I loved playing in the sandbox as a kid. I would spend hours making all kinds of amazing sand castles and turtles and such until nasty bugs invaded it and left their dead carcasses behind. Sandy summer fun was officially done after that. Yuck. I wish I would have known then that the sandbox bug protector I needed was sitting in the kitchen cabinet.

Thank goodness I know this now, because my daughter is currently obsessed with her sandbox.

Last weekend we celebrated Ella's half birthday; she is now 18 months old. (How did this happen so fast?!?) Yes, Ella may be a bit spoiled, but the half birthday celebration was simply an excuse to eat a badly decorated cake and give her the sandbox she would have gotten anyway.

Shannon Zimmerman, Townsquare Media
Shannon Zimmerman, Townsquare Media
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Ella loves her sandbox, although I think she still believes it is her job to cover the deck with sand and carry her shovels everywhere she goes. The sand has not stayed in there long enough yet to get bugs, but I will be adding this as soon as I get home today to make sure it never does: Add one cup of cinnamon to your sandbox and mix it in with the sand to repel ants, centipedes, flies and perhaps even the neighborhood cat! How simple is that? Even better yet, rumor has it that it will repel fleas and ticks too! Yay!

My only concern now is how to keep her from eating this sweet cinnamon smelling sand? So far she does not enjoy eating this gritty treat, but that could all change soon.

If your sandbox already has a bug problem, here's a few tips to get rid of them before adding the cinnamon.

Here's hoping your summer is filled with plenty of bug-free sandy fun!

 

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