Did You Go on a Beach Vacation This Summer? What Should I Pack?

A year from now? Are you packing now? The way the weather has been, there may not be any beaches left next year! Depends on where you are staying, how many people, at you cooking or eating out. Need more info.

You might want to bring water shoes for everyone. Depending on where you go, there might be rocks or shells and feet get sore after a while.

We did :).

Beach toys are a must.

TONS of sunscreen (I got 4 huge bottles of the Target brand and brought them all).

Sunglasses for any of you with sensitive eyes.

Goggles if the salt water bothers anyone's eyes.

Boogie boards, we had to buy two new ones, but I don't recommend the beach without them...we ended up sharing ours with the two other families we went with. The kids LOVED them.

Also bring a cooler with snacks and PLENTY of water. The beach will drain you quickly.

Beach shoes (the sand can be REALLY hot).

A beach umbrella.

A kite can be fun if you have room - it's always windy at the beach.

Baby powder, helps get the sand off feat and the rest of your body real quick.

We take our 6 kids (current ages 4 -12) to Carlsbad, CA every summer for a week. Not sure where you are headed, but there, the waves can be a little intimidating for the kids. Also, the water is quite cold. We usually go to the beach every day that we are there. But honestly, the kids rarely get in the water to swim. Our oldest will and he tries to boogey board, but the others will mostly stay on the beach and play in the sand. A few might go out and get their feet wet, but that's about it. So I would definitely focus on land items like, buckets, shovels, and sand toy items. Also, a football, baseball and gloves, or frisbee. If you have room, a kite. Something to collect seashells with. Avoid plastic baggies so they don't fly away and be left on the beach. If you are going to the beach at night, flashlights to look for sand critters. Have fun!

beach chairs with umbrellas, water shoes, sand pails with toys, large beach towels, a small rolling cooler, water toys (inflatables, noodles, boogie boards), coast guard approved life vests or floatie arms, Aloe vera for sunburn. Even when reapplying as recommended they still sometimes get burned.

puddlejumpers for the little ones.

We have been on 2 beach vacations. One on each side of the coast. In 2004 we went to Cocoa Beach in FL. In 2009 we went to Santa Barbara CA! We usually take all kinds of beach toys, extra clothes, extra towels, water, food, beach chairs, radio, first aid kit and sun hats. Have fun! They are super fun!

Depends....
Are you staying in a standard hotel, one w/ a kitchen or a rental house?
I have become a PRO at this lol
If you have a kitchen then remember things you can buy here and travel w/ that will be cheaper then in a touristy town.
I buy small cans off coffee and take some filters. I also take cooking spray. Napkins, salt/pepper. Also, a sharp knife. Even if hotels/houses offer them they aren't always sharp. Plastic wrap to wrap any left overs.
I also prepare a plastic bin/Tupperware with : bandaids, Neosporin, Tylenol, aloe gel, BABY POWDER (gets sand off!!!) Awesome w/ kids!
Beach umbrella instead of renting at the beach. We also have our own beach chairs. With a kid as small as 2 I'd get a small beach/kids tent for the beach in case they need shelter or want to lay down.
A small soft cooler you can load w/ drinks and snacks, but can be collapsed down when not in use
We take a portable dvd players and favorite movies
Big beach bag for towels, sunscreen etc
Flip flops and or beach shoes
I start a bin in my closet way ahead of our trips , and as I think of things or buy things I add it and then when it's time to leave I'm way ahead of the game! HAVE FUN
Just think of things your kids will like playing with, eating, doing etc.

Just to add a few, I didn't see mentioned....

Kids will love collecting treasures, make sure you have containers to collect these and store them in for the ride home. Cheap Tupperware type containers work well.

I like to use an old sheet as a beach blanket. It takes up less space and is lightweight.

Tote bags. Mesh bags are great for sand toys.

A small soft sided cooler for snacks and beverages. Make sure you have some of those blue ice packs.

If you have girls, loose fitting cotton dresses. If you want to get them out of their wet suits, just slip the dress over their head and slide off suit. You can easily do it discretely right on the beach.

Aloe Vera.
frozen grapes, watermelon, crunchy cheese doodles, corn on the cob.
an inflatable beach ball?
a wagon/ special granny cart to tote all your stuff.
a blanket to lay out on- We always use the flat sheets.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

We go every year. My suggestion is to buy your beach umbrellas and/or beach chairs back at home. They cost an arm and a leg at the beach.
Another thing we saw this past year was one of those three ring blow up pools- the kind you can inflate/deflate. My 2 year old loved the water, but not the waves. So next year we are going to bring one of those so she can play in the water, also.

For the things I haven't seen mentioned.
A LARGE leaf or two from an aloe plant to put on sun burn that sunblock didn't cover.
A float ring with cloth mesh for the bottom to hold swim stuff. We put snorkels and swim fins and a small ice chest in ours. It worked wonderfully. We had two and my wife and I each sat in one to relax after a day in the ocean. (We went to Jamaica. The water was warm. The wave were calm and the water clear.)

Good luck to you and yours.

Sunblock!! Lots of it.

Water

Snacks

Beach toys

Big beach towels to sit on.

Extra towels to dry off with.

Sunglasses

Beach umbrella

Good idea...everything should be on sale right now.

Water shoes

Life preservers if you plan on going kayaking or out on a catamaran and don't want to use your own. At least get the kids their own.

Spray bottles (for misting yourself or keeping a sandcastle moist)

When you live close to the beach you don't vacation there anymore - because you can drive to it in 20 min anytime you want to.

What sort of beach will you be going to?
We've found that a snorkel works great if there's not much going on with waves - if there are lot's of waves you'll never use it.
Until our son was about 6, we had him wear a life vest near the water.
The big waves can knock little kids off their feet and wash them out - you want them to be able to float.
A boogie board is fun.
A bucket is a good idea.
Take a pocket kite (or two) with you - I always have at least one in the car - they are easy to fly and there's nothing to break.

http://www.intothewind.com/shop/Traditional_Kites/Best_fo...

If you will be on the beach at night, take some glow sticks with you - a small one you can attach to the kite and you can fly it after dark.

Blanket or something similiar, Hats, Aloe, Cooler, Lots of sunscreen(spray on works great), sand toys, boogie board, bikes, air mattress, inner tubes, snacks, towels, chairs, flip flops or water shoes or both. flashlight so you can look for crabs at night. Change of clothes in case you want to eat out on your way back if you don't stay on the beach, sunglasses, books, magazine, coloring books, umbrella.

Where are you staying and how are you getting there? If at a hotel or even some condos, they will give you beach towels to use while you are there, and towels take up a ton of space in a suitcase, so leave them home if they are provided.

When flying, we buy sand toys on arrival, and give them away the last day. Again, they take up a lot of suitcase space, and it's not worth it if you are paying to check bags.

Mask and snorkel - if you are going to a place with calm bays, then take them. If you are going to be oceanfront, then the sea is too rough to snorkel, IMO.

If you are driving my strongest recommendation is to bring one of those tents people use for tailgating (ours is a 10x10 canopy) with weights for the legs. SO much better than paying a fortune to rent little umbrellas stuck in the sand every day. It's big enough to have the kids play under it when they need a break from the sun, plus space for you to sit, the toddler to nap, etc.

Plus, swimshirts for everyone. You'll use half the amount of sunscreen, no missed spots, and so much faster to get ready to go out too. Even the adults in my family have them.

Water shoes, buckets, good shovels.