There is nothing I love more than heading to the beach on a summers day. The warm sun beating down, hearing the waves and feeling the sand between your toes, the beach is definitely my happy place. It also happens to be a favourite of my children, and we will often spend long days and weekends down by the beach in summer when the weather permits. A trip to the beach can seem overwhelming and off-putting with children in tow, but I've put together five tips for venturing to the beach with children this summer that I think might just help!
1. Be Prepared If you can, I really recommend making a list of everything you need and packing the car up in advance. Being organised can be a real sanity saver as well as helping make sure you don't forget anything. This is especially true if you have a drive ahead of you as delays can be stressful. Think about the time of day you want to be at the beach early mornings are often cooler but less busy than at midday or in the evening when everyone is beginning to pack up are usually quieter times.
2. Protection from the Elements Beaches rarely offer much natural shade from the sun, so I definitely recommend a beach tent or umbrella, so you have an area of shade to escape to. This is an excellent place for afternoon naps or just to get respite from the sun.
You also want to make sure you have a good quality sunscreen with a high factor rating that is ideally waterproof. Make sure you reapply it as often as the manufacturer recommends to prevent unnecessary exposure. For little ones, you can get sun protection swimsuits which are great to wear at the beach, and it means you have less of an area to worry about applying sunscreen too!
Don't forget sunhats and sunglasses and to take plenty of breaks from the sun throughout the day.
3. Take a Picnic & Drinks Setting up a beach pitch with children has its challenges. You often need way more kit than if you were solo adults and therefore packing up to go grab food or refreshments isn't as easy. |Once you have set up your base the last thing you want to do is have to pack it all up to grab essentials so take a picnic filled with drinks, snacks and essentials that you will need throughout your trip. A great tip is to use a cool box or bag to help keep things cold!
4. Take Plenty of Spare Bags A bag for rubbish, one for wet clothes and one for anything covered in sand like the bucket and spade are essential! You don't want to mix your wet items with your sandy items because that just ends in disaster! There also aren't often bins on beaches solely for practical reasons which mean anything you bring to the beach needs to go home with you, or it ends up in the sea! If you are feeling up to it and you have room in your rubbish bag picking up any litter you see around you is a great way to look after the environment and set a great example for our children.
5. Supplies for the Aftermath Getting off the beach at the end of the day can be exhausting. Often the children are a little overtired and cranky. You want this stage of your trip to be quick and efficient to avoid meltdowns! Start by packing everything up and making sure you have everything you brought with you.
A great tip for removing sand from little feet is talcum powder. Applying the powder to sandy toes helps get rid of any sand stuck to them so that socks and shoes can be worn in comfort.
It's always a good idea to make sure you have a dry and comfortable set of clothes for everyone to travel home in and extra towels that you keep in the car 'just in case.'
A trip to the beach with children can be so rewarding and fun, and I hope these tips help make everything run a little smoother. Do you have any tips for heading down to the beach with children?
