Yes, just when you thought the sandbox-citement was over – it continues. We chatted all about how we built the base of the box here and how we made the lid with a locking system that secures it to the fence here – but it still wasn’t done. That’s the funny thing about DIY in general – you might expect a kitchen reno to run across 35+ posts and to last four months, but you never think that something like a simple sandbox will be a three part process. On the other hand, sometimes projects that we think will be really complicated end up being no sweat and we wonder why we put them off so long – so I guess it all balances out in the end. Anyway, when we last left our heroine, she was enjoying her freshly completed box – cover and all.
But the next day, as we disposed of all of the empty play sand bags and put two extra ones in the car to return them, Sherry noticed this warning on the back of the bags.
To anyone having trouble reading it, it says: This product contains small amounts of crystalline silica, a common mineral found in natural sands and stones. Excessive inhalation of respirable silica dust may cause cancer and lung disease. Avoid breathing dust. Wear approved respirator in dusty area.
Cancer and lung disease? Wear approved respirators? Isn’t this labeled “play sand” and meant for sand boxes with children who sit in that dusty mess and pour it everywhere? With red flag officially raised, we turned to the Internet to see why the heck a bag of something meant for children would have a warning that it can “cause cancer and lung disease.” Soon enough, Sherry came across a string of articles (like this one and this one and this one) indicating that the type of play sand that we bought may not be the ideal option to have our daughter romping around in (not to mention that Clara left her first play session with clothes and hands covered in a white chalky dust which retroactively freaked us out).
Although we all may have played in sand as children and we’re perfectly healthy (or are we? I guess there’s still time to find out, haha) the way sand is manufactured and where it’s found can change. So if you grew up playing in river or beach sand, which may have been more common than manufactured “silica or tremolite” sand, that would explain why the newer sand containing that potentially dangerous stuff is an issue today. Here’s a screen grab from WebMD with a particularly helpful summary that we found:
So we decided to make a sandbox switcheroo – just so we wouldn’t have to think twice about letting Clara play in there for hours on end for years to come. And frankly, our alternative rocks.
I’ll pause to record a point in my “rock pun” column.
I don’t know why I didn’t think about this before – my sister actually had a rock box for her kids a while back (they’re now tweens/teens and are way too cool for it) but they loved it back in the day. Obviously it’s NOT a good solution for kiddos who still put things in their mouth. Clara did that until about a year old, but now routinely plays with rocks and pea gravel wherever she can find it without ever trying to suck it down (true story: at Home Depot there’s an outdoor planting bed with pea gravel and she loves it more than the playground). Clara’s also less likely to leave covered in rocks and track them all over the house than she was with sand. So I started the not-so-fun task of digging out all of the sand (and hauling it in the wheelbarrow to be dumped in the woods far behind our house – the very back of our almost-an-acre property).
I wouldn’t put it on the top of my “most awesome DIY tasks ever” list, but it wasn’t that bad. Although it was kinda sad to see it all empty and barren when I was through. Pardon the tree’s muddled shadow in this pic (it looks like some sand is still lurking but we swept that baby dry).
Then we turned that frown upside down by dumping in what I will now call my inaugural bag of pebbles. Things were looking up!
But upon closer examination, things were also looking kinda dirty.
Now, I realize it seems kinda prissy to be surprised that rocks are dirty (“Gasp! And water’s wet?! The horror!”). And if we didn’t mind Clara getting a bit dirty, well, we wouldn’t be making a outdoor play box now would we? But the pebbles were all covered in a sort of gritty dust that just kinda bothered me. I felt lazy just dumping them in so dirty when I could easily remedy the problem, so I decided to give the rocks a quick bath in my wheelbarrow.
I felt kinda silly doing this at first, but when I drained my first batch and saw how much dirty water was coming out it didn’t feel like my efforts were worthless at all.
But enough rock washing. Let’s get rockin’ and rollin’ onto the finished product.
Remember the lid is secured to the fence with metal hardware to keep things safe (more on that here).
I used around 20 bags to fill the whole box to the point where it was pretty much level with the ground around it – meaning Clara didn’t have a big step on either side, and she’d have a few inches of depth to really dig into. Oh and the bags of rocks were actually cheaper than the bags of sand at Home Depot. They were around $2.50 a pop, so it was just under $50 to fill our 25 square foot box up. Not free but worth the peace of mind for us. If only we had seen the warning on the sand before opening it, we could have actually saved money filling things up with rocks from the start. Oh well, live and learn.
