I've got a 4 1/2 year old and a 19 month old, and we go to the beach every weekend and sometimes on Thursdays too....Something to keep in mind would be where is the parking (as in, do you want to leave a few things in the car rather than lug it all around with you?), and does the spot you choose have one of those mats that takes you from a boardwalk to firmer sand so you can wheel stuff out or not? There are nice beaches around, some free parking, but we stick with the one we use even though we have to pay $1/hour because the walk from parking to the beach is pleasant and there's a carpet looking thing that I can roll my son in a stroller past the soft sand onto the firmer sand. Once on firm sand, I can cruise on up to wherever we want to plant ourselves for the morning. I say that because it's too far for my 19 month old to comfortably walk while my hands are full of "stuff" (but he can sit in his stroller and I can stack stuff in the carry basket and push at MY speed instead of tiny legs speed). Destin, I believe it's the powdery soft sand which is gorgeous but does get hot on bare feet so do get the little water shoes!!! We have more "dirt" sand that "powder" so it's not as hot, but nothing more unpleasant that the bottoms of your feet burned. We also choose a parking space that would make us walk past a shower on the way out. Basically I load his diaper bag with everything I'd normally pack it down with, including wipes, plenty of diapers, and a full change of clothes, but leave it in the car. We park the car, then put him in a swim diaper (because it doesn't hold pee and I don't want him having an "accident'' in the car!) and his swim suit. (I put sunblock on him right before we leave home; it's fresh but just easier to do at home). We will put lotion on his body, but also I spray some sunblock on my hands and put it on his face that way so I don't have to worry about him fighting and stuff getting in his eyes! The beach bag is packed with a swim shirt, sunglasses, and hat (but he won't wear any of them for any length of time, whatever) a small first aid kit (I bring one everywhere, that's just me) and a small bottle of white vinegar with a tight screw cap lid on it (label off, marked V on both sides) just in case we have a jelly fish incident. Bring the sunblock along. Some days you'll see none at all, but I've been stung before and since my youngest is really sensitive to a lot of stuff, who knows if he'd have a reaction or not if he was to get stung. Better safe than sorry, in my opinion. I pack an extra swim diaper and some wipes, some bottled water to wash hands and mouths if they decide to eat sand (the youngest did this the first few times, but has learned better), a plastic bag for trash, another plastic bag for sandy bits later, a bucket, shovel, little ball to kick around, and a small ice chest with drinking water, some apple wedges or grapes, the towels and the beach blanket (ours is a big "thing"....like a thin, tarp looking thing but soft that I bought at Babies R Us). We like to eat breakfast then leave for the beach, and then leave for lunch and a nap. I don't think it's realistic to have the baby out there all day, or through lunch for sandy sandwiches, or skipping a nap, or out in the heat of the day when it's at it's hottest. We avoid the beach from 12:30-4, but are fine with that since we get there around 8:30-9am. That's plenty of time to play in some sand, ease them into the water, and back and forth. Go get some lunch, take a little nap, then you can either go back in the evening or not, depending on how you guys feel. Don't forget the camera! And yeah, kids are different, who knows how yours will react? My first: I was expecting him to be nervous at first sight because my little neice had been....but no, he ran full speed, head long into the waves and I had to throw everything I was carrying down and chase after him. He likes the water fine, but it a TOTAL sand baby and would sit there and dig a big hole all day if we let him (but he will cry if we don't let him fill the hole up before we go home). My youngest was ok on the sand, terrified at the water (my husband just sat down and held him on his lap and let the water move up to his ankles and back for about 30 minutes the first day), but now that boy is a TOTAL water baby and will run (at 3' tall, 25 lbs, and stand firm against the waves as they hit his chest and won't get out of the water without a fight (or bribing him with "the big shovel"). Have a good time. Be prepared to be patient. Have fun whatever you end up doing out there. :)
When leaving: bring it all up to the shower and clean it all off, then go to the car to put the baby back into a "real" diaper and dry shorts. I've seen those beach carts at Walmart for $35 and we're going to buy one this weekend---it looks SO awesome and SO convenient, but then again, we have the firmer sand. I don't think it'd work at all on soft sand. (Unless you pushed everything in it from the car to the end of the walk and then just carried stuff a shorter distance). We use a small hand held cooler for 4 bottles of cold water and a ziploc of grapes or fruit, not a big ice chest. It's easier. Some people love sitting in chairs. We either lay down on the blanket, sit on the sand with the boys, or are playing, so we've never brought chairs.
