How to Choose a Jungle Gym
Playing on a jungle gym seems like a rite of passage. Adults remember their own fond memories of playgrounds and want the same for their own children. The types and variety of jungle gyms has never been greater, yet with those choices comes things you must consider before making your choice. Follow these steps choose a jungle gym.
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Instructions
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Consider your child's age. Ideally, you want something she can play with for several years. With easy modifications, some jungle gyms meet the needs of toddlers and pre-teens.
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Understand that safety should be your number one concern. Emergency rooms treat about 200,000 children every year for injuries on playground equipment. About 25 percent of these accidents happen on home equipment. Go over equipment carefully, looking for secure fastenings, good clearance and rounded edges.
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Ask yourself what materials you want a jungle gym made from. Metal stores heat and rusts too easily, and toddlers can ingest paint chips. Wood playground equipment works well for many, but can be made from pressure-treated or other chemically preserved wood. If this is important to you, ask. Well-sanded wood means no potential for splinters. Look at some of the heavy plastics, including recycled materials, for parts of the jungle gym that kids sit on or hang from.
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Look for a durable jungle gym that promises to last for a long time. As stated in the previous step, some playground equipment made from chemically treated wood shouldn't rot. If you don't want chemicals in your wood, look at redwood and cedar as a possibility. Sturdy plastic lasts a long time and is impervious to the weather.
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Find out what kind of maintenance the manufacturers of different jungle gyms recommend. Ideally you want something low-maintenance, but time and children insure that some maintenance is necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
Inspect jungle gyms regularly. Look for loose items, frayed ropes, rotting wood and protrusions.
Children can get hurt on the safest jungle gym in the world. Supervise young children on all playground equipment. It only takes a second to receive a serious injury.
