Heading to the beach can be made a whole lot less stressful with a few tips and tricks up your sleeve, especially if you are going as a family. These hacks are tried and true to save time and energy so that you can enjoy your day more and not have to worry so much. Some of these items may surprise you, but when you think about it, they are pure genius!
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Things to Bring to the Beach
Ready for my beach hacks or the things to bring to the beach that are a little out-of-the box to make your trip more enjoyable! At the bottom I’ve also included my favorite beach supplies that increased our 4 hour fun to full day and begging to stay. Whoohoo!
1. A DIAPER
A diaper to hide your valuables in. Leaving my keys and wallet on the beach was always stressful to me until I started hiding them in a rolled up diaper. Not only does the diaper protect your valuables from the sand and water, it’s a pretty good cover from theft. I mean, who is going to pick up what looks like a soiled diaper? {giggle}
2. BABY POWDER
Baby powder should be your beach BFF. Baby Powder will remove sand from your hands and feet and your kids’ hands and feet as well. It’s like a miracle. So, when it’s time to eat, or time to go, just sprinkle baby powder on sandy hands and feet and the sand will wipe right off. It works by absorbing the moisture that is causing the sand to stick in the first place.
3. RESEALABLE BAGS
Bring a few resealable bags to the beach with you. One bag should house your cell phone. It’ll keep it free from sand and water and you don’t have to mess with a fancy water proof case. Another bag should be set aside for trash to be removed from the beach. We always have trash that the wind wants to spread over the beach so putting it in a bag that seals shut works really well for us. We also use a bag for wet bathing suits so they don’t drip on things we don’t want them to!
4. RASH GUARD
We like to apply sunscreen about as much as we like cleaning toilets so we try to minimize the amount of surface area (or skin) we have exposed. Plus, it’s just plain smart to keep as protected from the sun as possible. We never go to the beach without rash guards and other sun protective clothing.
5. TIMER
The sun’s UV rays are the most powerful between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (even when it’s cloudy), so it’s super important that when you are at the beach you re-apply sunscreen frequently. We keep a timer on hand so that we don’t forget to re-apply and make a game out of it for the kids. When the timer goes off and they willingly re-apply their sunscreen (or get help re-applying it) they get some sort of reward that we’ve determined beforehand.
6. SMALL FIRST AID KIT
It’s always a smart idea to have a small first aid kit with you in case someone gets hurt whether it’s a cut, scrape, jelly fish sting or sunburn.
7. DEFLATED BALLOONS
Bet you are wondering what these are for, right? Use balloons to help push water out of your kid’s ears. When they complain about water in their ears, give them a balloon to inflate and it’ll help. Smart, right?
8. BED SHEET
Towels never seem to offer enough area for us to spread out on, so we always bring an old bed sheet to lay on the sand under our towels. It’s easy to pack at the beach and just as easy to pack back off. We secure the corners with the cooler, shoes, etc.
I hope you enjoyed my beach hacks and I hope you’ll feel comfortable sharing yours in the comments.
My family is more techy than outdoorsy but thanks to our beach gear we have enjoyed at the beach so much better the past few years. We now look forward to spending the entire day swimming and playing in the sun. So as a bonus, I decided to add our beach supplies and accessories below.
Beach Gear for Your Beach Trip
9. Beach Tent
Easy Setup Beach Tent ~ This beach tent has been a game changer for our family! I’ve tried beach umbrella’s and they either break or refuse to stay in the sand. Having your own shade that quickly pops up and down is a must have at the beach. It makes those long lazy days so much more enjoyable. It not only blocks the sand and sun but also makes you feel like there’s a peaceful home-away-from-home while you’re spending the day at the beach. This one is big enough that it holds 3 beach chairs, 3 bodyboards, and the rest of our gear. So nothing blows away or gets lost. It’s lightweight, rolls up easily, takes up less room than a large tent, and is easy to store in the garage when you’re back home.
10. Bodyboards
Light Bodyboard ~ Of course you can buy bodyboards when you get to the beach but they’ll be more expensive and much lower quality. We have three of these bodyboards and they are so easy to use and make the constant sea waves so much more enjoyable when riding the waves.
11. Kite
Fabric Easy Kite for Kids ~ This Red Mollusc octopus is fabric so it holds up really well and it’s BIG and so easy for kids to fly. It stays in the air even when you aren’t running with it. So when we aren’t playing with it, I use it as a visual “we are here” maker. I’ll simply tie it to the beach tent so we can always see how far away we are from our beach spot while we’re out playing in the sea. After 3 years, it’s still flying high.
12. Sand Castle Molds
Sand Castle Mold Set ~ Our sandcastle game has improved 100% thanks to these sandcastle molds. Instead of getting bored with a hole in the sand we’ve created some epic castles. One of my boys friends brought a shovel with us a few weeks ago and that was some serious fun, too. So bring one if you can. {wink}
13. Backpack Chair
Folding Backpack Beach Chair ~ I use these chairs all the time. These beach chairs have backpack traps they are so easy to tote around anywhere we go. They are also low to the ground and thanks to the head pillow and cup holder make for a cozy relaxing moment.
All our beach gear arrived while I was painting the playroom upstairs. {dorky snort} I couldn’t resist putting it up and enjoying all my research on what to bring for the perfect beach day. I hope this will help you and your family as well. {high fives} It’s been three years and we’re still loving all this gear and the amazing memories we’re making together as a family.
14. Beach Umbrella Hanging Hook
If you don’t use the beach tent but an umbrella instead, this is a great gadget to have that keeps everything out of the sand. This beach umbrella hanging hook has 4 prongs and is perfect for plastic umbrellas to hold towels, cameras, sunglasses, or pop things into a bag to keep things more inconspicuous. It’s also great for your backyard umbrella!
15. Phone Pouch
Like a dummy, I got sand in my case on our last beach visit and so I bought these waterproof phone pouch dry bags for our next trip and oh my I love them! They have a landyard which goes around our neck, so I wear it to the water park, pop it in while I’m at the the community pool, while on the river, and of course the beach. It’s taken all the stress and worry about ruining my phone and now I get to capture all the amazing summer memories I normally wouldn’t have. Especially videoing the boys and I during the water rides. {giggle} This has been a game changer.
I hope you’re enjoying your summer!!
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~ Laurie {a.k.a. the Tip Junkie}
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P.S. Join the conversations over on the Tip Junkie Facebook page. It’s a great place to ask questions on how to make things or for specific tutorials you need.
Lindsay says
LOVE the octopus kite. We bought a three pack (green, blue & red) two years ago, and absolutely love them. Easy to use and look really cool with the tentacles fluttering in the wind.