Don Vandervort, Head Homeboy, has written more than 30 DIY home improvement books, been a segment host on HGTV, served as MSN.com's home improvement expert and written countless magazine articles.
Most kids can spin creative play from rocks and pinecones, sticks and leaves. But nothing quite stimulates a young child like a well-designed outdoor play structure. Swings, slides, and climbers are a child's dream come true.
In recent years, outdoor play structures have undergone a design revolution. Old pipe- frame swingsets have taken a back seat to complex outdoor edifices of plastic, timber, tires, and rope. Intended to inspire children's imaginations, most of these playground creations have also been built for safety.
Even so, inspect them yourself for secure fastenings, sure footing, solidity of rope and net, smooth and unsplintered wood, and absence of openings that could entrap a child's body or head.
When building a play yard, do not use treated wood because of toxicity, unless there will be only occasional skin contact. Instead, use naturally weather-resistant redwood or cedar. Here are some further considerations:
Taking a fall is one of the common mishaps when children play on swings, slides, or climbers. It helps if play equipment is located over a soft, cushioned surface, such as a thick layer of wood chips, bark, sand, grass, or rubber. Play equipment should not be set up over concrete or asphalt.
Place play equipment at least 6 feet from house walls, fences, trees, or other obstacles, especially if the equipment includes swings. Make sure the equipment is level and anchor it firmly in the ground.
Set each post for a swingset in a concrete hole at least 9 inches square. Tighten all nuts and bolts. Cut off protruding bolt ends with a hacksaw. Attach each swing to wood only with a heavy bolt or eve bolt that penetrates all the way through and is secured by a locknut. A screw eye will loosen with the swing's motion and eventually come loose.
To prevent serious injury in the event a swing seat hits a child, make sure that it's made of a soft material, such as rubber or rubberized canvas. For small children up to about age 3, provide full support bucket seats. For older kids, a big inner tube makes a safe, inexpensive swing. Smooth, strong plastic ropes are gentler for young children than chains. Take the ropes down during rain or snow. Instead of S-hooks, which can disconnect, use connector hooks equipped with spring closures or locking O-rings.
A favorite of very young children, the sandbox is usually the safest piece of play equipment. Keep it covered when not in use so cats cannot use it as a litter box. Make sure its frame is free of loose nails and splinters. Fill it with coarse washed ocean sand or river sand.
A slide for small children should be wide, not too high, and not too steep. All slides should have steps that are easy for a tot to climb and a solid railing to grip. The sliding surface should have sides at least 2 1/2 inches high. Slides built into the side of a hill are safer because there's less chance of injury; also safer are slides enclosed by a chute. If you're building a slide yourself, face it with cool plastic laminate in a light color to reflect heat. Apply a nonslip coating on steps (or on ladder rungs of a purchased slide).
Make sure that all components of a climbing structure are sturdy and securely fastened together. Check for areas between railings or surfaces that might entrap a small head or body part, or snag clothing. Children should use climbing equipment only when it's dry since moisture will make it slippery. Make sure that a wood climber is free of splinters. Though toddlers are unlikely to use them anyway, don't allow play with rings that could entrap a child's head or limb.
Small children love to splash in a wading pool during hot weather. The soft, inflatable kind is safest, as well as inexpensive. No matter how shallow the water, do not leave your child even for a minute while he or she is in the pool.
