To The Beach!
Easy Ways to Have Fun in the Sun with Little Ones
This is my fourth summer as a mommy. Before kids, I looked forward to this time of year, knowing it would mean carefree days at the beach, riding the waves on a boogie board, laying in the sand, listening to music and reading mindless magazines for hours. In these past four summers, however, I’ve learned that while the beach is still one of my favorite places, it is a completely different animal with young children in tow.
I’ll always remember my first trip to the beach as a mom. My firstborn was 8 months old. He had just barely started crawling and couldn’t do much more than sit in the hot sand or sit in the wet sand. He screamed when sand covered his hands, cried when sharp shells touched his feet, and was generally hot and annoyed the whole time. We lasted less than an hour, and I left in tears, thinking this was just one more thing that would never be the same since I’d had kids.
Now, however, I like to think beach trips with the kiddos are my specialty. My younger son hit the beach for the first time last summer at just under 2 months old, and we go quite often now that the boys are 1 and almost 4 years old. Here are the tips I’ve come up with for fun, successful, (mostly) tear-free beach trips with little ones:
- Apply sunscreen at home…so much easier without the sand! You’ll likely need to reapply at the beach, but why not take advantage of a sand and wind free environment for at least the first layer?
- Bring many buckets, shovels, and sand toys. We keep these in the trunk at all times for impromptu beach stops. We like to have extras so the kids can offer to share with other kids who might have forgotten them!
- Buy a big beach umbrella. Older kids can make castles under it in the shade. Newborns and younger babies can enjoy the scenery from their infant car seat or on a towel in the safety of the shade.
- Speaking of newborns, check with your pediatrician for his or her specific sunscreen recommendations if your baby is under 6 months old. I’ve noticed all brands seem to say they’re only for 6 months and up. I panicked when I saw this. My younger son was born in May. Did this mean no beach all summer? Our pediatrician said if you’re using a good quality sunscreen designed for babies, you can apply it to young babies. We used California Baby on our 2 month old, and of course, a hat.
- Embrace the sand. You will never avoid getting it everywhere, and you shouldn’t bother trying. We went to Fort Myers Beach on a family vacation when my younger son was 9 months old. He crawled through the sand and was perpetually covered, from neck to toes, for most of the vacation. He loved every second of it. We called him the little sea turtle, laughed about it, and just made sure to rinse him well.
- Bring snacks….so many snacks. I don’t know why, but my kids get so hungry at the beach!
- Plain tap water from home in a jug is wonderful for rinsing feet before getting in the car if there’s not a foot rinse at the beach. The sand in the car hardly phases me anymore, but the kids don’t enjoy it on their feet on the ride home.
- Even the insulated sippy cups never seem to really keep drinks cold, in my experience, so we pack a reusable water bottle filled with ice for each person. The ice melts into cool water just about the time we are thirsty, and you don’t need to lug a giant cooler with you, which, I might add, is NOT fun with kids.
- If your kids are old enough, bring ice cream truck money! The ice cream truck is a huge treat here, as it never comes by our house, so I remind my older son to bring a dollar in case he wants a popsicle.
- Baby wipes are useful for so much more than wiping tiny bottoms. We use them to wipe of salty hands before a beach lunch, cleaning off a sippy cup that was accidently dropped in the sand, and wiping off sweaty, sunscreen-and-popsicle covered faces, arms, tummies, necks, legs…
CT Working Moms 
[…] go, and I haven’t let having young kids change that in the least. Last year, I put together some tips for fun at the beach with babies and toddlers. Well, this summer, my oldest is nearly five (gulp!) and I have some new tips for the parents of […]
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[…] and I haven’t let having young kids change that in the least. Last year, I put together some tips for fun at the beach with babies and toddlers. Well, this summer, my oldest is nearly five (gulp!) and I have some new tips for the parents of […]
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[…] Sarah had some great tips for traveling to the beach with the kiddos. In a few weeks we will be heading to the beach for […]
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Thank you so much for your post! Nora has yet to go to the beach, something we wanted to remedy this summer. But I had no clue where to begin with the gear! Thanks for the suggestions. Any tips on picking a good beach umbrella big enough for everyone, and sturdy? I’d seen those baby tent-like things – not necessary? Also, how do you lug everything out from the car to the sand? Do a couple tote bags do? So many logistical questions! I don’t want this to be the thing holding me back from beachy fun!
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I personally didn’t like the baby tent- it got SO hot inside, and Nora probably wouldn’t want to stay in it anyway. The umbrella has worked better for us. I just have a cheap RE brand Target one…I think I paid $10 for it? However, the one Dena suggeste (the Sport Brella) looks FAR superior. As far as lugging….the umbrella has a strap so that goes on my arm, Nate carries the beach toys for me (yay!!!!), and the other gear goes inside an LL Bean tote bag 🙂 I leave the extra clothes and diaper gear in the trunk and just change them at the car if need be. Definitely give it a whirl!! I bet Nora would love it. It’s like having the world’s biggest sandbox!!
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I just had to say we LOVE LOVE LOVE Happy Baby Organic Yogurt melts. I don’t know what we would do without them. I think they were her first finger food and still at 20months she loves them. I was so happy when BJs started carrying them in a 3 pack for about 1/2 the price as Target has them for.
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I am making mental notes for our beach vaycay next month!! We took jake to Ogunquit last summer, but he was tiny tiny and he really had no interest in venturing out of the beach tent! This year? different story! great ideas about bringing a jug of water for wash offs, baby wipes for everything, and SNACKS!! What kinds of snacks do you bring for your two? I was thinking goldfish crackers, blueberries, but… what else? Normally Jake will snack on deli turkey, yogurt and fruits, but those are definitely NOT sand/beach friendly!
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Oooo have fun, Marie!! My snacks ALWAYS include GoGo Squeez applesauce pouches, Annie’s prepackaged snacks (cheddar bunnies, bunny grahams, and gummy bunnies!), and Happy Baby Organic Yogurt melts…all huge hits. Also, my almost 4 year old practically lives on Cliff Z-Bars for lunch (smaller Cliff bars made just for kids). They’re in the nutrition bar aisle of Target. Love them!
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I have heard baby powder helps get sand off of skin. I haven’t tried it myslef; has anyone else tried it?
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I almost included that, as a good friend swears by it, but since I haven’t tried it personally, I didn’t. Perhaps I will next time!! If you try it first…let us know!!
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Another life saver for my babies who hated the sand was a babypool with a couple inches of ocean water under the umbrella. They would play for hours with toys in there.
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That’s a GREAT idea!! Love it!!
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