My mom asked what M wants for her birthday - a sandbox or a playhouse. I'm curious which gets played with more.
Personally, I think as an only child, she will play with the sandbox more as we will actually be able to play with her. These are the two items we're trying to choose between:
31 votes
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
I would vote Playhouse because its less maintenance and less messy!
pineapple / 12566 posts
If we had an outdoor space, I would buy a water table for sure! I have a phobia of sand 
pomegranate / 3890 posts
Playhouse for sure! My son 22 months loves it (has the same one in the pic) and so does my niece who is 5. Sandboxes are so messy and can be a pain to clean.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
we didn't have a playhouse, but our sandbox got played with a ton. way more than our water table!
squash / 13208 posts
Sand box for sure!! My 5.5 yr old still loves the sandbox! It gets lots of use!!!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I think it could go either way...you can move the playhouse indoors if you have a wet/cold winter, where the sandbox is a bit more limiting.
I personally prefer the sandbox, I love that one.
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
I want that playhouse for R!
I am not a fan of sandboxes.
clementine / 828 posts
I voted sandbox but I think it depends on your child. My LO loves sensory play and can play with sand for hours, filling containers with sand, dumping it out, making shapes, etc. For indoor play, we bought him a sand/water table and kinetic sand (http://www.amazon.com/Waba-Fun-Kinetic-Sand-Pounds/dp/B00CO5AQ12). Kinetic sand is much less messy than regular sand but lots of fun.
grapefruit / 4649 posts
I am leaning towards playhouse unless you already know she loves sand but I don't think you can really go wrong!
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
I voted playhouse, my LO LOVES hers (that exact one) and never really uses her sandbox.
honeydew / 7687 posts
We have that playhouse and LO adores the doorbell ( we have it inside). I would probably do the sandbox though, it is not fun getting in and out of the playhouse ha!
pomegranate / 3272 posts
My brother talked me out of a sandbox once he described that there is more of a chance that animals will relieve themselves in said sandbox.
grapefruit / 4442 posts
@MUI831: I was just going to say that. We cannot have a sandbox because of stray cats.
Our DD loves her pop up play house
persimmon / 1483 posts
Sandboxes freak me out a little. Unless they have a tight cover, they can become a giant litter box for cats and who knows what else.
bananas / 9118 posts
I voted playhouse, but what mine really loves is his Step 2 "treehouse" slide (it's not very big or high).
He is ok with the sandbox (just the $30 turtle with lid), but calls it "Yuck." Good thing he doesn't realize the beach is just a giant sandbox. Also does that sandbox have a lid? We keep a lid on ours to keep the neighborhood cats out and cover to keep rain out (they take FOREVER to dry out.)
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@NerdBee: thank you! My husband has suggested we don't get an outdoor sandbox so we may look into this type of sand for her. She LOVES sensory play. 
clementine / 828 posts
@mediagirl: Glad I could help! I must warn you that this is by no means a "no mess" kind of thing. LO still manages to get sand outside of the table but it is so much easier to clean up. You can gather up a ball of the kinetic sand and use it to "pick up" blobs of sand that have fallen to the ground, like play dough. We have the table in the kitchen and put a tarp underneath it but I still find little blobs of kinetic sand in random places.
cantaloupe / 6751 posts
My LO would love a sandbox (she loves sensory play) but like others, I'm terrified of various stray animals relieving themselves in it. I wonder if they have a sandbox type structure that could easily be moved from place to place? Then you could fill it with something like beans or lentils, and then when she's done playing with it, move it into the garage or something to keep all the critters out
clementine / 828 posts
@ValentineMommy: it is really cool! It feels just like real sand. It packs really well and holds its shape but as soon as you put a bit of pressure on it, it crumbles back into its original loose form. Its a bit pricey but totally worth it because it keeps my little guy occupied while I am cooking or cleaning in the kitchen
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@pinkcupcake: I think we might get one of those little sandboxes like the turtle or something like it with a lid so we can keep things out and keep it dry.
blogger / coconut / 8306 posts
We have that exact playhouse. Chloe LOVES it. It a surprisingly on the small side and she's almost too tall for it. I bet another summer or two and it will be outgrown for sure!
bananas / 9227 posts
I vote for a sandbox. DH just made one for DD and she loooves that thing.
grapefruit / 4862 posts
Sandboxes are just a mess. My parents had one built under our deck (huge!) and while animals relieving themselves somehow wasn't an issue, we got sand EVERYWHERE. They kept having to buy new sand. The last straw was when my sister and I and our two friends had a wet sand fight across our driveway. I honestly don't know how they cleaned it up. So my vote is playhouse! Or- what about a large play kitchen? That is more open/interactive for you guys to play with her.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@kjpugs: like that some playhouses have kitchens inside! I am now looking at more expensive ones, naturally, that are taller after what @mrs. jump rope said.
grapefruit / 4862 posts
@mediagirl: Let me find a picture and text you (since my cousin is in it) of theirs. We played with her in it a ton!
nectarine / 2079 posts
Personally, sandboxes are too high maintenance and gross for me, so I would go with playhouse. Plus, I remember as a child I was way more into pretend play into early adolescence and usually ignored our sandbox, so I think a playhouse would be used longer.
pomegranate / 3204 posts
DS has both and currently obsessed with his sand box, it is a mess but worth it because he loves it and keeps him entertained forever! He just got the sand box so that might be why he's more into it right now vs the play house. He loved his play house at first too!
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
We picked up a free to us sandbox (looks brand new) this weekend that someone who had just moved into a new house didn't want in their backyard. SCORE. Now on to the playhouse shopping...
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