to NOT buy some new sand for the sandpit as it drives me insane, but the girls love it?

[Oliveoil]

have small sandpit

girls love it

need to replace festering sand from last year which they have been playing with for the last few (sunny) days

HOWEVER:

it gets everywhere
the garden is left looking like a beach
it gets everywhere
they need baths after playing outside
it gets everywhere
I hate it

so, AIBU to just put water in the sandpit and leave out the sand?

dd2 threw it around the garden and I got cross and said NO MORE SAND but may relent on the wisdom (or otherwise) of MN

Mine always want to play in it just before tea and then traipse sand all through the house. DH never here so he couldn't care less really about that!
Sand in hair is always a pain.

princesmel Do you want to be the woman that encourages OO into sand refusal, which then causes deep seated paediatric sand psychological disorder, which inevitably leads one of her dd's to run away from home (aged 15) to live with Huan the beach umbrella attendant in Corsica?

Do You ?

I'm sticking to my guns! Say 'no' to sand.

Just go to a playground , or school and they get plenty to play with there.

eurgh. Playground sand is full of cat turds.

Do you want to give OO's dds heinous eye infections Do you ?

trying to think of something bad about school sand.............

A HA

You can't do naked sand play at school can you? And therefore will have reduced premium childhood experience of sand in front bottom.

YANBU - DH and I have decided against sand this year. Sticking with water.

booooooooooooooo @ Funky

sand in the garden - not a problem, it's sand in the house, sand stuck on feet, in hair/pants/nose/ears sprinkled liberally in every room/bed/bath/toilet.

I am, however, buying a tramploine so I think I will be forgiven !

UPDATE:

Sand Was Purchased

I couldn't resist two pairs of huge blue eyes in begging mode on the school run yesterday

please mummy can we have sand we will be good pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease

so to Argos we went (me and dd2)

they played nicely yesterday and I swept muttering under my breath last night

tsk, parenting eh? the trials

Good for you OO. Sand encourages creative play and all that - my DCs made a very good Face of Boe in their sandpit at the weekend.

But you sweep up too much woman. Leave it until we get some rain and it will wash it away for you.

You are making me feel really bad now, I was going to be strong on the banning of the sandpit this year.
You have let me down !

lol, I am a pushover tbh

and you are right in that I sweep too much

but I like a tidy house (no chance with children I know)

I last week expectantly spent 150 quid on a huge new sandpit. We were all overjoyed at the time. My knickers and bed are now permanently sandy. I hate it very very very much this week.

I just repeat "sand stays in the sandpit" over and over like a broken record. Dses are 7 and 4 now and they're not bad at keeping most of it in, so is not too messy.

Old sand gets dug into flowerbeds and sprinkled on lawn (really bad drainage here - clay soil) so not wasted.

I have long since learned though to keep it covered when visiting children come over. After once having to sweep piles of sand off all the patio chairs and table, and picked up ds2 (then 18mths) to find that visiting child had poured half the sandpit down the back of ds2's neck, I vowed never again.