all playgrounds are not created equal

Five years ago, I NEVER would have dreamed that I would become such an expert on playgrounds.  With fairly decent weather year-round in Atlanta, the playground is almost always a cheap and convenient entertainment/outing option.  We hang out at local ones during the week and on the weekend when we have dad's extra hands and we don't have to worry about rush hour traffic, we actually drive to other parts of the city to try out new ones. 

But, as with with pretty much everything Baby Bunching, there are secrets to creating playground success with your Bunch.  Your needs will change as your Bunch gets older, but in the very beginning, a playground can be rampant with pitfalls when you are trying to supervise an infant AND a very active toddler.

There are a few criteria to consider before taking on a playground with your Bunch.  This list may seem overwhelming at first, but trust us - after awhile you will be able to evaluate the potential pitfalls of a new playground from the comfort of your vehicle, so you can decide if it's even worth unloading your crew.  A few factors to consider:

-Age appropriateness of  equipment.  Yeah - we know your toddler is a daredevil who prefers to be on the equipment designated for 5th graders.  No matter how agile he is (and believe me, I know - my oldest was SpiderMan in diapers), it is not safe for him to play on this equipment when you could become distracted at any time by his younger sibling.  When you've got your Bunch on your own without dad's backup, stick to the toddler park if your Bunch is under 3.

-Ground cover.  Few playgrounds have concrete anymore - if you find one that does, skip it.  Steer clear of gravel, which is a giant pit of choking hazards when your kids are very young.  Wood chips are OK until your baby is old enough to shove them in her mouth.  Sand is usually fine.  Rubber surfacing is great - just be sure the day is not too sunny so your little ones don't burn themselves crawling on the surface.

-Proximity to street.  Our city has an awesome playground with rubber surfacing and age appropriate equipment.  Too bad is literally yards from the city's busiest street and only half of it is fenced in.  Clearly, none of the city's Parks and Rec planners have children.  Your Bunch can probably run faster than you can.  Save yourself the stress and find a park set a good bit back from the road.

-Crowds.  Is the park frequented by other people with small children or are there lots of school-aged big kids that will run roughshod over your kids?  Is the park typically very crowded?  Is it easy to keep track of your kids?  Which brings us to a related point...

-Visibility.  Is the equipment laid out so that you can see your kids at all times?  Or is the playground so big that they can slip from play area to play area without you really seeing them and get lost?

-Water hazards.  Kids are drawn to water like moths are to flames.  If you're on your own with the kiddos, might want to steer clear of that park with the sweet little creek running through it.

-Restrooms.  Available?  Clean?  Potty training toddler - need we say more?

-Shade patterns.  Babies and toddlers get overheated fast.  Look for shaded playgrounds or unshaded ones for the winter months which may give you a bit more warmth in the cool late afternoon.

-Remoteness.  As a mom with very young children, you do not want to be in a remote area alone with your kids.  Our city has an awesome toddler park set back in the woods.  And they use county prisoners to do trash pickup there.  Again, someone in the city left their thinking cap at home.  We prefer to visit this park in groups and steer clear of it on days we are playing by ourselves.

There are a few pieces of gear you need to have on hand for your playground visit, especially if you come with a baby who is not yet mobile. Make sure you always have a blanket (so you can spread out over the mulch, sand, gravel so your baby can sit/lay and watch), a stroller and some kind of carrier. You need hands to supervise your toddler as he tries to leap off some ledge or in case he needs to be rescued from a slide.

Hopefully these tips will spare you some of the agony we endured trying to scout out the perfect playgrounds for our Bunch. Select your playground strategically, and it can be tons of fun for you AND the tots.  Happy playing!

(If you live in a particular area and know of some great Baby Bunching playgrounds or ones for Baby Bunchers to avoid, chime in here and let others know. With enough here we can start a list!)

Comments

[Tara Pringle Jefferson]

Those are all great tips. I haven't ventured out to the playground solo with my bunch yet, but I feel it's coming this summer. Our neighborhood playground is nice, but like you pointed out, a lot of bigger kids play there and my 2-year-old and 6-month-old will simply be run over. We've got to figure out a good time of day to go - any suggestions?

Tara
http://theyoungmommylife.com

[Amy]

Ugh, I hate sand. I'll take wood chips any day.

I have a sweet picnic blanket with handles - like this - http://www.bestpicnictime.com/product/sku_637-00 - that I keep in my car all summer.

Drinks are a must.

Another thing to watch out for is dogs. There's a park here (Happy Hollow in West Lafayette, IN) that has trails, and people just LOVE to let their dogs off leash, even though it's illegal. I try to avoid it during the evening hours, when I'm most likely to run into the dog unleashers. We go to that park in the morning, and Columbian Park in Lafayette, IN in the evening.

Morning tends to be the best time to go to the park with a bunch. It is easier to get everyone to leave when they're hungry and you're saying, "Hey, let's go home and have lunch!" Nap tends to be after lunch, too, so that avoids the tiredness issue.

When my youngest was a tiny baby, I would put her in the sling and let her sleep while I played with her sister. Good times!

[Linda]

We live in Northern Virginia and there are so many good AND bad Baby Bunching playgrounds.

--Clemyjontri (BAD for Baby Bunchers unless you have one who is in a stroller and/or carrier.) It's an awesome place to go, but if you have to keep an eye on two kids (who are mobile at once) it sucks!

--Home Depot playground (in Reston) also a Baby Bunching nightmare unless one kid is not mobile. I avoided this playground for almost a year unless it was winter I was sure no one else would be there. It has two levels. Terrible for visibility.

--We have found that many of our neighborhood playgrounds are perfect since they are small and offer many options for our kids as they grow. I love ones that have big open fields near by so people can just run and run and run.

[Kirsten]

I am from Houston, Texas, but currently living in Japan. Memorial Mall on the west side of Houston has an indoor playground that is free, and great for my 2 and 4 year old. It is the only indoor playground I know of like that in Houston. In Japan they are in almost every major mall.

[Mary]

I am brand new to your website and LOVE IT! Wish I had known about you girls a year ago!

I have agreed with all of your points in this post--tried many different playgrounds/water parks in the last year and all hold true.

We are expanding again soon so my bunch will (in April,) include a 2 1/2 year old, a 15 month old, and a newborn. This Spring playgrounds will be a constant!

[geekymummy]

WE are lucky in my SF neighbourhood (and I think this is true of the whole city)that the kids areas in parks are always fenced in. Mckinley park at 20th and San Bruno, and the new playground on 22nd and Wisconsin are favourites for us. However, and this is probably true for most big cities I would add "don't leave any valuables in stroller or diaper bag". Several friends have had things stolen.

[Heather]

I am a new baby buncher (Son-15 months, Daughter-6 weeks) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this site! I ventured solo to a new playground today (for the first time). After loading up all kiddos and gear and then arriving at the playground I laughed out loud when I walked up and saw a small sign that read "For ages 5-12"... oops.

[Inflatable Playground Products]

Great tips! Really being very informative post,thanks for sharing.