I like beach sand the best. Builders sand is very course and kind of hurts.

If you can get beach sand I'd think that would be the best. We have mason sand in our sand box and it works great. It is a bit dusty at first, but the first soaking rain seems to stop that. It's REALLY cheap too especially if you have a pick-up, which is good since it washes away slowly and you'll need to refill it every 2-3 years. Our children have a ball in the sand box- and next year we're expanding it from 6x6 to 12x8 so the boys will have more room for their tunnels and roads and volcanos.

actually, the best sand to use for a sand box is one that has NO dust or fine crystalline. These are known carcinogenics for children and is the primary reason you don't see sand at any playgrounds anymore. Places like Home Depot and Lowe's and even Toys-r-us carry sand that has been washed, screened and dried and is free of dust so it is the safest for your children to play in. We bought the Quikrete playsand from Lowe's and it has worked great! I wet it down before letting my kids play in it and they will generally play in it for hours! If it's an especially warm day, than I wet it down multiple times/ day. Beach sand is going to have a lot of contaminates in it and Masonry sand is going to have a lot of dust, so I wouldn't recommend either of those.

"actually, the best sand to use for a sand box is one that has NO dust or fine crystalline. These are known carcinogenics for children and is the primary reason you don't see sand at any playgrounds anymore. Places like Home Depot and Lowe's and even Toys-r-us carry sand that has been washed, screened and dried and is free of dust so it is the safest for your children to play in. We bought the Quikrete playsand from Lowe's and it has worked great! I wet it down before letting my kids play in it and they will generally play in it for hours! If it's an especially warm day, than I wet it down multiple times/ day. Beach sand is going to have a lot of contaminates in it and Masonry sand is going to have a lot of dust, so I wouldn't recommend either of those."

http://www.quikrete.com/PDFs/MSDS-B4-Playsand.pdf educate yourself sunny_wells_comcast_net before telling people to buy products that are just as dangerous and 5x as expensive. If your supper concerned about buying from a sand pit just wash the sand before placing it in your sandbox, and wet down the sand every time they play so the partials don't become air borne. PS even though crystalline silica is dangerous i don't think any kid is going to play long enough to have serious health conditions from it unless you live where its windy all the time, and sand is all around you ex: Sahara Desert...

Yes - VERY IMPORTANT -no dust! If you see dust when the child is playing that is silica dust and is terrible for humans to breathe; it's carcinogenic. I am a contractor and wear a mask whenever mixing silica products. I was bewildered when I bought "Play Sand" at Home Depot and my child was playing in a whirl of dust with every tiny shovel movement! I don't know how they can sell it. Toy's R'us has an excellent product that seems to be dust free.

As for the rain cleaning it, I keep my sandbox covered so the sand remains pure. It's a plastic toy sandbox that comes with a cover. Quality play sand should be sterile. If the kids are older and its uncovered I think its okay.

I really likeJurassic Sands for our sandbox. It is all natural sands from deserts across the western united states. The owner did a great series on how to pick a great play sand for your sandbox. I would not get sand from a home improvement store.

There is a bit of ignorance on all ends with quikrete play sand. Yes it is dusty,yes it is dangerous when dusty, and it sucks they use such a fine grade for children. But if you read the paperwork Quikrete specifically states to wet down the sand before letting your kids to play in it. They know it's dusty and harmful hence the instructions to wet it.

I looked at Jurassic Sands but at $69.95 a bag vs $4 a bag it is not affordable when a normal sandbox is a good 5 or 6 bags.

Totally understandable, but the $4 bags are basically dirt and dust. Just depends on what you're looking for. I've had my sand for over 6 years now and if you spread the cost over the life of the product (should never need to be replaced unless shoveled out of the sandbox) becomes a little easier to swallow. But just depends on your situation.

Cool, sounds like a great product

Keep it covered when not in use! Had a sandbox for my sons when they were little. Sadly, the neighborhood cats found it. End of sandbox.

Industrial sand often contains fine silica dust and really shouldn't be used for sandboxes, as that dust can be inhaled, which isn't good for you.

Dust-free sand (Such as Sakrete play sand) or non-silica sand (Such as Sandtastik) would be your best choice.