Last summer I bought this
Little Tikes Climb & Slide Castle 4193 secondhand from a friend. Even though her 3 year old son was still playing on it, he had pretty much outgrown it as he could sit at the top of the slide and his feet would practically touch the bottom. Since this little slide and climber was more appropriate sized for my daughter (close to 18 months old at the time), we won. Ironically, years ago when my son was around 2 or 3 I had a very similar climber from Little Tikes (the
Climb & Slide Playhouse). But, I'd long since passed it on when we moved and I had a big yardsale. So, knowing how sturdy and fun that small climber was for my son at this age, I knew it would be great to have something sized just right for my daughter. Especially since our large swingset & climber (the
Little Tikes Variety Climber with Swingset Extension) is still a touch too big for my daughter to play on.
About the Little Tikes Climb & Slide Castle Recommended for children 1-4 years old, the
Little Tikes Climb & Slide Castle has a suggested retail price of $70. It can often be found for much less than that at the big box stores, and even cheaper yet purchased pre-owned at garage sales. I see a lot of climbers likes these every garage sale season since kids grow quick and these outdoor toys can withstand years and years of use. Such was the case with our climber, purchased secondhand - which also has a bonus of not having to assemble it. Though, from the looks of the
Little Tikes Climb & Slide Climber the assembly looks very straightforward and consists of screwing the platform to the 2 castle sides and then fastening on the rockwall. The slide doesn't permanently attach (it just clicks into 2 grooves), so we actually removed that for the purpose of getting it home. Put together, you'll need a fair amount of space for this climber which measures: 50.00"L x 21.50"W x 43.00"H. Still, as far as climbers go this is teeny tiny - and actually small enough that many people I know who have this same slide use it indoors all year round. We don't have the liberty of having enough indoor space for this one so its outside for us, making this a seasonal toy.
The
Little Tikes Climb & Slide Castle is completely made of durable plastic and is a small climber & slide made to look like a castle. Instead of a stairway or a ladder, it has a curved bright green plastic climbing wall with 4 stepping stones on it. The climbing wall leads up to a faux-wooden platform that is surrounded on 2 sides by grey castle turrets. One of the turrets has a bright yellow steering wheel screwed into the side of it, like the steering wheel of a ship. And then there's the all-important slide, which is bright blue, fairly short (only about 3 feet) and at a 45 degree angle.
Our Experience My daughter started playing on this a few months after her first birthday when she was able to walk unassisted. She climbed faster than she walked, so of course she figured out right away how to get up the tiny "rock-wall" and then down the slide. The rockwall is an archway with 4 little bumps on it to help kids get their footing - its pretty easy to navigate. Now, at 2, my daughter makes her way up it in just a few seconds. When she first started with it, this was significantly more challenging.
Up on the platform, my daughter loves to stand up here and turn the steering wheel around and around. I'm not sure how a steering wheel "fits" with the castle theme, but most play-forts have steering wheels on them.. and both my kids like them! The funny thing about this steering wheel is that it easily unscrews as kids turn it. So, one day my daughter was playing with it and the next thing I knew I saw her holding the steering wheel crying. She was really upset thinking it had broken, but thankfully it had not. Instead it turned into a game of 'Mommy screws it on' and 'Baby takes it off again'.. over and over. I keep hoping that she'll tire of removing the steering wheel!
The slide itself is "a quick one", as I call it. Once your kid sits down at the top and dangles there legs down you'll see that they are most of the way down already. The plastic is slick and my daughter starts out on her bottom but ends up sometimes on her back and has bopped her head a few times (which happens sometimes with slides). The slide is very short, under a few feet - long and not high off the ground. Long before my daughter turned 2 years old, she had learned how to climb up this slide with ease.
Under the platform is a small tunnel that kids can crawl through. Since the platform is pretty low off the ground (not even 2 feet off the ground) the tunnel area if very small. We have this climber/slide outdoors and my daughter has never once gone under or through the tunnel. I can see that if it was indoors and on carpet she might be more willing to get down on the floor/ground and crawl through it.
Little Tikes recommends this climber for children ages 1-4, which is slightly offbase. This is a tiny climber and slide and I'd say most appropriate for 1 and 2 year olds, maybe a very small 3 year old. Older children are definitely going to want a climber that is more challenging and a slide that they can actually slide down.
Little Tikes also says that this can accomodate 2 children, with a maximum of 45 pounds per child. I'm not sure how 2 children could both play on this climber at the same time, as there is simply not enough room for more than one child on the platform without one of them getting pushed off the edge. Two or more children can play with this if they are taking turns climbing up and going down the slide, so in a sense it helps to foster turn-taking.
The
Little Tikes Climb & Slide Castle is sturdy and can take a beating. Its sure to last you through more than one child for several years. We keep ours outdoors and have had minimal to no fading on the bright colored plastic so far (under a year's ownership). Still, I have to say that compared to "older" Little Tikes products this climber seems "cheap". I notice that its lighter (only 22 pounds) and flimsier than other Little Tikes products that I've used over the years. When older children (including my son) climb on it, it actually moves side to side looks as if it may tip. The plastic itself just doesn't look as thick and substantial as Little Tikes "of the past". This is a bit of a bummer for me, because I hate to see their products take a downward turn while their prices continue to go up.
All in all, I recommend the
Little Tikes Climb & Slide Castle if you are looking for a fun, age-appropriate climber and slide for 1 year old, or a small 2 year old.
Check out what else has been in my backyard! Little Tikes Cozy Cottage Gazebo Playhouse Step2 Sunnytime Adirondack Chair Fisher-Price Power Wheels Jeep Enforcer Jr Little Tikes Climb & Slide Playhouse Little Tikes Turtle Sandbox Little Tikes Buzz About Mailbox Little Tikes Variety Climber with Swingset Extension Little Tikes 2-in-1 Snug 'n Secure Swing Little Tikes Load & Ride Dump Truck
