“Mothers Against Sandboxes” -- not me!

[eagle]

i know that some moms hate sand. yes, its gritty and gets into EVERYTHING (socks, underwear, in the car, in your hair). i get that its dirty, but my little guy LOVES sandboxes. i always let him play in them.

one day at the park, a mother, her baby (in an ergo) and her toddler arrived at the playground; the boy came to the sandbox where my son was but the mother said “if you go into the sandbox, we are going straight home”. so they left and played elsewhere. about 15 min later the boy came back and went into the sand to play with my son. the mother said to her boy “you come out of that sandbox RIGHT NOW or we are going home.” the boy ignored her and to her credit she followed up on her threat (my pet peeve, empty threats): she dragged him to the car and they drove off. he was crying and screaming the whole way through.

no grit in the car or the home, but is it worth a tantrum? poor lady. poor boy.

we all make choices. i understand some think sandboxes are giant litter boxes, filthy, full of germs and dirt, but im okay with it and they make my son happy.

i dont understand, though, why some want to ban them from playgrounds...

[kijip]

Where is the option for we love and OWN a sandbox? That's us.

[Drag0nflygirl]

We own one - but also I grew up in a shore town. The whole playground was a sandbox! I guess it's cheaper than mulch. They did have a specific partitioned area for "sandbox play".

[brgnmom]

DS loves playing in sand - he has all his sandbox and beach toys at my parents' home at the moment though b/c we no longer live near a beach :( & we have yet to come across a playground w/ sand here. I guess our car is cleaner now, along w/ his socks and shoes, but I know that DS misses playing in sand. Glad that he's able to play in sand when we visit relatives though, and we might have to get a sandbox when we eventually have our own home.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Our compromise is the sand table in the yard. They LOVE that thing!

[TwinFoxes]

I've been to three parks here with SBs. The first two, there was a large contingent of "don't you dare go in there!" moms and actually a preschool teacher as well. The last one, everyone was in there, and there were even community toys that people had left behind. I did think after the first two experiences that maybe I was doing something wrong by letting the girls play in there. I think a lot of people they're big cat boxes,. I have a feeling that's why the mom you saw was strict, not the sand, so I guess I understand her behavior.

[KrisM]

Where is the option for we love and OWN a sandbox? That's us.

:yeahthat:

Our playgrounds don't have sandboxes. But, I'd rather have one in my house where I can easily sweep the floor than have a car full of sand!

My kids play in ours a few days a week. I have a small brush near the door to clean them up.

[ladysoapmaker]

I will let the kids play in the sandbox. They love when we go to the beach, I just wish there was a closer on to us.

None of the parks in our have one but when we've been some place that does the kids gravitate to them immediately.

I'm disappointed we had to get rid of ours. It was falling apart. DD#2 just loved it. If I'd let her she would sit & dig in the dirt all day.

Jen

[kedss]

we have very few in our town, but my dd's preschool has one, and she loved it, yep, she came home covered in sand, but, I didn't care. :)

[infocrazy]

Where is the option for we love and OWN a sandbox? That's us.

:yeahthat: but I don't let them use the ones at the park. They aren't covered at night and have babies with leaky diapers in them.

They can play for HOURS in our sandbox though! THAT I love! :)

[Melaine]

We have a sand/water table and it is a big hit and we really like it. I've never seen a sandbox at a park that I can think of, but chances are I wouldn't let them play in it. It would probably gross me out. I am pretty picky about stuff like that. A covered one at a friends house would be great though!

The other thing that crossed my mind about the situation OP mentioned is, maybe it wasn't a good day to get dirty. You know, maybe the Mom said, "Ok, we can stop at the park and you can slide and swing for 20 minutes, but we have to go church afterwards, so you may not get in the sandbox today". That is certainly a possibility, because there are days that getting absolutely filthy is just particularly inconvenient, ykwim?

[GvilleGirl]

I hate them. We don't have any parks with them. I would let my kids go in them, but I just don't want to deal with one. My kids do play with our friends. The grit doesn't bother me, it is the litter box idea.

[lhafer]

I'm not sure I would like my kids to play at an open, free-for-all sandbox at a park. We don't have any at the parks around us.

