Table of Contents
Comparison Table
Product
Title
Features
Price
Our choice
Little Tikes Twin Slide Tunnel Climber
- Suitable for a small/medium sized garden
- Slide
- Soft hollow plastic can stop falls from hurting
Premium Pick
Dunster House Wooden Playhouse
- 10-Year Guarentee
- Will Last a Lifetime
- Can Be Assembled By Amazon
Best Value
Metal Frame Double Swing
- 10-Year Guarentee
- Will fit in a small garden
- Steel Frame
Our Choice
Little Tikes Twin Slide Tunnel Climber
Buy this if you have a younger child that wants to play or you don’t want to ground anchor your unit
- Suitable for a small/medium sized garden
- Slide
- Soft hollow plastic can stop falls from hurting as much
Pros
- Suitable for a small/medium sized garden
- Slide
- Soft hollow plastic can stop falls from hurting as much
Cons
- If left outside the unit will discolour
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Premium Pick
Dunster House Wooden Playhouse
Buy this if you have the space in your garden
- 10-Year Guarentee
- Will Last a Lifetime
- Can Be Assembled By Amazon
Pros
- 10-Year Guarentee
- Will Last a Lifetime
- Kids Wont Get Bored
- Can Be Assembled By Amazon
Cons
- Very Large
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Best Value
Metal Frame Double Swing
Buy this if you have two children
- 10-Year Guarentee
- Will fit in a small garden
- Steel Frame
Pros
- 10-Year Guarentee
- Will fit in a small garden
- Steel Frame
- Quick to assemble
Cons
- Only Swinging, No Climbing
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Plum Garden Swing
Buy this if you have the room and don’t want such a bulky unit
- Seesaw Swing & Normal Swing
- Climbing Rope & 6ft Slide
- FSC Certified wood
Pros
- Seesaw Swing & Normal Swing
- Climbing Rope & 6ft Slide
- FSC Certified wood
Cons
- Have to assemble yourself
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Dunster House Monkey Fort
Buy this if you have have a L shaped or square garden
- Can get Amazon to deliver and assemble
- Includes 2 swings
- 10-year guarantee
Pros
- Can get Amazon to deliver and assemble
- Includes 2 swings so no fighting overturns
- 10-year guarantee
Cons
- Takes up a large area
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Dunster House MicroFort
Buy this if you have have have less space available or you are buying for a 1 year old
- Fits in a small space
- Has a swing and a slide
- Suitable for 1 year olds
Pros
- Fits in a small space
- Has a swing and a slide
- Suitable for 1 year olds
Cons
- Only suitable for one child at a time due to size
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Lifetime Dome Climbing Frame
Buy this if you want something other than a conventional climbing frame.
- 600lb weight capacity
- Weather and Rust resistant
- Can use inside too
Pros
- 600lb weight capacity
- Weather and Rust resistant
- Can use inside too
Cons
- Easy to Hurt Themselves
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Dunster House Monkey Bars
Buy this if you already have a climbing frame and your little one loves to swing.
- Great for building children’s muscle
- Made from heavy duty wood
- Doesn’t need any space around the unit
Pros
- Great for building children’s muscle
- Made from heavy duty wood
- Decent size for monkey bars
- Doesn’t need any space around the unit
Cons
- Not suitable for children under 3 years old
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Rebo Adventure Climbing Frame
Buy this if you want a unit with a built-in sand pit and you want a unit with swing, slide, tower and sand pit.
- Great for 2-3 children to play at once
- 8ft Slide
- All-Weather Roof
Pros
- Great for 2-3 children to play at once
- 8ft Slide
- All-Weather Roof
Cons
- Needs an 8m2 space
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Climbing Frames buying guide and FAQ
What is a Climbing Frame
A climbing frame by definition from the Collins dictionary is a structure that has been made for children to climb on consisting of metal or wooden bars that are joined together. They normally can be found in school playgrounds and public parks but more and more increasingly be found in peoples back gardens. They are becoming super popular, especially with the modern-day thoughts and feelings on cleanliness.
