I hear ya ladies ~ you should see the looks I get at the parks because I allow the 14 month old on the climber without 'hovering' over top of him but instead back an arms length so can 'catch him' if need be and with the occasional' reminder' to watch for the openings but I would let him start to 'fall' so that he LEARNS what not to do up there quicker and that 'adrenaline' of the falling will help it 'retain' faster too for the next time.

My only rule at the park is 'if you cannot get up on it or down from it without assistance than you need to wait until you grow a bit more' but otherwise they are able to climb and go where they want and when they are playing in a manner that makes ME uncomfortable I have a conversation about 'I am uncomfortable about this and worried that XYZ might happen what can we do to allow you to play but to help ME feel better' and the kids are great at coming up with ideas on how to climber higher or play 'safely' on their own ... they will bring pillows to catch break their fall or they will 'spot' each other if my hands are busy elsewhere and so forth.

I think we often do not give kids enough credit at keeping themselves safe with a few 'guidelines' and teaching them to THINK to ask themselves 'is this safe and if not how can I make it safe so I can do it' and than reflecting if they can find an answer or if indeed they should 'refrain' from doing it.