That said - she LOVED our sand table!! Would play there all the time. I had a lid for it so it was always covered when not in use. Now I have a swing set with a sandbox underneath and I just sold the sand table. It was too big for our back porch and just in the way. I bought a plastic wading pool to put under the swing set that I will poke holes in the bottom of for drainage, and I will fill that with sand. And I bought a sandbox cover from the swing set company - waiting for that to arrive.

But we love our OWN sandbox here - I'm just not loving public sandboxes too much.

[elliput]

The big county park in my area has an awesome playground with a huge sand and water play area. I love it! We just went there a few days ago and DS spent the bulk of his time playing in that area. My only regret was that I forgot to empty his shoes before he climbed up onto his bed. But, really? Eh, whatever! :rotflmao:

I also let my kids dig in the dirt at home and get muddy. :)

[daisymommy]

Our playgrounds don't have sandboxes. But, I'd rather have one in (At) my house where I can easily sweep the floor than have a car full of sand!

My kids play in ours a few days a week. I have a small brush near the door to clean them up.

:yeahthat: Ours in in our backyard, it's huge--maybe 8ft.x 8ft., built by my husband so 4 kids can fit in it. We have a cover that gets placed over ours so any stray outdoor cats can't get in. But sand is such a wonderful tactile sensory experience for all children--and is helpful for my sensory challenged son. It's a childhood icon! I would never think of not having a sandbox. As a matter of fact we just filled it up and put new toys in it a few weeks ago in preparation for warm weather.

[wimama]

I voted criss-cross applesauce. I very much dislike all the sand and having to wash sand out of DS ears and hair. DS daycare had a big sandbox area. So, the sand in the hair and ears was a daily occurrence thanks to his sand throwing friends. But, my DS loves dirt and nature, to deny him a chance to play in a sandbox or dirt would be denying part of who he is. So, when he comes home dirty and filthy, I just remind myself he must have had a great day!;)

[gobadgers]

I like sandboxes. And I'm racking my brain for a park around here that DOESN'T have a sand.

I had a sandbox as a kid, and we have a sand table in the yard now.

Of course the sand gets into the house, and it gets a little irritating to always be cleaning it up (or just stepping through it, lol), but it's like a rite of summer to me. Small price to pay!

[hellokitty]

I'm a MAS, and could have been the mom you were judging. I HATE sandboxes. We have one park with a sandbox and every time we go there, kids start throwing sand and it gets into eyes and down clothes. I literally have had to strip my kids down to diapers before to get them home, b/c they had (wet) sand GLUED to them and then hosed them down when we got home.

Basically, I am ok with a sand TABLE, but I do not like sand pits, where they are sitting IN the sand. A beach is not the same thing, everything is sandy, so it doesn't matter. Now, before you all write me off as some sand box depriving meanie, our own swingset is surrounded by TONS of pea gravel. My kids play with pea gravel and I am fine with it, b/c the chunks of pebbles are big enough that I can see it and clean it up.

[m448]

We also built a 10x10 sand box in our yard. we covered it the first year but since then have left it open with no issues (figured the dogs' scent has kept away the cats.)

Kris I really like the brush idea. Ky kids play in the sand almost every day sometimes twice a day. They love it and I've come to accept it.

[Seitvonzu]

we have several "nearby" playgrounds that we enjoy. the closest/larger park is lovingly refered to as "the sandbox playground"-- it is a frequent request of my three year old and it's actually my favorite park in town (location, diversity of stuff, well contained/managable to keep eye on kid but still let them have some freedom, and SHADE!!!!). it never occured to me to keep her out of the sandbox part.... ? sure animals could use it as a litter box, but we've never run into that. "community toys" are usually available but we usually bring a shovel (those seem to be in shorter supply and at this age i'm all about avoiding sharing issues) and a pail and she'll stay in their for quite a while. the worst i've ever seen in the sandbox were stray water bottle or food wrapper trash (not really too much of this even...it's occasional)-- i saw way more icky stuff at the "beach" we went to on tuesday-- cigarette butts, etc.

[scrooks]

I guess I don't mind if I am prepared. Our local park doesn't have a sand box but we met a friend last week at a park about 30 mins away. I wasn't at all prepared for the sand and really would have liked a heads up....I would have dressed the kids a little differently ( mostly footwear wise) and would have brought some more extra clothes. DD really liked it but she was a mess!

