Sand and Water Table

I'm thinking of getting a sand and water table for my kids. Do any of you have one? If so, what kind do you have and do you like it? Would you recommend a combo table or just a sandbox or water table by itself? My kids are 16 months old - are they the right age for this type of activity?

Thanks!

 

Mine are 13 mos, and we've had a water table outside for them since maybe 11 mos? They LOVE it! Our nanny's 26 mo daughter also loves it! It's great when it's hot out, they get soaked by the time they are done playing in it, but that's okay with me. They like to scoop up the water and pour it out, pick up toys and put them in and out of the water, splash, etc. When they are done with it for the day, I just turn it over to let the water out (not too heavy at all), and then put clean water in with the hose the next time. Easy clean up.

Ours is this one. We got it at Wal-mart for 29.99 (I think).

From what I've read the sand and water combo tables end up getting all mixed together and a slushy mess of wet sand. My guys still love to put stuff in their mouths, and I didn't want to fight the sand going in their mouths all the time. Maybe when they are older I'll get a sand table with a lid.

Eta: Happy Mother's Day!

 

We have the one PP showed & the kiddos love it. We just got a Step 2 sand table with lid. I don't think it would have been a great success before 2 to 2.5 years old.

 

We also have the Step 2 sand box (it is a four-legged table)!
We put the following in it (at different times)

• sand
• rice
• water
• cereal (they love this!)
• etc

My twins have been using it since they were just learning to stand....and they still are using it and they are over 4 years old (they are almost too tall to play standing up though).

 

we got the step 2 shady oasis sand and water table. amazon lists it for $99 but we got ours at costco for $40. it's great and the boys totally love it. i know a few moms who hated the idea of a combo table and immediately told me it would become a "mud table" in no time. but the way i see it, who cares if the sand and water get mixed? if they're having a good time then that's the whole point. and the thing is, when the mud dries out it turns back into sand. voila! :ibiggrin:

 

We have a sand/water table but only put water in it so far. I KNOW they would eat the sand at this age. They play in the water every day that it is good weather and they LOVE it! I put their coated bibs on them while they play if I don't want them to get their clothes wet. It is a big hit at our house!

 

Ours just got a water table last week and they LOVE it! It helps them cool off and when they splash around I don't worry- like I do with sand. My DS has a bad urge to throw sand, which always hits DD in the eyes. For now, water is all we will give them. They do have a separate Turtle Sandbox, which they love, but they do lose interest after a little while. The water table was a huge hit and they played with it the whole afternoon.

 

We have the same one as piccologirl, also purchased at Costco, but I think for $50. We just finaly broke it out this weekend as has been the first time it has been warm enough. We just filled it with water and they loved it. Although I think they are bit confused since Warren decided it would be more fun to sit in it and play with it that way. We will likely get some sand soon, DH will have a panick attach, but it will all be fun!

 

My kiddos got this one as a birthday gift last year and they LOVE it! We used it initially as a sand/water table and it's become a sand/sand table. They play with it every day.

 

I just ordered a Step 2 water wheel table today. Looking forward to it! Hopefully the boys can spend more time outside with just me now.

 

I have a Step2 water table that I purchased just a few weeks ago for my 18 month olds, & they LOVE it. They do, however, like to climb in it... :laughing: I am fortunate in that my neighbours have 2 older children and have a HUGE sandpit with an all weather cover, so my girls love to play in that. They do occasionally eat the sand, but not too often. It is more of a "monkey see, monkey do" situation - one girl puts a sandy shovel up to her mounth, I say "Yuck, no, not yummy" & then the other one starts doing it. If they get really bad, we leave the sandbox, but after a few times they realized eating sand = going back indoors, so they stopped pretty quickly! They love the sandbox. Thenice thing about the sand table would be that they cannot sit in it as easily - I have to strip the girls off at the back door, they get sand in their shoes, the pockets of their shorts, the cuffs of their shorts, their diaper.... I spend my day vacuuming up sand :headbang:

On the plus side though, more time outside makes the girls hungry and tired, so both eating and sleeping benefit!!

 

We have the step 2 sand and water table-we just got it and havnet had a lot of chances to use it. But we are currently doing either just sand or just water-they love the water, still getting used to sand. As they get older I think the combo will be more fun, of course you will have to drain it every now and then to get the sand back into the sand side...but not a big deal to me.
I really like the one Picco has...if I would have seen that one I would have gotten it instead.

 

I have a Step2 also. It is the one that has an umbrella and a lid that securely fits on it. There is a car track on the lid. It was not the cheapest sand/water table on the market, but after reading many reviews, I decided to go with this one. I got this for my first son's 2nd birthday and it is a huge hit with all of his cousins and him! Yes, I do put water and sand in it. Yes, sand ends up in the water side and vise versa, but I figure that is all a part of learning! I believe it is important to experiment and explore those kinds of things. The best thing is that it keeps the kids entertained for long periods of time! I haven't let the twin go near it yet because I know they will eat the sand. I think they will be closer to two before they get to dig in.

 

Step 2 Here too. My LO's have been playing with it since they were about 12mo. They lov eit. I put both sand and water in it. Yes they have put the sand in their mouth once, but they soon figure out its gross and they dont do it again. Yes they mix it, but to me thats part of the fun....making a mess.

 

I just ordered the Step 2 naturally playful one (haven't received it yet). Just thought I'd let you know that it's on sale on Walmart's online store for around $65 including tax. I am very excited to get it! Right now I am having a hard time keeping them out of my flower/herb/vegetable gardens that I just planted.

 

Yeah, I'm totally in the market for one of these right now. I just got done bathing the boys after they spent the evening digging in the garden. :laughing: