We all love visiting the beach and our children seem to love it even more. I have to confess that I’m not a great fan of the sand though, as it seems to get everywhere. Here are my top tips for taking a baby to the beach...
1. UV suit – make sure your little one is protected from the harmful rays! We love the range of UV suits from Lilly and Sid – why shouldn’t your little one look funky on the beach?
2. Sun cream – your best bet is to apply it before you get to the beach. Rubbing in sun cream with sandy hands is not the nicest experience for a baby’s soft skin. Always use a high factor cream such as Superdrug’s My Little Star SPF50+ Moisturising Sun Lotion and don’t forget to keep reapplying even if your kids are sat in the shade.
3. Playmat – not everyone likes the sand (I’m not alone in this) and many babies really detest the stuff. Make sure that you take a large rug or mat with you so that you have plenty of sand-free space to sit on. The Pop-in Playmat from Close is a great example of a mat you can use on the beach, in the park or even in the lounge - and I love their funky designs. Top Tip: you’ll use this even if you haven’t got a toddler in tow.
4. Lunch Bag - take with you plenty of cool drinks and, of course, snacks. Children love to snack at the best of times but they certainly don’t want to sit down for a full meal when they’re on the beach – building sandcastles is far more important and food is just fuel to carry on with their architectural masterpieces.
Kids love to have their own lunch boxes with their own food in – even if it’s somewhere they can keep going back to as they build. How about these lunch bags from Pink Lining? They’re just the perfect size and will hold everything your toddler needs to ‘survive’.
5. The perfect beach pushchair – let’s face it as soon as your toddler sees the sand they will want to be out of their pushchair and FREE! I learnt a long time ago that this is fine, as the pushchair can make the perfect pack-horse. It gets all the clobber you need down to the beach without you having to carry it.
In an ideal world, your pushchair will have large air-filled tyres such as the robust Mountain Buggy Terrain or Urban Jungle, but in reality you’ll probably end up dragging your pushchair behind you across the sand. If you’ve got a Mountain Buggy, then make sure that you don’t forget it!
6. Toys and building equipment – I used to go to the beach armed with buckets full of toys for my toddler. I soon learnt that all they need is a bucket and a spade – and maybe a flag or two! Don’t forget to pack a spade for Dad too as Dads on the beach always seem to like building sandcastles too...
So there we are – simple tips to make a trip to the beach more successful. What are your top tips for a beach trip with a toddler?