[cvanbrunt]

I can deal with sand tables. I don't like sandboxes and all the mess associated with them. Invariably, sand gets thrown and the crying begins. There's plenty of other stuff my kids like to do.

The mom set a limit and her kid ignored it. Consequences are a great thing. Her life, her kid, her rules.

[ThreeofUs]

We have a large sandbox and play in sand every chance we get.

[liz]

The other thing that crossed my mind about the situation OP mentioned is, maybe it wasn't a good day to get dirty. You know, maybe the Mom said, "Ok, we can stop at the park and you can slide and swing for 20 minutes, but we have to go church afterwards, so you may not get in the sandbox today". That is certainly a possibility, because there are days that getting absolutely filthy is just particularly inconvenient, ykwim?

:yeahthat: This is exactly what I was thinking.

[Puddy73]

Love it! We have a HUGE sandbox in the backyard and DCs will spend hours playing in it. No cats to worry about. As for the mess, we just shake their clothes and hose off their hands and feet before they come inside.

[fortato]

I LOVE sandboxes, but the ones in parks skeeve me out- same goes for wading pools in parks.

We have a sandbox at home, and it's the neighborhood meeting place now. All the kids love it. Who cares if they get dirty... they're kids!

[vonfirmath]

i dont understand, though, why some want to ban them from playgrounds...

I expect sandboxes at playgrounds have a lot of the same problems as those ball pits at Chuck E cheese's -- impossible to keep sanitary.

I'm NOT a sandbox fan. But I would vastly prefer my kid play with them in a friends' backyard than a playground where who knows what has been in them. Are the playground sandboxes kept properly covered from various animal feces? How often are they cleaned out after little kids play in them? What could be hidden under all that sand (needle wise)

[Ceepa]

Those open sandboxes at playgrounds that aren't at all maintained (and you know the ones I mean) give me the creeps. Otherwise sandboxes are a big hit with us.

[LMPC]

I voted for "hate them" but it's not the mess/grit that gets me (heck, DD looooved playing in the sand at the beach). It's the idea that cats, etc poop and pee in there. Ick! It's just my thing to hate....probably irrational fear. I do everything in my power to keep DD out of the sand box when we go to the playground. If we had one at our house that we could keep covered, then I'm sure DD would be in there every day!

[LarsMal]

I'll admit that sandboxes at playgrounds kind of gross me out, but I let my kids play in them. I like having one at home and we spend a lot of time at the beach in the summer (we have to drive couple miles from my parents' house) so I'm over the whole sand getting everywhere thing!

If it entertains my kids, keeps them out of my hair and they aren't fighting with each other- I say have fun!! (Unless it's dangerous, of course!)

[khalloc]

I get that kids love to play in them. I am OK with that, but I dont know that I would want one at a park - I am thinking about what goes in the sand there. Are kids spitting or do cats pee and poop in it?

[american_mama]

I'm fine with sandboxes anywhere, although there aren't many in the parks here. There is a sand mountain at my kids' preschool that is enormously popular, maybe because it's such a big mound, so uncontained. When they get fresh sand or re-scoop it up (with construction equipment), it can be a mound 4 or 5 feet high.

It has never occurred to me to worry about animal feces in the sand. I'm not a germaphobe and it just doesn't worry me, especially since I've never seen feces in a sandbox. I don't like public sandboxes because the parks staff don't add to the sand or rake it/fluff it, so it become very hard-packed with dry leaves and sticks skittering all over it. It just looks dirty and un-fun, which bothers me, but my kids, especially DS, still like it, which is ok with me.

As for the mom at the park, she might have had other reasons to not let her child play in the sand. It might be a behavioral thing - he did X at the sandbox yesterday, so isn't allowed to play there today. I have heard some people here on BBB or in my crunchy town, can't remember where, be concerned about airborne particles from sandbox sand that causes cancer or something - it;s not something I have followed, so she might have hda a safety concern. Lastly, sometimes I am at the end of my rope with my kids getting certain things dirty that create a lot of work for me (muddy shoes and sand in hair are big ones for me), and I just want them clean that day.

[JoyNChrist]

There's no option for "I hate sand and sandboxes and kind of wish they didn't exist, but we own one and are fine with our kids playing in the one at the park."

