Barth Park

This recently renovated park in a residential area of Richland is billed as being especially toddler friendly. I like a lot of the features but there are a few things I wish were different.

Playground: several pieces of equipment all marked for children ages 2-5.
Swings: two standard swings, one standard swing set low to the ground (a tall 3 year old might be able to put his feet on the ground sitting on this swing) and two full-support swings with rigid plastic harnesses, marked for children aged 2-5. No standard baby/toddler swings. M, who is small for her age, absolutely hated the full-support swings because the chest piece for the harness was right in front of her face. They’re great for a big 3 or 4 year old who can’t use a regular swing but I wish they had only one of those, and one regular baby swing.
Musical toys: drums, mounted too high for my short 2 year old to reach by herself.
Bathrooms: no
Paved walkways: yes, though only in the park—there is no sidewalk on the street outside the park, just gravel between the street and the fence.
Playground surface: soft rubberized
Adult seating: no
Shade: yes, off to the side, not on the playground area
Climbing wall: climbing handholds over a plastic “rock” tunnel (incidentally, the tunnel is big enough for M to walk through in her walker)
Fence: yes. There are two opening with no gates and one with a gate, but otherwise the park is fully fenced. One of the openings is obscured from view from the playground area by trees.
Parking: parallel parking on the street.

A local news station recently did a piece on this park: Richland’s First Toddler Friendly Park

Photo from Richland Washington Playgrounds on Facebook