We also took this opportunity to mulch around the sandbox, er, rock box (excuse me) so everything would look a bit cleaner when we presented it to Clara (she was with her grandparents the afternoon we made the change).
As soon as she saw the rocks she was so eager to play, she didn’t even notice it wasn’t sand anymore. We expected a bigger “Where the sand go?!” reaction, but I guess it’s probably best that rocks instantly erased any memory or care for the old stuff.
All she cared about is that she could get her dig on.
Which actually was reassuring to see, since I worried the chunkier rocks might be harder to dig and scoop, but she’s had no problem – even with the flimsy dollar store shovel we got her. Plus she can scoop rocks with a shovel but also pick them up with her hands (not true with sand) so she seems to have a lot of fun with that. For example, she likes filling the front part of her truck with one rock carefully shoved through the window at a time. It’s the little things, right?
And luckily the rocks have proved to be less messy than the sand. Yeah, we may occasionally need a bath afterward – but the sand involved a rigorous pre-going-back-into-the-house-dust-off that the rocks have yet to require. Upgrade!
But in the end, as long as Clara is having fun – who cares how messy she gets? Oh and see those white things around the sandbox that sort of look like rocks? It sort of looks like there was lot of rock fling-age going on, but they’re just white petals dropped by our dogwood. We may be jinking ourselves, but so far Clara has been happy to keep the rocks in her rock box since we explained that’s their home and it’s where they need to stay for her to play with them.
Rock on, Beansie. Rock on.
So that’s the long circuitous story – told Hunger Games style, as a trilogy – about…
Have you guys ever done something and then decided to tweak or redo it in the final hour? Do some projects that you think will take forever end up being easier than you thought and then later you tackle some project that you assume will be super simple and that’s the one that randomly ends up being a bit more involved? Ah DIY, you’re a fickle creature, but we can’t help loving you.
Psst- Speaking of things you don’t always get right on the first try, we’re over here chatting about picking paint colors.
Pssssst- To read The Sandbox Chronicles from the beginning, here’s Part 1 (about building the base of the box) and Part 2 (about building the lid which secures to the fence for safety reasons).
Nicholin says
I love your project. I’m sorry that things had to be redone at an extra expense, but I like the pea gravel idea better. I’m not sure if anyone mentioned it, but if you have clay soil, you can use the sand to amend it for better drainage. I know that most flower bulbs (iris, tulips) grow better in a sandier soil.
As for projects that needed tweaking…
I’m working on making custom roman blindes from my icky old slat (Venetian) blindes. I decided to ‘tweak’ the instructions a bit after the first success, because I wanted a bit more coverage on the sides. Needless to say the ‘tweak’ didn’t work out that great and now I’m plotting how to fix the sag that my extra inches of fabric has created. *shrug* Oh well, the time spent fixing my ‘fix’ is still less expensive than having someone else make custom shades for me.
Lindsay B says
I can’t believe that! Good for you for taking the time to swap it all out. You’re good parents!
So, apparently my 7 month old daughter loves watching Clara videos. She started laughing when I was watching it, so I played a couple others, and she was just cracking up! Clara has a little fan down in Charleston, SC! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw cute! Clara says hi!
xo,
s
Darla says
Good gravy, Clara’s cute! And she talks so well! Saw you guys at Maymont for the Easter Egg Hunt Day thingamajig..thought about approaching but that’s just weird. ;) And I already ran into John at Bon Air Library once and made a fool of myself..so no go. Cool rock box!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw man we would have loved to say hi!
xo,
s
Heather says
We too used pebbles in out “sand box”. Because we live next to a horse farm with the occasional barn cat pea gravel is better because it deters cats from using it as a giant litter box.
Christina M. says
Kids are easily entertained with the funniest things :) did you guys see the Honey post over on Design*Sponge today? Lots of cute bee themed items!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds adorable! Off to check it out!
xo,
s
Mary says
Thank you! Thanks for your lessons learned; for posting Part 3 even though you’d already done a two-part sandbox series! I’m just about to buy sand to fill up my 2 year old’s turtle sandbox (not nearly as cool as a DIY) so I am so grateful for this info.
