Cheap solid playground surfaces for 4-6' height falls?

Maybe a year old baby shouldn't be alone on a slide or swing. I remember, they are fast and quiet. I don't have any better suggestions.

BetsyB

Hay.

Sand, but then you have the problem of animals taking a dump in there.

Pea gravel, put a heavy layer down. It seems counterintuitive but it works.

Actually cedar chips is what you want... Deep, about 6".

Any solid surface will hold nasty things like bird droppings and will get hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

Cedar doesn't splinter or rot, so it's a good choice. You want the fresh stuff, right out of the grinder, not mulch.

Yes, it does make for a tolerable landing. However, a 1 year old will it, and older kids will it. Sand is rough on knees and attracts cats, so that is out. I still recommend turf and tall grass. If the divots bother you, make the swingset movable so you can rotate the wear spots. Unless this is a multi-kid swingset, the wear should not be too bad.

aem sends...

The two parks I take my kids to have the cedar chips and it doesn't look bad. Cushions the falls ok too.

Screened sand.

Note that sand/gravel works well only if it's fairly uniform in size. If you use a mixed/random size fill, it will pack down like a driveway.

The pea gravel sounds interesting.. but yeah.. I'd rather not have a substance that can be picked up or eaten (lol)...

Sure those rubber pads can get hot, but they are pretty durable and convienent, but expensive IE: Kid kushion

Those are the ones I was hoping to find cheaper somehow.. or a cheap way to "emulate" them.

Somehow I survived it all and it seems to be working well at the playground down the street.

Sand is rough on knees and attracts