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So, you have a beach vacation planned for the family. That’s exciting! So much fun to be had, so many great memories to be made. Everyone is going to have a great time, right? I mean, it’s the beach and warm weather how could you not have a great time. Well allow me to tell you, from a naïve mom who had 4 crying kids at the end of our beach day. Don’t make my mistakes! Here is everything I wish I had known. Do as I say, not as I did on our beach vacation and you are sure to have a great time.
Beach Vacation Mistakes
1. Going to the beach when it’s crowded and high tide
Instead go early or late in the day. If you go to the beach in the middle of the day there will be crowds. The last thing parents on a beach vacation with little kids need is a crowd. When you get there early or late in the day you can get a better spot on the beach and have more space to spread out the truck load of stuff required for a family day at the beach. Not to mention, the UV rays aren’t as strong earlier or later in the day.
Check the tide times for the beach. High tide can be dangerous, especially if you have kids running around. I didn’t even know to check the tide times. On this website you can search the beach you want to visit and tide times, it will tell you when low tide is. Low tide is a much safer time to visit the beach.
2. Not bringing enough sun protection
It’s obvious that you will need sunscreen, but apply the first sunscreen application before you get the beach. That way you aren’t chasing around kids who don’t want to hold still because they are too excited for the beach. Set an alarm on your phone for sunscreen reapplications and couple that with snacks. Kids will sit still while eating and you can slather on more sunscreen. This is our favorite sunscreen.
Rash guards are a mom’s best friend on a beach vacation. They protect large amounts of skin and cut sunscreen application time in half. Don’t forget about sunhats and sunglasses too. Find some with a strap so they actually stay on!
3. Not bringing a change of clothes and warm clothes
Someone is going to end up getting their shirt wet or a centimeter square of their shorts wet and it will be the end of the world. Throw a change of clothes for each person into a packing cube and you are set. With that, pack a long sleeve shirt for each person, especially if you are visiting the beach later in the day. It can get cold with the breeze and I don’t know about you, but I hate being cold. And so do my kids.
Bring a wet bag. A wet bag is made of waterproof material and you can put the kids wet swimsuits in there and it won’t leak everywhere. The kids can change out of their swimsuits, put on their nice warm clothes and enjoy dinner or the drive back to the hotel.
4. Thinking about dinner at dinner time
After a day at the beach everyone is tired and hungry. Parents, do yourselves a favor and make a reservation ahead of time if you are eating out, especially with the kids. You don’t want to get caught having a long wait time and no other options.
Along with making a reservation, if you are eating dinner out make your reservation for a little earlier than the normal time. It will be less busy and you will probably get a pick of places to sit.
5. Going on a beach vacation outnumbered
The more adults to help with the kids the better. Consider going on a beach vacation with extended family. That is what we did, but somehow with being on vacation with 12 adults we still ended up at the beach with only 3 adults to 4 kids. I would say one adult per child is ideal. More adults is more hands to help pass out snacks, apply sunscreen and and wrangle all the gear. Also, the more adults to help with kids could result in mom and dad having a second to actually sit and relax!
6. Not planning well for baby
If your baby is crawling or standing, bring a small inflatable pool and put a little water in it for them to splash around in. Keeping your baby in a shaded area will help keep them cool and comfortable. Bring a beach tent (cheaper option here) and a beach blanket and set up a little baby station with their pool close by.
Another great reason to set up a baby station is for naps. Try keeping to your baby’s normal schedule by having them take a nap in the beach tent. If your baby isn’t the beach napping type, I would suggest keeping the beach day short. If baby isn’t happy, mama is probably stressed and then no one is happy.
7. Trying to bring a stroller to the beach
Trust me, it won’t work. Now maybe if you have a really nice stroller it can handle off roading into sand, but my basic Graco stroller failed. Get a beach wagon and make all the other parents jealous as you load that thing up and effortlessly pull it across the sand. Not to mention, the wagon will be able to carry everything making it just one trip from the car to the beach. They are an investment but if you will be avid beach vacationers it will be worth it.
8. Assuming the beach and ocean alone will entertain your kids
Plan to bring a few beach toys. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself with more stuff to pack, carry and clean off, so just bring a few toys. A few toys is better than zero toys. A simple sand shovel, bucket and sand toys are perfect for when the kids want to take a break from playing in the water.
If you want your kids to take a break from the heat and sun plan to bring some quiet time toys, such as a book for older kids to read or water wow books for younger kids they can do under the tent.
9. Not packing the night before
This is especially important if you want to get to the beach earlier in the morning. The less things you have to do in the morning, the better chances of getting to the beach while it’s actually still morning. You don’t need a fancy beach bag, but something that can withstand moisture, is easy to clean and has enough space is a must! Packing the night before is also less of a rush and you are less likely to forget stuff, like towels for everyone. I also forgot hair ties for my girls. Loose hair plus wind and sand make for a not so pleasant hair brushing experience.
10. Going slim on the snacks
My kids love snack time and I’m guessing yours do too. Being in the sun and running around means everyone will be hungry. Take the amount of food you were planning to bring and double it. That goes for water too. Bring more than you think you will need! Have a cooler (that you packed the night before) full of healthy and easy to eat food plus plenty of water. And remember to couple snack breaks with sunscreen applications, it’s a win-win.
Don’t just pack snacks, if you will be on the beach over lunch don’t forget to pack a healthy picnic lunch too. I really like these bentgo boxes for the kids. They are a good size and keep all the food in separate compartments.
Make food easy to eat. If it’s not an easy hand out and go food, then don’t pack it. For example, my kids like applesauce. The beach is not the place for applesauce cups that require a spoon. Instead, get the applesauce pouches. Twist the cap off and hand it to your child. Easy! Another example of easy to eat food is any food that comes in a box or a bag, like crackers or veggie straws. Don’t do it! Don’t bring the entire box or bag to the beach. The night before divide the snack into individual reusable snack bags for each child.
Before eating fill the sand toy pail with water and have everyone clean off their hands and feet. Keeps sand from getting in the food and from getting all over the beach blanket. On the topic of keeping things clean, bring an empty gallon zip lock bag to put any trash in.
11. Setting your beach vacation expectations too high
No matter how much you research and plan something will probably not go as planned. I can have these wonderful visions in my head of the most perfect day with my family and then I come crashing back to reality by the sound of fighting in the back seat. Try to have fun and make the most out of your beach vacation with your family. If it doesn’t go as perfectly as you saw it in your head, that’s ok. Just laugh and take the picture anyway!
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