This is the second part in a series looking at the newly-renovated playground in Cambridge Common and examining the concerns of parents and caregivers, particularly those with children in the "tot" age range that the former playground served.

The previous Kemp Playground was considered a “tot lot,” designed for children 1 through 5.

The renovation proposal made available to the public stated, “[The new] playground will continue to primarily serve younger children, while including some things that can appeal to kids of all ages.”

I actually went last fall when they had the plans on display, and nothing led me to believe that the demographic of the park would be significantly altered in the renovation.

The new playground is designated for use by children 2-12, raising a number of issues and challenges.

While the plans stated that the park would continue to primarily serve younger children, the renovation actually excludes 20 percent of the initial 1-5 age range.

No one is suggesting that the age-range had to be capped at 5, but having a 10-year age range seems to exclude children in the lower end of that age range – the exact children that were supposed to be “primarily served.”

In fact, of the 15 parents/caregivers of toddlers I spoke with, none had a favorable experience and only five said they would return with their tot in the near future.

It seems the vast age range - along with the way the park is designed (more on that tomorrow) - isn't very conducive to toddler play.

When you're 2, 10 years is a big age gap.

Physical Differences

While an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old might have similar physical capabilities, the difference in abilities between a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old is dramatic.

With regard to play areas, there is one slide structure and the lower part of the pirate ship that can be used by toddlers without extensive assistance. There are also two infant swings and one larger “tandem” swing.

The old playground had just one toddler-specific slide, but the larger structure (and virtually every other element of the park) was easy for young children to access. That’s not the case now, where a steep hill with a huge rope grid leads up to the park’s second slide. The seesaw, upper tier of the pirate ship and metal structure don’t seem to have been designed with younger children in mind.

This problem is aggravated by a lack of separation between areas intended for use by older children and by younger children.

Social Differences

Watching the children play, it was evident that older children were taking charge of certain areas – such as the water table or pirate ship – and younger children were pushed aside to the point where parents felt forced to step in on a regular basis.

“You don’t want to be a jerk, but it’s not fair to the little guys to have them being shoved out of the way and told, ‘No! Get out of here.’ The park is supposed to be for everyone,” one mom said.

Having such a large age range – 2-year-olds and 12-year-olds children are at completely different ends of the childhood spectrum – makes it impractical to expect them all to simply play together.

Parental Differences

It’s not just the differences between children ages 2-12, but parents of the children. Parents of toddlers seemed to be much more involved in watching and playing with their children, understandably.

However, because the parents of the older children were more comfortable in allowing their children freer reign in the park, it made it more difficult to control the situation when older children were not using the park the way it was intended or safely. (More on that issue Friday.)

More than once, I overheard parents of younger children asking each other where the parents of the older children were when conflicts arose.

And the park should be a place where parents can sit back for a moment. Part of the experience of taking your kid to the playground is letting him or her have a little freedom. When you feel you can’t do that - either because you're concerned your kid will get pushed out of the way or because you're kid might not be careful enough around the littler ones - it makes the playground less enjoyable for everyone.

Tomorrow: The Setup
Friday: Safety
Saturday: It's Not All Bad

Part 1: Braving the Crowds