10 Best Sandpits 2024 | UK Paediatrician Reviewed

If there's one thing that's more fun for a child than playing in their sandpit, it's playing in a sandpit with a sibling or friend. This roomy sandpit allows just that and, even better, it includes two perfectly child-sized benches that they can sit on as they play! 

It is made from a beautiful, rustic wooden construction, and most ingeniously of all, the two benches can be folded away to form a lid that'll keep the sand and protected in all weathers. This is clearly a sandpit made with thought and care - we love it.

They're great fun, but sandpits can be quite hefty bits of furniture. Wouldn't it be nice if they could also serve some other kind of purpose when not in use? These were clearly thoughts running through the heads of the designers at Plum when they made this table which also functions as a picnic bench when not being played with.

Kids will love the two compartments for holding both sand and water, while grown-ups will love the fact that it converts into a useful piece of garden furniture – and a pretty decent one at that, made entirely from FSC-certified timber. An excellent piece of craftsmanship that you won't regret purchasing.

A list of the best sandpits just wouldn't be complete without the Little Tikes turtle. Its cute design, friendly face and easily removable turtle shell lid have remained popular since its first release over 40 years ago.

There's more than just a famous name to this sandpit, however, as it can hold an impressive 68 kg of sand, features moulded details on the bottom to encourage digging, and even includes two in-built seats. Add in the fact that Mr Turtle can just as easily be used as a paddling pool, and you've got yourself a pretty brilliant kids' toy!

It might look overly simple at first glance, but the versatility of this play tray makes it one of the 'must-have' kiddy play accessories. With a large surface area and elevated sides, it's perfect for pretty much every kind of messy play, whether that's building sandcastles or exploring textures.

Parents will love that its flat surface means that mess is contained and easy to clean away, while kids will love having plenty of space for exploration. You can even buy stands to elevate the tray, making it suitable for older kids, too. It's affordable, versatile and it comes in 10 different colourways.

You may have driven in a car, but have you ever built sandcastles in one? Kids with a passion for vehicles will love this cool sandpit, which features a painted car design, a comfy seat and a cute little steering wheel.

Not just about looking flash, this sandpit is also highly convenient when it comes to design, with a weatherproof cover to prevent the sand and wood from getting wet, a fully secured underlay and even a storage box beneath the bonnet. The perfect sandpit for playing in style and for cute photo opportunities as well.

Sand is fun for children to play in, but there's no doubt that it can get incredibly messy. It often spills out onto the lawn, and toys get strewn all over. Not so with this ingenious sandpit, which features a dedicated compartment for storing toys and a groundsheet and protective cover for spillages.

It looks smart too, with an FSC-certified timber construction that has been hand-painted and rounded corners for keeping little ones safe. To top it all off, it comes flat-packed and pre-drilled, making it incredibly easy to assemble.

For kids, there's nothing better than a sunny day spent playing in the sand. As the time flies by, however, your child could be at risk of sun burn. That's why we think this sandpit's adjustable, built-in, UV-protected shade is such a good idea.

Of course, you'll still need to keep the suncream close at hand, but being shielded from direct sunlight will grant your child an extra level of protection. Its rounded corners and FSC-approved treated-wood construction are appealing too. The canopy can be lowered onto the sand to act as a cover, but it isn't robust enough to stay outside all year round.

These smart-looking FSC-approved wooden tables are designed for hours of outdoor sand and water fun play. Then they cleverly nest together to save space when put away.

The sand table comes with a cover too, but this part isn't going to last outside all year round, plus the cover has two pre-cut out holes in the top - allowing heavy rain in. Apart from that (and the many pieces to construct when it arrives as flat pack) this sand and water table combo will provide hours of fun.

Why go for a simple sandpit when you go for a fully fledged piece of garden furniture? The sandbox part of this item is fairly standard, but it becomes all the more impressive when you consider that's it attached to a shaded, miniature wooden veranda.

With wooden decking and railings too, this is essentially a smart piece of garden furniture shrunk down to child-size. The pit itself is fairly small however, so it is most suitable for just one child to use at a time.

This no-frills sandpit serves equally well as a paddling pool! We'd actually suggest buying two of these - so you can have one as a dedicated (and clean and dry) sandpit, whilst using the top shell as a lid and as a paddling pool.  

It's at the bottom of our rankings, as if you buy just one shell it is a faff to empty after each use - you can't leave an open sandpit outside as you risk cats using it as a toilet and insects and rain will get in too. However, if you do buy two of these, then together they make an excellent buy.