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I live fifteen minutes from the beach. Ok, don’t leave yet! I’m not calling this out just to rub pure white sand in your face, or douse you with a cold wave of my-life-is-always-coming-up-seashells. This is more like giving myself a lobster-claw slap in the face. I live fifteen minutes from the beach and I can count the number of times I actually GO to the beach every year, on one hand. I wouldn’t even rule it out that all I really need from that one hand is a hesitant thumbs-up. I know, it’s embarrassing. There are many reasons why you won’t find my toes in the sand on a daily basis: I have two children under three-and-a-half years of age, I work full-time outside of the home, this work is helping support my husband’s full-time schooling efforts to get his master’s degree and teaching credential, my skin is not the bestest of friends with the sun, and let’s see, what else…oh yeah, my kids don’t like it.
Yup. I’m sure some of you are thinking, they’re crazy. What kid doesn’t love the beach?! And some of you are thinking, this totally makes sense. Like many of life’s hurdles, the same applies to sandcastles and body surfing – practice makes perfect. And if we take a step back even further, you just have to get used to seagull poop and playing hide-and-seek with sand (hiding all up in your baby bits). Sand: 25 You: 0
This elementary courtship phase is where my kiddos are at. They’re warming up to the idea of the beach. And seeing this budding romance start to grow, has me looking forward to beach days in our future. So don’t worry if your toddler starts to nervously cry, or even scream, as you try to coach them close to the sand. Keep at it and they will start to warm-up – literally and figuratively.
As we make more and more visits to the beach, I’m learning lots about what to take and what not to take. I want to be prepared for everything, without having to go back-and-forth to the car twenty-five times. Here are some must haves:
- Beach Tote
– You need something to hold your insane amount of towels, swim diapers, sunscreen, flip flops, snacks, wallet, sunglasses, phone…you get the point. This great beach tote
, is nice because it’s mesh (allowing less sand to come home with you in the car) and has a hidden compartment/cooler.
- Pop-up tent
– remember what I said about not being the bestest of friends with the sun? You’ll want a place to take cover and have a sand time-out. There are lots to pick from, but make sure it can be folded up to be fairly compact and isn’t as frustrating as a rubix cube when you’re trying to fold it back up.
- Waterproof cell phone case
– When your kids do decide they want to brave the waves, or request a moat around their sandcastle, you don’t want a phone spill or slip to dampen the day (pun intended).
- Dry/empty bags
– You’ll discover that you set-up your beach camp about a mile from the nearest trash can, or that you need to put something dirty or wet in a separate space.
- Lunch, not just snacks, with a cooler
– I’ve done this several times now. I only bring a few snacks to the beach, thinking we probably won’t end up staying that long. But as the kids are warming up to the idea of beach days, I’m scrounging for my last box of raisins, which have now been used to decorate a sandcastle. Bring lunch – sandwiches, salami and crackers, veggie chips, grapes. A couple baggies of goldfish and a granola bar alone, won’t keep the little tummies happy for very long.
- Beach toys
– you don’t need to get fancy. Having the ability to dig and fill a bucket with sand or water is still one of life’s simple pleasures. Don’t forget the mesh tote to carry your toys.
- Sunscreen – I never realized that finding the right sunscreen for my kids would be the longest game of trial-and-error. The universe keeps bringing me back to good ol’ Coppertone
, but I’m a fan of Babyganics
as well.
- Utility Wagon
and Beach Chairs
– Unfortunately we’re always limited with how much we can carry. With toddlers who don’t want to walk, you’re even more limited. A wagon can help transfer all of your beach day gear, and assuming there is a little room to spare, even one of the kids.
- Baby Powder – I learned a fun fact this summer! Baby Powder helps to remove sand. So bring a container of baby powder, and when it’s time to dust off the kids, give it a try. There’s even a baby powder mitt
on the market!
– You need something to hold your insane amount of towels, swim diapers, sunscreen, flip flops, snacks, wallet, sunglasses, phone…you get the point. This great 
, is nice because it’s mesh (allowing less sand to come home with you in the car) and has a hidden compartment/cooler.
– remember what I said about not being the bestest of friends with the sun? You’ll want a place to take cover and have a sand time-out. There are lots to pick from, but make sure it can be folded up to be fairly compact and isn’t as frustrating as a rubix cube when you’re trying to fold it back up.
– When your kids do decide they want to brave the waves, or request a moat around their sandcastle, you don’t want a phone spill or slip to dampen the day (pun intended).
– You’ll discover that you set-up your beach camp about a mile from the nearest trash can, or that you need to put something dirty or wet in a separate space.
– I’ve done this several times now. I only bring a few snacks to the beach, thinking we probably won’t end up staying that long. But as the kids are warming up to the idea of beach days, I’m scrounging for my last box of raisins, which have now been used to decorate a sandcastle. Bring lunch – sandwiches, salami and crackers, veggie chips, grapes. A couple baggies of goldfish and a granola bar alone, won’t keep the little tummies happy for very long.
– you don’t need to get fancy. Having the ability to dig and fill a bucket with sand or water is still one of life’s simple pleasures. Don’t forget the mesh tote to carry your toys.
, but I’m a fan of 
as well.
and 
– Unfortunately we’re always limited with how much we can carry. With toddlers who don’t want to walk, you’re even more limited. A wagon can help transfer all of your beach day gear, and assuming there is a little room to spare, even one of the kids.
on the market!Practice makes perfect. Don’t let the fear of screaming kids, keep you from enjoying some waves and putting your toes in the sand. They’ll come around and you’ll be glad you came prepared.
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