I hate sand. But I also hate the mess from play-doh and fingerpaint and bubbles, and I let my kid do all of that. ;)

[KrisM]

We also built a 10x10 sand box in our yard. we covered it the first year but since then have left it open with no issues (figured the dogs' scent has kept away the cats.)

Kris I really like the brush idea. Ky kids play in the sand almost every day sometimes twice a day. They love it and I've come to accept it.

We found the brush at Target. It was the only place I found a soft bristle brush with a handle. It might be part of a dustpan set :) There's a hole in the handle and we have a string through it and it hangs on the doorknob to the backyard. So, they reach in and grab it and brush themselves off. It cuts down on the amount of sand I sweep up anyway.

[robinsmommy]

Um, there is the issue of crystalline silica in sand. Ever see the CA warning for it all over paint cans and other construction materials? Same issue with the stuff in sand boxes. Safer if it is wet, but I don't think they really understand yet how it affects kids - their lungs are smaller and still growing, they are lower to the ground and will breath more dust, so the risk is NOT zero. So it's kind of like the asbestos thing in the 60's and 70's- they know that construction workers exposed to it daily are at risk after 5+ years, they don't know about the risk to everyone else yet. And it has not been banned yet. And some play sand has been found to contain a small amount of asbestos. Major ick. The CPSC was looking into the issues with play sand awhile back.

Yeah, I know there are health risks everywhere, blah, blah, blah....but some parents are more worried than others about stuff like that.

I don't care for how sand gets into shoe insoles and never comes out.....

[ha98ed14]

we all make choices. i understand some think sandboxes are giant litter boxes, filthy, full of germs and dirt, but im okay with it and they make my son happy.

i dont understand, though, why some want to ban them from playgrounds...

I think you do understand (re: litter box), you just have a different opinion, which is fine. I have no need to ban them at all. To each his own. I just would not let my daughter play in an uncovered sand box. But DD's BFF has the little tykes turtle one WITH A LID that is covered when not in use. That one is fine with me. Dirt happens.

[katydid1971]

I don't love them but I don't care if my kids play with them. I keep a container of baby powder in the car for clean up afterwords. I won't put a sandbox or sand table in my back yard but at the park its fine with me.

[boolady]

It has never occurred to me to worry about animal feces in the sand. I'm not a germaphobe and it just doesn't worry me, especially since I've never seen feces in a sandbox.

We had a large sandbox in our yard as kids, and if we left the cover off for even one night, several of the neighborhood cats had used it as a litter box by the morning. The feces solids are bad enough, but the urine reek is nauseating. It sounds like you've had good luck in that department, because we seemed to get nailed every time we forgot the cover.

[gatorsmom]

We love our sandboxes. We have 2. That said, I'm not crazy about sand at the park. Kids can't run in it, it gets in their shoes and drives them crazy, and when they are running, they can kick it up inadvertantly and get it into another child's eyes. I prefer the foamy surface some parks have, or mulch or rubber or wood chips.

[ThreeofUs]

It has never occurred to me to worry about animal feces in the sand.


We do - that's why we have a cover. For me, at least, the deal isn't so much the e.coli as the feline toxoplasmosis. I have no desire for any communicable diseases to hit my kids.

But we use public sandboxes, too, and I have never noticed any there.

[trcy]

I voted for "hate them" but it's not the mess/grit that gets me (heck, DD looooved playing in the sand at the beach). It's the idea that cats, etc poop and pee in there. Ick! It's just my thing to hate....probably irrational fear. I do everything in my power to keep DD out of the sand box when we go to the playground. If we had one at our house that we could keep covered, then I'm sure DD would be in there every day!
Not irrational at all. Outdoor cats can carry parasites that can be VERY harmful. Then they use uncovered sandboxes as litter boxes. DD is too young for this to be an issue yet, but DH and I are on the page...she will not be playing in sand boxes that aren't covered when not being used.

[carolinamama]

Where is the option for we love and OWN a sandbox? That's us.

Us too! My boys LOVE them and I cannot imagine not allowing them to play in it at home and the playground. They especially love it when they put have water and make canals and rivers. Super messy and I have just learned to deal.

