Blog #84: There are definitely some beach essentials you need with a baby and kids. I was super excited to head to the beach with my family! However, I was wondering how it would be during the pandemic. I had to make reservations ahead of time and we all had to wear a mask, minus the baby. Once we found a spot we were able to remove our masks. What a sad situation. This will definitely be in our history books!!

Over the years I have learned what to pack and what I actually don’t need. I used to always pack bags upon bags full of stuff to take. For trips like that I need to invest in a beach wagon. Beach wagons have large wheels to roll easily on the sand.

Unnecessary Things to Pack

• Kids Beach Chairs
• More than 2 toys, for each child
• Juice

As much as I love the kid beach chairs my boys never used them at the beach. They just wanted to play in the sand. In fact, I still have them! I will keep them for my youngest. However, I would keep these chairs at home for your yard. I used to bring so many toys and half were never used! Stick to 2 toys, per child. Lastly, juice. Especially the juice pouches. It’s sticky, messy and makes you more thirsty. Stick to water. It quenches your thirst.

What to Pack- Essentials

What works best is to have two tents.* One for the kids and one for the adults and baby. My boys are a bit older now, 9 and 10 years old. They have their own space and my husband and I have our own area with a now crawling baby! For the boys, we have a camping tent for 2, which they love! They zip it up and use their phones for a bit and just relax. The tent has a nice shading canopy piece and is also covered in mesh for ventilation. The tent my husband and I use is the Sport Brella. It is SPF protected and large enough for all 5 of us to sit together comfortably.

These are the essentials I need when I go to the beach for my family of five.

• Cooler or Cooler Bag
• Plastic bag for trash
• Beach towels
• Large Beach bag for the beach towels
• Beach Tent (2)* (see above)
• Picnic blanket
• Sunscreen
• Bubbles
• Ipad
• Football or beach ball
• Beach hat
• Sunglasses
• Bucket and shovel, for younger kids
• Bag of ice or multiple ice packs
• 1 or 2 beach chairs, a must when nursing

Food Ideas

My usual menu item for the beach is Italian subs with sour cream and onion chips and a side of watermelon. I also pack a large water bottle for each of us and a snack, such as a Larabar or goldfish.

• Italian Subs
• Chips
• Watermelon
• Water
• Snack

This year, with a new baby, I decided to simplify my menu. The day was expected to be cloudy and I thought we weren’t going to enjoy the day as much. It was actually the perfect weather for the beach! The clouds definitely were deceiving!

Anyway, for the first beach day of the year, I did not prepare anything before hand. Except for the watermelon, which I cubed and put in a large mason jar. I decided to buy everything else I needed on my way to the beach.

• Hawaiian rolls
• turkey and cheese
• Pre made Salad
• Chips
• Larabars
• Baby food pouch

Because the rolls are sweet, I did not bother with condiments. Easy to assemble at the beach. Less mess and they came out delicious! I also, always stick to just water. Juice pouches make the kids more thirsty at the beach.

How to Pack

How do you pack your food for the beach? I always pack each sub in its own container, such as a bento box. Then add the chips and watermelon on the side at the beach. This is a necessity for me because Italian subs have so many ingredients that can make things pretty messy. Don’t forget to pack reusable utensils and napkins.

For the Hawaiian rolls, I bought paper plates and served the food that way. However, having your own containers is best for windy days! Then you don’t have to worry about the plates flying away or sand in your food. I lucked out on this beach day!

Packing for Baby

My 9 month old is crawling all over the place. Therefore, I made sure to bring a large rattle toy and bubbles. I did not bring any small toys that he would put in his mouth, such as teethers or rubbery toys. This would attract sand and sand in mouth is a no go!

I also packed Happy baby food pouch, creamies for a snack, sippy cup with water and I exclusively nurse. Therefore, all I had to bring was a cover up.

I also packed:

• diapers or swim diapers, if going in the ocean
• wipes
• extra outfit
• bib
• baby spoon, but the food pouches are easier!

Packing for Kids

The kids were easy to pack. They brought a ball, their phones and their hats!

Lastly

Lastly, make sure to wear your swimsuits underneath your clothing instead of changing in the bathrooms. For this beach day I did not even wear my swimsuit. I just wore shorts as I knew the water was freezing. I just dipped my toes in the water.

And because of the pandemic, don’t forget your masks and hand sanitizer!

Be safe and enjoy!