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Few things say "summer" to a small child than sand and water. If Cordy had her way, she would spend all day at a beach somewhere, digging in the sand and playing in the water. But we don't live anywhere close to a beach, and there are several days I don't feel like leaving the house. Earlier this summer, we considered buying a sandbox, but the idea of sand in every crevice of my toddler wasn't an exciting one. I also didn't feel like wrestling her into a swim diaper and bathing suit anytime she wanted to play with water. Then I discovered the Little Tikes Sand and Water Table.

This table is the perfect summer backyard accessory. It's divided into two areas - one side for sand, and the other side for water. The water side has a drain so you can easily let the water out when you're done playing. It also includes two plastic boats to float down the waterways, plus a shovel and two small buckets for digging in the sand. There are two major benefits to a table: your toddler isn't sitting in the sand, plus it won't kill the grass underneath like a sandbox would.

The table is a good height for most toddlers, including my Amazon child. She leans over it a little, but the height ensures that smaller toddlers can also reach over the edge. When not in use, it has a cover that is secured with two bungee straps. This keeps the sand clean and dry, and keeps all sorts of animals and insects out of the sand, too.

Not only does it have a handy cover, it also has an umbrella for sunny days! Seriously, they thought of everything for this table. The umbrella is the right height for toddlers, which means if you want to play also, you'll need to kneel down to get under the umbrella. The umbrella also folds down and stores inside the table when not in use.

Cordy adores her sand and water table, and begs to play with it every time we go out into the backyard. Of course, even though there are separate areas for sand and water, you can imagine that they don't stay apart for long. Toddlers love chaos, after all. We've had some sand dumped into the water, but thanks to the drain you can let the water out at the end of the day, let the table dry out, then scoop up the sand and put it back on the other side.

It also doesn't guarantee a clean child at the end of the day. Cordy still finds ways to get sand in her shoes, and her shirt is usually wet after she's done playing, but the damage is minimal compared to a visit to the park's sandbox. And at least I know what hasn't been digging in the sand in our Little Tikes Sand and Water table.