Types of children’s sandboxes – which one to buy, how to choose the right sand

A children’s sandbox is a good option to keep a fidget child busy for a long time. All children are crazy about building all kinds of sand castles and making sand cakes.

So that the child is always in sight of his parents, and at the same time is carried away by his favorite business, the best solution is to install a children’s sandbox right in the country or in the garden.

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The content of the article:

1. Types of children’s outdoor sandboxes
2. How to choose the right sandbox
3. Where and how to install the sandbox
4. How to choose sand for your sandbox

Types of children’s sandboxes for the street – the pros and cons of each

There are many sandboxes for children, and they can vary in material, shape and design.

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According to the material, sandboxes are:

• Made of wood. Wooden sandboxes are available on the market and are environmentally friendly. In addition, a wooden sandbox will last much longer than a plastic one.
  Of the minuses, one can single out the fact that wood is highly sensitive to moisture. If the boards are not covered with a special varnish in advance, they will begin to swell and rot, and this is fraught with insects and mold. Also, uncoated plywood contains many splinters.
• Made of plastic. Plastic sandboxes attract with their colorfulness, variety and lightness. The latter is especially practical to use, because if necessary, the sandbox can be quickly moved from the sun to the shade, for example, and so on. Plastic does not threaten with splinters and injuries as a result of hitting the sandbox. Also, plastic products are easy to wash.
  Of the minuses, fragility can be distinguished. Plastic products tend to overheat quickly in the sun. Also, such sandboxes can break even as a result of a branch falling from a tree, which quite often happens in summer cottages.
• Made of metal. Metal sandboxes are even more durable than wooden ones, but they also cost a lot. But there are a few downsides. Firstly, metal products cannot boast of a variety of shapes and colors on the market. And secondly, such material heats up quickly under the sun’s rays.
• Combined. Combination products contain several materials, such as wood and metal, or plastic and wood. With the help of combined sandboxes, you can compensate for the disadvantages of one material with the advantages of another.

By form:

1. Square.
2. Round.
3. Hexagonal.
4. In the form of cars, animals, plants, etc.

You can choose any sandbox by shape. This is at the discretion of the child. As a rule, sandboxes in the form of animals and cars are most popular with toddlers.

By design:

• Unfolding or solid. An entire sandbox is the easiest to set up, but if you need to move it, you have to tinker. The fold-out models are much easier to disassemble and carry if needed.
  The most important thing in a folding sandbox is the roof. Typically, it can be transformed into something else, such as a table. And when the sun comes out again, you can put the roof back. Such models are good for small summer cottages, since you can make a table or something else out of a sandbox. This saves space considerably.
• With or without cover / awning. Models with a cover or awning have an undeniable advantage, especially in rainy and windy conditions. With the lid, you have to clean the sand much less often and you can store children’s toys right in the sandbox. Also, you cannot do without an awning or cover if pets are walking around the yard.
• Open and closed (with a roof). Indoor sandboxes are good because they provide the child with shade during the sun. Also, when it rains, the sand will hardly get wet. But these models have one small drawback – they are more difficult to install.

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The size of the sandbox should be selected based on the number of children and their age.

for instance, if you have two or three kids aged 3-5 years, then a specimen measuring 1.7 by 1.7 m with a side height of 25-35 cm is quite suitable.

How to choose a children’s sandbox for a summer cottage or garden, what to look for?

Among the huge variety of children’s sandboxes, it is easy to get confused and choose the wrong option. To select the perfect specimen for a summer cottage or garden, several factors must be taken into account.

Age of children and number

If the children are relatively adults (over 5 years old), and there are several of them, then it is worth giving preference to sandboxes ranging in size from 2 to 2 m.

If there is only one child, or there are several children, but their age has not reached 4 years, then feel free to take the product 1.5 by 1.5 m.

Material

If durability is a priority, then you should give preference to metal products. If practicality, then plastic will come to the rescue. If we talk about the most environmentally friendly and economical option, then these are of course wood products, preferably spruce.

