If you have a playset, do you have surfacing material under it?

[JBaxter]

We have grass.

[khm]

I'll throw this out there since this might be another alternative - while we've used our playset a LOT, I'd have to say if I compared the number hours played with versus the dollars spent our extra large sandbox was a better value.

I think this is a great idea. Our nephews had a huge sandbox, I believe it was just a large swimming pool that they used as a sandbox, my memory is fuzzy, but it was really cool and they LOVED it.

We have grass under our swingset. As do all our neighbors. The most "popular" swingset with all the nearby kids (who roam fairly freely in a 6-7 house line up and down the block during the summer evenings) is the plain jane one with just two swings that the dad built for like $50. Inexplicable given some of the options, but there you go. The cheapy one that is on it's fourth owners (keeps getting sold when people move) is next because it has a low set of monkey bars that the 5-6 year olds love.

[liz]

See, I like the sand idea, but our neighborhood has tons of feral cats (our neighbor feeds them- ugh- don't get me started) it would be like a huge litterbox.

[Jo..]

Pea Gravel. My daughter fell from 5-6' a year ago (and I was RIGHT THERE and couldn't catch her)...she had scrapes.

If we had only had grass, SOMETHING would have broken.

[WatchingThemGrow]

rubber mulch. They love to dig in it, and it comes off the socks/shoes easily.

[newg]

We have playground mulch under our swing set....however many inches is recommended. And then DH edged around it to help keep it out of the grass.

[brismom]

rubber mulch for us. regular mulch and sand were not an option due to the free to roam the neighborhood cats out there