Naturally Playful Sandbox II with Bonus Sand Toys

For my son's 3rd birthday I wanted to buy a sandbox that met all my specifications but yet was fun for him too---size, durabilty, lid design, and cost were my main focus. After researching every sandbox I could find and reading all the reviews, the Naturally Playful Sandbox looked like the best buy. What a great choice it turned out to be! For starters, the size is very roomy (most sandboxes are way to small)--this one is big enough to play in without sand flying out everywhere. It can adequately hold 2 children, possibly 3 if they are small (age 1-2). The design is good because it is very sturdy and holds it shape. The four "rock" corners make a nice seating area since my son will NOT sit down in the sand to play. It can hold 4 bags of play sand very easily which is good so the sand is deep enough to dig in and bury items! My biggest concern was lid design since living in Florida down pours of rain can become an issue. If rain or moisture gets in, sand becomes green. The lid fits snug enough to stay on and the weight of the lid seems to be enough to hold it down under normal wind conditions. When the lid is on, it has a large enough dome shape that you can store all the play toys under it, inside the sandbox. The overall style of the box is good since it blends in with your outdoor surroundings, as opposed to having a big purple dinosaur in your back yard. It also doubles as a planter when your child outgrows it. The surrounding rock shapes would compliment any landscape. Overall, I would rate this as a wonderful buy---and the price can't be beat. Would definitely recommend! You won't be disappointed.

We love this sand box. It is attractive; we placed it next to our herb garden and it looks very natural. It is durable and definitely made to withstand the outside. The cover's shape helps to keep it in place during wind and helps rain water to drain down as well as keep enough space on the inside for larger toys that stay nicely protected. It has ventilation holes and yes, there is a chance you get some bugs and small animals in, although it has not happened to us, you need that to ventilate unless you want your kid to play with moldy sand. It fits about 4-5 bags of play sand to fill it up about halfway. The sand in it stays wet just right, perfect for sandcastles. Dry sand is no fun. I find the edges to be quite ok to sit on, no pain at all. To smooth the edges like some reviewers suggested would take away from the rocky natural desing. It is also a perfect size, to my opinion, for 1-2 kids. We have one and it serves us great. Mommy plays with him, and it fits the two of us just fine. This sand box is absolutely perfect and we are very pleased with our purchase. Great present for our 2 year old for his birthday. I have NOTHING bad to say about this. All absolutely perfect, well thought off and well built. This is very rare for me to be 100% pleased with toys these days, well this one is the winner. If I could I'd give it 10 stars.

My kids, now 3 and 1, love this sand box. I bought it almost a year ago and my daughter was using it around 8 months old. My 3 year old just loves it. Perfect size for them. Lid fits well and we have had no issues with water leaking into it. It does get humidity during summer. And the sand on the bottom tends to be a little wet but my kids like it. Perfect molding sand. Took three 5lb bags of sand to fill. Will have to add more this summer. No cracks for almost a year of use.

We have had other sandboxes in the past and this one is so much better. It’s durable, fun for kids, holds a good amount of sand, the lid stays tight on to keep water and bugs out. I recommend!

I just purchased this sandbox for my 2 yr. old granddaughter. She loves it, and the size is fine for several children to play in it. Unfortunately, since she lives in a somewhat rural area, there were field mice getting inside the sandbox, due to the 4 small holes around the lid, even though the lid was being put on immediately when nobody was in the sandbox. I called Step2 and the customer service rep told me that in 2009 a law was passed that companies had to increase the ventilation in sandboxes to prevent suffocation. That is the reason for the holes. They cannot tell you what to do to prevent mice from getting inside the box, bec. if you alter their product, they would be legally responsible for any problems. Step2 had to change the molds for all of their sandboxes to meet the new requirements. So, any sandbox, regardless of the brand, made from 2009 on will have ventilation holes, and therefore the same potential problems regarding mice and other small critters. There is a product called Mouse Magic that we just tried. It is made of all natural substances and the scent drives the mice away. It comes 4 packs to a box, and 1 pack can be put in the sandbox each time it is closed, and removed each time it is opened. The same pack could be reused, and each pack is good for about a month. The product is made by Bonide, and contains spearmint oil, peppermint oil, and Fuller's Earth. It is safe around children and pets. I purchased it at a local hardware store. We tried this, and it has prevented mice from going in the sandbox. The only reason I am giving this sandbox 4 stars instead of 5 is because of this problem, but it is really not the fault of the company that designed it. If you don't think you will have a problem with mice or chipmunks, then I would highly recommend this sandbox and give it 5 stars. If you do think you will have a problem, it might not be worth purchasing a sandbox altogether, unless you use Mouse Magic, or stuff the holes with fabric softener sheets, and remove while the sandbox is being used!

Well constructed sandbox that was easy to put together. Perfect size for our 2 1/2 year old, who loves it. Cover attaches easily and securely. Holds just the right amount of sand. Happy with it overall.

I bought this sandbox for my two nephews, age 2 and 6 to use. I needed a lidded sandbox and something large enough for two kids to play in. This sandbox fit the bill perfectly! Assembly is a bit difficult - I would recommend assembling with another person on as level a surface as you can find. I didn't expect to have to drive the screws through the plastic instead of screw holes but the end result was fine. Make sure you get the screws good and tight and check that the four sides are even on the bottom before you attach the base. This will really help reduce any moisture leakage; we haven't had a problem. Despite having several wind advisory days, we haven't had any issues with the lid blowing off. The sandbox is under a tree for shade so we have found leaves in the box but that's an easy fix and there have been no issues with animals getting into the sandbox beyond the occasional confused ant. There is room for two kids in the box although it might be tight. The 6 year old prefers to sit on the grass outside. The toys that came with the sandbox were all fine - they were pretty general sand toys geared towards small kids and they've had fun playing with them. This has been a great purchase that the kids have enjoyed!

We've raised several kids and are now on to the grandkids. I looked at so many sandboxes before taking the plunge and purchasing this one. It was the right decision, thank goodness. This is THE sandbox I wish we had when our kids were small. For one thing, we'd still have it now and it'd most likely be in great shape. Here are some other reasons I love this sandbox: : 1. The lid and base are easy to lift and move....which we did...several times...until we decided exactly where it looked best in our yard. . 2. It is clearly designed with kids' comfort and enjoyment in mind. They can either sit inside the sandbox or kneel on the ground outside and still easily reach inside ( the sides aren't too high). It's nice and sturdy. 3. There are no sharp edges and since this sandbox is made of plastic, there is no wood to leave splinters in little fingers. 4 . The lid keeps cats out and the solid floor of the sandbox keeps dirt from mixing in with the sand. It also keeps insects and moles from burrowing up from the ground and into the sand. One extra point: although the lid easily fits on the base, we've taken the extra precaution of holding it down with a bungee cord wghen the sandbox isn't in use.This may be unnecessary but after we once lost a heavy deck umbrella in a high wind we decided to play it safe.