Traveling with young kids always takes planning and preparation, even if it’s just a day trip to the beach! If you’re unprepared it can make your day or your vacation more difficult and less fun! Trust me, I’ve been there. So I’ve compiled my top 20 summer essentials for a family beach outing, day trip or full blown vacation!
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Being part of a family who goes on a yearly beach vacation with our extended family, I have experience with finding the summer essentials to bring on a beach day that will change the game for you. There are some low-tox options and basic necessities that will make the trip to the beach fun for all, including Mom!
1. Rash guard
An easy way to keep your children’s skin protected from the sun is to put them in a one-piece rash guard. I love these from Sunzip, my sons have had multiple and they are great. My youngest is extremely fair and these protect the majority of his body from those strong UV rays.
2. Swim Diapers
I’m personally not a fan of traditional swim diapers. They are often bleached and full of chemicals so I prefer cleaner options and my first choice is these cloth swim diapers. We’ve used a few different kinds and I definitely prefer these. These are both re-usable and washable, easy to always have on hand. There is another option that I love and that is the Coterie Swim Diaper. These are disposable and we just used them while on vacation and they worked very well.
3. Sunhat
Don’t discount the value of a sunhat for your baby or toddler! The neck and ears are easily forgotten spots that get burnt on kids. I unfortunately know this from experience. I like this Sprouts brand hat with the long ears and a tie under the chin to keep it from blowing away.
4. Water shoes
My son prefers to be barefoot, but when the pavement or sand is hot, toddlers need to have some shoes that are easy to put on. These are a great option and will also protect little feet from hot sand as well as things in the water.
5. Life Vest
It’s my personal preference for my kids swimming in the ocean or lake to have a life vest on. My toddler also wears this puddle jumper but we still monitor him in the water when he wears it. Both are Coast Guard approved so I feel safe with them as options.
6. Sunscreen
Choosing a clean sunscreen is one of the most important choices you can make for your family in the summertime. It’s important to know how to pick the safest sunscreen and what ingredients to look for and those to avoid. There are many affordable options that you can feel good about putting on your kids and yourself! Read more here for more details and my personal sunscreen recommendations!
7. After Sun Care
After sun care is important whether you’re at the beach or not. If you’ve been in the sun, you want to be sure to moisturize and hydrate your skin after. For a burn, I like pure aloe, from a plant, but since plants don’t travel well, my second choice is a basic aloe vera gel like Badger’s After Sun Aloe.
8. Lip Balm with an SPF
This is probably one of the most forgotten items, but you will sure miss it if you don’t have it in your beach bag! Keeping your lips hydrated after being in saltwater and in the sun is important, as is remembering to put it on the littles. Sunburned lips can happen and there are some really great clean lip balms with spf out there to help hydrate and protect your lips from the sun!
9. Bug Spray
One of the most important summer essentials that lives in my diaper bag is a non-toxic bug spray. It’s nice to have it handy for any outing whether you’re headed to a cookout, the park or the beach. We’ve had many night walks on the beach and gotten bit by sand bugs! Fight them off with the a clean, non-toxic bug spray!
10. Water bottle
Obviously you need to bring water bottles so everyone isn’t parched. Hydroflask has been my favorite brand for awhile. It’s a water bottle I feel comfortable with because it’s made with a high quality stainless steel and it’s lead free. I personally use the straw top (think Stanley) but my kids use this sport top.
11. Electrolytes
Water alone isn’t enough for hydration when you’re sweating lots. Sweating removes the salt from our body, so it’s important to replenish with salt. Staying hydrated is crucial in the heat and sun, especially for the little ones who will play for hours without stopping. LMNT is my very favorite electrolyte to add to water. My kids love it and it’s cleaner than many of the other brands out there. It does taste salty, so it might be an adjustment, but it’s a clean option and will keep you hydrated.
12. Sand Toys
This is an obvious essential if you have littles. Sand toys are great and encourage self play. I like this set because they are made of silicone and I take any opportunity to reduce my kids exposure to plastic.
13. Goggles
Goggles are something we would always forget when we went to the beach and then we’d have to end up making a special trip to the store! So now we prepare ahead of time and pack the goggles. It’s great fun for kids to dive for toys and my son personally recommends these bigger goggles so you can see more area at a time!
14. Portable Speaker
This brand is a personal favorite of mine! I love the Clip, it’s small and a great price point. At the beach you don’t want your music to bother everyone else and this keeps it to your space. It’s also easy to ‘clip’ on the kids clothing (not necessarily at the beach) and they can listen to music. My son uses it at home in the backyard, in his bedroom or even on his bike.
15. Turkish Beach Towel
This is one of my new favorites. I’m not a fan of the big bulky beach towels of the past. I had so many old ones and after many washes, the material turned rough so I started looking for softer, less toxic and less bulky beach towels. I found these Sand Cloud Turkish Beach Towels and love them so much. They are big enough for my husband, and soft enough for my kiddos. They don’t take up the space of the big bulky cotton beach towels either which is great for packing!
16. Beach Bag
I know everyone is really into those plastic waterproof sand proof beach totes that are pretty pricey, and listen, that actually sounds great to me too, but I personally still love a canvas waterproof beach bag with pockets. Maybe I’m stuck in my ways, but I found this one on Amazon this year and I’m in love with it.
17. Tent
This is the tent we used at the beach when my youngest was a baby and we got a ton of use out of it, even in our own backyard. It was great at the beach and easy to open and close without my husband’s help, which is always a plus. We still take it to baseball games and other events and bring toys for our son to play/nap. It’s definitely worth the money.
18. Large Beach Blanket
It’s nice to have a big blanket for the beach! It’s a landing spot for the kiddos to lay or play and get off the sand for a bit. We use it as a gathering place for our picnic lunch. It’s definitely multipurpose and you’ll get more use out of it than just your beach trip. Added bonus is that it has a pretty picture on it!
19. Beach Chairs for Adults (& kids!)
If you frequent the beach often, you may want to invest in a decent chair. This one is my personal favorite because it’s easy to carry like a back-pack and has a pocket on the back. And I’m here to tell you, if you don’t bring a chair for the kids, they will take yours the minute you get up! We use these for the littles because they have an umbrella, don’t take up a ton of space and the kids love them.
20. Wagon
The wagon may not seem essential, but promise me when you’re trying to corral kids and carry all the things listed above (and more!), you’re going to want it! Now, we do have another wagon we use for the ballpark and other activities, but if you’re at the beach, this one is a better option due to the size of the tires. They will go through the sand MUCH easier than your standard wagon.
Now You’re Set!
Now you’re ready to pack for the beach confidently! Checking some of these top summer essentials off your list will improve your beach experience and make it more enjoyable for the entire family! Happy beach-going!
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