Customer Reviews

Little Tikes Builder's Bay Sand & Water Table

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We purchased this toy this spring and it has been quite popular with my 2 and 4 year olds. However, after less than 4 months outside, it is showing some signs of wear. The elastics that hold the top panels on when it isn't being used are totally stretched out and don't hold the top on. The table fills up with water each time it rains (big mess!). The umbrella is pretty flimsy and has to be stored inside or it blows away with a little wind.

The kids really make a mess with this and never did keep water on one side and sand on the other. If you are the kind of parent who likes order, this toy will drive you crazy as the kids will constantly mix water with sand and sand with water. The crane isn't all that fun and just gets in the way. Overall, the kiddos like it, but it is a bit pricey for what you actually get.

I bought this a year ago. It is expensive and i expected better quaility for the price. Ties are not holding the lids on so it fills with water and it gets funky sand. The crain broke (the coolest part) last year about 4 months after purchase. There is also not a whole lot you can do with the way its set up. No room for sand castles but more room for a nasty sand mote which happends every time it rains. I would not recommend this product.

My boys ages 3 1/2 years and 17 months love the table. We've put sand on both sides of the table. They like to haul the sand from one side to the other. The digger will dump a little bit of sand outside the table but it's not too bad. The boys end up dumping it on their own anyway with the digger. It is a little shallower than I had expected but it doesn't seem to bother them. I am happy with my purchase. If your kids are into hauling loads of sand they will love this table. It is not really big enough for other types of sand play beacuse of the roads and ramps.

We bought this 2 years ago. The base is very sturdy and has taken two years of abuse, including being left outside all winter. However, within a few months of purchase the ties were completely stretched out and the plug that held the water in stopped working. I called Little Tykes which said it would take 8 weeks! to send me free replacements. Well - that was the end of the summer, so that wasn't a grand solution, but I took it. They sent a complete set of all accessories (ties, plugs, crane, truck, etc.) The new ties were just as bad as was the plug. The kids definitely mix the sand and water since the two sides are connected but they don't seem to care. There is no place for a sand castle, as another reviewer mentioned, but the road part is cool. The umbrella lasted well over a year of being left out all the time and then my kids started taking it out and playing with it around the yard and it bit the dust. We didn't leave it up in the wind, but I didn't really expect it to be wind-proof so I was pleased with this. We used another standard beach umbrella to replace it and I was glad that it fit in the hole. the only complaint on the umbrella is that it was pretty low so as an adult it was hard to get under it and play with the kids. I like the way the base is curved which makes it easy to keep the kids separate. Also, with the raised bottom of the sand table, you can store buckets and shovels underneath, since not much fits inside.

overall, I give this a bad review because you can't keep the rain out unless you literally cover it with a tarp. After the ties wore out, we tried just putting small logs on top to weigh down the tops but they would not stay waterproof. The ties were elastic that went underneath and pressed into place, so there was no way to jerryrig another solution. Given that the covers were a big reason why I bought it, this was a big issue. If you plan to use this somewhere covered, the rest of the toy is pretty good, but given the high price, I would look to another one before this.

I purchased this sand and water table for my 21 month old son.
He loved his regular sandbox but was always getting so dirty. Now this table allows him to get up and move around the table and haul lots of sand. The crane is really fun. However, sand does get into the turning mechanism but that is to be expected. The umbrella is nice to have on it too so it can save him from some sun. Though we needed to anchor it down because it kept blowing away. My son runs outside everyday to play with it and loves it. It is pretty easy to put together if you have a magnet on the end of your screwdriver to hold the screws. Great price for tons of fun.

My son loves trucks, excavators, sand and water. This seemed like the perfect product to keep him busy for hours. Needless to say it does. He uses it most every day and loves all the toy trucks that came with it. He likes to make the boat go around the water canal and endlessly scoops and dumps the sand.

We like the umbrella as it helps to keep the sun off of him while he is playing outside. It has plastic covers to keep the cats and other critters out while not in use and the water area is easy to drain.

The product was very easy to assemble, but I used a power screwdriver with the long leg screws. Made in the USA at a reasonable price, really sold me on it.

We saw this sand/water table last year at our son's preschool. All the kids loved it and it withstood everyone playing with it for the entire Summer. This year, we bought it for our own backyard - and are very pleased. Our son enjoys using the digger and toys that come with it, as well. Great play table for our patio! We had it in our family room for the first couple days - and he played with it, then, too. Love it!! A++++ Our son is 3 years - will turn 4 in a few months. Loved this table at 2 years! If they enjoy digging, trucks, and that sort of thing - then this table will be a real hit!

This was a great toy when my son was 20 months old and just able to stand at the box and play. Now that he is 2 and 1/2, he wants to sit in it and demolish his sand art. I was so excited to get this home and have my son experience a unique water table & sand box. He loves to play in the water. Unfortunately, we now leave the water side dry. He started dumping sand (and anything else he could find...flowers, rocks, dirt) into the water. After about 5 minutes of play the water is murky and has to be drained/refilled. Currently, we have it on our covered back patio. Therefore, there is sand all over the patio too. The elastic ties had degraded in about two months (a lot of things cannot take the Arizona heat). He still has difficulty operating the crane arm. Overall, it is a cute sandbox, but I think it is best for small children. If I had to buy a sandbox again it would be one that is large and sits on the ground.

First, we were a bit disappointed when this table arrived at our front door with the box wide open. I had to quickly get the kids away from the door so they didn't see what they were getting for Christmas--so I could inspect the box to be sure all parts were safely tucked inside. Satisfied that they were, I tried putting the table together. The instructions state that a hand-held screwdriver is necessary to bore pilot holes--through 2 to 3 layers of moderately thick plastic--and insert screws in said holes. I'm not He-man, nor is my dh (who is a fairly strong and healthy handyman for one of his trades), so a screwgun is HIGHLY recommended. And a strong arm, as well, as it's hard to bore through all that plastic to create your own holes to attach the legs to the table. Once done, the table seems very sturdy, and it's REALLY cute. I think it will be used a lot when it finally warms outside, but for now, it's sitting yet unused. This is a very different sandbox from any others I have seen, and I expect it to be used a lot this upcoming spring.

excellent sand box. Bought this for our daughter's 3rd birthday. She loves it. We had 10 kids at the party and it fit 7 comfortably around the table. Would highly recommend this.