Sunscreen

If your baby is 6 months or older, sunscreen is an absolute must-have! Apply sunscreen before you go outside, and reapply every 60-90 minutes. I recommend using a mineral sunscreen over a chemical sunscreen to keep harmful ingredients off your baby’s skin.

I would also recommend a lotion over a spray, as lotion will ensure full coverage and sprays are difficult to apply evenly. Environmental Working Group (EWG) creates a sunscreen guide each year with great information for moms, including a list of the best and worst sunscreens for kids. Here is a link to their 2016 Sunscreen Guide, and their 2017 guide is coming out soon. PopSugar also highlighted 10 safe sunscreens for kids in this article.

Rashguard and Hat

Don’t rely on sunscreen alone to protect your little one from the sun. Baby Gap and Old Navy sell super cute swimsuits and rash guards with UPF 30+ for extra protection (and extra cuteness). Buy Buy Baby and Target usually have a good selection of sun hats for babies, and their prices are budget-friendly.

Keep Baby Clean

Swim Diapers and Essentials

I went to the beach with my husband’s family a few years ago, and every time we went to the pool, it was closed because a kid had pooped in the pool. We all know accidents happen, but let’s try our best to prevent our child from being that kid!

Your options are disposable or reusable swim diapers. I personally purchased both before my 1st trip with our 9-month-old. I ended up liking the reusable diapers more; they were a better overall fit and super cute without a swimsuit on!

Tip: Do NOT put on a swim diaper until your child is actually getting into the water! Swim diapers are designed to hold in poop — that’s it! They don’t absorb liquid like a regular diaper. I learned this the hard way when pee ran down my baby’s leg as we were walking to the beach!

Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to bring a wet/dry bag or a zip top bag to the beach. We also brought our portable changing pad with us in our beach bag, and it made diaper changes on the beach much easier.

Baby Powder

It magically removes all sand from hands, feet and skin. I know, right? I didn’t believe it either until I tried it.

Hand and Face Wipes

I threw some Burt’s Bees Hand and Face wipes in our beach bag, and they were really nice to have on hand, especially while snacking on the beach or reapplying sunscreen.

Keep Baby Cool

Tents

Our family brought a 10×10 tailgating tent, and I’ll never go to the beach without one! It provided shade for everyone, not just baby. Umbrellas work great too.

We also purchased a collapsible baby tent from Buy Buy Baby (hoping our little one would nap on the beach!) but that did not happen, so we never used it. But it might work for you!

Mesh Teethers

I packed a zip-top bag full of ice cubes in our cooler and gave them to my son in a Nuby Mesh Teether. It was a great distraction when he was getting fussy and also helped with teething. He LOVED chewing on the ice through the teether and letting it melt and drip all over him.

If you nurse your baby, you may also consider making breastmilk popsicles or “momsicles” to bring to the beach as well. I froze my breastmilk in an ice tray, and the ice cubes fit perfectly in the mesh teethers. Here is the inspiration behind this idea.

Spray Fan

I’ve had a spray fan since battling the heat during sorority recruitment in college, and I take my spray fan with me everywhere in the summer. I literally keep that thing in my car! My son laughs hysterically every time I spray him with it, and he loves to play with the fan.

Keep Baby Entertained

Baby Pool

I spent $10 on an inflatable baby pool at Target, and it was maybe the best $10 I’ve ever spent there (which is saying something). It kept our 9-month-old from crawling around (and eating) all the sand at the beach. We didn’t even put water in the pool; we just brought his bath toys, and he had a blast! It took approximately 2 minutes to blow up, so we were able to inflate and deflate as needed, making it super transportable.

Pool Float

While the ice-cold pool water was not his most favorite, the toys attached to the pool float were a big win for him. The big win for me was the adjustable sunshade that came with the float. If you don’t want to hold your baby the entire time you are in the pool, get a float designed for babies and enjoy some quality pool time.

Have Fun!

Watching your baby discover the sand and the ocean for the first time is pure joy. Soak in these moments, take a bunch of pictures, and don’t forget to reapply your sunscreen.

(Courtesy Birmingham Moms Blog)

Kristin Berney is the fundraising director for a Birmingham ministry and a contributing writer for Birmingham Moms Blog