Ok first of all I feel the need to say I am not an expert and have literally been to the beach once with my 13M old so take everything I say with a grain of salt. However, I really wanted to get on and share what worked for our family while we traveled and hopefully this helps you this summer if you go to the beach with a baby.
What we brought to the beach with a baby:
The pool was the number one thing people said to bring. I brought it down, set it up, lugged all the water from the ocean and Eloise sat in it for 5 seconds. I think there was just simply too much to see and discover, she could not be contained. For us the pool was a no go this time, but hoping if we come with cousin this summer she will be interested. Here are some if you’re looking for one if you go to the beach with a baby.
Baby Powder
Baby powder was a HIT. A lot of people have a lot of options on baby powder. I don’t use it on her at all, but after the first day at the beach within a few minutes her hands are covered in sand and she is trying to eat a snack we keep rinsing. Back and fourth sand – rinse- snack – sand -rinse -snack. We needed to try something, she was getting frustrated with the constant rinsing and I was running out of water. We applied her sunscreen and then put baby powder overtop. It literally made the sand just fall off her hands like magic.
Beach chair / Stroller was a must. I think which one you use totally depends on your baby. We did the amazon chair, which we literally use all the time in the summer. When she is up we go to the park, pool, or play group and she eats in her chair every time. It was good at the beach but Eloise can touch the ground in it and kept wiping her hands in the sand again and then trying to eat.
The last morning we went out to the beach and randomly put her in the stroller thinking would be easy to take her and for storage. Side note Eloise LOVES being pushed in the stroller. She pretty much has been on a walk everyday of her life so it feels very normal. This worked great and is probably what we will do in the summer.
Sunscreen Options for beach with a baby
Sunscreen and Rashguard bathing suits. I was very over the top with the sunscreen, I know how bad sunburn hurts when I get them so I can’t imagine a little baby. Also I am 28 and pay tons of money on skin care and treatments to reduce all the damage I did to my skin in my teens. I want to do everything I can to help her prevent that and teach her to take really good care of her skin.
We mostly put her in bathing suits that covered her arms. I also just purchased some that cover a little of her legs too. I saved these for days when I felt like she had already had a lot of sun and needed extra protection. If we only went out for a little while I put her in something cute! I also brought hats, which I had to reapply all the time because of wind, but it was worth.
Sunscreen everyone has a different opinion on sunscreen. I was usual babygaincs but got an article from a reader that it only test at 10 SPF which I thought was interesting. I am going to just link a few but I would highly recommend a face stick. Easy to apply and usually high SPF.
When it came to her shoes I have heard only good things about Natives. I bought her, her first pair for Easter and they worked so well I bought a second right before this trip. They slip right on, and can wash off easily. They are a little pricey so I try to get colors that she could pass down to a sibling boy or girl.
Packing List For Reference for Beach with a baby
- Fold up chair
- Stroller
- Onesies (bring a few thicker ones)
- Sleep diapers
- Swim diapers
- Regular diapers, wipes, booty cream etc
- Bath soap, toys
- Sunscreen
- Multiple bathing suit options with different amounts of skin covering
- Beach Hat
- Few short sleeve and long sleeve onesies
- Sound Machine (extra batteries for car ride)
- Baby pool
- Water shoes
- Beach towels
- Portable monitor
- Collapsible Sand buckets and beach toys
- Battery Powders fan (forgot to bring this and wish I had)
- Baby Dome if not mobile
- Float or Puddle Jumper
- Spray bottle or extra water to rinse sand off
- Snacks (obvi but when you’re packing for yourself and a baby it’s easy to forget stuff)
- Cups, Bibs, Spoons
- Any medication you may need
- Collapsable Wagon
- Bows, hair ties
- Tent or Umbrella for shade
Like I said- this was our first beach trip and I definitely think I learned a lot as far as taking a toddler goes! I cannot wait to go again, because seeing everything through her eyes is something indescribable and made my heart so happy! I hope this was helpful to you guys when you go to the beach with a baby.
XOXO,
Mary Margaret
