A Family Beach Trip can seem like WAY more work than vacation, but trust me it’s all about being prepared. As long as you have a the necessary items then going to the beach with babies, toddlers or young kids an be simple and very enjoyable…but it does require advanced planning and prep.

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Helpful Tips for your Family Beach Trip

1.) Get out to the beach early. Not only do you want a chair and an umbrella (if available), but you want a front row spot. Your kids will not only be playing in the water, but playing with sand by the water so you want to be close to have a clear eye on them. Get to the beach early as possible to secure a good camp spot. Also, if you get there very early then you are done by the time the harshest sun is out (around 2-3 PM)

2.) Re-apply sunscreen EVERY 80 minutes– Sunscreening your kids is one of the MOST important pieces of advice I can give for your Family Beach Trip. Also, don’t forget to re-apply. Use a make-up sponge if you have sandy hands…unless your kids like to be exfoliated (most don’t).

3.) Bring a first-aid kit– Cuts, burns, twisted ankles…they happen. Away on the Family Beach Trip is a difficult place to be unprepared. The beach is like an island, if you don’t bring it then you won’t find it there. Don’t count on teenage lifeguards to have the first aid you need. You need band-aids, alcohol wipes, steri-strips, antibiotic ointment, mesh wrappings and ace wrapping.

4.) Bring a separate pack of wet wipes and saline drops to get sand out of eyes. This is a gamechanger I’m telling you. It’s a helpless feeling watching your child scream with something in their eye and you have nothing but sandy hands and saltwater to help. Don’t forget sand will get EVERYWHERE, be prepared!

5.) Bring some baby powder to put on feet before packing up if you don’t have a shower area outside the beach. The baby powder helps the sand wipe off skin more easily.

6.) Bring Swimmer’s ear to dry up the water in their ears. This is a packing necessity when on a Family Beach Trip. As soon as you get off the beach the kids’ will complain of ear “pain”. Trust me.

7.) Do not pack beach towels. Use the hotels. Packing towels takes up WAY TOO much space.

PROTECTION on your Family Beach Trip

1.) SUNSCREEN– No I don’t mean knives and tasers. Although I do have a purse stun gun that I keep with me at all times, as all mothers should have protection. I mean SUNBLOCK. UV rays are no joke. Babies with a sunburn are an even bigger no joke. Protect their sensitive skin with sunblock.

This brand Coola is my absolute favorite UVA/UVB broad-spectrum sunblock, great for the whole family. Organic, Vegan, Non-GMO, Paraben-Free, Gluten and cruelty-free, Reef friendly with a 100% recyclable plant-based tube. This brand blocks rays SO WELL. It’s also light and sheer and smells delightful. I put sunscreen on my kids before we hit the beach, that way sand doesn’t mix with sunscreen and get all grainy and scratchy. If you’re concerned about it bring a make-up sponge to apply and re-apply sunscreen.

For you moms, get this sunblock spray mist in Pina Colada. The smell is friggin delicious and it blocks sun rays very well. Also, gives you a beautiful lightly oiled glow.

2. Hat– Babies and Kids have delicate skin that burns easily and FAST. I always kept a beach hat on my kids when they were little. Now my kids are 6 and 8 years old and half the time they throw a literal fit about wearing it, but I still force that hat. I tell them they will thank me in their 30’s when their skin is beautiful….they don’t care when I say that so I’ll usually threaten to leave the beach if they don’t put it on and that works 😉

Get something that has an adjustable tie like THIS under the chin, so the hate does not blow off in the wind…if you don’t go to the beach alot know that most have a pretty constant breeze or coastal wind.

3.) Sunglasses with Head Strap– The UV rays are harsh on the eyeballs, also that sun glare off of the ocean is harsh too. You’d be suprised how young kids will try and stare at the sun and you won’t even know they’re doing it. Always protect those eyes on your Family Beach Trip. Get the sunglasses with this head band on it so the sunglasses don’t fall off into the sand or water.

Your kids will be constantly looking down at the sand or water so without a strap the sunglasses will either be buried in sand or water.

4.) Sunblock Lip Balm– Lips burn and it’s painful. It could be the reason your kiddos refuse to eat later, trust me on this. Protect those lips! I of course am obsessed with Coola sunscreen products and it’s no different here. This sunblock lip stick goes on smooth and doesn’t taste nasty or make your lips white. It’s actually super moisterizing for the lips. Organic and water-resistant. Stuff is great.

5.) Swimsuits and Rash Guards– BRING MULTIPLE on your Family Beach Trip! I have always brought a few different swimsuits and rashguards when we go out of town to family beach trips and must stay in hotels. The reason is of course no washer/dryer to wash clothes, but also after a sand and saltwater beach day the swimsuit feel stiff, crunchy and itchy. They almost never dry overnight in the hotel room, so my kids would have to put on crunchy suits with sand in the crotch area. Gross. So, I always bring extra swimsuits if we are staying at the beach more than 1 day.

