Sand Box or Sand/water Table?

My son had a sandbox and it lasted about a month. The problem is animal can find there way into it and use it as a litter box! Even with a lid, one time forgetting to put it on, it's over! I would go with the table, you put less sand in and if it gets dirty, throw out the sand and put new sand in!

I was a pre school teacher before staying at home with my daughter and I have to say they were both a big hit. I have a sand box for my daughter right now and she loves it. I also plan on getting a sand table for her for Christmas. If you were going to choose one or the other, I would say get the sand table. Don't get one of the ones that has the dividers in it. If you get the table, you can use it for so much more. One day you can put some oatmeal in it, the other sand, flour one day, bird seed another, and on and on. At my school it was called a sensory table because thats what the children were doing. They were exploring different textures on different days and figuring out what they could do with each one. Add some cups and spoons or small plastic animals or people and the kids have a blast.

I hope this helps you out some. Good luck.

Tough question. I personally love sandboxes and we even have one. The problem is, there is NO sand in it! We tried and tried to teach my 3 year old son and his friends to keep the sand in the box, but it never stays more than a few days.

We bought our son a sand/water table when he was 1, but the water never stayed in it and he always got wet. The sand box part isn't very big so it doesn't make as big of a mess. We sold the table and bought a sand box with a lid. Our son is at the age where he likes to DIG DIG DIG, but he still would rather dig in the dirt than the sand. Sand is fun for scooping and transporting from one end of the yard to the other. It's also fun for flinging into hair and eyes. :)

So if you really want one, go for the sand box with a lid because your 5 year old will prefer it. But be prepared for big messes and replacing the sand ALL THE TIME.

Sand and water. Messy, messy, messy. The sand is always getting in the water and vice versa. I say stick with one or the other, but not both!

I had the sand/water table and it was so messy cause they would mix the sand and water and just make a huge mess. But they never tracked it in with their shoes. But I do want a sandbox for them cause my four year loves to dig.

The step 2 naturally playful sandbox with lid is the one I just purchased for my kids. I like it because it is fairly big, it has a lid and it is tan in color so it blends in with your yard.

We used to have the turtle sand box until it the lid cracked and you couldn't shut it. Cats think of it has a wonderful oversize litter box so you have to make sure you keep it closed. Ants were also a problem. We now have the sand/water box it is the one that is a (little tykes I think)blue fish on one side and a red crab on the other w/umbrella... my kids end up with sand on both sides and the lids don't stay on well, so when it rains it ends up holding water too, but no problems with cats or ants.

My kids love playing in the sand and with both they dig the sand out on the ground as well. With the stand up table however, they aren't as messy and easier to clean off, like now with the weather being cooler. With the turtle, they buried themselves or each other so Iwould have to hose them off before I let them back in. Also the table doesn't hold as much sand and the box, so that helps with expense.

Sam's has a picnic table/sandbox combo that I kinda wish we had gotten -we ended up getting them the same picnic table and the sand table and paid more than the combo- and that sandbox looks like it has more of an edge they could sit on and play too, which might help with the burying part.

Either way, at my house, sand play is a huge winner!

I work with kids and the sand box is a huge hit. Make sure you get one with a lid.