We just got back from the beach a few weeks ago and I'm already SO very ready to go back. The beach has always been my happy place but after we had kids, we had to totally re-evaluate how we did beach days. I'm the type of beach bum that literally wants a sun up to sun down kind of experience, but as you can imagine, that becomes a little more challenging once kiddos are involved. 
Through a lot of trial and error, we have finally gotten this whole beach with kids thing down to a science. I'm here to share some of the things that have made our lives a million times easier in hopes that your next trip will be even better than the last! 
First things first, when we get up in the morning we pack up our cooler with four snacks and a drink for each kid. We normally do crackers, cookies, a pack of gummies, squeazie apple sauce, and a drink (water bottle). We put a frozen ice pack in our cooler to keep everything fresh. Next we apply sunscreen IN the house before we go outside. I can't stand putting on sunscreen on the beach with the sand getting mixed in. Yuck! We've found the best way to reapply when we're on the beach is this Babyganics Spray. It blends easily and the ingredients are really clean.[showshopthepostwidget id="2726452"]We put on suits and these shoes and head out! Here are the little swimmies I've been loving for my girls this season![showshopthepostwidget id="2726489"]My favorite way to roll is to wake up early and walk with Matt out to the beach (while my parents are at the house with the babies). We like to set up our umbrellas, chairs, and blankets so when we come down with the girls, we look a wee bit less like pack mules. We absolutely LOVE these chairs because they fold flat (easy to pack!) and you can wear them like a backpack. They also have extra insulated zipper packs in the back for more food and drinks.[showshopthepostwidget id="2726461"]If we don't plan ahead and end up all going together, this wagon is SUPER helpful for carrying all the things. It also folds down flat![showshopthepostwidget id="2726464"]To keep the babies entertained on the beach, we take lots of sand toys. I especially love this little Melissa ad Doug cooking set. The girls were really into "cooking" with sand so this set is perfection! Just be sure if you have more than one child, you have plenty of shovels! The only beach brawls we encountered were typically involving shovel sharing.[showshopthepostwidget id="2726465"]We normally try to save snacks for after we've been playing for a while so there's a little something to look forward to. When snack time happens, having a sand-proof blanket situation is necessary. We like to pull the snack blanket under the shade to keep the kids out of sun for a bit.[showshopthepostwidget id="2726466"]Here are a few tent suggestions that work for providing much-needed shade throughout the day![showshopthepostwidget id="2726470"]Normally the girls can entertain themselves for a good long while after they've had a little snack. This is also a good time to reapply sunscreen since they're occupied for a few minutes.I also wanted to share this AMAZING frisbee we got before we left. It's more of a silicone feel so it doesn't hurt when you catch it and it's so easy to throw. The girls loved playing with it and so did all the adults!![showshopthepostwidget id="2726484"] So if I could summarize the ingredients for a successful beach day it would look something like this:Pack snacksBring ShadeSpray SunscreenPlan GearProvide ToysHave FUN!I hope this helps! If you have any fun tips to share from your experience with having kids at the beach, please share in comments!
By Laura Godfrey
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