Does my bum look big on this? (Headstrom Swing)

Member Name: sue26

Product:	Headstrom Swing
Date:	18/10/01 (667 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very sturdy and cheap in price

Disadvantages: Takes up a lot of room in a small garden

The Hedstrom range are one of the cheapest makers of childrens` outdoor toys on the market. The Brecon multi swing set only cost me £70, but you could most probably get it even cheaper if you shopped around. You know me, I would normally shop around to save myself a few pennies but I opted to go for the catalogue price so that I could pay in instalments.

The set consists of a blue and white tubular frame with two swings and a two person glider. The swing rope is very durable and hasn`t frayed at all over the course of a year, also the height is easily adjustable as the rope is threaded through two loops at the top.

Both swings seats are made from thick green plastic, which also have not sustained any damage over the course of the year, and believe me it`s had to endure some tough treatment from my kids. The only complaint I have is that the seats curve upwards at the sides which makes them slightly smaller, this means that I can`t play on them because my bum`s too big.

The glider is designed with two poles attached to the top of the frame, and another pole going accross these two at the bottom with a green plastic seat at either end. The two poles have also got foot rests at the bottom. You`ve got to be careful with the glider as even the youngest of children can get it to go really high, really quickly, and there`s nothing to stop them going right over the top of the frame.

I`ve only got a small garden separated by a path, and as the frame is pretty wide it takes up the whole of one side.

There are four solid plastic spikes which are bolted to the bottom of each of the four frame legs. You are supposed to dig a hole for the spikes to go in and then pour concrete over them to fully secure the frame. As we are hoping to move, all I`ve done it batter the spikes into the soil, and because my soil is like concrete anyway, the frame is completely secure.

The set itself didn`t take that long to put put together. F
ull assembly instructions are included which are very easy to follow, even for thick like me, and all the nuts and bolts were supplied with it. I must have done it right because there were no bolts left over that shouldn`t have been.

The only problem left is how to stop my youngest running in front of it all the time when the other kids are using the swings. You`ll also find when you assemble one of these, that your garden suddenly attracts all the neighbours kids as well.

The Hedstrom range are available from most toy stores and catalogues so they`re pretty easy to find.

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