Mary
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re welcome Mary! Happy to help!
xo,
s
Rachel says
Do you guys live in a magical world where the sun never sets and food and sleep are as neccessary as Yahoo! News and rock boxes become an awesome idea? Because I want to live there too.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we do stay up pretty late planning! We always say we’ll sleep next month!
xo,
s
Liz says
We have a pea gravel path that my almost three-year-old daughter loves to play in! It’s good to know about the sand. I’d probably never see the warning label. Last summer we didn’t have a sandbox, so I filled a really big rubbermaid container with rice and put it outside for my daughter to play with. She loved it!
Jane Lynch says
I’m not trying to be too negative, but give me a break! Is anything truly “healthy”? Children need dirt! Too much cleanliness and antibiotics has produced the ‘super-bugs’ that may take us all out. As a mother of three beautiful young adults who all played in an uncovered sandbox, I am skeptical about the gravel. What about the obvious choking hazards?
YoungHouseLove says
I absolutely agree kids need dirt! Clara has never been on antibiotics and we don’t use antibacterial soap in our house at all- and we encourage playing in the mud and getting messy from time to time! We welcome natural things that bring natural immunity, we just shy away from stuff with cancer warnings on the label! Of course it’s different for every family, but the rocks work better for us. We also addressed the chocking hazard thing in the post. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
manyhatz! says
Another great thing about pebbles/rocks, neither wild critters nor neighborhood kitties like them as a bathroom option! Also, as it gets hotter, you can easily dig a medium sized hole in the middle, and stick a bucket in there filled with cold water/ice cubes (!) just to add an extra something…Even our 8 yr. old begs for this!
Kelly says
While I think that Prop 65 warnings – which is what the one on your sand sounds like – have gotten out of hand in putting fear into people (e.g. the warning at Starbucks about acrylamide in coffee and baked goods, which happens at home too), I’m glad you made a choice you are happy with for your family. :)
Amy @ a new old house says
Wow- I never would have guessed the play sand could be dangerous! SCARY!
Another plus to the rocks is no sand in the hair!
My boys always dumped at least a shovel over it over their (or their brother’s) head!
Have you seen those bags of colored sand?
My parents once got bags of blue sand for my kids… UGH! It was everywhere, and so much more noticeable than regular sand.
Rocks are a much better idea!
Diane says
Whenever we took our twins to the city park, which was covered in sand, we usually had about a gallon of sand to get out of their shoes and clothes before going back in the house. Whenever we went to the kiddy rock pit at a local children’s museum, which they LOVED digging in, we didn’t have that problem. I say “yay, pea gravel,” even if there weren’t safety concerns about the sand.
Amanda says
Scary stuff! When we moved into our house we had a defunct fish pond in our backyard. With a toddler and a little one on the way, we didn’t want a pond hazard in the yard. We did like the landscaping around the pond so we decided to turn it into a rock garden/kid friendly construction area. We drained it, cleaned it, let it dry out for a few weeks, drilled holes in the bottom of the pond liner, then filled it with pea gravel. The kids LOVE it. I love that I am not constantly cleaning up sand and that when all of the toys are put away, it really does look like a rock garden.
http://namesakedesign.blogspot.com/search?q=yard
YoungHouseLove says
Such a cute idea!
xo,
s
Julie M. says
I wanted to say something yesterday, but I figured all your other posters would warn you. Glad you saw it and switched out the sand. I’m was just so very glad you didn’t turn to the web and use this company. http://www.safesand.com/ I had the worst experience with them and so did many others. We just forego the sandbox for now.
YoungHouseLove says
Really?? That’s good to know! Many people seemed to be interested in using them. What happened in your experience to make it bad?
xo,
s
maria says
i wonder if sand from the beach would be a safe alternative if one really wanted to make a true sand box?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes if you look at the WebMD screen grab, they recommend beach or river sand. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Amy says
That is crazytown about the cancer -causing sand?! My brother built a sandbox but had sand delivered to him from a industrial place by a dumptruck… it looked like sand from the beach, so hopefully everything is okay.
Good catch on your part!
