We just returned from our first beach trip of the summer, and had the best time. Kennedy’s at the perfect age where we could take her to the beach for more than an hour, and she remained occupied (for the most part!) She even napped on me a few days, which gave mom and dad a few extra hours of beach time. Packing for a toddler for a beach trip can be overwhelming, so I’m sharing our beach essentials to hopefully make packing a little less stressful 🙂 Enjoy!
1. Beach tent:
This was the MVP of trip. The Shibumi shade is a beach shade that’s extremely light weight, easy to set up, and works with the wind rather than against it. It comes in a bag that is less than 4 lbs making it portable, and is just a few pieces to assemble. This was a big selling factor considering all the other stuff we had to carry down to the beach 😉 This beach tent is on the pricier side, but we split the cost with my mother-in-law and are sharing it. We also have a California beach co pop-up playpen which we love for Kennedy, but the Shibumi provided shade for everyone so we opted to use this instead.
2. Baby Pool & Beach/Water Toys:
Our neighbor let us borrow this foldable pool for the trip, and it was awesome. I think it’s actually intended for dogs, but the large size was perfect for our toddler. There is no air pump required, and it’s collapsible which again makes for easy storage and transportation. We immediately purchased our own pool on day one from Amazon because we knew this was going to be a must have for future trips. We brought an assortment of beach toys and filled the pool with them to keep Kennedy occupied.
3. Baby Beach Chair:
This cute little toddler folding chair was perfect for the beach, and served a dual purpose of a booster seat for meal time. It is lightweight and conveniently and comfortably provides the perfect space for baby to sit, eat, and play. Of course, we packed some beach snacks and a water bottle, which she could eat on the removable tray that comes with the chair.
4. Baby Water Float:
So this is technically a pool accessory, but our rental beach house did have a pool so I’m including this as one of our must haves. Kennedy is a water baby, and especially loves splashing around in the pool. This pool float was gifted to us and she absolutely loves it. It has a soft mesh seat for comfort, and provides good support for her to float. It also comes with an adjustable and removable canopy for extra sun protection.
5. Baby Sun Protection:
Of course, sun protection is an essential for all, so I’m including some of items we use to protect Kennedy’s delicate baby skin from the hot summer sun. Bathingsuits and swim hats with SPF protection, sunscreen, sunglasses, and water proof shoes are must haves on our list.
Happy Beach Trip! (with a Toddler:) )
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