6 Tips for Stress-Free Beach trips with Little Kids
TL;DR: If you’re short on time, here’s the gist of it!
Choose the right beach
Stay on or close to the beach
Bring the right gear (one trip, no overpacking)
Pack snacks (crunchy, pouches, fruit)
Time it right (time it around the kids)
Let others help (it’s your vacation too!)
We’ve all been there… kids are restless with anticipation, shoulders are burning from the beach chairs and cooler backpacks you’ve been carrying on the ten minute walk down the street, and then when you’re finally set up and settled, you realize you forgot the snack bag and the kids are already starving. As a beach-loving mom, I wasn't ready to give up our beach trips just because we had kids. I knew they would look different, but I was determined to find ways to make them just as fun, relaxing, and memorable for our family. Here are six tips that have made our beach trips stress free and enjoyable for the whole family!
Choose the right beach.
As a Carolina girly, I can’t even count how many times my sorority sisters and I piled into a car and drove down to Myrtle Beach for the weekend. It was low cost and no effort to book something near a beach access. We’d spend our days on the beach and nights at the boardwalk.
With kids though, we have had the pleasure of exploring new beaches and towns. It’s nothing against Myrtle! We’ve just had to research communities that are more family focused and family friendly. Some of the things we look for in beach communities are walkability and connectivity, parks, grocery stores, proximity to urgent care locations, and we dive into reviews from other parents on social media.
Why? Traveling with kids is different. The second you become a parent you start thinking ten steps ahead. If you run out of diapers you don’t want to drive 30 minutes to go get a new pack. If your kid falls or catches a bug, having an urgent care (that hopefully takes your insurance) down the street is a huge peace of mind! Hungry? It’s so much easier (and fun!) to let the kids jump into the wagon and walk down the street to a local restaurant, then to sit in the car for 20 minutes and hope they don’t fall asleep on the way there. I’m working on a list of our favorite beaches to take the kids to and will link it here as soon as it’s posted!
Stay on or close to the beach.
This has become a non-negotiable for our family. Yes, it is 1000% a luxury. If it’s not in the budget, there are ways we can manage! (Don’t stress!) If the budget allows, or there is wiggle room to upgrade, this is the upgrade you want. Why? Time is everything when it comes to kiddos. The convenience of being able to run back to the house for a potty break, extra snacks, or more sunscreen is the ultimate luxury.
Homes vs. Hotels - Our preference is always a beach home for longer stays. We love being able to cook meals and have a large fridge. Hotels work for shorter stays and as long as you plan on going out for meals, then it’s doable!
bring the right gear.
We are no longer dragging our 25 lb Yetis onto the beach. The goal is to get everything down in one trip. Why? We’re not starting our trips stressed out and we’re not starting our beach days all hot and bothered either.
This is where being on the beach helps - One parent can stay with the kiddos in the house while the other goes and sets up early morning. Or! We all go together and only bring what can be carried in one trip.
What this looks like for my family:
Beach Wagon: the kids (obvs.), kids water bottles in the cup holders, beach chairs, beach tent, beach toys
Beach Bag: sand towels, bluetooth speaker, sunscreen, kindle, keys, phones, snacks, trash bag, and plastic containers with lids (no sandy hands in the chip bag)
Cooler Backpack: ice pack, iced water for refills, drinks, anything that’s better cold
*Shout out to my husband who is usually pushing/pulling the wagon with the cooler backpack on leaving me to be the passenger princess with the beach bag.
pack snacks.
You can never have too many snacks on the beach! We’ve tried this several different ways, but here’s what works for us!
1-2 crunchy snacks that we pour into plastic containers for the kids.
Pouches! Our kids love an applesauce pouch!
Cold fruit - if there is space in the cooler - I will have cut up fruit in smaller containers ready to go the night before.
Time it Right.
Timing is everything when it comes to kids. There are some beach trips where the only plan is to sit on the beach. (best days!) On the trips and days where we want to do other things - we don’t overload the day with plans or expectations.
I never like being rushed and my kids don’t like it either. What this looks like:
Option 1: Beach all day - no outings
Option 2: Morning outing (park, shopping, aquarium), Lunch, Beach, Dinner at the rental
Option 3: Beach in the morning, back in the afternoon for naps and getting ready to go out for dinner and night time activities (mini golf, dinner show, etc.)
We don’t take sleepy kids who missed naps because they were playing at the beach out to dinner to have to sit and wait for their meals. We also don’t take kids who want to sleep in to go watch the sunrise at the beach. We have to keep in mind that this is their vacation as well and if they are miserable… then everyone will be miserable.
Let Others help.
One of the biggest lessons I had to learn when I first became a mom was to let others help. I have always had a “I can do it myself” mentality and the second I started allowing others to help, I felt … free? I’m not sure that’s the right word, but hopefully you get the idea. Allowing others to help gave me the time to sit back and relax and enjoy each minute with my kids. If your parents want to join in on the vacation, let them! If your spouse wants to pack the cooler bag, let them! As moms, we often think it’s up to us to make sure everything is perfect, but this is our vacation too! If someone is willing to help, let them.