What to Look For When Buying a Climbing Frame
There are several things that you need to think about before buying a climbing frame and we have listed them below.
Size – The size of these unit can look a lot smaller on the webpage than they actually are. You need to make sure you check the sizes (we have listed the measurements on each review). We recommend that you add an additional 2 meters around the unit
Age (Suitability) – If you are buying a climbing frame you need to check on the age restrictions of the specific unit. A lot of these climbing frames for your garden are suitable for children over 3 years of age. If you have a much older child you might want to find one that’s suitable for older and heavier children so it lasts them much longer which is what you want when buying something expensive.
Material – Check what type of material would be better for your unit. Climbing frames are generally made from either metal or wood although you can get smaller ones made from plastic. Metal can rust in the rain, wood can rot in the shade and plastic can discolour in the sun so pick a unit that is best suited to the location you want to put it in.
Assembly – Do you need to build your unit? Some of these climbing frames will need to be put together by yourself. Amazon do offer an assembly service for some of the options on today’s list but if you can’t do it yourself and amazon won’t offer it then you’ll need to pay a handyman to do this, so bare in mind of the additional cost.
Cost – There’s no hiding that climbing frames are expensive. You can spend thousands if you have the room but you really should have to. We have tried to keep all of todays list choices in a reasonable bracket and think you can get a decent climbing frame without breaking the bank. The best thing to do is write down your budget, reduce anything you need to buy with your unit such as assembly costs, or sand if it has an integrated sand pit. Then what you have left you can safely buy your new climbing frame.
Where to Buy a Climbing Frame
There are hundreds of places you buy climbing frames from and you can even build your own if you know what you are doing but we have listed some of the best places to buy them from below:
Amazon – Although we earn a small commission if you decide to buy one from Amazon, we recommend using them to buy. They offer free delivery and assembly for some units and deal with all complains and returns if needed.
Aldi – You can sometimes get decent climbing frames at relatively low prices from Aldi. It’s worth keep your eye out or checking in store before you buy one.
Argos – Argos have a small selection of climbing frames available from there website and offer a hand click and collect feature meaning you can pick it up and have it functional in the same day.
Smyths – Smyths have a few climbing frames on their website for sale and could be worth checking out. Although the prices are sometimes slightly higher on Smyths.
Tesco – Tesco used to be great for things like climbing frames. You can sometimes find great deals on outdoor toys and games in store.
Gumtree – Gumtree is a great place to find a second-hand climbing frame for sale. Be careful though as its likely you’ll have to dismantle and transport the climbing frame yourself.
Climbing Frame Accessories
There are lots of climbing frame accessories that you can buy with most of them being semi universal. Wood climbing frames offer the best options for add-on accessories. Starting off with safety, you can buy rubber bolt covers to avoid any injuries. Additional swing hooks on which you can secure all mannor of swingable items. Handles are very popular, especially if your little one is struggling on climbing using the rock climbing points. There is a bunch of other aesthetic, toy style add on’s for climbing frames such as letter boxes, bells, telescopes, steering wheels, binoculars, mirrors, megaphones and backet ball hoops. You can swap your conventional swings for a different kind such as a baby swing or a tire swing.
How to Build a Climbing Frame
Its much easier to buy a climbing frame than it is to build one, but if you fancy your hand at building a climbing frame you can follow this series on YouTube to help you with yours. You can also view our guide on how to build a climbing frame by clicking here.
What to do When Neighbours Children Climbing Frame Overlooks You Garden
If you are worried about your neighbours, and your climbing frame overlooking their garden its best to talk to them prior to buying it. If they are going to have a problem them it would be worth looking at alternative options that aren’t going to upset them – no one wants angry neighbours! If you don’t quite care and want to make sure you have followed the rules then stick to the planning portals advise on garden buildings. You can follow the planning guide on DunsterHouse’s website to find out if your climbing frame needs planning or not.
How does a Climbing Frame Help a Child’s Development?
