Beach Must Haves For Kids

 Planning a family beach trip can be alot of fun but, at the same time can be a bit stressful! If you are like me, you worry yourself silly that you will forget something that you really need for the day. We live about 15 minutes from the beach and make a family trip every weekend and then I typically take the kids on my own a few times during the week. It is safe to say, I now have packing for the beach down to an art!! I have gotten together a list of things that are really important for your beach day. Hopefully it helps to relieve a little bit of the "Did I forget anything" stress!

Sunblock

This is a super important must have for any beach trip!! Not only for the kids but for the adults as well. Make sure if your kids are younger, you get the correct SPF. When everyone is playing and having fun, it is easy to forget to reapply but this is VERY important! If the family has been playing in the water, make sure you dry off and reapply afterwards. If it has been more sand play, you will want to reapply every couple of hours. Sunburn is not fun, especially for kids!

 Arm Floaties or Life Jacket

The beach is way different than going to the swimming pool. Make sure you take arm floaties or a life jacket for the little swimmers. My youngest will not venture into the water without his life jacket on. My older 2 can both swim but we always use caution when they go into the water because the waves tend to get big and there is also rip current. One thing about the ocean, it is very unpredictable.

Cooler

A cooler stocked with plenty of ice and drinks is a definite must have for any beach day! The sun can really dehydrate everyone so taking lots of breaks to rehydrate is super important. Make sure you aren't packing all sodas or sugary drinks in the cooler. You will need plenty of water and/or Gatorade to keep everyone going throughout the day. Pack it with as much ice as possibly because it tends to melt in the summer sun.

Canopy or Umbrella

The sun at the beach gets HOT!! You will want some sort of shade throughout the day. Not only for the kids, but for the adults as well. The sun can be brutal. Please remember, even if you are spending a good bit of time in the shade, reapply your sunblock!!

Toys

To make any beach day a success, bring along beach toys!! You will need buckets for building sandcastles, shovels for digging , boogie boards for water play, water squirters for water fights, and of course goggles for those moments in the water. Ok.. you don't have to have all of those. Just take along whatever your kids may enjoy playing with. While there are lots of opportunity at the beach for adventure, they will also enjoy just sitting and playing in the sand.

Towels & Beach Chairs

This is pretty much a given. That sand is gonna get super hot and at some point you are going to want to sit down and take a break from all of the fun. My kids always want a beach towel when they get out of the water. No matter how hot it is out, they like to dry off.

Baby Powder & Ziploc Bags

One of the absolute best things to have at the beach is baby powder. This stuff works wonders when it comes to sand! Just sprinkle a bit on the kiddos feet and the sand will wipe right away. Both of my sons also tend to get a yucky rash when playing in the water and running back and forth. Baby powder helps to relieve the discomfort. We all take out phones, keys, etc to the beach. Make sure you pack a few Ziploc bags. You will have stuff you want to keep dry or safe from the sand, these work well. Where I live, we have sharks teeth on the beach with the shells. I also give a Ziploc to each of my kids with their name and they use it to keep their treasures in throughout the day.

Snacks

One thing is certain, all of that playing will work up a big appetite! Make sure you pack plenty of snacks for everyone throughout the day. I try to stay away from things that have to stay cold. I would rather use that space for drinks in our cooler. We tend to take things like Goldfish, carrots sticks, snack crackers, chex mix. No, not super healthy but, it keeps everyone fed.

Trash Bag

On the beaches around here, the nearest trash cans are normally a good little hike away. I like to use Walmart bags for trash bags while at the beach. I already have them on hand. We just use them throughout the day and then put them in the trashcan at the beach on our way back to the car.

I am sure you will customize this list to fit your family trip to the beach. These are just the things that we take every trip. Try not to stress too much over what you may be forgetting and just enjoy the sun, sand, and water!!