Mary says
Glad to see Clara enjoying her new play area. When our kids were little their dad, he’s a contractor, brought home a coarse, dark natural sand for their sand pile. He had loved his sand pile so much as a kid that he wanted them to have the same fun. The kids loved the sand and so did I. It didn’t stick to their clothes or shoes as much as beach-type sand. Sand forms better than gravel, allows more creative play, and is easy on the body parts–bare legs and feet when the weather is warmer.
Karen F says
ahh, I just knew after I read yesterday’s post that you’d be digging that sand out (what else could it be)? Glad you saw the warning and were able to come up with a great alternative (and that Clara loves it)!
Leah G says
I’m not sure if this was asked already, but where are you guys storing Clara’s toys? It doesn’t look like there is enough room with the lid closed to keep the toys in the rock box.
Anyways, it looks GREAT! Clara is one lucky girl!
YoungHouseLove says
The bucket and rain barrel just sit out on the patio for now, but we’d live to get/build an outdoor storage box for them!
xo,
s
Teri says
Kudos to the both of you for being such attentive parents. Any old sand box would have done, but a great rock box that daddy took his time to make with loving hands….priceless. I see silk flowers sticking up in the rocks for a great clara flower bed that she can replant and rearrange all the time.
YoungHouseLove says
Such a cute idea! We also want to hide treasure that she can dig around for!
xo,
s
John says
Smart move! Now if they would sell plastic balls in a bag you could replace the stone,but probably not as fun. You may want to drill some holes in the corners of the lid to drain water, perhaps even slope the lid by adding a 2×2 under the hinge side.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes John was thinking about slanting the lid! We have gotten some serious rain but it seems ok so far. Will keep you posted!
xo,
s
Eileen says
It looks great you two! :) You’re really making hay while the sun shines as they say, getting a go at all the outdoor things while the weather’s so great. I think rocks are a great alternative to sand. Not only the cleanliness issue (tracking it in the house) and the health concerns with the man made stuff, but since we get to the beach a few times a year, it provides a different medium for play. I think this is a definite must for kiddos and want this for a project for myself (little guy due in August, so there’s plenty of time. :) Thanks for the inspiration!
katalina says
maybe one of those scoopers that is metal or plastic–would be fun for her. I see them in the kitchen area or people use them for bird seed or dog food.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, those would be fun! Someone else said a measuring cup might be nice so she can play with numbers and fill it a little or a lot.
xo,
s
jrm says
The warnings have to do with dust inhalation. Silica itself is not harmful, silica is ground quartz and also one of the most abundant minerals on earth. What the concern is — it the fine —ultrafine particles that may be hanging around a bag of manufactured sand — that is the concern. ANY ultrafine particle that is inhaled can potentially attach to lung tissue and cause health issues. Unless the child or adult is huffing the empty bag of sand, I wouldn’t be too concerned. Once it goes into a sand box, the ultra fine material will dissipate (or it’d dissipate once you pour it in) and travel in the wind.
I understand what you did and don’t necessarily disagree, but not the great scare that those internet articles make it out to be.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the info JRM! We hear those particles continue to be released if the sand if dry (apparently every time a kid scoops or dumps dry sand that dust is aerated and could be inhaled). That was definitely our experience since although we dumped the sand into the sandbox and let it settle for a while, Clara still got lots of fine white powdery dust all over herself – not just on her hands, we’re taking about in her hair and even later had sand boogers since the fine powder was in her nose. I believe that’s why it is recommended to always play with wet sand if it contains silica, so it can’t aerate and be inhaled (since it doesn’t just do this the first time the sand is poured into the box). Always having Clara sit/play in wet sand just seemed like a less than ideal thing for us, so rocks worked better for our fam!
xo,
s
occula says
how fun! My sandbox was a big old tractor tire full of sand from the creek bank! I love that kids are still playing in a completely different version of the same thing.
Pam C says
Geez. What did we do before the internet? Great idea to use pea gravel!
jrm says
Also, I have no idea what that ehow article means by crystalline silica. All silica is crystalline.
Laura says
Thank goodness! I didn’t want to be rude, but I kind of wondered what you all were thinking.
Aside from the health issue, I much prefer rocks over sand because they are less messy, in lots of ways.
Good catch,
Laura
(Hopefully this reads in the kindest of ways. Fellow occasional forehead smacker.)
Kait says
I totally agree with Clara on preferring to play with pea gravel than sand. Fun to pick through and find certain shaped ones, roll them in your fingers, hear the neat sound they make when you pour them out…man, now I want a rock box as an adult!
