Surviving the Beach with Baby

For me, summer officially kicks off with the fourth of July.  Now that it has come and gone summer is here and in full swing.  What’s summer without a trip to the beach?! For the last three years my family has been blessed to be invited to my uncle’s beach cottage in Maine.  My parents, my uncle’s family, my sister, and my family all drive up together and enjoy four days or so at the beach together.   It’s so much fun and this year’s trip is coming up at the end of the month.  With two years of going to the beach with a baby in tow under my belt I can confidently tell you that it IS possible to go to the beach with a baby and not just survive but have a good time.  Here are my top 5 tips for an enjoyable beach vacation (or even just a day trip) with your little one:

 

1. Be mindful of summer temps

Unfortunately, not all hot summer days are appropriate to take baby to the beach so before planning your trip please check the weather report.  If you live on the east coast like me you may only see temperatures in the 80’s or 90’s but places south and west can see temps past 100.  Be mindful that young babies cannot sweat the same way that we can and really high temperatures can actually be dangerous.  Choose a day for your beach trip that has temperatures in reasonable ranges.  Check out this link from Fit Pregnancy and this one from What to Expect to read more about their suggestions for safely enjoying the beach with baby.

 

2. Keep baby shaded and don’t forget the sunscreen!

My first trip to York Beach in Maine was when my son was barely two months old.  I assumed that I would be spending most of the trip at the cottage with my sleeping son but it turned out that he did great at the beach!  If you are bringing an immobile baby make sure that you bring a safe/shaded spot to put baby when your arms need a rest of when you are just too hot to hold him or her anymore.  This could be a beach tent with a soft towel or a stroller with a shade canopy. The first year that we went to the beach we opted for the stroller so that we could move baby fairly easily (even when sleeping) as the tide came in.  Be careful with covering baby with a blanket though… although this is not recommended, I will admit that I have used a thin blanket to cover baby in the stroller but at the beach this could be especially dangerous because of the decreased airflow to baby and the risk of overheating.  The second year we chose to use a beach tent.  If you choose the tent make sure that it has sturdy stakes to keep it in place in case the beach is windy.  My uncle and my husband actually     discovered that weighing it down with heavy rocks from the beach was a better option than the stakes. Here is a guide to shopping for baby beach tents from The Bump.

 

 

As far as sunscreen goes, current research seems to be showing that mineral sunscreens are safest for little babies and children (although some doctors will say to try to avoid sun exposure all together before 6 months of age).  You can find some information about the best scoring sunscreens here at EWG’s website.

 

Last year we used Babyganics sunscreen spray and had great success with it.  This year I tried Think Baby brand and love it even more!  Both are great options and if I’m being honest I use them on myself as well as my son.  I actually took my son to a splash pad this week and neglected to put sunscreen on myself even though I put it on my son.  The result was a painful sunburn at the end of the day.  Moral of this story? Don’t forget to take care of yourself as well as your little ones.  I also dress my son in rash guard swim shirt when we go to the beach because it keeps his torso covered and provides sun protection while not being overly hot.  It dries quickly when wet and gives me a smaller area to keep sun screened which is a huge plus when dealing with a wiggly toddler.

 

 

3. Don’t forget to hydrate!

I feel like a pot calling a kettle black on this one because I am TERRIBLE when it comes to drinking water BUT if you are spending a hot day at the beach hydration is imperative for both YOU and your little ones.  Keeping yourself hydrated is especially important if you are breastfeeding.  On that note, breastfeeding at the beach is totally feasible.  Make your life easier by choose a suit that you can pull up or down without totally exposing yourself and if you want a little more privacy you can always use a towel or a beach tent.  As someone whose family isn’t always 100% on board with my decision to breastfeed I was able to get pretty good at doing it discretely in a carrier or “cuddling” with baby.  Also, don’t let others convince you that baby doesn’t need to be fed at the beach.  Nurse on mamas!  I also personally love to bring snacks to the beach.  It makes the day more fun and eliminates the toddler whining “I’m hungry!” all day.  I recently invested in an awesome beach thermal bag from 31 bags and gifts.  It’s easier to carry than a traditional hard sided cooler and I definitely feel more fashionable carrying it and it fits a ton of stuff!  I also suggest investing in a water bottle that you love because you will be much more likely to use it. Shown below you will see my current favorite water bottle as well as my son’s!

 

4. Bring a water carrier or PFD as well as your stroller

Although I love some sand and sun, no beach day is complete without some fun in the water.  However, water play with a little in tow is a whole new ball game.  Last summer, my son was just learning to walk and while he was interested in the water, he wasn’t quite ready to be independent yet.  I was fortunate enough to be gifted a water ring sling by a friend and it turned out to be the perfect tool for some family fun in the water.  I was able to bring my son into the ocean without fear of his slippery body wiggling out of my arms or worse – worrying about him being swept away by waves.  Obviously I could not fully go swimming wearing my son but I was able to wade in just enough to cool both of us off and to have a bit of fun.  This summer, my son is a little too heavy for the water sling because unfortunately, the nature of the fabric is not very supportive.  So, this year we opted to buy our son a puddle jumper type personal flotation device (PFD).  Although NOT a substitute for constant supervision, having him wear the PFD will allow us to let him explore a little by our sides and give him a little bit of independence.   I still recommend taking a stroller though, small children get tired easily and having the stroller on the beach gives them a little break and a chance to nap if they need it – although to be fair some beaches are more stroller friendly and some strollers are more beach friendly.  My best advice is to give some thought about your destination and to fully explore all of your options before your trip.

 

5. Sometimes it takes a village

I have found that going to the beach with other moms, friends, or family makes the trip a lot more fun. You get to enjoy the beach with your kids, have a little bit of adult conversation, and best of all you have additional sets of eyeballs.  This is especially true when I go with other moms or family members.  We all watch out for the collective children and it’s much less stressful knowing that you are not the only adult on watch.  Give yourself a break and let yourself enjoy the trip a little too.

 

6. Bonus tip – Bring baby powder

I have to admit that I have no personal experience with this tip because in the last two years we have always gone to “hard sand” beaches where the sand doesn’t stick to every inch of you and you don’t have to risk brining home 10 lbs of it with you!  But… I have heard that baby powder is a god send at a soft sand beach.  Sprinkling baby powder on your child or yourself will cause the sand to fall or be brushed off easily making it easier to clean up and reapply sunscreen.  Do you have personal experience with this one?!  I would love to know if it works!

 

I hope you enjoy your summer and have many wonderful beach days.  Share your pictures with us and tell us which tips you find the most helpful!  Do you have other tips to add?  Share them in the comments and help another mom!