10 Beach Must Haves for Toddler and Baby
/If you’re looking for the best beach gear for toddlers, you’re in the right place. This guide is going to walk through the best beach must haves for toddler and baby!
It’s time to streamline and pack only the essentials for the beach with toddlers. If you’re going to the beach with a baby or going to the beach with a toddler, you don’t need a ton of stuff, you need the RIGHT stuff.
our third beach baby
We currently live in Barbados and were Florida beach residents for 10 years before that. We have lived at the beach since 2010 and all of our babies were born and raised going to the ocean. Going to the beach with a toddler is as common as going to the park during warmer weather. After many trials, I have put together the top 10 must have beach items for toddlers (and babies). Don’t get stuck lugging huge gear or 200 bags. SO, let’s get down to the perfect packing list for beach vacation with baby and toddler!
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What to Pack for the Beach with Toddlers or Baby
1) Hooded Beach Towel (Poncho) For Kids:
We found these amazing Beach Poncho Towels one year and they changed our beach and pool experience completely. Our kids wear the hooded towel over their bathing suits to walk down to the water. These are different than a hooded bath towel & these will not fall off when the kiddos are walking around. If you are going to the beach alone with a toddler, these wearable towels mean one less thing for you to carry and will free up room in your beach bag! I typically pack one beach blanket for us all to sit on, so these towels don’t lay in the sand!
The kids walking over the boardwalk with their beach ponchos on
The kids walking back to our beach condo with their beach ponchos on
2) Sun Protection For Baby and Toddler:
Sunscreen is full of chemicals (some good, some bad), but we know that what goes on, goes in. Also, with the new findings that most sunscreen is harmful to ocean life, (it's been banned in Hawaii) we are even more conscious of what we are using on our kids. This sunscreen is Organic & is NOT harmful to sea life and nontoxic to humans. **Babies are not supposed to wear sunscreen until after 6 months which is why I recommend a sunhat and protective swim suit.
While she didn’t really need sunglasses, they sure were cute!
If you do not want to apply sunscreen, no worries! You can use a baby beach hat to protect your child’s head and face from the sun. I also recommend using a rash guard bathing suit to protect their arms, back, and shoulders. The hat linked has sized for babies, but also is a toddler beach hat! If you’re little one likes to stay out in the sand and sun a toddler beach had is a must!
For our baby who is currently under 6 months, we snagged the two pack of swim suits along with the adjustable (grow-with-me) brown sun hat. He is wearing both in the photo below!
Our newest nomad rocking is adjustable sun hat — this one grows with baby.
OUr baby was only 2 months old here, so we didn’t put a ton of sunscreen on — we used the beach hat to protect here, but mainly kept her under the cover of our cabana
3) The Best Beach Pail + Toys:
Toddler beach toys don't have to be complex. We typically bring a couple of buckets, a few small shovels and we let them go crazy. The beach is already stimulating for small kids, so when you’re taking toddler to beach, you don't need to overpack! These are the best beach toys for toddlers; sturdy and environmentally friendly.
****I suggest environmentally friendly beach toys since plastics are a huge contributor to ocean pollution.
The kids playing with their toys at the beach.
Roadtripping or flying to the beach? Check out our guide to the best Apps for Toddlers and Preschoolers!
4) The Best Beach Fan
A small fan is one of the top beach essentials for toddlers in my opinion. Stay with me on this one. Yes, you can go to the beach without one, HOWEVER, it is very convenient to have a small fan at the beach when you have small kids.
our baby - 4 months - taking a nap on a beach in barbados with his beach fan and turkish towels.
I like having a beach fan with little babies to help keep them cool while they sleep. I always keep one stored with my beach stuff for babies so I never forget it. For toddlers, it's nice to have a fan that can blow on them while they eat lunch or take a break out of the sun.
For the adults, it can be nice to have a fan blowing on you while you soak up the sun at the beach. However you choose to use it, you can't go wrong with a small fan. We have two of them!
BONUS: This fan clips to strollers, so you can use it on your day-to-day outings to help keep the kids cool.
Our older son would get sooooo hot while he slept at the beach and after this we got ourselves a fan to keep him cool during naps
we have two of these fans now that we live in barbados! We use one every single day!
5) The Perfect Beach Shade:
A Cool Cabana needs to be at the very top of your beach packing list! We used to use the "Easy-Up" style tents, but I wasn't able to bring the kids, our beach stuff, and one of those huge tents to the beach by myself. But a regular beach umbrella wasn’t big enough to cover all of us, so My husband ended up buying me a Cool Cabana!
under the cool cabana on batts rock beach in barbados
This cabana is absolutely PERFECT. We are able to sit in the shade, it folds up small, and it is easily carried & set up by one adult. These are absolutely perfect for any parent at the beach; an essential item for bringing kids to the beach.
Our cool cabana has been with us for over 5 years. From florida to california to barbados! We don’t do the beach without it!
6) Beach Wagon or Cart
Having a beach cart does make it much easier to get all of your gear and kids down to the beach. Since we lived at the beach, we loved having a beach cart!
OUr son sleeping in our beach cart under our cool cabana!
If you’re headed to the beach with toddlers or a baby, the beach cart can have another amazing purpose — a bed for the baby! Yes, our kids took many naps in our beach cart. Sometimes it was the only reason I brought it down with us actually.
My son took so many naps in our beach wagon
Don’t over pack when you travel. Check out our guide to Packing Light When Traveling with Kids.
