5 tips for Beachin’ it with babies
Over Memorial Day weekend Syman and I decided to pack up the van (words I thought I’d never say) and head down the shore to my parents’ cute little bungalow in the LBI, NJ area. The weather was questionable and we had no intentions of turning the day into a big to-do, so I will put out the disclaimer that this was not a typical beach day, but rather a beach... Moment. In saying that though, we had a great time and were able to problem-solve and reflect after the fact in order to make our next experience even better. That’s kind of how we operate. Less thinking. More doing. See what happens. Modify and adjust as necessary. Maybeeee not the best approach to have for some, but for us it’s so important to be adaptable with a family this large.
Ok, moving on. After a walk near the Lighthouse, the babies were in good spirits so we decided to go for it. We parked our car, had Syman set up a spot, and then each of us grabbed two babies under our arms with Carson leading the way. Without further ado, here are a few things we learned along the way and things we’ll for sure implement next time to make our lives even easier. I realize a lot of this is probably common sense, but hopefully you discover something new! If you want to watch a bit of our day in action, you can click here!
Tip 1 —Take a “less is more” approach. Seriously cannot stress this enough. I feel like people often overpack and overprepare. Beach toys are great, but you do not need 35 of them. Some of our best beach memories involve no toys at all, and there’s nothing wrong with teaching kids to be creative and use their imagination. A shovel and a bucket or two are plenty. I take two bags with us — a diaper bag and a beach bag and here’s what I include in each:
-Diaper Bag: The obvious diapers and wipes and plenty of cornstarch. You can even transfer some to an old spice container or anything with holes for easy “sprinkling” and application. Bonus: It’s soothing for diaper rash too! In our diaper bag I also include our medical bag. I get ours from here and include: a thermometer, medication, bandaids, foaming Neosporin, hand sanitizer, bug spray, Benadryl gel, lollipops (for older kids) in case of a boo-boo, etc. You can make this tailored to your family’s needs. I also like to include 1 change of clothes for each baby in a large wet bag that I’ll then throw their wet bathing suits into right before we change and head off the beach. Another good idea is to keep a roll of pet waste bags for dirty diapers incase you’re not sitting near a trash can. I’ll also throw in a few small baby toys in here to keep them separated from the actual beach toys that will get sandy. Lastly, this portable cell phone charger is a game changer. I don’t travel anywhere without it!
-Beach bag: Towels, sunscreen, and more cornstarch! That’s it! Beach toys get kept at the bottom of the beach wagon we pull along the sand.
I actually discovered the beach bag linked above AFTER our first beach trip and it will definitely be coming with us for all of our future beach days. You can really combine all of your diaper/beach bag contents into this for added simplicity and it’s genius and fits SO MUCH — plus it comes with a spacious detachable cooler! It’s mainly mesh and not the highest quality fabric but I think it will at least last 1-2 seasons for a large family. Highly recommend.
Additionally, I do realize you’ll also need your “gear,” which can’t always be scarce when you’re beaching it with babies, but I’ll address those things next.
Tip 2 —Find gear that works harder than you. Your time should be spent enjoying yourself amongst all the comes with caring for and/or chasing around your littles. No one wants to be wasting these precious moments setting up a bunch of difficult gear. This is our beach wagon we use to dump all of our gear in! In this we put my diaper bag, our beach bag/cooler combo, our beach umbrella, our beach toys, our beach tent... And although not recommended or necessarily safe... Occasionally a child... Or two. The beach wagon stores a lot, folds up easily, and DOES drive on sand! I wouldn’t say its the easiest to steer but it works for us and we like it. I’ve talked about our beach tent and it’s the greatest invention EVER. It pops right up and down and comes with a UV shade. It’s perfect. My code HEYLINDSHAY15 will get you 15% if you want to purchase one for yourself (you do) and although I talk about this thing all the time, this is not a commissionable link or sponsored post of any kind. I’m just genuinely in love with it and think every family can benefit!
Tip 3 —Set up smartly: Have one parent take the majority of the gear to the beach alone. If you have older kiddos to help out, even better, but for us, it was much more efficient to have Syman set up while I waited behind and got everyone lathered up in sunscreen. Sunscreen + sand + babies = not a great combo. Of course you might have to apply more through out the day, but let that initial application be done in the car. ACTUALLY, you can even apply it at home. As far as dress goes, we prefer to take our chances and put them in their suits at home too. You could always dress them in jammies for the drive down if you’re worried about a potential blowout or comfort, but for us, outfit changes x4 is just way too much. This same concept applies to packing up too. Syman brought the majority of the gear back to the car and got the AC cranking while I did the diaper/outfit change(s) right in the tent — which is always the last thing to get taken down and carried off the beach.
Tip 4—How to keep baby(ies) comfortable: The beach tent provides a lot of shade and UV protection, and the beach is typically breezy anyway. We like to keep it simple and wet the back of their little heads with water, or if you’re really concerned about overheating you can use these awesome fever patches that provide instant cooling. I’ll usually just keep those in the little medical bag that’s in my diaper bag. Another idea is to keep one or two of these portable fans to attach to to your car seat/stroller/tent, etc. Many people swear by a popular grippy one I’ve seen floating around Instagram, but in our experience they haven’t been very powerful. This one is a bit spendier, but it’s the best we’ve tried. Be sure to have lots of cornstarch like I’ve mentioned a few times, too. You can buy it nearly anywhere, it’s organic, it’s affordable, and it’s a gentle miracle worker for removing sand from sensitive skin. Some people like to bring little blow up pools for babies to keep them happy and cool, but we usually just skip that until they’re a tiny bit older and take them near the ocean instead. If I had to recommend one, it would be this. We also make sure each baby has a hat despite them almost always ripping them off — Here is Madison’s beach hat and for the boys we like these bucket hats or usually just order from Cash & Co, Binky Bro, or George Hats. Our favorite bathing suits are from Target and here’s Madison’s and the boys’.
Tip 5—How to feed + sleep… And lower your expectations for both:
Feeding: Make the bottles ahead of time and leave them in the cooler! If your baby typically drinks a warm bottle, a cold one on a hot day will be just fine and probably even appreciated. You can take a portable warmer if you think it’s necessary but I never did. We’re all about baby led weaning, but beach days are the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the convenience of pouches and teething wafers as snacks, and for us I like to bring plenty of water, fruit, pretzels, and sandwiches we usually eat on our way down.
Naps: It’s no secret that a large majority of us sleep best in our own beds. Lower your expectations and know your baby might not sleep their best either... Or at all on beach days if you’re going for an extended amount of time that interferes with your normal schedule. The beach tent is great because it provides shade and the ocean is the best natural sound machine there is. Someone once urged me to let my babies learn how to nap in natural light and I’m grateful for crappy blackout curtains because it’s made the majority of them a little more flexible. I totally get it can be hard though and might really throw some babies off (our Lucas falling into this category.) If your baby needs darkness you can always drape a towel over the tent to create a bit more. Or when all else fails, if your baby likes a carrier, that plus a walk along the water is always my go-to. This is my favorite! As much as I do try to stick to their schedule when we’re out, going into the day with the mindset that you might not helps free you of pressure and disappointment. One thing we do always aim to do though is head home during a nap/bedtime and then just transfer them to their cribs once we’re home. Consistency and predictability in your babies lives is important, but so is learning how to be adaptable. It’s just a day. Try not to let the fear of “messing it up” hold you back from trying. With every experience you learn something new to make the next one even better.
I hope this was helpful and if you have any other tips please feel free to leave a comment or send an email! Get out there and go for it! Xo, Lindsay