Easy... Sure

The grandparents had selected the Little Tikes SwingAlong Castle from the local toy store. The play set, meant for ages 1 year to 4 years, was thankfully slightly more attractive than other outdoor play sets. Made completely of plastic, the “castle” frame was a light tan colour. On one side was a bright blue toddler-suitable swing and the other side featured a bright yellow “rock wall” and a bright red slide. A bright yellow telescope and wheel were on the small landing at the top of the slide.

As the in-laws started putting the set together, the fun began. Despite the box promising a 20 minute build time, from start to finish, it took more than an hour. While I’d have loved to blame it on user error, in this case, it just wasn’t possible. The instruction manual, not surprisingly, was poorly written - so poorly written, in fact, that there were no written instructions at all. There was only a series of drawings showing what order to put the pieces together.

Building the set also hit a slight snag when the instructions showed to bang the slide into the set in order to put it together. While I’m not sure they fully intended the set to be “banged” together, the illustration with the two pieces and many exclamation point-like lines around the pegs seemed to indicate “banging”. In any case, because of the poorly cut plastic holes, we ended up needing to pull out a peg because banging the slide in had caused the cheap plastic side to collapse.

Once the set was finally put together, I was less than thrilled.

Wow, Just Great

Despite the SwingAlong Castle being for children ages 1 to 4 (or up to 45 pounds) I could see from the second my 20 month old got near it that we’d be lucky to have this last until the end of the next summer.

Being the lover of swings that he is, the first activity he selected was the swing. The high backed seat was acceptable for use with younger children however, it was made out of such a slick plastic that any child who needed such a high backed swing would likely slide into an uncomfortable position in seconds, even with the three-point belt.

Unlike traditional swings that are connected to a frame by some sort of rope or chain, this swing was connected with two metal bars. While this was great for avoiding pinched fingers, the result was that this swing had a severely limited range of motion. It would only swing less than a foot in each direction. While this may have been great for smaller children or those who weren’t quite sure of swings, for my little daredevil, it just didn’t cut it. When being gently swung, however, I saw why there was not more of a range of motion - even not going completely forward and back made the entire play set jump and move. I would have not liked to see the movement of a child larger than my 28 pound son. It was also so low to the ground that even at only around 33" tall, his feet drug the ground, which annoyed him greatly. He quickly bored of the swing and demanded out.

One thing I have not yet understood about the play equipment sold is why so many sets now refuse to have a ladder or steps to a slide. I can only guess it’s due to liability reasons, but this has simply become ridiculous. Like most other plastic play sets, the Little Tikes SwingAlong Castle came with a “rock wall” leading up to a landing and then the slide. My son (having mastered stairs months ago) simply looked at it oddly. He put his foot up on it, almost fell, then screamed for me to lift him up.

Like most instruction manuals, the instruction manual for the SwingAlong Castle stated that shoes must be worn at all times when playing with the set. That wasn’t such a big deal, as chilly fall days aren’t exactly conducive to bare feet. Even with my son wearing his “hiking boot” type shoes that gripped surfaces well, this rock wall was impossible. His foot (6.5, US toddler sized shoes) was too large to fit on either the lower or upper “rocks” on either side without hitting the upper rock or landing. The times he tried to climb on the bare wall portion which was shiny, smooth plastic, he ended up nearly slamming his head against the edge of the play set.

The small landing between the “rock wall” and slide turned out to be my sons favourite area. While he was quickly bored with the steering wheel, the enjoyed turning the “telescope” which swivelled in all directions. I was rather annoyed with labeling it a telescope, however. While it was in a classic telescope shape, it simply had two clear plastic pieces on either end, without even a slightly curved clear plastic piece to make it more like a realistic telescope.

The slide portion of the SwingAlong Castle was a typical small plastic slide - while large enough for shorter toddlers, I couldn’t imagine a 2-4 year old having much fun on the slide, especially if they were tall. Ironically, unlike the “rock wall” and the swing seat, the slide was made of a more rough textured plastic, making it the least slippery activity.

What a Waste

My son occasionally plays on the play set for a few minutes, but he very quickly gets bored with it and runs off to find his ball or play on his bike. Unlike other swing sets and play areas he’s been on where he literally screamed when I tried to remove him after a few hours, the Little Tikes SwingAlong Castle just doesn’t have the same potential for fun for the average toddler.

Would this set work for some? Absolutely. The swing would be great for a gentle ride for young babies from 6 months of age or slightly older, and the “rock wall” would likely be fun for a child with a smaller foot. Even an extremely small child or one with developmental delays would likely outgrow this play set far before the age of 4, however.

Little Tikes used to produce quality play sets made of sturdy plastic that were actually fun for the children in the stated age ranges. Unfortunately, with the SwingAlong Castle, my opinion of the company dropped. Had I paid the $100 price tag for this play set, I’d have been tempted to take it back for a refund.

Recommended:
No

Amount Paid (US$): 100
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months