With What Do You Fill Your Sandbox?

[Valley Girl]

We need to fill a large sandbox, and I'm concerned about some of the things I'm reading about the playsand sold in many stores. Some articles warn against using it because of the risk of lung problems/cancer from the silica in the products. Others say the concerns are overrated and apply to people exposed long-term to the products in industrial settings. "Safe" sand is quite expensive, especially if you need a large amount. So if you've wrestled with this question, what did you ultimately decide to use in your sandbox? If this topic has already been addressed, I apologize. I did a search but nothing came up.

 

 

[Moxie]

I tend to think the dangers are overstated.

 

But, we are putting pea gravel in our sandbox this year. I'm tired of cleaning up sand!!

[Chris in VA]

Way back when, we just used the play sand from the hardware store. I have no idea how safe it was.

[Desert Strawberry]

We have used play sand, dry beans, rice, cornmeal, landscaping marble, egg rock, pine needles, and a friend is using feed corn. The pea gravel is a great idea! This year, we will be using garden soil under a tipi of morning glories if I ever get around to buying the soil.

[MeAndTheBoys]

We used pea gravel at our old house, sand here.  They are both pretty nasty after a while--we had worms galore in the pea gravel.

 

Finally we just bought a sand and water table so it uses less sand and we could dump it every now and then.  HOwever, now they just fill it with red Alabama clay and/or water.  Yuck.

 

Pea gravel is my best vote though, although I know nothing about the dangers of sand you mention--the sand just seems to get yuckier faster and track worse than the gravel.

 

Betsy

[Rosie_0801]

Brick layers sand was the favourite at our place because it holds together so well. 

[Kevin'sMom]

I have always used regular, ordinary sand, but over the past few years I have decided it is entirely more trouble for the adults than it is enjoyable for the children, so I have eliminated it.  I also felt it wasn't very sanitary for various reasons.

[Ali in OR]

We get beach sand at the same place where we buy bark dust.

[PrairieSong]

We got a small order of sand from a sand company. We didn't have problems (that I know of) except that one dd liked to eat sand as a toddler. Yes, be sure you cover it to keep any cats from using it as a litter box. We used to have a rice box but that was inside.

[melmichigan]

Rocks, not pea gravel, but rocks. Works great and doesn't make a mess.

[Valley Girl]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll have to look into some of those alternatives. People are very creative with what they use!

[Swimtaxi234]

I remember when our children were young, I spent big $$ to fill a sand box.  We had to leave to run an errand before our children could play in the sand and when we came home, we found cat paw prints and fresh scrap marks and YES, I found cat POOP when I poked around with a stick.

 

:cursing:  :ack2:

 

My children cried and cried when I made my husband empty all of the sand, including using a wet/dry vac on the tiny grains but I couldn't get over the ick factor.  We were only at that base for another year, but they still had fun playing in an empty sand box with their cars, etc.  The empty box was usually a ship to sail away on their adventures, so some good came out of the nasty cat poop. :banghead:

[trulycrabby]

I have a 100 gallon aquarium with 40 land hermit crabs, and while I don't know anything about long-term effects of silica on humans, my crabs have stayed alive for over three years using Quikrete play sand.

[Catwoman]

Ummm... Sand? ;)

[Jackie]

We just use the play sand. The sand at beaches most places is comprised primarily of silica and it doesn't seem to be doing anyone any harm to play at the beach. I'm not worried.

[Desert Strawberry]

Wouldn't beans and corn automatically get disgustingbthr moment it got damp though? My neighbor was thinking about using corn but it sounded pretty grossnto me and I'm glad she got sand instead.

The beans were inside. When I moved them out, they sprouted.

 

The other stuff, we all use covers.

[Tap]

Beans,corn, peas, etc are all used for indoor boxes (unless you live in a climate that Never rains).  Lots of people make indoor sensory boxes for their kids, so it isn't as obscure as it sounds to have an indoor box.

 

 

I like sand for sandboxes.  Ocean sand dusts off pretty good, but I think that play sand is a bit better for this reason.

 

Pea gravel gets stuck in the soles of shoes and scratches floors.  It is hard on the feet if you step on a wayward piece and doesn't cling together. It will get tracked all over the yard and make the area uncomfortable to walk on if you have people who go barefoot a lot.  It is also hotter than sand in the summer.

 

 

 

Make sure it has a cover, or else you will have cat issues. 

 

Accept that fact that about a foot around the sand box will eventually loose the ability to grow nice grass, due to the layer of sand over the top.  LOL  You will also want to make sure you have a good vacuum if you have carpet, it will get tracked inside to an extent. Buy a soft dust broom or horse style brush to dust the kids off on the porch if they need to make a run to the bathroom directly from the box.  Embrace the fact that sand and water go together!  Limiting water play in the sand box takes out a lot of the fun.  If you are putting the sand directly on the ground, use several layers of landscape fabric under the sand so you don't have diggers deciding to dig to China and filling your box with dirt.   The fabric will tell them where to stop digging.  

 

 

 

 

[Aspasia]

I've read that about the play sand, too, and spent many hours researching it a couple years ago. The mostly apply to workers who are around sand blasters all day. I try to keep the sand somewhat damp so it won't become airborne (it's more fun like that anyway), and remember that this stuff has been in all sand for a very long time. It's nothing new, and we're all fine.

 

Here's a link: http://deohs.washington.edu/silica

 

"When we talk about silica exposure we are talking about crystalline silica or quartz. Construction, foundry and mining workers could be exposed to silica when cutting, grinding, drilling, sanding, mixing or demolishing materials containing silica.

 

The size of the airborne silica particles determines the amount of risk. Smaller particles can be inhaled deep into the lungs where they can cause damage. Larger particles, such as beach sand, are not as great a concern because they are too large to inhale."

[Valley Girl]

Thank you for the link. I had read several blog postings which made me feel as though I'd be negligent if I used regular old playsand. Then I saw articles which downplayed it as something that's not really an issue in the home setting, especially if your kids are old enough that you don't have to worry about them eating or throwing sand. I'm only too happy to cross this off my "things to worry about" list.

[strange_girl]

While I have nothing useful to say, I just wanted to say that the title of your post made me chuckle!

 

"With what do you fill your sandbox?"

 

Well...sand. :)

 

I've never heard about sand being harmful, so that never entered my mind. We got a truckload of sand from the excavation company nearby and the kids play in it for hours.

[shawthorne44]

I had been in the same situation as you.  DH built a really large nice sandbox, and I was worried about the Danger reports.  

But, we ended up getting playground sand and it hasn't been a problem.  I've never seen the sand get dusty.  It is generally damp enough that I can't imagine it could be dusty.  The few times it was very dry, DD wanted to wet the sand a bit to make it more fun.  So, my mind is at ease about the playground sand.   In fact, we will be moving soon and will buy more playground sand for the new house.