Calcean Play Sand Review

We tried Calcean's Baha Play Sand. Here's everything you need to know about it!

Raise your hand if your kid is obsessed with Kinetic sand. Now raise your hand if you would love a less sticky, more environmentally-friendly alternative that's just as much fun.

Sometime during the pandemic (I really have no idea at what point this happened) I caved to Alexis's numerous requests and bough a small Kinetic sand set to keep her occupied. And while I haven't regretted the decision, because she has loved every minute she's had with it, I have not loved this added layer of cleanup. Let's face it - Kinetic sand does not stay where it's meant to stay and it's not the easiest thing in the world to keep tidy. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been putting off buying a replacement.

So when my friend reached out to me about her company's play sand and asked if Alexis would like to try it out, I jumped at the opportunity.

Let's get the science part out of the way. Calcean's Baha Play Sand is made from Oolitic Aragonite and is up to 98 percent pure calcium carbonate. It is a naturally renewable resource that is tasteless, odorless, and dustless. It's also free of silica and quartz. It's non-toxic and safe for both children and pets.

Now on to the fun part!

We received our shipment of Baha Play Sand last week. Alexis had no idea it was coming, so it worked out to be another birthday surprise.

The colored play sand comes in seven colors plus its  natural state. Your choices are Sunset Red, Flamingo Pink, Aqua Blue, Palm Green, Onyx Black, Orange Sherbet and Sunny Yellow.

We got her set up at the kitchen table and let her open the box on her own (check out our unboxing video on Instagram). When she saw the bags of colorful sand, she was so excited.

We received samples of the pink, yellow, and a limited-edition purple.

The play sand is available to order in two sizes: 0.50 cu. ft. and 0.20 cu. ft. Obviously, we did not receive that much since we just got samples, but the sizes are perfect for sand tables and sand boxes.

Like I mentioned earlier, we received a pretty purple colored sand. Calcean created the color on accident and have not been able to replicate it, but they are offering it in limited quantities as an Easter special right now, so go check out their Facebook page for details on how to get your hands on a bag.

Alexis wanted to dive right in to play with the bag of pink. Since we don't have a sand table, I grabbed a plastic serving tray that we use for parties. It helped to keep the sand contained but was big enough that she was able to have fun with it.

The sand is incredibly smooth. The grains are round in texture. They'll be great for building sandcastles or whatever else Alexis comes up with.

Just a couple of notes from a parent perspective. The colored sand will leave your hands a little discolored, but it washes off easily with soap and water (at least when you wash immediately after handling).

Like all kids, Alexis did not keep the sand fully contained to the tray I gave her to use, but it was easy to clean up using a small brush and dustpan. I followed that up with a quick wipe down using a Clorox wipe. The sand did not leave any color residue on my table.

We also left the sand out for a few hours while we ran a couple of errands. Other than our cat checking it out and leaving little pink footprints across the table top (that were easily cleaned up), the sand was still in pristine condition.

Calcean play sand is available for purchase on their website as well as online at Amazon or Home Depot.

Special thanks to Calcean for partnering with Mommy the Journalist for this post.