If we are talking about a summer residence, it is better to put a plastic sandbox, since for the winter it can be folded and removed until summer.

Also, a good solution would be wooden transforming sandboxes.

Roof or awning (awning)

It is important that the sand in the sandpit is always clean and dry, and that the child is not exposed to the sun. A canopy copes well with this task. If you put an open sandbox under a tree, the shadow will still move, and at certain times of the day the child will be under the sun. For such situations, a sandbox with a roof or canopy that can be adjusted is needed.

There are the following roof variations:

• A sandbox in the form of a fungus. In the middle there is a log on which a round roof is installed.
• Canopy. On both sides of the sandbox, 2 logs are installed, to which flat plywood is nailed at an angle.
• The roof of the hut. 2 logs are installed on the sides of the sandbox. 2 plywoods are attached to the logs, which are connected at an angle in such a way as to form a triangle.

Bumpers and bench

It is better to choose a model on which there will be wide, even sides. On them, kids will be able to sculpt their culinary products, roll cars and so on. You can also sit on wide bumpers.

It is advisable to find a copy with benches inside. Benches can be of several types:

• Corner. That is, small benches of various shapes are nailed to the corners of the sandbox. This arrangement of benches is good because it takes up little space.
• Extended bumpers.
• Bench transformer. In some instances, the sandbox cover can be transformed into a bench. One of the most convenient options, especially when it comes to summer cottages.

Cover or case

Debris from trees often falls into the sandbox during the wind, insects crawl – or, even worse, cats will love it. The sand can get very wet when it rains. To protect the child from all this, it is recommended to purchase a copy with a lid or cover.

In addition, all children’s toys can be left inside the sandbox with the lid. With closed specimens, sand has to be cleaned much less often.

The cover can be:

• Convertible into benches or a table.
• Removable.
• One piece or consisting of several parts.

How to properly install a sandbox in the country or in the yard, what to consider when installing

The most important thing when installing a children’s sandbox is find the right place… The child should always be in sight of the parents, so the place must be selected, first of all, guided by this rule. Desirable so that the sandbox can be seen, both from the street and from the window.

Do not put the sandbox in the open sun, as the child will be threatened with heatstroke. However, placing the sandbox in full shade under a tree is also not the best solution, since if the sand gets wet in the rain, it will dry out and warm up for a long time. The compromise is to place the sandbox so that half of it is in the shade and the other half is in the sun. If your sandbox has an adjustable canopy or roof, then it’s best to leave it out in the sun, of course.

In the selected area, you need to get rid of the grass and sod layer. A small hole is covered with sand, which must be compacted and covered with one of the types geosynthetics… Thanks to this, weeds will not germinate in the sandbox, and the child will not be able to get to the ground layer while playing in the sandbox.

Next to the sandbox, you can install container for toysso that the child can take what he needs without going far. If the sandbox has a lid, then you can pour the toys right there, and hang a lock at night.

How to choose sand for a children’s sandbox – instructions

It is not enough to simply pour the sand into the sandbox. For the safety of the baby, it must be properly processed. River or quarry sand may contain pathogenic bacteria, and store-bought sand may contain sand dust.

If you buy sand in a store, then preference should be given quartz sand… When buying, ask the seller to provide a certificate that confirms the safe use of sand by children.

If a decision is made to extract sand on your own, then it is better to go to a river or a quarry… Please note that there are no shells, small glass, lumps of clay, and so on in the sand. The sand should be crumbly, and when wet, it should stick well, but not turn into sticky mud.

Regardless of whether you bought sand or mined it yourself, you need to get rid of small grains of sand that look like dust, as they can get into the lungs of the child. Also, the sand needs to be disinfected.

The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Sift the sand through a sieve.
2. Pour boiling water over it.
3. Then prepare several buckets of potassium permanganate solution (1 sachet per bucket of warm water) and rinse the sand well.
4. Dry the sand.

You can also additionally process it special insect repellents… On such funds, you need to look for the mark “safe for children.”

Teach your child to play correctly on the playground, introduce them to safety rules!

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