I LOVE the beach!
Almost every year of my life for as long as I can remember has included at least one trip to paradise (i.e. anywhere with sand, water, and sun). Taking pre-baby trips to the beach meant spending literally ALL DAY sitting in my chair, taking walks, reading books, really just relaxing and doing whatever I wanted...
and then we added this blessed third member to our little family.
Then everything changed.
I'm a planner at heart and if there's a "right" or "best" way to do something, I'm all about it! I would prefer to skip the learn from experience phase and learn from someone else's experience. Trouble is, everybody experiences things differently. That being said, MY list of "must haves" or "must do's" might differ greatly from someone else's but that's not going to stop me from sharing. Hope this helps and I hope you have a blast on any trips you take this summer!
So here you have it! My Top Ten Tips for having a BLAST with your baby loves at the Beach!
1. Practical Beach Wear: I am a girl mom and I will be the first to say that I LOVE the sweet little two piece swimsuits. But I found the one piece is the way. to. go. at the beach. For boys, get the cute little swim shirt that matches the trunks. And if your kid will keep a hat on their head, bless them. The more covered up babies are, the less surface area you have to cover with sun screen! And speaking of sunscreen...
2. Bring SPRAY sunscreen: I am a stickler for any substance that goes on the largest organ of my baby's body so I'm going to go all crunchy when it comes to sun screen. The problem is, the less chemicals in the sunscreen, the more goopy it can be. I tried both the lotion and the spray and found that the spray was much easier to apply AND rub in. We love this sunscreen from Babyganics. I really only applied once in the morning and then tried to keep her in the shade for a good amount of time. And speaking of shade...
3. Plan a Baby-friendly home base: If you're one of those people that doesn't mind bringing your entire play room to the beach, go for it! I prefer simplicity so for our little spot on the beach, we had a big picnic blanket, two umbrellas to provide plenty of shade, and a few beach toys. The beach is the playground so teach your kids how to enjoy it. I put the toys by the edge of the blanket so we didn't get sand everywhere. But if sand DID end up in unwanted places...
4. Baby Powder WORKS: I read on a pinterest post before we left about how baby powder could easily remove sand and it's true! Worked like a charm! If you've ever tried to get sand out of baby crevices, you know what a task it is. Trust me on this one, bring the baby powder. It's great if you have to reapply at the beach and even better when you're trying to get the excess sand that even the bath couldn't remove.
5. Stick to your routine: In the past, taking vacations meant leaving your schedule and routine at home and just "going with it". You might have a kid that will literally go days with no nap or just fall asleep wherever but mine isn't like that. We found that creating a sleeping environment that was close to her "normal" was a must. We kept her routine almost exactly as it normally goes with a few slight variations. Most meltdowns come when a baby is tired, hungry, scared, etc. Keeping their little bodies on their normal routine will minimize the need for any freak out moments. For baby and you!
6. Bring snacks: Another great way to stay on a routine AND keep baby out of the sun is to bring snacks! We had snack time every morning after we had played for about an hour. Bring things that won't melt in the heat. Also, remember how thirsty you can get on the beach and plan accordingly with water or juice.
7. Bring a wagon: We got our wagon from Costco last year and it has been a life saver! It folds flat so it's easy to store in the car but it also has plenty of room for towels, toys, and baby to ride! Having a practical way to carry all your stuff to the beach every day is quite the convenience I wouldn't do without.
8. Buy water shoes: Maybe you're going to be one of the lucky ones whose child just LOVES the sand but we weren't so lucky! Reese hated, and I mean HATED, the sand when we first arrived. Thankfully we had gotten her these shoes from OLD NAVY and they were awesome. Aside from making her feel more secure, it also made me feel better knowing her little feet wouldn't get burned. We all know sunscreen on feet is the first thing to rub off and it STINKS to get burned there!
9. Set realistic expectations: This is especially important if this is your first time going to the beach with your baby. Keep expectations of your little one low. They might love the sand, they might hate it. They might jump right in the water, they might not. The point is that this season of watching your sweet baby experience something for the first time is irreplaceable. And going into the trip with the expectation that your baby will be experience everything in a picture perfect way might just leave you feeling disappointed. Stay calm if things don't go as planned and remember that mommies set the emotional tone for the rest of the family. So stay chill and remember you're making memories that will last forever!
10. Have FUN: Ok, it might seem like this last one got thrown in because I ran out of tips but I think it's really important for us mommas to remember to enjoy ourselves! We can get so bogged down with planning, preparing, packing, etc. that we let everyone else enjoy the trip and we come home feeling like we need a vacation! Realize that this is maybe not going to be a relaxing vacation but it IS a trip with your family and you need to take the time to enjoy it!
I hope these tips will help you this summer as you brave the beach with your babies. What other tips do you have that you'd add to the list?? Please share!
Happy Summer, y'all!