I also always have rashguards, kids have delicate skin that burns easily so after an hour in direct sun their skin will need a break. Being at the pool is super easy to pack up and go inside, but the beach is different. The beaches are usually crowded so when you pack up and leave don’t expect to get your spot back.

Also, packing up and leaving you have to wash everything and yourselves off because sand is literally everywhere and in every crack. Now I’m not condoning forcing your kids to stay in the sun when they’ve had enough, but if they are getting a bit red and you haven’t been in the sun that long then rashguards can help. ALOT.

****Swimsuits for Infants: I’d definitely put your non-potty trained infant in a swim diaper. Definitely rashguard with infant swimwear as their skin is SO delicate and burns very fast.

6.) Shade– You will need some type of shade if your kids are anything like mine. My kids will stay at the beach all day until they fall over from exhaustion. I ALWAYS pack this tiny travel tent on beach vacations. It’s a good idea to check ahead of time and make sure your beach has umbrellas with chairs, but even if they do I still bring this. It gets my kids out of the sun for a bit to hydrate and snack, it’s also a great place to keep the cooler. It’s folds up super small and flexible so easily packable in luggage.

7.) Sandals and watershoes: Ok hear me out here. Sandals are for daytime beach outtings, they don’t burn their little feet on concrete or sizzling sand and they take them off to go in the water. I DO NOT like watershoes for beach outtings, the sand gets in them and it’s impossible to get out. Plus the water shoes get wet and sand cakes on them and you bring that in the hotel room and then it inevitably ends up in your bed with you.

Sand is evil, sand wins the battle. OK rant over, sandals are for beaches. Watershoes are for waterparks. Say it with me. Most beach destinations have waterparks, splashpads, fishing etc. Watershoes will be helpful here, but not to the beach.

8.) Beach Mat– We always lay this down and put the portable shade tent on it. This is especially great if you have babies with you and they need a nap. This mat folds up super small so it’s easy to pack in luggage, it’s washable too. Don’t pack beach towels in luggage, there is just no way to do that without wasting precious space…use the hotel towels at the beach.

9.) Floaties/life vests: If your kids can’t swim then this is obvious, but so many people will forget to pack floaties. Unfortunately they do take up precious packing space in a suitcase, but you will want to bring one you use and trust. Even if you tell your kids not to go deeper than waist level, the ocean can be dangerous.

****Riptides can happen in the blink of an eye. Note: If your kids are older and can understand make sure you tell them how to escape a rip. This is life-saving information. The specialists suggest if a riptide grabs you then be calm and let it take you out to sea (struggling will get you exhausted, and you will need your energy to swim back to shore). Swim parallel to the shore to get out of a riptide, because swimming straight will let it grab you again. As you swim to the shore search for wave breaks and try and ride them in to shore.

My 8 year old understands this concept and we have practiced it in the pool, my 6 year old doesn’t know what I’m talking about. Point is, kids get distracted and adults do too. It only takes a second. Teach your kids what they need to know to survive, even if you don’t think they are listening. I teach my kids basic survival skills in every situation from drowning to kidnapping, you’d be suprised how much they retain.

If your kids are not very strong swimmers then keep a life jacket or floaties on them. Don’t take a chance with your precious babies.

10. Bug Spray- Research your area. We always need bug spray on Gulf Coast beach vacations (Orange beach, Dauphin Island, Destin etc. Even east coast locales like Myrtle beach and Hiltonhead we have had to use bugspray quite a bit. I have tried so many mosquito repellants and all the natural essential oil ones don’t work as well.

My kids and me are magnets for mosquitos, they LOVE our blood. My favorite bugspray that WORKS is this Off! Smooth and dry. Not oily and dry smooth, the smell is also a bit less overpowering than the backwoods OFF.

11.) Portable Fans– My kids are superactive, like most kids. When they are at the beach they are in their element and just won’t stop till they overheat or basically just fall down to sleep. I have to force them to stop, get under the shade and have a drink or snack. I keep a couple portable battery fans clipped to the shade tent.

Tip: You can bring a spray bottle filled with water (put in ice from cooler) to spray on them while under the fan. This cools them down quickly. This is why shade, water and snacks are SO important out at the beach with that unrelenting sun. We are from Houston and we are used to 100 degree days with 90 % humidity, but that beach sun can get brutal. These fans are small and pack easily in luggage.

12. Aquaphor– That sand will chaffe all over. My son get chaffing on the nipples, chest and stomach from boogie boarding. My daughter gets chaffing on the inner thighs (her inner thighs do rub together when she walks, but the sand makes the skin fiery red and it burns her. I keep a big tub of aquaphor with me wherever I go.

If you’ve read my posts on baby products then you know that I believe Aquaphor is magical and it heals all, lol. Maybe not everything, but it’s close! Also, they have this stick application now which is so much better and I don’t get the ointment under my nails scooping it from the tub!

