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POLL: Do you have a sandbox?

Emily H
7 years ago


Secluded Beechwood Courtyard · More Info

This is one of the perennial favorite backyard activities for young kid, and unfortunately sometimes neighborhood cats. Do you have one at home? Let's see it!

VOTE and tell us about it in the comments

Yes
No
Other - Tell us below

Comments (37)

  • tooky58
    7 years ago

    Not yet, hubby's going to make one this spring for the front porch for the rabbit to play in.

  • Jess L
    7 years ago
    we will have one. when we get settled into the home we are remodeling.
  • K McGraw
    7 years ago

    We love ours and use it all the time. I was against it at first due to the sand getting everywhere but I'm glad I gave in

  • Bailey R
    7 years ago

    Yes I do. It's called the beach in front of my house (Laguna Beach, CA)

  • lisaqutob
    7 years ago
    We had one when the kids were little but a cover is a must. Not only does it keep the sand cleaner but it also keeps out any cats that think it is a litter box.
  • katie32123
    7 years ago

    Our sandbox lives on the screened porch. Otherwise grandson and I would get eaten alive by the mosquitoes. Yes, that's a strawberry bucket on his head. It's his "knight hat." :-)

  • puppyandkitten
    7 years ago

    We converted a water table to a sand table. With so few days that are warm enough for water, this let's the kids play way more. We just have to remember to bring it in to the garage before it rains, as it doesn't drain!

  • Shannon McLin
    7 years ago

    I had one as a child and it provided hours of fun and disease from the cat poop. A top could have prevented a trip to the doctors. Otherwise, go for it!

  • PRO
    Vant Panels
    7 years ago

    That's a very good idea.. Having outdoor activities for kids.

  • Curtis Conkey
    7 years ago

    We build a rectangular sandbox for when the grandkids come to visit. I included ledges for putting boards over the sandbox to keep the local cats out. I used leftover lumber to cover it up. Works well. No cat or other issues.


  • diyer59
    7 years ago

    All you have to do to keep cats (raccoons and possums) out is to make it with a cover.

  • PRO
    Gerety Building and Restoration
    7 years ago

    No sandbox here. I think they're a great DIY project for parents with young children though!

  • Erika C
    7 years ago

    We have a crab sandbox that is just right for our toddler. It fits two little ones nicely and has a cover to keep critters and weather out.


  • Erika C
    7 years ago

  • Erika C
    7 years ago

  • sartpm
    7 years ago

    Spiders (including black widows) will spin webs in covered sandboxes. (Yes, we had black widows in our sandbox years ago. Very scary to discover.) A screen covering will keep spiders and cats out. If the cats can't scratch in it they won't use it.

  • reich1
    7 years ago

    No way. We had sand in the park in front of our house. The kids would get covered in it and track it into our house. It got into every groove of our wood floors and in our washing machine even if we took the kids clothes off outside. It stayed inside their shoes. I was so glad when they didn't want to play in the sand anymore.

  • Jess L
    7 years ago
    baby powder absorbs the moisture that makes the sand stick. dust it right off.
  • Tiana Yen
    7 years ago

    My husband built this sandbox in our front yard. The lid opens up into to create two benches on the side. Took a day to build - simple construction of redwood 2x12 and 2x4s with gate hinges and handles.


  • Belahn
    7 years ago

    I dug out a 5 x 3 area in the backyard and filled it with aquarium sand and aquarium gravel in multiple colors for the cats! They use it for an outdoor litter box, it is easy to clean, and nobody knows what it is when they see it! It is actually quite beautiful.

  • zev4
    7 years ago

    Home's previous owners built this sandbox for their kids. My kids love it!


    Proof that a great playspace doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. And I agree with the commenter that mentioned spiders in a covered sandbox. I'd much rather use other means to discourage cats than use a cover that can hide black widows.

  • bsipage
    7 years ago

    Not any longer, my children are now 23 and 25, but for all of their youth, yes we did. My husband made one outside the back door, it was so big and wonderful w/ corner seats. Many hours of creative play took place there. We loved it!

  • mzloolue
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    My husband built a sandbox for the kids and they loved it for many years.

    The youngest is now 28, but the sandbox is still out there. I've been planning to make it into a raised garden bed, but so far...

    DH built that thing to last. :)

    There is also a half court concrete basketball court and a swing set.

