Customer Reviews

Little Tikes Construction Sandbox

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

For 2 years I was against getting a sandbox. But then I saw this one and agreed to let my son have it for his 4th birthday. I just knew what a hit it would be since my two boys (4 & 2) just love playing construction site in the dirt. I should have stuck with my first instinct. The lid doesn't fit well, so needless to say there is often rain water in it- which is a breeding ground for mold, algae, and mosquitos. The digger is also awkward to use. I spend more time removing the water and wet sand than the amount of time my kids actually get to play with it. This toy has real potential but with the poor design it is a waste of money.

We wanted a basic sandbox and we came home something a little more elaborate. The fact that it was made by Little Tikes only drove the whole 'investment' theory home. It was easy to assemble and the kids had a great time UNTIL it rained. To say that it leaked is an understatement. The sand had to be replaced. Let's face it, when the sun is out, they want to play in the sand and who wants to wait a week for the sand to dry out? The lid never felt like it was in place the way it should be. Never a 'click' or a secure feeling that let you know it was on correctly. Since the lid didn't fit correctly, it also attracted all kinds of insects and it was resembling more of an aquarium than a sandbox. I never felt comfortable opening it up and allowing kids to just climb in. We got very little use from it and finally just gave it to charity since there wasn't a single person that wanted it after knowing what we'd been through. I think the concept is great but they have a long way to go in perfecting it. Sorry but I can't recommend this to anyone and I'm a huge fan of Little Tikes products.

My only comment is if you are not positioning this product out of the weather you may have a problem. It is not waterproof and mine stays full of water. When there is 300 lbs. of sand in it, it needs a way to drain. The top is only to keep out debris. Our sand is molded and has to be changed.

We got this fo rmy son for his 3rd birthday mainly because of the loader feature. Unfortunatly, the loader is really hard for him to operate, it is even pretty hard for us to do!
Putting it together was no picnis either!
The worst feature is the fact that the lid does NOT keep water out at all! I called Little Tikes and they advised me ot buy tarps. I think it is crazy, that I should have to buy more items to keep the sand from being soggy. Little Tikes claims the lid is not to keep the sand dry. What exactly is it for then?
The lid is also very flimsy, so if you are trying to use it as a ramp as they intend, it bows and sags under the weight of a truck with sand.
We buy a lot of Little Tikes toys and have never had such a let down. We paid alot for this and I do want to say Little Tikes did send us toys amounting to the total we spent. Still we are dissapointed.

My kids are really into construction, so I was excited to get this sandbox for them. I was very disappointed to find out that the lid does not fit well and there is constantly water in the sandbox. The water also gets in the dump bucket, even if you turn it over, it gets under the lip of the bucket. Very unsanitary, not to mention costly for all of the sand you have to replace. I would stick with the Turtle Sandbox, the kids seem to have more fun and it is less maintenance.

When I saw the ad for this sandbox I decided that my 2 year old son had to have it. Boy was I wrong. The box itself retains water when it rains, I had to drill holes in the bottom so the water could drain. As a result there is wet sand most of the time. The crane is difficult to work for kids of any age. My kids ended up playing in the neighbors turtle sandbox.

My business partner and I purchased this sandbox for our small pre-school. Alright..we admit it, we were dazzled by that cool crane...however, it is incredibly difficult to use. The kids spend more time sitting on it than digging with it. The cover does not do anything to keep water out, although it has provided us with a lovely science project as the kids have been able to see the sand turn a variety of colors from the algae and mold growing in it!(Hence the high rating for educational value!:)
A phone call to Little Tykes proved a waste of time and energy! Thank God for the reasonable people at Toys r Us in Bellingham, Ma. who helped us out!
Again....DO NOT BUY THIS.....a far better value and product is the Step 2 sandbox. It looks like natural stone, has 4 seats and keeps the water OUT!!!

The lid for this sand box is not water tight, the rain runs right into the box and pools there. We have had to throw away two sets of sand because mold/algae has grown on the sand.
A huge disappointment especially considering the price.

My boys recvd this sandbox for Xmas & it is just horrible....the rain leaks extremely bad....I finally decided to visit little tykes ' website and send some feedback about its construction....I wasnt expecting anything back but they ended up sending me a check for the purchase price of it....but it seems they arent going to change the way it is built anytime soon

i dont recommend this to anyone unless you have it under a cover of some sort

This sandbox is not what you would expect from Little Tikes. My son received it for his first birthday. It turned out to be the biggest disappointment. He only played in it a few times because it became a swimming pool when it rained, even with the lid and a tarp. The sand got moldy from being wet with puddles all the time. We never got the digger to work right - it was awkward even for adults. Little Tikes took care of the problem......they gave us a REFUND! We now have a sandbox from Step 2 which keeps the sand dry.