beach baby (n)

a salty little sweetheart with sandy toes and a sunkissed nose

The idea of bringing a baby to the beach is both exciting and terrifying. And because I thought so, too, I did extensive research before taking mine to the beach this summer and am excited to share what worked for me. A few disclaimers before we get into it:

1. I did not take my babies swimming; therefor this post does not include tips for taking babies swimming at the beach. Mine stayed on shore and I let them sit in the water, but they did not go “swimming.”
2. The house I was staying in was close enough to the beach so I could take them back to the house if needed.
3. I stuck to the same schedule as we normally do on the weekends and worked around nap time, meaning I did not try to have them nap on the beach.
4. Have a realistic approach to your expectations. You may be gearing up for a beach day, when in all reality, you have a beach hour. Or you may have a I can’t get my kids to leave the beach day. We all want the Instagram worthy perfect picture of our kids playing in the sand, but you have to accept that it might not happen. Or, your baby may be playing and having so much fun, you don’t want to disturb her or bother her to take a picture. Knowing what you signed up for when deciding to take your baby to the beach will really help. As long as baby is safe, happy, and exploring new things, I call that a success!

1. Fitted Bed Sheet

This is seriously the coolest thing ever. You take a fitted bed sheet and flip it upside down, placing coolers, bags, etc. in the corners to keep its shape – just like if it were upside down on a mattress. This creates a space for babies to play that is not in the sand. It keeps toys and other belongings out of the sand as well.

I do feel the need to say this does not contain your baby. You will still need to sit with him/her. It is more for keeping sand out, not baby in.

2. Shade

You need shade. You need shade whether you have babies or not. Having one of those pop up tents is a game changer when it comes to shade. They are easy to set up/break down. And, many of them come in a bag that has wheels on it (yes, just like airport luggage.)

Also, check out this beach tent. This is another option when baby needs to take a nap or just needs a little time to get out of the elements.

3. Toys in a Laundry Mesh Bag

Let’s start with toys. My babies did not care for the typical beach toys other than to chew on them. I had a feeling this would be the case and only bought this little bucket and shovel pack from Target….oh and a cute little gardening tool set from the Target dollar spot. What? It had little rakes and shovels and a bucket – similar to beach toys in my opinion 🙂 What they did like to play with was their bath toys. I packed them in a mesh laundry bag which made hosing down with fresh water a breeze once we left the beach.

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4. Sunscreen/Sun Protection

I now understand why I’ve always seen pictures of babies and little kids slathered in white sunscreen. As a (new) parent, the last thing I want is for my babies to get sunburned! It’s almost a little terrifying thinking about it. Before heading to the beach, apply sunscreen all over baby. I like this Babyganics sunscreen. It has SPF 50 and is pediatrician approved! Yep – she commented on one of my posts and approves! Then, pay attention to the time and reapply as needed. One idea is to set a timer on your phone for whatever interval you want to reapply. Timer goes off, reapply sunscreen, go back to playing 🙂 Another tip for the beach – put the sunscreen in the cooler. It will help cool baby down.

I also highly advise having baby wear a hat (one with the strap underneath) and a rash guard to ensure you are fully protecting them from the sun.

5. Baggies for Dirty Diapers

Depending on the amount of time you’ll be at the beach, you’ll most likely have a dirty diaper or two. To avoid accidentally spilling the contents of the dirty diaper in your beach bag, bring baggies for dirty diapers – ziploc, old grocery store bags, or these diaper bags (I also keep these in my diaper bag/purse/etc.) With that said, swim diapers are probably best for your time at the beach.

6. Snacks

You will definitely want to have plenty of snacks when taking baby to the beach. One thing I would highly recommend is putting pouches in the cooler. Babies get hot and red faced easily, and feeding them a cold pouch will help cool them down. This is something I’ve started doing at home, too. I keep pouches in the refrigerator and after we play outside or go for walks, I give them one to cool down. Other snacks I brought to the beach were cheese sticks, puffs, and of course sippy cups with water and bottles.

7. Cornstarch

Pack cornstarch in your beach bag to apply when you are leaving the beach. The corn starch dries up the water and the sand falls right off. Works for adults as well. You’ll thank me later.

8. Fan

Attach a portable fan to your canopy to help cool baby (and you) down. Try this one out – it’s rechargeable and also doubles as a desk fan….or kitchen fan.

9. Clean Wash Cloths in Ziploc Bag in Cooler

No matter how hard you try to keep baby out of the sand, inevitably they will want to explore the new landscape. And you want them to play and explore, too. I had wash cloths in baggies in the cooler to a) cool baby down if needed and b) wipe them down if needed.

10. Fresh Water

Not just to drink, but to rinse out eyes and wash off hands. Bring plenty of it. Oh, and also for when baby decides they want to eat the sand.

Bonus

Having an all-terrain wagon to carry baby + beach items on the beach is a major PLUS! The babies love riding in the wagon and not having to carry all of your stuff is a huge help….especially at the end of the day when you are exhausted.

At the end of the day, you will most likely be exhausted. Baby will be tired and everyone need to get home and rest. Like I mentioned before, you need to have realistic expectations for your time at the beach. Also, going to he beach is a fun and new experience for baby. The sand, water, sea gulls, wind, salt, oh and did I mention sand are all new sensations, noises, textures that they will love to explore. Talk out loud to them and explain to them what you are seeing – sea gull, crab, waves, wind, sun, etc. Let them watch the birds, splash in the water, and eat the sand….well, ok, that’s your discretion – but they will have so much fun exploring!

Cheers – MP