ideas for indoor ACTIVE toys for winter?

[boogiemomz]

So DD is a crazy active kid. She's a climber and just has to be moving all the time. We are coming up on our first winter in Minnesota (first snowfall last night!! :eek:) and I am looking for ideas for some kind of indoor play structure so she can get her climbing fix when we are stuck indoors. We will do museums and other outings some, but DS is due to arrive in early January via c/s and I know I'm going to have some days when I just can't get us out of the house. Between b-day in 2 weeks and CHristmas, I'd like to get her one "big" present that will allow her to be active in the house without destroying the place and driving me bonkers.

Some things I'm considering:

http://www.amazon.com/Eezy-Peezy-Monkey-bars-Top/dp/B001063MI0/ref=pd_ybh_7
http://www.onestepahead.com/Toys/Energy-Busters/Kids-Bounce-A-Round-Bouncer.pro?fpi=104257&catCd=2W&prefixCode=2W
http://www.onestepahead.com/Toys/Energy-Busters/Kids-Safety-Trampoline-with-Handle.pro?fpi=103613&catCd=2W&prefixCode=2W

Any experience with any of these? We don't have a ton of space, so that is an issue, but I think we could probably make room for one of these items. The trampoline might just be used to catapult her onto or off of other furniture, so that may be a concern. Thanks for any input!

[crl]

We had a trampoline. Ds liked it, but didn't love it. Dd used to jump on one at a neighbor's house. It was a big hit for a while and then the novelty wore off.

Ds used to love riding escalators so we would go to the big mall and ride escalators. I made the rule that you couldn't go up and down, you had to walk to another one before riding so we would get a lot of exercise that way on days it was too miserable to be outside.

Catherine

[anonomom]

How about the smaller version of this? It has both climbing and jumping elements.

http://www.magiccabin.com/Active-Play-Toys/Jungle-Jump-Around.htm

Also, a small inflatable bounce house could be great. They're loud and annoying while running, but they pack up pretty small. Our playgroup bought one a few years back to rotate among our houses and it was a HUGE hit.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We love playing games like Just Dance on Wii! Good energy burner and we can all play together!

[joonbug]

I second wii! I need to get some new games for DD ;). I got DD a trampoline last Christmas (she loves big trampolines and bouncy houses) but it hasn't seen much love around here... We also used to keep a small bouncy castle in the dining room (our first winter here when we didn't even have a dining set) and one of those small ball pits. Those were much better!

[mikeys_mom]

What about a slide? We have the Step 2 one and have used it both indoors and outdoors.

We also have a Little Tikes Pirate Ship Playhouse. We bought it for DS, probably around 7 or 8 years ago and it is still going strong as a favorite with my kids. They climb all over it, use it as a fort and play all sorts of imagination games with it in the process. They often flip it on it's side so they can climb or hang through the portholes.
This is the one we have. Looks like it might be discontinued but I'm sure they have something similar.
http://www.littletikes.com/consumerservice/replacementparts-detail.aspx?Product_ID=2363&

We also have one of those tunnels that folds up. They often make obstacle courses with that as the base and keeps them busy.

We had a jumping thing and I found the novelty wore off easily and it didn't hold my kids interest for as long as I would have liked. Plus, they always fought over who's turn it was. I was happy to get rid of it.

[boogiemomz]

So, we don't have a wii or any sort of gaming console. I love the bouncy thing anonomom posted, but we really need to keep it under $200, preferably well under. Thanks for the ideas, keep 'em coming!

[SnuggleBuggles]

So, we don't have a wii or any sort of gaming console. I love the bouncy thing anonomom posted, but we really need to keep it under $200, preferably well under. Thanks for the ideas, keep 'em coming!

I figured. :). But, should the time come that you want one, it's really fun and good family activity.

[maybeebaby08]

I bought this after a recommendation here, it gets daily use here. Plus you can put a Little Tikes Swing on it. I bought it in a combo pack with the bar. Amazon has a better price possibly.

http://www.playawaytoy.com/strapswing.aspx

We bought a trampoline the giant triangle one and it didn't get much use, but I got one of these a few days ago and it's much easier storage and DDs have been jumping nonstop.

http://mobile.walmart.com/m/phoenix;jsessionid=B39BDB9D53CB98AF54C44211861BB0A 6#ip/Gold-s-Gym-Mini-Trampoline/17772144

[zag95]

Not a climber- but what about a Rody or Rody Max? Ride on bouncer, easy on HW floors and walls! Bounces- perfect for indoors! Wahoo also makes a less expensive version! We got Rody Max when DD was almost 3 so it had room for growth!

[melrose7]

We bought this for DD1 to help with deep pressure and sensory but it has been a huge hit for all the kids. It is great for jumping on, falling, squeezing, getting out that winter energy.
http://www.amazon.com/Stimulation-Crash-Pad-Removable-Washable/dp/B009E0VG7S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383838168&sr=8-2&keywords=Crash+pad

[kristac]

Hop balls are super fun. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hop%20ball&sprefix=hop+b%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ahop%20ball

[athompson]

We have something like this in our basement and all of our girls still play on it daily:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3004164&cp=2255956.2273442.2255969.2257593.2257592&parentPage=family
They slide, flip, climb, make forts by turning it upside down.

[boogiemomz]

Thanks for the suggestions! I have some good options to consider now. Thank you!