A Climbing frame is a great addition, not only to your garden but also for your child’s development. There are some great benefits of having a climbing frame in your garden and here are some: Improves Dexterity: Really a climbing frame is the best way for a child to improve their fine motor skills such grip and grasp. These skills then lead on to help children in other aspects of their life such as improving handwriting. Confidence Booster: Climbing frames, being quite large, can lead children to feel anxious and lead to increased levels of shyness. Having and using a climbing frame in turn will lead to children having higher confidence and become more social as a result. Physical Strength: Climbing frames are designed for climbing, obviously. But a result of the climbing and crawling and hanging is an increased physical strength in toddlers which in turn promotes a healthy, active life. Critical Thinking: Having multiple routes available to navigate a climbing frame can promote critical thinking and problem solving in your toddler. This in turn leads to greater concentration and overall higher achievement in toddlers when they complete what they are doing. Learn to Take Calculated Risks: Playing on a climbing frame can be risky and doing so teaches children to take calculated risks. Should they jump for that pole or lean at that angle? These are things they have to do to work out if they can, so a climbing frame is perfect for those skills.
How to Level Your Climbing Frame
You can’t install your climbing frame onto unlevel ground. Doing this will cause a number of issues down the line and could potentially cause injury to children playing on it. It can be a long process to level your garden but once you have the correct tools and method you can do it all yourself at a minimal cost. Step 1: Walk around your garden in the area you are thinking of installing your climbing frame and identify any lumps and bumps or dips. Step 2: Cut a X across the bump or dip with a lawn edger or digging spade. You should create the X wider than the lump so that you can peel back the turf to where it is level. Step 3: Peel back the turf. You can do this by using your digging shovel to dig around 2-3 inches deep all the way along the X you created in the last step. Peel it back onto itself and you should end up with a square of earth underneath. Step 4: If you have a lump, remove the excess earth. This earth can be reused in other areas of the garden if you have a dip or it can be used in a flower bed if you don’t need it. Step 5: Once you have completed all steps, you can pull the turf back over and press down the area until flat. If you want to add an additional aesthetic look, you can add some grass seed and water it regularly. If you have a large slop in your garden it can take a lot more work to level your garden and you should get in touch with a landscape gardener to get this done. Don’t attempt to install a climbing frame onto a slope or uneven ground.
Can You Recycle Your Old Climbing Frame
If you find that your climbing frame is surplus to requirements, then you can choose to get rid of it or recycle it. But you can just put it out with the rubbish, you need to dispose of it properly. You can pay someone, or even the council to come and collect it for you but almost all parts of a climbing frame can be recycled, wood or metal. If you take apart your frame, you can group the parts. The fixings are metal and can be disposed in your recycling bin. The frame will be wood or metal and be collected, scrapped or taken to your local recycling centre or ‘tip’ and emptied into the metal or timber bin. The slide and swings will be made of plastic and can be recycled at the tip along with the frame.
What to Put Under a Climbing Frame
There are several options for what to put on the base of your climbing frame. Grass: If you are looking to save some pennies and your frame is going onto and already grassed area you can just leave it with the grass underneath. Its soft enough and also the most common due to the work involved with changing the flooring. Rubber Chippings: Usually made from recycled tires, rubber chippings are a low maintenance option. You can get them in multiple colours and a 500kg bag will cost your around £160-£260. A 500kg bag will cover roughly 25sq meters which should be suitable for any home climbing frame. Play Bark: You will usually find play bark at public parks and are used for their impact absorption. They also degrade naturally over time which is great for the environment. You are looking at around £200 for enough bark to fill a 25sq meter play area. Rubber Mulch: This is similar to the chipping but has been turned into a solid flooring. You can get patterns and images with this type of flooring but in reality, is a little bit harder than other options. This is a much more expensive, but nicer looking option ranging at around £600 for a 25sq meter patch.
Do You Need Planning Permission?
You will need planning permission if you want your climbing frame to be built outside of the standard planning rules for outdoor buildings. You can find these rules on the planning portals website here.
Do I Need to Anchor My Climbing Frame?
You don’t need to anchor your climbing frame but as a matter of safety, you should choose to anchor it.
Although the frame itself is heavy enough to not tip you should take every precaution to secure it before any children play on it.
