Sunday, August 18, 2013

Vacation Time! Beach Essentials



We are spending the week with my parents at the beach. I am definitely of the belief that vacation and young children do not belong in the same sentence. The kids love spending time with their aunts and grandparents, but it is definitely exhausting!  Here are our must-have beach items and a few tips for a good time:

swim suit/rash guard: We all have fair skin, so maximum sun coverage is important. I'm not picky about rash guards, but I prefer the ones with tighter necks for better protection for the kids.

Baseball Cap: A always refused to wear sun hats, but I have had good luck getting him to wear a baseball cap. It's pretty simple: no hat, no pool. He doesn't mind the rule, and asks for his hat all the time.

Water Shoes: A hates being barefoot. I also prefer he have water shoes on to protect his feet from hot sand/cement and anything sharp. I have been very happy with these Speedo water shoes

Shade: Thankfully, there are plenty of beach umbrellas here, but I have been considering purchasing a beach tent like this for additional shade. Everyone (myself included!) does better if we have a shady place to cool off. 

Hard at work on the beach


Pool/sand toys: A has been loving the typical buckets and shovels that are great for sand and water play. But his favorite "toys" have been empty water bottles, drinking cups, and other household items that he has been experimenting with.

Food and Drinks: Water play and lots of sun are a recipe for a very hungry toddler! I like to bring ziploc bags with snacks already portioned out for easy access. Easy snacks likes pretzels, crackers, and fruit seem to go over well. I recommend packing at least 2 times as many snacks as you think you'll need. Things fall in the sand, spill, etc. and kids are just extra hungry.

Bags: I can never have too many bags at the beach. Ziploc baggies are good to keep electronics safe. Lots of extra bags for trash and wet clothes. I also like to keep a small bag separate with things I will constantly need access to - sippy cup, toys for baby E, and whatever else I need at the moment.

Don't forget the towels and sunscreen also!

Chilling


In other news, the kids had their very first fight yesterday. Baby E has a weird obsession with bags, especially ziploc bags. The boys got into a tugging match over a bag of food. E was holding on to his bag for dear life, but A managed to grab it away, resulting in major hysterics from Baby E. I was very proud of A, who then decided he would let E hold one of his snack bags. This was definitely an interesting preview of things to come!!

Baby E testing out the pool with his Aunts. He decided to go swimming in his clothes :)


This will probably be my only post while away, so the blog may not be updated for a little while. Hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer!

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4 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh! "Vacations" leave me exhausted! You seem to have everything well under control though. And I love your lists. I am of the camp that believes everything feels better when you can put it into list form. Love the pictures too. Have fun!

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  2. I also love lists!! As I'm sure you can tell!

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  3. Beautiful pictures and a great list. You needed a picture of that first fight. That sounds like an experience in itself. Madison hasn't made it to her first beach as yet and we're looking forward to it.

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