TIPS, TRICKS, and HACKS for taking little kids to the beach
Y’all. Traveling is a lot of work before kids, but when kids come into the mix it makes going places even harder. These tips have helped make family travel a little bit easier for us. What else would you add to the list for taking a toddler or baby to the beach?
1) Travel with family or friends
Trips with just your spouse and kids are good and fun, but it’s also so fun (and helpful) to sometimes travel with others!
Think about going to the beach with:
- Friends who have kids your kids’ ages– so everyone has a friend there; you could also trade off babysitting services and let each couple have a date night!
- Your family of origin or your spouse’s – it’s so fun and good for kids to get extended time with grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins
- A nanny/babysitter– if it’s financially an option, bring your nanny or a trusted babysitter!
2) Go to a beach that allows tents
Tents are great places for naps, cooling off, sitting down for a snack and juice box, and helpful to keep phones and drinks out of the sun.
They’re also good landmarks for littles to look for while playing.
We love these tents; we even put two side-by-side when other families join us.
They’re great places to relax, chat, snack, or nap, while gearing up for the next bout of sun.
3) Rashguards, Sunscreen, and sunhats
I cant imagine anything much worse than a sunburned baby!
While baby bikinis and belly-baring-baby-boys are soooo cute, we choose to cover as much of our little kids’ skin as we can.
We love rash guards and long-sleeved bathing suits!
Sunscreen isn’t recommended for babies under 6 months– so keep those little ones under the shade as much as possible.
For kids older than 6 months, we use either Blue Lizard or Aveeno. They both work great!
We apply sunscreen before we put on bathing suits (while at the house), so we don’t have to rub it on while on the sandy beach.
These sunhats were great this summer! They’re thin, don’t absorb water when the get wet, and have chin straps to keep them on.
4) Snacks on snacks on snacks!
Bring.all.the.snacks! Pack more than you think you’ll need.
Throw some juice boxes in the cooler, and don’t forget the water and formula if you have a baby that needs it!
Our favorite beach snacks:
- watermelon
- strawberries
- Beef/Turkey sticks
- crackers
- rice rusks (for crawling/walking babies)
- nuts (very very small bits for toddlers; none for babies- they are choking hazards until age 4)
- trail mix (I threw random snacks we needed to get rid of into a bigger bag to take with us as both car and beach snacks- cheerios, goldfish, pretzels, and marshmallows).
- Tip: We also made sure to
have cash with usborrow cash from my dad to buy Italian ice a few days we were out there- yumm!!
Final Thoughts on Beach Trips with Little Kids
I hope these are helpful for y’all! Let me know what other things have helped you take your toddler or baby to the beach!
Be sure to read my “5 Tips for Travel with Young Kids” for more tips to help you survive your family trips!
Lots of love,