    Want to come over and play?

    (We are on 5 acres so plenty of room for junk)

  • Edward Baratto
    7 years ago

    we had one some years ago but I found that it became a litter box for stray and wild animals. i refused to allow my kids to play in it any longer. for those considering a sand box look into repellents or covers to protect you kids. Note, we do live on the edge of a forest, this may not be as much of an issue in densely populated areas.

  • willozwisp
    7 years ago

    Live in the desert and have a cat. No need for a sandbox. It is all around us.

  • Nancy Nygaard
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Yes and we're the grandparents. We built a 16x16 foot sand pad for our aboveground pool. Because we live in an area where the winters get nasty, we had to take it down and store it during the winter. Nobody really used the pool so we decided not to put it back up. Our grandson turned the pool pad into a giant sandbox. He builds lots of elaborate scenes in it and plays in it for hours at a time! He also enjoys inviting his friends from the neighborhood - five or six at a time - to play with him and there is space enough for everyone.

    By the way, we've never had issues with cats or critters using the sandbox. We live in a rural area so they have plenty of places to do their business.

  • Cheryl Biermann
    7 years ago

    We always had them for my kids, but we needed a covered option, everything from cats to raccoons like to do their business in sand so they can "hide" the evidence.

  • Virginia Berlando
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Before I became a mother, my friend, who was already a mother, said to me, "I'm not putting up a sandbox, it's haven for bacterial. I'd rather see my daughter put a dollar bill in her mouth." Taking her advice, I put my daughter's sandbox on our enclosed back patio. Over a fake grass rug. Ugh! I couldn't get the sand out of the rug! I swept it to death, but nothing! I had to replace the rug. You'd think I'd see this coming since I had lived at the beach and had sand in my trunk for the remainder of the time that I owned the car and had moved to a landlocked state. We then bought a covered sandbox with a lid. It only works if one remembers to put the lid on tightly.

  • Nancy Nygaard
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Wouldn't the sand at the beach be the same - did it give us terrible diseases? Just think about all of the people and pets (with germs!) that have been there. Sometimes I believe we can over think ourselves right out of allowing our children to experience the joys of life. Am I the only one who feels this way? A sandbox allows children to play creatively and use their imaginations!

  • Sarah Guidry
    7 years ago
    In the deep South sandboxes attract ants and cats.
  • Nancy Nygaard
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Sarah, that makes sense.

    Here are some natural solutions for getting rid of ants.

    Ants, spiders and other insects do not like the smell of mint. I use peppermint essential oil and regularly put it around areas I don't want these pesky insects aroud.

    Take the peel of an orange and spread it around you box. The ants will take it into their nest and feast on it but the acid in it will kill them. This will kill many of them at the root - the nest.

    Another solution is to use 3 teaspoons of either baking soda or corn starch, a teaspoon of powdered sugar, and mix well in 1 cup of hot water. Again, they will eat it and later die. This will also kill them at the root - the nest.

    Some of these solutions will take a few days but I have used all of these methods in areas around our yard where ants are a problem.

    For cats, you could always cover the sandbox with a tarp.

  • Maureen Gavin
    7 years ago

    Dog Digger Sandbox: Has anyone been successful keeping "Digger" in one dig spot?

  • redecoratingtropicalcalm
    7 years ago
    Well I did as a child - my dad n mum made me and my sister one that would collapse allowing the roof to become the lid keeping animals out ....or maybe the lid opened up creating a roof to keep the sun off of us....either way it was pretty awesome and we spent a ton of time playing in it .....those were the days
  • S MacDonald
    7 years ago

    No sandbox. No kids. The cats, however, do have a litter box.

  • Shane Williams
    7 years ago

    Yes I built it myself , any parent who wants a wholesome activity for their kids to play outside should have a sandbox , however , I would strongly suggest not using plastic sanboxes , not only will that sandbox never ever go away when discarded to the landfill the plastic is truly a hideous eyesore for any home. Building one has a sense of accomplishment for your kids

  • Kathi Steele
    7 years ago

    My boys had sand boxes. Never really had a problem with animals, but we live in Indiana. We always had cats, but they were not allowed to run free. We don't have black widows. My eldest had the turtle sandbox and my youngest had a 4X8 that my husband built. We are building one for our grand daughter this summer.

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