The beach is such an amazing place to vacation with young kids. There is so much fun and free entertainment, it’s no wonder why families head to this sandy oasis when looking to getaway. But what are the essential items needed to making your beach trip successful? If you are planning a trip to the beach with your baby or toddler, here are 8 items that you will not want to forget!
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Water color paints are a cheap and simple way to entertain toddlers and preschoolers (and even older kids) for hours at the beach! I grab a couple of sets from the Dollar Tree before we go, bring a few extra paint brushes, and let my kids go crazy painting anything and everything!
They love creating masterpieces on sea shells, rocks, and even pieces of coral they found washed up on shore! When you are done, just wash them off in the water!
If the crashing waves seem scary, bring the ocean to baby! I found this mini water table in the dollar spot at Target last summer (they are no longer available), but any small plastic tub or wash basin would work perfectly. Just fill it up with water from the lake or ocean, toss in some sand or a couple of toys, and let baby splash away!
Leave those cheap plastic shovels at home, and instead grab a couple of sets of measuring cups! They work so much better for scooping sand, plus they are a perfect prompt for open ended play. I love to pair a couple of sets of measuring cups from the Dollar Tree with some buckets and plastic spoons, and my kids will play “restaurant” for hours!
If you have kids who love to collect sea shells, you definitely want to grab one of these! They are the perfect size for preschool aged kids, and are easy to open and close. Kids will absolutely love having their own bag to collect their treasures in.
Before heading down to the beach for the day, fill a sock with some baby powder and use it to wipe off sandy hands and feet. The sock helps to contain the baby powder, and the sand falls right off!
This is something we use so much all year round, but we especially love it at the beach! A waterproof picnic blanket is perfect to shake out before snack time, and keeps little bums off the wet sand. After the beach, you can use it for hiking, camping, picnics, or sporting events. Seriously, if you don’t already have one of these, you need it!
These are the perfect towels if you are trying to keep your luggage light when heading to the beach. They fold up so small and compact, but are so absorbent and dry super quick. They fit perfectly in our beach bag without taking up a ton of room.
This is the perfect beach toy for toddlers, and will entertain them for hours! Perfect for open ended play, and easy to carry and clean. On nearly all of our beach trips, this is always the number one played with toy. Construction vehicles are a bonus- so much fun to bulldoze and load the dump truck up with sand!
Do you have any favorite beach items to bring when traveling with toddlers or babies that I missed? Let me know below!