Tara says
We just filled our sandbox for our 9-month-old over the weekend so when I read this, I ran out to check the bags that were still in the garbage can. Thankfully, ours say, “Clean, washed sand, free of asbestos and silica. Meets federal guidelines for use in sandboxes and playground areas.” I guess we lucked out because we just bought it at our local Ace Hardware, five 50-lb bags for $20. It is called Fantasy Sand Play Sand and the manufacturer is Gardenpro Company (www.gardenpro.us) out of Delaware. I couldn’t find any other info on their website specific to sand but I think we are in the clear!
YoungHouseLove says
You totally lucked out! Thanks for sharing the info on those bags- it sounds awesome!
xo,
s
kim says
First let me say I love your blog, told all my friends, and have even posted on occasion all positive. But this time I have to say I think you guys are a little too paranoid about Clara. I know she is your first child and all the birth stuff but you guys need to relax a bit. Have you seen that new show Bubble wrapped kids on TLC? Also why didn’t you just go to your local landscaping place and get real sand? And just one more thing if ask the Cancer society everything causes cancer, even milk, so I don’t really believe them and either did my Mom who died of breast cancer a few years ago. Its all propaganda! Just my opinion that I am still free at this point to voice.
YoungHouseLove says
We know not everyone would have gone the same route- this blog is just about us sharing what works for our family! We definitely could have gotten other sand from a local landscaping place, but we liked the rock idea more since Clara genuinely loves rocks more than the playground (on one occasion she even picked playing with rocks over a cupcake!). I understand that many things can cause cancer, but it just felt wrong to sit Clara in a tub full of something with a cancer warning right on the label – which we like to think is a far cry from putting her in a bubble. The girl plays with worms, jumps on the bed, gets tossed miles into the air by her daddy, etc. We don’t treat her like she’s breakable, we just don’t mind taking certain precautions with her health in mind, like using no-VOC paint for example.
xo,
s
kim says
I’m sorry if I offended, it just seemed like over kill to me, but with such a long reply I guess I did. Now that I have been away from my reply and gone back and read it, maybe I was a little harsh, sorry.
YoungHouseLove says
No worries Kim, you definitely didn’t offend! We know lots of folks would make different choices for their family and we’re all about “to each his own!” As for my long reply, I just ramble. Haha. So lots of my comment replies can be long, no matter what I’m talking about. Haha. I’m chatty that way!
xo,
s
kim says
Oh ya I do like the rock idea, you should get a bag of bigger river rocks so she can build Inukshuk’s.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s fun!
xo,
s
Trela says
Gotta ask, the mulch all over the new landscaping looks SO good. Is it a really dark brown, or is it actually black? Trying to make that decision, and looking at your place has us totally inspired.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s the darkest brown they have at Home Depot I think! Not black though.
xo,
s
Ashley @ sunnysideshlee.com says
a) how scary crazy it is about the play sand!! I’m glad you switched it out!
b) rocks are also very fun … coming from a former Tomboy myself!
c) I love how much Clara adapted to the rocks v. sand!
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
OMG!!! Dangerous play sand….are you kidding me. WOW why even sell it. Thanks for sharing and I’m glad you were able to replace it with something else that you guys feel safe with and she loves to play with. Win, win!!! :)
Kate says
Thanks for the post on sandboxes– we are thinking of doing this for our nearly 2 year old but the sand warnings also had me concerned. Did you check out any local vendors? I live in VA and have seen some in Maryland that might be worth looking into. Glad the pea gravel worked out.
YoungHouseLove says
We didn’t contact any local places but that would he a great option! Any river or beach sand would be great!
xo,
s
Lisa P. says
Fan-flippin-tastic! Love this!!
Marie says
I don’t think a store should sell play sand that is labeled unsafe. If that happened to me, I would have brought the empty bags back to the store and requested a refund. And I would have submitted a complaint online and at the store to raise awareness. I would hope that the stores are unaware of the safety issue and not just ignoring it.
