What follows is my contribution to the Summer Solstice Write Off hosted by Bluehawq. Write-off information is included at the end of my review

Finally, Summer is here and which means time for outdoor play. My very mobile 18 month old was finally steady on his feet and ready to explore and play the in the great outdoors. We'd visited a few local parks and playgrounds with his playgroup and came to the conclusion that an age appropriate play structure would be a welcome addition in our own backyard. Grandpa and Grandma came through for us and volunteered to purchase their only grandchild his very own swingset.

So the quest began.

I searched high and low and asked several people (friends and strangers) about different sets. We looked at metal and wood, and then plastic. We knew that metal was not an option where we live (because of the snow and rain). Ultimately I would have loved one of those big wooden swingsets with a fort and more. But between space limitations and budget limitations I couldn't find one that jumped out to me and said "this is it!". Pointed in the direction of Step 2 I found a wonderful swingset, climber and slide combo but I was unable to find one locally to go and look at. I really wanted to see it before spending close to $700 dollars for purchase and delivery. The Step 2 swingsets looked great but I couldn't justify the purchase without actually seeing one first and seeing if my kid liked it.

On a trip to Toys 'R Us, I found the Little Tikes Variety Climber And Swing Set Extension. There were two of them in stock and had a display model set up. The entire unit was less than $350 which was very inexpensive compared to several of the other sets that I was checking into. The product is made of sturdy plastic which the Little Tikes brand is known for and the marketing toted "Tough, durable construction requires less maintenance than wood and lasts longer than metal." The size was perfect. Definitely big enough for 2 or more kids to play on but not so overwhelming in size for one toddler to play alone on. Appropriate for kids up to about age 8 or so (I'd say). It looked and sounded good to me.

All about the Little Tikes Variety Climber And Swing Set Extension

The Little Tikes Variety Climber can be purchased alone or in conjunction with a Swing Set Extension. Together these two components make up the Little Tikes Variety Climber And Swing Set Extension.

VARIETY CLIMBER

Description
The Variety Climber on its own goes for around 200 dollars and is a great climber for little ones and its versatile tooo. This climber can be configured in 8 different ways depending on how your landscaping is. To give you an idea of the size, the official dimensions of the climber are: 105"L x 77"D x 77"H.

The Variety Climber is appropriate for even the youngest of toddlers, there are 2 slides. Both made of bright red plastic one slide only stands less than 2 feet off the ground and the other is around 3 feet off the ground but is a gradual slope (about 4 ft). The platforms for both of the slides are grey and the "feet" are bright green. For the little slide there is no ladder or anything to climb up, the platform is so low that even little climbers can pull themselves up on it. The bigger slide is connected to The Fort. To get into the fort, crawl through a bright blue archway and travel across a Bridge/Tunnel from the lower slide platform. The bridge is a bright yellow half pipe (open tunnel) that is a few feet long and only a about 2 feet off the ground. Its perfect to either be crawled or scooched through or walked across (holding onto the edges). Or, climb up a small Rope Net which is connected to the side of the fort and is a 4 X 4 grid of sturdy rope like a spider web. Or, be like my son and climb the slide, little monkey. The fort is at least 3 feet off the ground and is covered with a lemon yellow roof for shading purposes. The archways of the fort are both made of blue and grey, and on one side of the fort is bright blue and it has a fun yellow Steering Wheel on it, for driving purposes (of course), and for fun.

SWINGSET EXTENSION
Purchase of the swing extension will add approximately another $100 to your purchase. The swingset extension attaches to the fort portion of the Little Tikes Variety Climber Its basically a bright blue swingset made of sturdy plastic and metal. The swingset comes with 2 blue plastic swing seats that are rope mounted (with chain at the top) and easily clip into the swingset. We replaced one of these swings with the Little Tikes 2-in-1 Snug 'n Secure Swing as our son is too small to use a regular swing. This swingset is not very large compared to other swingsets and the 2 swings are spaced pretty closely together, but not dangerously so. We have had a 4 year old on the big swing and a tot in the baby swing and not had any difficulties. The actual dimensions of the entire swingset are 170"L x 77"D x 78"H. This same swingset extension can be attached to several Little Tikes climbers and playhouses, for example the Little Tikes Playcenter Playhouse.

