shaded area of good grass two weeks ago and there's still a dead streak. So yes, I try to put it out let them use it and pull it up in less than two hours.

As far as adults; it's a long way to the ground. They also come in these cute little boxes, but will never go back in. Ours gets hung up and re-used and then folded (kind of). They are good for one or two seasons, so don't invest a lot of money.

do you think they are safe for 2 and 3yr. old? will they know how to slide correctly?

[KathyN115]

I always wanted one as a kid too! (and a sit-and-spin, and an easy bake oven) So, of course I bought one for DD. I looked at the reviews on Amazon, and they are pretty bad for all of them, no matter how $$$. So I bought the cheapest one at Target. Good thing, because DD (5) hated it. She and her friend played on it for maybe 5-10 minutes, and that was it. I think a 2 and 3 year old would like to play in the water spraying from the sides and the end, and splashing in the little pool of water. but I wouldn't spend a lot on it.

[boolady]

We had a very bad slip and slide experience last year where one was set up at a family member's party and DH's cousin's daughter, who was 6 at the time, got a concussion from hitting her head. Another one of DH's cousins' kids fell and banged up his arm. These are not uncoordinated kids, BTW.

DD, who was holding my hand and I was running alongside her, also fell and hit her head, though not as severely.She wouldn't go near the thing again. I know that they're fun, because I remember them being fun, but I'd be really hesitant to let a 2 or 3 year old on one after what we dealt with. I think most of them say for ages 5 and up, and honestly, we should probably have never let DD on the one last year in the first place.

[Kungjo]

We have one that we hardly use. My DDs play with it for a few minutes when we set it up and then they prefer to go back into the kiddie pool where they get to actually play in the water. I got it on clearance or we wouldn't have one at all. Would I get it again? Probably not. Seems like a total waste of water.

[rlu]

Had one as a kid and we would pull it out for parties, etc. Kills the grass so we could only play on it for an hour or so before my folks would wisk it away. I remember playing the sprinkler just as fondly and that doesn't hurt when you land.

[Tondi G]

we had one about 2 years ago called a bounce and splash. It was basically an inflated side .. think long pool raft... it was AWESOME. The kids didn't hurt slamming into the ground time after time. I've also put those foam step 2 mats under our regular slip n slides to help pad it some. we got something different this year and so far so good, we've used it a few times.

http://www.amazon.com/Banzai-Cannonball-Splash-Water-Slide/dp/B000CGX7SE

[DebbieJ]

We have one and use it. The kids don't get the whole sliding concept that well, so it's mostly a glorified sprinkler.

[Mikey0709]

Bad experience here too. The campground we went to a few weeks ago had "chocolate" slip n slide time.....

basically they put it on a slight hill, sprayed it with a hose, dish detergent and chocolate syrup.

my 5 year old took a running start,fell and bawled his eyes out for about 30 minutes.