DJ Sherry says
Just be warned, I’ve known kids who’ve put the pebbles in their ears and noses! Trip to the doc…keep an eye on her, they like putting little things in odd places:)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we are on the lookout for that. We hear it can happen with peas and Legos too, so we’ll keep an eye out!
xo,
s
nikki says
this reminds me of the funniest story- my son, when he was about 2.5 shoved a crouton up his nose. by the time he told me about it, it was too mushy to pull out (gross, i know). i was thinking emergency room when my brilliant-thinking husband thought to make my son sniff some black pepper. one humongous sneeze later and a mushy crouton was sent flying across the kitchen!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, your husband is brilliant! So glad it came flying out!
xo,
s
Heather says
I wondered about the sand safety when reading those posts, but you guys are always up on such things. :) I had a similar experience when my mom bought my boys a sand table. After extensive research, we decided just to use it as a water table. Isn’t it crazy that places like Toys R Us can sell that sand?! The rocks were a great idea?
christine says
I am so glad that I saw this post! we just bought our first home and were debating on making a sand box but I think I will pass on the sand now. I doubt I will be able to find natural sand but I am sure my 2 year old boy would love to take his dump trucks to those pebbles! Great point about the clean up process as well!
Firesparx says
I’m stenciling one wall of our future nursery and I poured out the paint, loaded up the roller and then realized I hated the colour. Luckily I didn’t put any of it on the wall yet! Quick trip to the paint store and I was back with the colour I had originally picked before I doubted myself and went a shade lighter.
YoungHouseLove says
So lucky you caught it!
xo,
s
Lesley L says
Love the pebbles instead. Probably less messy clean up. PS. I am always looking for cute jeans for my 3 yr old daughter. Where did you get the cute ones for Clara?
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks! They’re from Old Navy.
xo,
s
Dona Stone says
Off the subject a bit…. I was perusing Centsational Girls BHG column and saw something familiar…. your old living room with Burger smack dab in the middle. I must have somehow morphed into a YHL-addict if I can pick Burger out of a random picture. Haha!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- Burger’s famous! I love that pic because one of his legs looks double jointed or something. Haha. He cracks us up!
xo,
s
Celia A. says
We are way past sandbox days but I love reading your posts and seeing your creative ideas.
Even though you threw the bags out I would at the very least mention to the store that you ended up not using the sand because of a concern about the health risks.
Love the way the rock-box turned out. My kids would have loved it!
maggie says
Glad you found out the sand was the wrong kind! There is sand for sandboxes that is orange-ish colored, that is the right kind, so if you decide to change it…
I used pea gravel to fill in around pavers in a walkway, and for me, hand shoveling made my fingertips sore. It may not bother Clara, but…
And then, an added bonus to gravel is it’s less likely to be favored by the local cats as a kitty litter. I really like your cover, how well it fits and how you are keeping it from closing down unexpectedly.
Sherri says
What did you guys do with the sand? Throw it away?
YoungHouseLove says
We put it in the back of our property to be used for other future projects (it’s the same type of sand that’s under our patio, so as long as folks aren’t playing with it, it should be fine for projects like that). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Cindy says
The same thing happened to us last summer with my (now 3-year-old) daughter’s sand & water table! We’d dumped the sand in and let her play in it, when I spotted the warning on the back of the bag. After a lot of research — and complete shock at the price of “safe” play sand online, yeesh — we decided to make it a water & water table! I love the idea of using pebbles instead of sand, though. Once our younger child (just turned 1) is past the “everything-in-the-mouth” stage, we may try that. We may end up leaving it a water table and adding a sit-in type sand box that we can fill with the pebbles — we’d assumed we just wouldn’t be able to do that, so this is great.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh we have heard dried rice or beans can work for a sand and water table since they’re technically edible so it’s less of a choking worry!
xo,
s
Carla says
The pea gravel looks great. I don’t have time to browse all of the comments, so I’m sorry to repeat this if it’s already been asked: Were you able to return the sand and get a full refund? And is the sandbox lid strong enough to turn into a raised deck for a play area when closed? I thought it would look really cute to have Clara-sized furniture on top when the box isn’t being used.
YoungHouseLove says
I’m not sure if it’s strong enough for Clara to play on the top while it’s closed- although that would be super cute! As for the sand, we returned the two extra bags we had for a refund but didn’t bring in the empty bags to return them since we reasoned that we dumped out the sand and the warning was on there (even if it’s small, it was dumb of us not to read the bags first). Live and learn!
xo,
s