Search at Amazon for man made softer material.

Purpose made wood chips. It's a safety issue. Those wood chips are installed at schools and municipal parks because they actually reduce injuries.

We just used mulched leaf litter under our swingset. If you use a thick layer, it's soft, keeps weeds down, and turns to soil over time. And it's FREE!

We just did wood chips.

Don't overthink this. If you're scared of shredded tires, have a bunch of mulch delivered.

Why not just wood chips?

Rubber mulch is 100% eco friendly.

We're installing swings and monkey bars in our yard and want to swap out the grass for a softer ground cover in case of falls. Any suggestions for something environmentally AND toddler friendly? We got a recommendation for rubber mulch, which is made of recycled tires. That sounds great except it seems like it's likely to contain metal and chemicals, so not actually great for kids who still put stuff in their mouth and a yard that also has edible plants. Any suggestions?