A sandbox, by tradition, is a section of network that remains separate from the larger network in order to run tests through it or, as has been the case more recently, isolate it for security purposes. This is a concept that was readily adopted by search engines when they began to review the validity of potential rankings for newly launched websites and, therefore, a way to keep these fledgling rankings safely away from the larger network during the review period. Webmasters and SEO gurus are currently, as they always have been, looking for ways to minimise or optimise their stay in the sandbox or even to avoid it all together.
Anything that strays from the obvious in these matters runs the risk of appearing underhand. If the site is well built with genuine links, both inbound and outbound, then it will be recognised and rewarded. Any period taken by the search engine to compound its assessment of your website is a positive thing as it is possibly arresting and removing any unethical competitors from your area of interest.
Also, an often forgotten key area of interest for search engines is growth: the idea that a site should develop and expand over time, growing in importance and relevance as it does so. Search engines do not like ebay or myspace clones that appear overnight. This idea is crystallised in the concept of a sandbox - a necessary nursery to groom and grade sites before they are planted in the sun or in the shade. Attempts to escape your period in the sandbox are merely attempts to escape the workings of search engines; not only are you attempting to run before you can crawl but you are attempting to run straight into heavy traffic.
In summary: search engines sandbox for a reason, and you should not be it.
However, if you have just launched your site, it does make sense to recognise your time in the sandbox rather than pretending it is a day at the beach. It is a great opportunity to investigate and experiment, to make concrete your site's direction and begin to reach out to other similar sites to let them know that you are new to the neighborhood. The sandbox cannot be avoided but should be viewed as a growth period where your site can develop trusted links while recognising its infancy.
