Living in Florida, we are lucky enough to be able to go to the beach year-round. Now after living here for 5 years and some trial and error, I feel my husband and I have figured out some tips to feel prepared for a day at the beach. We occasionally enjoy going to a beach, such as Carlin Park, because it does have restrooms and a place to rinse off. But because we have two little ones under the age of 5, we typically head to the intercostal where the kids can freely wade in and not be knocked down by a wave. There are many areas around Palm Beach County where the intercostal has little coves where you pretty much get a private beach to yourself to set up all your stuff for the day. But, make sure you get there early enough because they get busy quick!
Here are some things that we bring to the beach that make our experience a little easier.
A net bag: We bought one of those net sports bags off Amazon for around $3.00. We throw all the beach toys in it and it is so easy to shake all the sand out or rinse through the water quickly to clean all the toys.
Extra buckets: I know, I know, you probably think your kid has enough sand buckets. But like I said we typically go to a private beach and when there is not a wash station my husband fills up two buckets with water that we dip our feet in before getting into the car or help rinse off the kids.
Change of clothes: We keep dry clothes in the car to change into so we can get out of our wet sandy swimsuits. We also bring an extra towel in case we need anything to brush off extra sand.
Surf ball: We found this great little water ball at a surf shop that bounces across the water. My three-year-old loves it and it is a fun and different way to keep the kids and husband entertained.
Beach tent: We found a beach tent on Amazon by Pacific Breeze. It is extremely easy to set up and has pockets on the side to put sand in to help keep down on a windy day. It also has a bottom so my 9-month-old can crawl around without having to crawl in the hot sand. It provides the perfect amount of shade for the kids. You can fit two beach chairs in it if any adults want a sun break too.
We try to make it a goal to get to the beach every Sunday because we don’t want to take living in Florida for granted. You never know how long you will be in a place. These are some things we have found to be helpful when we go to the beach. We have gone to the beach many times carrying and bringing way too much stuff that we didn’t use, but we are slowly figuring it out and I am sure it will change as the kids age.