[newg]

I didn't vote because, though I love OUR sandbox at home...which DD plays in daily......I'm not too sure if I'd let DD play in a public sandbox.
Just not too sure what's in there......and how I'd get DD clean before getting in her carseat......

Luckily we don't have public sandboxes..........just a great one at home :)

[maestramommy]

Where is the option for we love and OWN a sandbox? That's us.

:yeahthat: dh found one for a few bucks at the dump store. It's one of those plastic Little Tikes turtles. Filled it with sand from Lowes. It's really for one kid, but it's hilarious how all 3 girls manage to squeeze themselves in there and go to town. yes, it's messy. Every night they play in it will be bath night. But oh well.

Ours has a lid, so critters can't get in.

[liamsmom]

There's no option for "I hate sand and sandboxes and kind of wish they didn't exist, but we own one and are fine with our kids playing in the one at the park."

I hate sand. But I also hate the mess from play-doh and fingerpaint and bubbles, and I let my kid do all of that. ;)

This is pretty much me, except I don't own one. I opted to buy a water table instead because I'm just not willing to deal with the sand messiness yet. But we'll probably get one in a year or two once we figure out where the swingset will go. Looks like I'll definitely be getting (or building) a sandbox with a lid though.

[blisstwins]

Rats and pigeons must use the ones in our parks, but we love them. I buy the hygiene hypothesis and think that God made bathtubs for a reason! They love sandboxes that much!

[bubbaray]

I would NOT let my kids play in an open sandbox, I totally have been that mom in the OPs post.

I do let them play in the covered sand table at home.

[eagle]

hi, i just wanted to drop a short note. i think i came off as something of an ass in my original post. well, i am an ass in real life too but not all the time.

i get that maybe the lady might have had a tough day (she had an infant). maybe she actually uses the sandbox but just not that day. maybe she had an obligation and cant have a dirty kid. or maybe she just doesnt. i mean, maybe theres a day when im pmsing and im going to have to say to my boy "if you step in the box, we are GOING HOME". it hasnt happened yet, but that conversation will probably happen.

like someone said, her life, her rules.

yeap. i had also mentioned that i respected her for not giving empty threats. i guess i was just saying that for me, 95% of the time, fighting my sons urges to play in the sandbox is not worth it for me. ill gladly deal with the sand. and if dealing with the sand aint your thang, thats fine with me. i might feel slightly sad that you have to deal with an unhappy toddler, but with toddlers, thats everyday. i have to deal with unhappy toddlers too. every day.

what actually set me off was that some lady said she wanted to start a "mothers against sandboxes" group and would happily get rid of all public sandboxes. for all the reasons given in this thread and more im sure.

hate sandboxes, okay. but get rid of them?

i guess thats why i posted this.

i do apologize if i came off as a judgemental ass.

im not better than you because i let my son play in the sand.

[Tanya]

I do not like sandboxes. I wouldn't say I'd get rid of them all just because I dislike them so much, but I will not own one and I wouldn't let my kids play in a public one. I have let them play in a neighbor's though.
I also refuse to let my kids play with playdoh in my house, but they can play it at Grandma's. My kids insist on turning it into tiny little crumbs, cant' keep it on a table or on a giant shower curtain on the floor, so I have to go around scraping it off the floor with my fingernails. I quit. I told my DD2's preschool teacher that she loved playdoh, so they can play it at school.

Anyway, when I was little, my younger sister threw sand into my eye at a public park sandbox. I can still remember my dad grabbing me and holding me down while my parents poured water into my eye to get it out.

We love going on vacations to the beach. There are outside showers to rinse off and we don't have to get into my car or go inside my house. My kids try to pack as much sand into their swimsuits as they possibly can.

[JBaxter]

NEVER EVER at my house. Sand in the shoes , hair, clothes then in my house. Bugs cats other assorted animals. Lid blows off in the wind etc. Then someone ALWAYS get sand thrown in their eyes.

[Edensmum]

Kids get dirty, they're washable. We have one on the back porch, both kids love it.

[liz]

Eagle, I wanted to thank you for your post (#48). When I first read your post, I was kind of dissapointed because it sounded a bit judgemental of the other mom. As women, I think we can be too hard on each other sometimes. I was happy to read your response, and I appreciate that you thought about the other side of the argument. High five, sister :)