I LOVE going to the beach. It’s my favorite vacation. We’ve taken our kids to West Lake in nearby Davenport and as far as Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. Of all the things we did last summer, our 10-year-old, Charles, still says playing tag in the waves with our whole family was one of his most favorite moments.
5 TIPS FOR TAKING KIDS TO THE BEACH
- Write your last name in sharpie marker on your sand toys. I know this sounds silly, but the minute your kids start mixing toys with the others on the beach when building the most massive castle of all time…you’ll be glad you did. I mean, who remembers if the large orange shovel is ours or theirs?
- Get a Waboba bouncing water ball or two. These are the most fun! They skim on water and float. *Makes great stocking stuffer or Easter basket gift for older kids, too! Also, you can lose hours of your life watching fun Wabobo ball tricks on YouTube.
- Pack a lunch and lots of snacks. We also recommend lemonade instead of water. It always tastes really good especially if you’ve been in the ocean’s salty water. If you don’t pack a lunch, you’ll either end up staying longer than you meant to and everyone will be hangry or you’ll have to leave earlier than you want.
—Pack your sandwiches in a hard container and cut them in halves. The hard container is really important for non-squished (and then, apparently, inedible) pbj.
—Don’t ever pack fruit snacks unless you have them in a cooler. The gooey mess that is the sun-warmed fruit snack glob is not one I recommend trying for yourself.
- Take a collection of Chuck and Friends Tonka plastic cars and trucks. First, there are tons of them and they aren’t very expensive (and are often on swap sites) so if they get lost in the sand, it’s okay. Second, they float. THEY FLOAT!!! Third, they are plastic, so easily washed off and they don’t rust. Fourth, they are small so very easy to grab and stick in the side of your beach bag.
- Get a beach tent for your littles to sleep in. Every single one of our kids has napped in the beach tent at one point. This is so great when it comes to getting the most out of your beach time. We love this Texsport Calypso Sun Shelter because it’s easy to put up and hasn’t ever blown away on us and because of the sand bags that are built into the bottom of the tent.
What are your must-have beach trips and tricks? Please comment so we can all learn some new ones!
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