Now that Wes is into being outdoors and likes climbing and playing, I’ve been trying to find a second-hand plastic playset for our backyard, one that includes a little slide and some stairs for him to practice climbing. I’ve been checking the KSL classifieds online (they get more traffic than Craigslist).
It’s exhausting trying to find what you want. Once those playsets are listed online they’re gone in a snap. Yesterday I logged on and saw a Little Tikes one for just $25. The ad had been posted for 24 minutes, so I thought I might have a chance. I grabbed the phone, made the call, and was told they already had five offers and someone was on their way to look at the item.
Seriously? Five offers in 24 minutes? Make that six offers, counting my own.
So now I’m starting to feel twitchy and compulsive, keeping the classifieds open all day long and refreshing the page every five minutes. It’s like every other parent Out There is the enemy, bent upon swooping in and buying all the playsets whether they need them or not. They probably don’t even have kids and just want to horde them in their basements for the sheer thrill of knowing I can’t have them.
I’d better find something soon, otherwise I’ll need medical treatment for high blood pressure and possibly acute paranoia.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
well I can relate! I did the same thing when we were looking for something for Savannah. finally, we just decided to buy something from Toys R Us. it was a $250 item that we had a $50 off coupon for, so paid $200. I was still pretty happy because I saved money and it saved my nerves, as I was doing the same thing on KSL! Toys R Us just had a sale of 20% off ALL outdoor play, including climbers and slides. so maybe, if it gets TOO intense (and I know you are not exaggerating), you can look at Wal-Mart or amazon.com and see if there is something new that isn’t too expensive. good luck!
May 27th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Wes is a charmer! Let me introduce myself – I am a random mom from VA. I’m totally stressed out lately because there were several recalls on my son’s crib, and now Burlington Coat Factory is giving me the run around about returning it because I don’t have the receipt. They went as far as to say that they NEVER carried the Simplicity Chelsea. And I didn’t find any super solid proof except a few other complaints about their return shenanigans and then a search for Chelsea turned up your post about Wes’ crib.
Please replace it, as soon as practical. I didn’t worry too much about the previous recalls, but Simplicity has folded from the number of issues (I say ‘issues’, I mean ‘hurt kids’) that have been a direct result of their product.
My son just fell between the slats of the crib and the mattress a few weeks ago, and since then it’s been a huge headache. I speedread through your blog to see if you’d mentioned a recall, and I see that Wes isn’t turning everything in the house into a trampoline (YET) but when he does, just be aware that the crib poses a danger :(
I would never have known about April’s recall of Simplicity products if I hadn’t thought to look up his crib info after he fell through that night (and got awfully bruised and terrified).
Here’s the link to the page on the US consumer products safety commission website:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07307.html
My kid has been a giant among kids since birth (8/07 and now he’s in 3T) and he’s been rattling the crib for quite a while when he’s supposed to be sleeping- so it may have been the crib’s quality combined with the beating he’s given it, but when I bought a new crib (IKEA) I was heartbroken at how sturdy it was compared to the Chelsea one.
Best of luck with the crib mayhem- and congratulations on that handsome love monster in all those pictures. His smile is gorgeous and he’s definitely going to be a smart cookie.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
This may not be the absolute best idea, but you can find them at garage sales too. Just another option. I have gotten a lot of play toys for the kids from garage sales and there isn’t as much competition- plus the people usually have good prices on their stuff. You can check harktheherald.com or ksl for garage sales and look at the listings to see if kids play sets are listed. Good luck!!!
I know how you feel because I was looking for a bunkbed for Christmas and they were being snatched up in minutes! Or, they were way over priced.