Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12
  1. #1
    lmh2402's Avatar
    lmh2402 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    5,145

    Default favorite outdoor playstuff for 2 year old

    i know there have been several posts lately about outdoor apparatus, so i apologize if this seems redundant

    but i am dreaming of spring...and this will be our first spring/summer in our new home. with our own backyard!!

    it's a decent-sized space, so i really want to get some "good stuff" to engage DS this summer...and ideally for a few years to come

    BUT, he will only be 2 in april. so it would seem clear that many of the cool climbing/fort things are too big/old for him

    BUT, i don't want to spend money on something too babyish that he will outgrow within a few months

    so please give me your kiddo's faves at various ages... (even if it's something your kid didn't start loving until age 4 and up...b/c maybe i can plan ahead if i'm going to end up spending more in a few years...i'd spendl less now)

    also, i'm really clueless in this arena - so in addition to types of equipment or toys, i would greatly appreciate suggestions on what types of material are "best" - durable, don't get too hot, don't wear poorly, etc

    thanks so much
    mama to my awesome sporty boy (4/09) , precocious little girl (7/12) , and loving doggies (10/05 & 1/14)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    975

    Default

    http://www.amazon.com/Step2-WaterWhe...6442705&sr=8-1

    This was a hit last summer, I expect it will be loved this summer, too. My son played with it, too. Not sure he would have on his own, but it was something 2 2yos and a 6yo could get into together, which is always great.

  3. #3
    ahisma is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    .
    Posts
    6,059

    Default

    Really, our DS's (2 and 4 yo) like our veggie gardens more than anything. Watering, weeding, digging, harvesting, they have a blast.

    We also have a DIY water "table", a galvanized bin with some cups, strainers, etc.

    We have two slides side by side (4 feet apart) coming off the deck, they love to race (bodies and cars).

    The sandbox is a big hit too.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    USA.
    Posts
    6,371

    Default

    A good swing! Now a bucket swing and then in a year or two upgrade to a regular swing. A sprinkler is always fun too. Water table. Sand box- if they don't skive you out. If you have a deck, some of the big black tube attached to the side to holler through or to race cars through.
    All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.
    ~Abraham Lincoln~


  5. #5
    kbud is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    1,545

    Default

    I second the water table. My girls have the same one posted. We've had it about 3 years and it's still a big hit w/my 2 and 7 year old. They were just playing in it (yes, it's sturdy they were sitting in it!) 2 weeks ago (we're in FL). We also have a sand table (similar to this but now exactly like it) http://www.amazon.com/Step2-Play-Adj...6443637&sr=1-2. I found though doing sand and water together didn't work so well so we use all sand. They do bring buckets of water to it though to make the sand pack. We've had it for 5 years.

    We also have a small picnic table that they love to have picnics on and play playdough or do art projects and tea parties on.

  6. #6
    Jenn27 is offline Silver level (200+ posts)
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    WV
    Posts
    301

    Default

    Sand/water table, tricycle, playhouse, cozy coupe, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, mini pool/sprinkler, swing, rocks, dirt

  7. #7
    lmh2402's Avatar
    lmh2402 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    5,145

    Default

    thanks guys

    so...do you think i should get a swing set maybe geared a little older, and then just get a couple of bucket swings (for playdates) to swap out the swings for now?

    looking on amazon, they have what looks more like "toddler" set-ups (like this: http://www.amazon.com/Step2-Play-Up-...480873&sr=1-21)

    but i wonder how long it will be used...and then what will i do with a $500+ piece of equipment...

    ETA: or should i do something more like this: http://www.amazon.com/Step-2-801200-...ref=pd_sbs_t_3

    and then do a separate swing-set like this: http://www.amazon.com/Triple-Fun-Met...481402&sr=1-23 (is metal a bad idea? is mostly wood the way to go?)

    ORRR

    do something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Naturally-Play...ref=pd_sbs_t_6

    even more money...but if it can really be fun/interesting to even a 6 year old, maybe it's worth it?

    i don't know! gah!
    Last edited by lmh2402; 01-31-2011 at 09:44 AM.
    mama to my awesome sporty boy (4/09) , precocious little girl (7/12) , and loving doggies (10/05 & 1/14)

  8. #8
    lmh2402's Avatar
    lmh2402 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    5,145

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Jenn27 View Post
    Sand/water table, tricycle, playhouse, cozy coupe, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, mini pool/sprinkler, swing, rocks, dirt
    thanks, can you recommend one?
    mama to my awesome sporty boy (4/09) , precocious little girl (7/12) , and loving doggies (10/05 & 1/14)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    State of relief now that we will have sanity in the White House again
    Posts
    736

    Default

    I'm think you should go ahead and get a nice wooden swing set geared to older children. We got the ubiquitous Costco wooden set three years, and it is far and away the best purchase we have made. My third child turned 2 in the fall, and he was climbing up and down the rock wall, the ladder, and sliding down the slide with his big brothers. Did it give me a heart attack once in a while? Yep. But he'll love it. I wouldn't waste money on a toddler climbing thing.
    ds 2004
    ds 2006
    ds 2008
    ds 2010

  10. #10
    kristac's Avatar
    kristac is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    3,020

    Default

    Check craigslist for used climbers/ playhouses/ sandbox, etc.

    Other ideas- something to ride on- cozy coupe, etc
    toy lawn mower
    trucks
    "Someday, I am going to go to bed without toys on the floor and sippys in my sink. Things will stay where I put them and I can have nice, fragile items on display. But when I do, I will look around with a wistfullness in my heart and miss the days where vibrant imaginations ran wild and there was evidence of life happening around me all the time!"

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •