Summer Time Means Beach Time

As the temperature warms it is no doubt that people get the feeling to head to the beach.  On a hot summer day there are not many better things than feeling the sand on your toes and the sun on your face.  The beach is the best place to get this.  With kids though- it takes a bit more preparation and planning to make the most of your family beach day.

Family Beach Planning

We have 4 kids so we have been going to the beach with kids for years.  As the years have gone on our beach gear has changed.  I will say having a beach wagon though makes all the difference no matter how old your kids are.  When we took a baby or toddler to the beach it was handy to have them in the wagon.  Now that everyone is older, having all of our beach gear in the wagon is super helpful and it is easy to navigate through the sand.

Planning your day around what time you plan to arrive is important.  We like to aim for arriving at the beach either late morning and staying for the day or late afternoon into the evening.  Check ahead regarding parking to know if you need to pay for parking ahead of time or if you can pay once you are there.

Throw the sunscreen on your kids before you get to the beach and make sure to reapply many times throughout the day.  We like to use the spray for over the body and creamed sunscreen for the face.

Beach Snacks

I don’t know about your kids but for mine, the second we get to the beach they seem to want snacks.  This is where the planning comes into play.  Though public beaches may have lots of options to purchase food we prefer to bring our own.

Fruit!  We love fruit at the beach.  Our favorite is watermelon, we prefer to cut the watermelon into wedges rather than chunks.  This is helpful if your little one doesn’t get all the sand off their hands then the sand only gets on the rind.

Sandwiches are an easy beach food.  However my kids are sometimes sick of sandwich when it gets to summer time.  Home made lunch-abless are a good beach alternative to sandwiches.  We use meat sticks of kielbasa, cheese and crackers.

We always have a big container of vegetables as well.  Cucumbers, peppers and carrots are a top choice for our family.

Make sure to throw in some water bottles, juice boxes or Gatorade to keep everyone hydrated.

With all this food make sure you have a cooler with ice or ice packs to keep everything cool!

Sand Toys

We have gone through our fair share of sand toys through the years with our kids.  Every year we add to our collection and throw out old or broken ones.  It doesn’t matter what the age of your kids are everyone enjoys playing in the sand at the beach- even the parents.

Lots of buckets and at least one shovel per kid to prevent fighting.  The past few years we have found collapsible buckets which for packing are a great space saver.

Throw some chairs into your trunk too for mom and dad at the beach.  Although it is great to lay on a blanket in the sun that can be hard on your back after a while.

Don’t forget floaties for extra fun on the water!

If you are looking for more ideas for family travel tips and tricks check out Blog – Together We Can Travel.