My son loves this toy, it's hard to keep him away from it! We put rice in the sand side, instead of sand, it's much easier to clean up on our patio, and he really likes the texture. Sometimes we also just fill the entire toy with water on hot days. We purchased it for him for his second birthday, and all the kids loved playing in it during his party. The only down side is that the umbrella isn't adjustable, and in Southern California, shade is necessary almost all year round.