How To Care For Your Wooden Sandpit - Maintenance & Customisation Tips
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Time to read 4 min
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Our Wooden Sandpit Guide
A back garden staple for generations, sandpits bring a little slice of beach to your home. There’s nothing quite like watching your little ones play in the sand for the first time as they dig holes and build sandcastles. And let’s be honest, deep down we’re just as excited about sand play as our kids are as it spurs a nostalgic thrill that stays with us into adulthood.
As parents, we always seek a sandpit that will last our kid’s entire childhood. To extend the years of fun and play, you need to maintain it to keep the space clean and sanitary regularly. Then there’s the best part, customising your sandpit to match your little one's personality. Here’s our guide on how to care for your wooden sandpit.
Importance
While playing with sand is fun, did you know it is also beneficial for development? With so many different ways to play with sand, there’s an endless opportunity for our kids to learn and boost vital skills.
Social Butterflies
Sandpits are often a tighter and smaller place space, so kids have to adapt their usual playtime by sharing sand toys and building sandcastles together. This not only strengthens their social skills but lets them practice collaboration and problem-solving.
Our Octagonal Sandpit is one of our largest, with enough space for your kids and their friends to spend hours playing in the sand. While our Choo Choo Train Sandpit brings everyone together on a train adventure, with a steering wheel, crawl tunnel and bench seats they can take turns being the conductor and passengers.
Physical Health
All of that time spent digging, scooping, and piling up sand gives a big boost to their physical development. Their arm muscles are in constant use whenever they lift and load buckets, whilst using shovels and spades refine their hand-eye coordination skills.
Imagination
With so many exciting ways to play with sand, our kid's creative areas of their brains are working overtime. Watch their big imaginations come to life as they engage in all sorts of sand play, no matter how big or small their sandpit is. Whether they are creating mighty castles or digging for hidden treasure.
For the ultimate nautical-inspired adventure, when your little captains board our Sand Sailer Sandpit they can navigate the high seas with a sail-style canopy and captain’s wheel.
Immunity Booster
Even though we hate the mess in our house, research shows that kids who play outdoors have healthier immune systems. Although sandpits can be used inside, it’s way more fun when kids aren’t afraid to get messy.
Choosing The Best Sandpit
With so much choice, picking the best sandpit for your child can feel a little overwhelming. Wooden Sandpits can come in many different shapes, sizes and designs. But there’s something to suit every type of garden or play space.
Materials
There are typically only two material choices when it comes to sandpits: wood or plastic. We only make sandpits that are made from weather-resistant wood, as we want to ensure they are durable enough for years of sand play. Whereas, plastic can make sandpits brittle and degrade when exposed to UV light and extreme weather conditions over time.
Size
With various sizes and shapes, choosing the right one depends on two factors. It may sound obvious, but you have to make sure it fits in your garden or play space. As well as have enough room for all your kids to spend hours digging their hands, spades and buckets into.
If you’re conscious about room, our Picnic Table Sandpit is a fantastic space saver as it doubles up as a table for meal times or arts and crafts. While our Square Sandpit is the smallest sandpit in our collection, designed to snugly fit into any corner.
Location
Select a spot in your garden with sufficient sunlight, as this helps to avoid the sand getting mouldy. But remember that kids are considerably more sensitive to the sun, so add a parasol for some extra shade. Plus it will make them feel like they’re really at the beach!
Our sandpits can be great additions to any indoor play space too, but don't forget to place a covering on a floor to avoid sand ending up around the house.
Sandpit Care
As a parent, we know that sandpits can be all fun and games. They need to be maintained so that the space stays clean and sanitary for our kids to use. Here’s a handy checklist for general sandpit care:
Regular Cleaning
Sometimes sand may not be the only thing you’ll find inside your sandpit. Wild animals or household pets can mistake them for impromptu litter boxes, while sharp rocks or sticks can hide underneath the sand which can cause scrapes and cuts. Simply sifting through the sand every so often will help unearth any debris.
Covering the Sandpit
Pulling a cover over your sandpit once playtime can make sandpit care a breeze. It’s as easy as that. Covering it up makes it harder for any animals, rocks or other debris to end up in the sand. It’s also a big plus if it starts to rain, as it prevents water from getting in which can cause mould to grow all over the sand.
Replacing The Sand
If you change your sand periodically, the fresh layers helps to keep sandpit sanitary and clean. Depending on how much your little ones play with it, we recommend changing the sand once or twice a year.
Customisation
We all know that sandpits are a bunch of fun on their own. But why not add some extra excitement with some customisation? Whether it’s painting or adding toys, it will let your little ones put their stamp on their beloved outdoor toy.
Get Painting
Match your kid's sandpit to their personality with their own colour scheme, whether it’s drawing crazy patterns or painting pretty pastels. To make things even easier, the wood we use in our sandpits can be easily painted or stained. If you’re stuck for some DIY inspiration, our Wooden Car Sandpit is designed for tiny drivers with its painted headlights, wheels and bumper.
Add Sand Toys
Any sandpit is incomplete with a few fun toys - and you can’t go wrong with the classic bucket and spade. How else are kids supposed to scoop, dig and build through the sand?
Accessories
Attaching some fun accessories lets your kids put an exciting spin on their sandpit. It can be as simple as adding flowerpots or something more exciting like a small slide to whizz down during playtime.
