A great adventure (Little Tikes Climbers)

Member Name: wishywalshy

Product:	Little Tikes Climbers
Date:	01/03/01 (429 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Robust, durable, accommodates 8 kids

Disadvantages: Expensive, no run off on large slide

Little Tikes Adventure playground.

A gargantuan Childs plastic climbing frame, supplied by the world-renowned manufacturer Little Tikes.
Costing in the region of £500, this frame can accommodate up to 8 children simultaneously.
Designed for children aged 3 and over this vast brightly coloured climber will be the envy of every child in the neighbourhood.
Available at Toys'r'us and other quality toyshops, but check around and do your homework as the price can vary considerably between them.

Our Adventure playground was a special present from the entire family (due to the cost), and after a huge search and much investigation Toys 'r' Us were the closest and most keenly priced.
Other shops were retailing it for £600 plus delivery, and as the nearest stockists were 60 miles away, delivery wouldn't come cheaply.

Delivery was a problem in its own entity. It was promised at a certain time, and delivered considerably later and only after threats to rent a van to collect it ourselves and bill Toys 'r' Us accordingly.
Lo and behold the next it arrived in 3 huge boxes.

So how big is it?
Without the slides it is over 2 metres high and just under 2 metres wide.
The slides add another 3 metres to the required space.

What activities does it have?
It has a small slide (Nursery size about 2ft from the ground), and a long wavy slide (About 5ft high)
A crawl through tunnel, peek a boo window and 4 platforms to climb upon.
On the underneath are crawl through holes that also permit a child to climb up to the platforms for extra play value.
Access to the slides is by climbing up one of the two access platforms and following the path through the frame, finally finishing by hurtling down the wavy slide.
The frame is constructed in true Tikes style with weather resistant blown plastic, which as you would expect is durable and resilient.
The top parts of the towers have
vertical slots allowing children to peek through, though that part does resemble a prison LOL.

Ours is in Evergreen colours(Green red and cream), but the newer versions are tropical(Purple, jade, yellow and cerise)

How easy is it to assemble?
It needs at least two people due to the size.
Overall the individual pieces are not too heavy and utilise Little Tikes unique slot and lock assembly system with a need for minimal screws and bolts.
The pieces have the numbers moulded into them, preventing any misunderstandings in assembly.
A certain amount of brute force is needed too.
There is no need for ground pegs or to concrete the unit into the ground.
The towers have been very well designed and as a complete unit it is extremely stable.

The instructions were brilliant, but we encountered a problem with the crawl through tunnel, the holes were incorrectly drilled causing complete frustration for my hubby who was convinced that he had done something wrong.
No problem, a phone calls to Little Tikes help line, and the next day a new tunnel piece arrived in the post.

Was it worth that much money?
Personally I am happy with it, instead of the smaller climber units that Little Tikes make which are designed for children aged 1 to 6, this had a far wider age range.
It is recommended for children aged 3 to 10 years and will probably last a lot longer than that.
There is the added advantage of being large and stable enough to easily accommodate 8children all playing at the same time.
It will probably sit in my garden for years to come, and maybe even entertain grandchildren in the distant future.

What about moving it around?
That is a completely different story.
When assembled it is extremely heavy and requires at least three people to lift and move it. You also need to take into account the fact that the slides poke out and create their own problems
It is difficult to remove the s
lides to manoeuvre it around the garden, and you almost need another person just to guide the slides.
Theft wise, unless the prospective theives are strongmen, it is quite safe in any garden, for additional deterrent, I suppose that you could even fill the blown plastic with cement.

Are there any safety factors that I should be aware of?
Due to the height of this unit it is recommended that the frame is used on soft surfaces, we have wood chips, which do cushion the children’s falls considerably.
I would not dream of using this frame on concrete as the risks of serious injury are just too high.

Downsides?
Personally I don’t like the way that there are no handgrips on the steps to the platform as younger children’s hands are frequently not quite large enough to get a good grip resulting in several backwards falls.
The large slide does not have a run off facility and abruptly ends 12 inches from the ground, I do not understand why Tikes have done this, and subsequently my children have winded themselves several times
The price is very high for a children’s toy, but over the years it has proved itself to be an economic choice.

What about cleaning it?
A hose down a couple of times a year is all of the cleaning that is required, it is absolutely fine to use a mild detergent.

In conclusion, this frame is ideal for the smaller garden, and I have seen several in use by nursery schools, but it is an expensive addition for the garden, however, it wil not rot or fall to pieces, and will never need replacing.

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