Babies and Toddlers at the Beach
Are you thinking of venturing out for a beach day with your baby and toddler? If you have multiple children that are young and close in age, then you know just how difficult it can be to do the simplest of things some days. This is especially true if you have to don your Rambo bandana just to go to the local grocery store with 🎶Eye of the Tiger🎶 blasting from your smartphone.
You may feel a trip out of the home for a leisure activity might be too much to ask. Luckily, there are seven parent hacks that can make it possible not only for you to leave the house for somewhere fun (finally!), but make your life a little easier too. We present to you – how to successfully have a beach day with your baby and toddler.🏖
1. Pack the Night Before
While it might seem premature, packing the night before a beach day with your baby and toddler, allows you extra time to track down where all of those new beach toys went. Secondly, it also allows you to go through and visually inspect what items you have and what you still might be missing. Lastly, you’ll have time to go to the store if there is anything you’ve forgotten.
2. Say ‘No’ to the Public Changing Rooms
Germs are a real thing. Since toddlers and babies are notorious for ingesting bacteria of all kinds, have your babies dressed in their day clothes over their swimsuits. This way you can simply strip them down on the beach instead of the creepy public restroom.
3. Set a Timer on Your Phone
This is one way you can remember to re-apply sunscreen. If you’re leaving your cell phone in the car, use your watch⌚️to keep track of the time. Be sure to look at the SPF number on the front of the bottle. For example, sunscreen with an SPF 50, means it only lasts for 50 minutes! That little tip will help ensure a sunburn-free beach day with your baby and toddler.
4. Don’t Rinse off Sand
Use cornstarch instead. Just sprinkle some on the exposed skin on your baby’s arms and legs. Curious as to how it works? Cornstarch whisks away moisture so that your skin stays dry and sand won’t adhere to it. It will save you time and eliminate the need for your toddler to use the public faucet to rinse away wet sand.
5. Stick Sunscreen in a Cooler
This hack is a ‘must’ for young babies that can’t be in the heat for too long. Before your beach day with your baby and toddler, stick your sunscreen in a cooler. That way when you go to apply it, it will cool off your baby’s body temperature, too.
6. Ditch the Diaper Bag
If you’ve ever been to the beach, you know how sand can mysteriously work its way anywhere and everywhere. Rather than cake it into your posh diaper bag, leave it at home and instead go for a simple canvas tote. Be sure to include plastic bags to put the dirty diapers inside (doggie bags work well, too) and don’t forget the moist wipes!
7. Always Bring Towels…Lots of Towels
When you have young children and babies there will always be a need for extra. Inevitably, the moment you’re on the road heading home you’ll smell something incredibly foul and realize your toddler has managed to leak outside of his or her diaperđź’©. Hold your breath and use an extra dry towel over your child’s seat to help absorb the wetness. It will protect your car’s interior, and save you time from cleaning a car seat.
For more tips on how to survive a beach day with your baby and toddler, click here
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Lovely advice for those with children/toddlers; I’ll be sharing it with the young families I know who would LOVE a beach day!
Thank you, Molly!
These are some really great tips for taking children to the beach. I didn’t realise the cornstarch tip, although I suppose it is the same as talc powder – my mum used to use that for us when we were all younger. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren x
Thanks for reading, Lauren! Xx
Some great tips – especially the one about the sunscreen timer! Even for adults that’s a great idea!
You’re right, Jenny! My entire life I never knew about that tip until I did research for the post.
You’ve shared some great tips here lovely. I don’t have children myself but I’ve got friends who do and this will really help them out so I’ll share with them asap! Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
Aww, thanks! I appreciate you for sharing the tips! Xx
Great tips! Can’t wait to take my boy to the beach for the first time!
Corinne x
You will have so much fun!! It is quite the sensory experience for littles!
I am not a mum myself, but some of these tips are definitely brilliant and I had no idea about the cornstarch!
Thank you for reading, Simona! Xx
These are great hacks for parents with kids visiting the beach!
Thank you for reading, Charity!
Great tips. I never knew about the cornstarch- that’s a genius idea!
It may well be different in the US but here in the UK SPF doesn’t refer to minutes though… although as you indicate, always better to be safe than sorry with kids and sunscreen.
Great post.
Ohhhh. that is good to know! I’ll update my post to indicate US SPF! Thank you so much for reading, Molly!
These are amazing tips – thank you so much! I LOVE the tip about putting the sunscreen in a cooler bag, it’s genius!
Thanks for reading!! Xx
As a parent and retired Public Health Nurse, I couldn’t agree more with emphasizing organization! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading, Jodie! I have to get back on your blog–you’ve got some articles I want to read.
I’m not a mom, but I’ll have to pass this article along to some of my mama friends who are prepping for their first summers with baby!
Thank you for reading and sharing, Stephanie! Xo
I am hoping to have a baby in the not to distant future, so these tips will be handy as I don’t live far from the beach. We used to your talc instead of cornstarch, but so much better than rinsing it off. A timer is a great idea. I have seen using a double bedsheet up the other way and use something to hold each corner, it is like a little playpen but good to keep out sand during good times. Thank you for sharing your helpful tips.
Lauren xx
Ohhh Lauren, I’m excited about your not-so-distant-in-the-future baby!! You are so lucky you live near the beach. I love your playpen idea using the bedsheet! Xo
Such a good tip about cornstarch, I’d never heard of that before – will definitely be taking some to the beach with us this year!
Hooray! Enjoy your beach trip!, Lisa!
I have never taken my son to the beach. He’s 3 and I think he can start going now. Thanks for sharing these tips! Definitely worth remembering. 🙂
I hope he loves it! Have you taken him to a playground that has sand instead of grass or to a splash pad?
I can certainly understand skipping the public changing rooms, it doesn’t take much for a child to fall ill and then bring the rest of the family down with them. Taking a few windbreakers with you also gives changing options for the little ones
Thanks for sharing these tips. I’ve never heard of the cornstarch idea – that sounds like a great hack!
Yes!! Thanks for reading!
Great tips. I don’t have children yet but will be helpful when I am out with friends who have toddlers and babies. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading! You never know when tips of any sort can come in handy!