TOYS

1.)Sand Pail, Shovel and Sand Castle tools- Kids do this thing called play, all day….see what I did there 😉 You need at least a couple beach toys when on your Family Beach Trip. I don’t know about you, but if I’m flying to my beach destination then I am NOT packing beach toys. If you’re traveling within/to the US then check out your destination before you fly out. Local souviner shops, grocery store, Wal-Mart, dollar stores usually ALWAYS have this stuff for cheap around beaches.

Spend $5 on beach toys and donate to another family at the beach on your last beach day. SO MUCH EASIER THAN PACKING THIS STUFF. Get separate pails for your kids…they can use these to collect seashells on the beach.

This goes for Boogie Boards as well. My son wants one everytime we are on beach vacations. They really are super cheap at Wal-Mart, I never pack these. If your AIRBNB’ing it then ask the host if they have beach toys.

2.) Goggles– My kids will use these the entire vacation, pool and beach. They hate the way their eyes feel after opening them in chlorine water. I pack my kids’ goggles in our luggage. I use these because pack of 2! Also, they are super easy to tighten or loosen and my kids don’t constantly bother me to do it for them.

SNACKS/FOOD

1.) Kids are hyper-hungry little snack monsters, at least mine are. Especially when running around the beach and salt water like wild banshees. If I’m flying to our Family Beach Trip I always sub out my purse for this awesome backpack cooler, and I put my wallet and the kids empty water bottles in it and use it as my carry on for the plane.

I use this as our beach cooler. It can hold so much and it’s a backpack so makes for easy travel. We put in a few beers and seltzers for mom and dad, snacks and drinks for the kids and fill with ice from the hotel dispenser. Keeps snacks and drinks cool for hours!

2.) Water bottles: When at the beach we fill up the kids’ iron flasks from school. These bottles are stainless steel and keep the water cold out in that hot sun. I still pack a few bottles of water when we run out, but the 24 oz size is usually great for my kids at the beach for a few hours. Also, these water bottles can take a beating. My kids have dropped these a million times so they are tried and tested kid-proof lol.

3.) Best Beach Snacks Again, this is something that I never pack in my suitcase to board a flight. We always go to the grocery store right when we get into town to stock up on hotel and beach snacks. My kids will literally ask for snacks ALL.DAY.LONG. For my post on snacks we keep in the hotel CLICK HERE. This post is more specifically about snacks we take to the beach.

Dry Snacks: I keep these in a small separate plastic grocery bag. I advise against chocolate or gummies, they melt.

• Chips (small bags): Pringles, cheez-its, ruffles, funions, goldfish.
• Keebler sandwich crackers: My kids LOVE the peanut butter sandwich crackers
• Granola bars (no chocolate, melts in the heat)
• Trail mix (my kids are a bit obsessed with peanuts and pistachios, so we get a bunch of these)
• Tiny Halo mandarin oranges

Cold Snacks: I prioritize drinks over snack, so I always pack a few bottled waters, zero sugar gatorades for the kids and a few beers and hard seltzers for hubby and I. If there is room then I throw in some yogurt tubes, pre-cut fruit (The sliced watermelon is my kids’ fave and it’s super hydrating at the same time) and lunchables.

Most grocery stores sell pre-cut fruit (this is the only time I ever buy pre-cut fruit because it’s a total rip off). All of this usually fits just fine in my backpack cooler (my airplane carry on).

Clothing

Check the weather for your destination! If you’re staying in the US then it’s pretty easy, but if your traveling international the weather patterns are TOTALLY DIFFERENT. For example, we took a family vacation to Caymen Islands before christmas last year. December in Caymans was hot, dry and peak summer season, we had a deep freeze in Houston when we got back! Totally opposite and research is definitely needed!

If it’s rainy I suggest bringing a thin rain jacket or windbreaker for yourselves and the kids’ (even if it’s rainy my kids will insist on playing at the beach…sigh).

• Windbreaker (light rain jacket for rainy days…very common on the coast)
• Many swimsuits if no access to a washer
• If young kids I always bring a pee pad to go under the bed sheets (my kids hydrate like crazy on beach vacations) so bed wetting might happen. I’d prepare for that.
• If you do have a bedwetter you know for sure then pack extra undies or sleep clothes (if no washer or dryer)
• Thicker socks for hotel room (my husband prefers our hotel room is a refrigerator so we get SO COLD)

After-Sun Care–

-I’m pretty nuts about keeping my kids’ skin well protected, but burns do happen. Kids are extremely uncomfortable when sunburned. We have an aloe vera plant at home that I use on them if we get sunburned, but I can’t take it on vacation (unless you scrape some aloe vera plant into a jar then I guess that would work. I LOVE this Trader Joes after-sun gel with aloe vera.

I take this bottle on EVERY beach vacation and I keep it in the hotel fridge. It has no smell, SO moisturizing and does not leave a sticky residue. It really helps sunburns.