7) The Best Dry Bag for toddlers and babies:
We use dry bags for everything from pacifier bags to reusable snack bags, but our very favorite dry bag is our extra-large bag. We keep our dry bag in our diaper bag with a set of spare clothes for each kid. If one of our littles spills, has a blowout or we encounter an unexpected splash pad -- we are ready. The dry clothes come out and the wet clothes go in.
The inside of these dry bags is a waterproof material, but these bags can be washed in the washing machine! Just lay them out to dry to keep the waterproof material in tact.
watching the family play in barbado0s from under our cool cabana
Check out my guide with all the tips for Flying with Toddlers
8) Baby Powder for the Beach:
One Beach with toddlers PRO TIP is to keep a thing of baby powder handy. Did you know that baby powder easily gets sand off of skin/ It does! All you have to do is puff the powder out on the skin and then wipe. The powder will help the sand to easily fall off with minimal effort. This is one of the best beach ideas for toddlers and when you bring a baby to the beach.
the kids getting sandy in barbados
We typically strip the kids down in the back of the car (on a towel) and put baby powder all over them. The sand slides right off. Baby powder is definitely one of the beach essentials for kids and helps keep sand out of our car!
When you go to the beach with toddlers, expect there to be sand everywhere
Check out my guide to the Best Travel Gear for Toddlers
9) The Best Family Sized Beach Blanket:
Going to the beach with a baby or toddler means sand will be everywhere. I used to want to bring a towel for each person, but I quickly realized we needed a large space for the whole family. This beach blanket is large enough for everyone and it is made of durable ripstop nylon.
In order to get the sand off, simply shake the blanket and sand falls right off. Maybe the best part of this family-sized beach blanket is that it stuffs into a tiny stuff sack and takes up very little room in your beach bag! Whether you’re going to be with a single toddler at the beach or with the entire family, a good beach blanket is a must!
Our baby standing on a beach blanket. I love the beach blankets because they create a large sand free area. this blanket was huge and bulky, but the one above does the same things and folds much smaller
10) A beach pool for baby or toddler:
A baby pop up beach pool is an absolute must for your next beach trip with a baby or toddler. WE LOVE THIS THING. Our baby loves to sit in the very shallow water to stay cool and the added bonus is there is minimal sand and he is in the shade. This baby pop up beach pool has been such a game changer for our beach trips. I don’t know why we waited until our third baby to get one of these amazing beach pools! A baby beach pool is an absolute must have for the beach with a baby. (Or toddler!)
he still loves it even tho hes starting to be mobile
The BBLUV brand folds up TINY and can fit into any beach back easily. It comes with a carrying case, stakes, and a collapsible bucket to fill it.
11) The Best Beach Snack Cooler for families
It gets SO HOT here in Barbados. We can't go to the beach without plenty of cold water to stay hydrated. We also can't go anywhere ever without hoards of snacks, so finding the perfect beach cooler is important.
We currently have the RTIC Soft Sling Cooler Pack and it is WONDERFUL. We can bring drinkable yogurts, 3 water bottles, 2 gatorades, and a couple of seltzers. I LOVE that I can wear my cooler over my shoulder. The key point for me is that my cooler can be carried as a backpack since the cooler is typically my heaviest item when headed to the beach with toddlers.
The shoulder cooler I linked to is for anyone who is traveling to the beach and needs to pack tight and small. This amazing cooler folds down flat when not in use!
You can see our pink shoulder cooler in the bottom right! it keeps things so cold!
Traveling with a Breastfed baby? Check out my guide on Traveling with Breastmilk!
11) A bonus! Beach Play Pen
We got an outdoor playpen when our oldest child was only a few months old. We used it outside when we were doing yard work or sitting outside with friends. But then, we brought it to the beach and it helped us so much! It became one of our toddler beach essentials.
we used the playpen at the pool and at the beach!
Our daughter absolutely hated the sand. Yes, some toddlers at beach hate the sand. This outdoor playpen kept the sand out and we could toss toys and snacks in for her. The mesh sides let the cool beach air come in and keep her cool. We chose not to use the sunshade, but I can see how that would be very helpful for naps and play.
Anyone with toddlers at the beach will know you can’t predict whether they will hate it or love it, so if your toddler doesn’t take to the sand or if you want a nice sand-free place to put your toddler for naps or play — invest in one of these play pens! They are light weight and fold up small!
She was so much happier playing inside the playpen and out of the sand!
How to Pack Your Beach Bag Effectively:
turkish towels are very light weight, fold up tiny and are huge!
Set everything out that you need to pack.
Separate certain things into plastic (or reusable) baggies.
Diapers/Wipes
Sunscreen
Spare Clothes
Extra baggie for cell phones/sunglasses
Extra baggie for dirty diapers
Tightly roll your beach towels ( I am obsessed with Turkish Towels. They are big, very light weight, and gorgeous. They roll up so tiny, but provide so much coverage!)
Place toys in the bottom of the bag
Followed by packed baggies
Then add the beach towels in a vertical position
Shove anything else in around the towels and in the bag's pockets
I usually have my kids wear their beach towel ponchos down to the beach and I clip their floaties to my bag. I can easily carry our Cabana, a beach bag, & our snack cooler down by myself and the kids will walk. When our kids were younger, I wore them on my back down to the beach in our Ergo Baby Carrier.
Like I said before, it’s time to streamline and pack only the essentials for the beach with toddlers. If you’re going to the beach with a baby or going to the beach with a toddler, you don’t need a ton of stuff, you need the RIGHT stuff. Don’t forget that it is absolutely possible for one adult to bring multiple kids to the beach! It doesn't have to be stressful; a little planning ahead and the right gear can make the trip much smoother.
Do you have any travel hacks for taking kids to the beach? Let us know in the comments!
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