ASSEMBLY AND MORE
Getting it Home
Don't even think you will be able to get the Little Tikes Variety Climber And Swing Set Extension home from the store by yourself. This thing requires a flatbed truck or a very large van. Each component has its own box and the 2 enormous boxes which measure: 47"L x 28"D x 46"H and weigh well over 100 pounds. There was no way this was going to fit in either our Subaru Outback, or our Jeep Wrangler so we payed $45 and had it delivered from Jet-X. They delivered it the same day and the gentleman unloaded the boxes off the truck and pushed them up our driveway for me. This was a $45 well spent. Unless you have a large vehicle and sufficient man-power you may want to look into what delivery options are available.

Assembly
Next, came the assembly. My husband is the King of Assembly in our house. So he started out on assembling one gorgeous Saturday morning -while my son, mother and I went out on a garage sale hunt looking for more fun things for our backyard. We returned home at lunchtime to find that it was mostly assembled. Assembly of this item will go quicker with 2 people but it is not an impossible feat for one person to do. Most of the components snap together easily, but there is definite involvement of tools (hammer and screwdriver). The hardest part of putting it all together is that you have to bore some holes through the plastic parts themselves. They aren't pre-drilled, apparently. My husband reports that the job is much easier done with an electric screwdriver or a drill.

Cleaning and Care
The beauty of Little Tikes toys is that they are made of sturdy plastic which makes them durable but also easy to clean. Because this is outdoors the easiest way to clean it is to simply hose it down. I've taken to hosing the Little Tikes Variety Climber And Swing Set Extension 4175 off every morning to wash away any dirt, tree droppings, leaves, bugs, bird poop, whatever. It cleans off in just a few minutes and since I have the hose out to fill up the kiddie pool its not an inconvenience. Part of the reason why we have to wash it so much has to do with where we placed it in our yard. I opted to put the structure in a relatively shady portion of our yard, which means that the tree sheds on it daily. I do recommend placing the swingset in a shady portion not only for your kids sake but also because the climber will hold its vibrant colors longer and not fade as quickly.

Safety
The most important thing about having a climber in your yard is safety. The Little Tikes Variety Climber And Swing Set Extension is a great piece of play equipment and can be alot of fun for kids of varying ages but its not any fun if someone gets hurt. First of all, it goes without saying - supervision is needed at all times. Accidents can happen in a split second so please supervise your children at all times. Additionally, please anchor the swingset using the provided hardware kit. And last but not least, don't let kids that are "too big" for this play on it. The Little Tikes Variety Climber And Swing Set Extension is for Little Tikes Only!


PLAYTIME PONDERINGS
My 18 month old son loves both the Variety Climber and the Swingset portions of this swingset/climber combo. Since getting it we've used it almost every day (weather permitting) and he enjoys exploring the climber. At first, it was rather intimidating to him and he just wanted me to hold him while he checked everything out. But, that didn't last very long. I started spinning the steering wheel and that was enough temptation to get him interested. After sliding down the big slide once, with my assistance, he decided to prove to me once and for all that he was no longer a baby. He did this, by turning around and climbing up the big red slide. I was right there next to him while he did this and flabbergasted to see that slide climbing is not a bad habit picked up on a playground with older children. Nope, slideclimbing must be genetic. We'll blame dad for that one.

How I became a most popular Mom in playgroup in less than one hour

The other day some friends dropped by and they had a 4 yr old, a 2.5 year old and then there was Alexander, who is 18 months. All 3 children played on this climber at the same time and were not stepping on each others toes or pushing each other off. (That was quite amazing). The 4 year old proclaimed the fort as her own while the littler kids played on the slides and in the tunnel. At one point, all 3 children were in the fort and trying to turn the steering wheel - except it doesn't go in 3 different directions. After what seemed like almost an hour of play we had to lift the kids off of it so that the 2 older kids could go home and Alexander could nap. All of the kids were sufficiently worn out to need a nap afterwards. How can you beat that? Kids having a great time, expending physical energy and then resulting in a long nap allowing Moms to have a break? Yes, its true - my Mom popularity status just went up a few notches. I have a desirable backyard for play!

So, I am happy to report that Little Tikes claim that the Variety Climber is suitable for children of varying ages to play on at the same time is quite correct. This makes it good for siblings, playgroups, neighborhood gatherings, and more. I'd say its best for 1 to 4 children playing on it. Most of the time my son plays on it alone but that doesn't stop him from having a good time!


For more info:

Manufacturer Website: http://www.littletikes.com

Review of Little Tikes 2-in-1 Snug 'n Secure Swing

To read other fine contributions in the Summer Solstice Write Off hosted by BlueHawq please visit:

http://summersolstice.abrco.com/


Have a fun, safe and HAPPY summer!


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 339
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months