Many jungle gyms have areas for the children to climb on which means that there is a chance that the child can fall and get hurt. Furthermore, there are likely other activities on it that will only be suitable for children that are in a certain age range. You will need to make sure that the jungle gym is age appropriate for your child. Letting your children play with equipment that they are too young or too old for can lead to safety hazards.

Children that are too young for a jungle gym can get injured from falling. The activities on the gym may be too old for them as well. For example, jungle gyms that are meant for older children may have smaller pieces that can be choking hazards for younger children. The height of the climbing bars may be too high for a younger child as well which can lead to injury from slipping and falling. You may even find that the child is simply unable to play on the gym because they don't understand how to use it.

Children that are too old for a jungle gym are prone to breaking it. They may also be old enough to figure out how to bypass the safety features on the jungle gym as well. A final thing to consider is that they may be too heavy to use the jungle gym which can lead to it collapsing and causing injury. It's never a good idea to allow children to use anything that isn't designed for the child's age. This would include a jungle gym set that you are considering purchasing for your child or children.

Children need safe toys to play with so you are going to want to look over the jungle gym to make sure that it's safe for the child to use. You should look for any certifications that are advertised with the jungle gym and you will also want to look it over visually to make sure that it's safe to use. Failing to make sure that a child's jungle gym is safe can lead to severe injury or possibly even death. Since nobody ever wants that to happen to a child, you will need to make sure that what you are buying is safe to use.

At a minimum, the jungle gym should meet or exceed the CPSC standards for safety. These are U.S. government issued safety standards and products that conform to them are safe for children to use. However, there are additional safety certifications that are available as well and the more certification the product has, the safer your child will be with it. You may have to pay a little extra for a safety certified product, but it's a worthwhile charge. Even if the product is certified, you should still do a visual inspection to confirm that it's safe. You should be on the lookout for anything that appears sharp as this can lead to cuts. Choking hazards are another thing that you need to watch out for especially if the children are toddlers or babies who may put things in their mouth. The final thing that you should check is for harmful chemicals such as lead-based paint or other toxins. Such products will generally advertise that they are free of toxins so you should check the packaging.

Many jungle gyms are permanent structures but there are also plenty that are portable and can be used inside and outside the house. There are benefits to ones that are exclusively meant to be used outside but there are also plenty of reasons to get a jungle gym that can be used inside and outside. You should know the differences between the two in order to pick what is best for your child.

Outdoor jungle gyms tend to be large and heavy. The benefit of this design is that they are durable and allow children to continue to use them as they grow. This is because a permanent jungle gym is generally designed to hold more weight. The stronger design also means that more than one child can play on it at a time so they are great for when you have birthday parties or a cookout where people are bringing their kids. The main disadvantage of these jungle gyms is that they are not intended to be moved. Portable jungle gyms can be used inside and outside. The main benefit of such a design is that the children can still use it in the house when the weather is bad. This means that is can be used when it's raining or snowing outside. However, the trade-off with portability is that the jungle gym is lighter and smaller. That means you won't be able to allow as many children to play on it and your child may outgrow it more quickly. They also tend to be less durable since the materials have to be lightweight so that it's portable and easy to move to a different spot.

Your child isn't going to want to play with the jungle gym if it doesn't have the activities that your child is interested in. This is why you are going to need to make sure that the jungle gym is fun for your child. Otherwise, you are going to end up with something that is going to collect a lot of dust since it will rarely get used. The good news is that there is more than enough choice when it comes to activities so you should try and find a jungle gym that has a few of the more popular ones.

Monkey bars and climbing bars tend to be the most common activities found on a jungle gym. There are ideal for children who have learned how to climb. Climbing is a great way for the child to exercise and develop balance and strength. You may also want to look for other climbing activities such as a ladder, rock climbing, or some other form of climbing. Slides tend to pair well with climbing since the child can climb the gym and then go down the slide. Crawl tunnels and ball pits also tend to be popular activities. These are great choices for children that are too young to climb or if you have concerns about safe climbing. Many of these jungle gyms tend to be safe for pets as well so there is no need to worry if the family cat or dog decides to play in the jungle gym with your children. Finally, jungle gyms that have trampolines are perfect for children who have a lot of energy and need to bounce it out in order to calm down.

Quality is important because it will be a deciding factor in how long the jungle gym lasts and how safe it is to play with. A low-quality jungle gym can break which can cause you to have to throw it away. Damage may also lead to safety hazards that can seriously injure a child. If you have reason to believe that a jungle gym is low quality, then you should consider purchasing a different brand.

There are a few ways to check the quality. Collapsible jungle gyms have fabric that you will need to look at it to make sure that it's strong and sewn together well. These jungle gyms usually experience failures with the fabric ripping and tearing which ruin the jungle gym and can cause wires to be exposed. When you are looking for assembled jungle gyms, you need to make sure that all of the hardware that is needed to assemble it is durable. Low-quality jungle gyms may be missing hardware or they may not protect items such as bolt heads or screw heads which can lead to injury. The hardware may also lack rust protection. If the jungle gym is made of steel, you will need to make sure that it is coated to protect against rust as well.

Finally, you need to look closely at any jungle gym that is going to be used by toddlers and babies. Children in these age groups tend to put things in their mouth which can lead to choking hazard. It's best to avoid jungle gyms that have any small parts for young children but if you can't avoid it, then you have to make sure that all choking hazards are secured.