Top 15 Things to take with you to the Beach!

Part of your duty when you become a parent is packing from lunches and backpacks to the car but today we are talking about packing for the beach!

These ideas are ones that we have come up with out of necessity along the way, during our own beach trips. While some of these ideas seem like no-brainers, others might be a reminder and there might be a few ideas that you hadn’t ever thought about before.

The links below are to products that we have used and loved. However, the links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a very small commission, at no additional cost to you. 

Here are our Top 15 things to take to the beach

1. Baby Powder – Why bring baby powder you ask? Exchange sand for baby powder. When you are ready to pack up your crew for the day, rub baby powder over your legs or any other area covered with sand for easy removal.

2. Plastic Shopping Bag – This serves as your trash bag, for dirty diapers if you have little ones or just plain old trash that you accumulate during the day. Do you ever wonder how in the world you have so much trash?

3. A small spray bottle with apple cider vinegar – God forbid that someone in your group gets stung by a jellyfish, but having this on hand will help if someone does get stung. The apple cider vinegar takes the sting out of the area that the jellyfish touched. The vinegar doesn’t have to be in a spray bottle, it just makes the application easier.

4. A ziplock bag for electronic devices- Chances are you aren’t going to want to leave your phone in your room, but I know you don’t want your brand new phone to end up with water or sand it in. So stash one of these in your beach bag and keep your phone safe while you are not using it.

5. Bottles of water- This one is pretty obvious, the bottles of water serve as beverages while you are there. They also will come in handy if you need to rinse something or someone off with something other than salt water. Freeze the bottles you think you will use to drink out of for a cold refreshing drink.

6. Extra Sunscreen – Again, this is another duh suggestion, but it is worth repeating. The sun is intense and time slips away from you when you are playing in the waves. The last thing you would want is a sunburn on your first day! We love the SunBum Brand!

7.  Eye Drops– At some point on your beach trip, sand is going to get in eyes. When this happens my kids want to be done for the day. You eliminate cutting the beach time short if you pack the eye drops, this will help flush the sand right out. Easily.

8. Swim Diapers – This might sound like another no-brainer, but trust me. It is worth checking to make sure you have plenty in your bag if you have a little one that uses them. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “do you have an extra swim diaper” or I have had to ask for one. We really liked using Pampers swim diapers when we were in that stage of life.

9. Hand Sanitizer – There are lots of things to touch at the beach and let’s face it, they aren’t all clean. So before you pull out snacks or after someone touches something yucky, get cleaned up with this. Amazon has a great deal, here.

10. Shade of some sort, tent/umbrella- Everyone needs a place to get away from the suns rays and cool off even for a just a short time. This will help with sanity, and hopefully prevent going back to the room sooner than you had hoped. We love this option because it works well for sporting events as well. If we are being honest, it sees more time at sports events for my kids than the beach.

11. A mesh lingerie bag – My family and I have so much fun collecting shells while we are visiting the beach. It is that much more enjoyable if you can eliminate most of the sand before you head back home. This bag will help do just that! The holes are small enough that the shells won’t fall out but will get rid of the sand at the same time. This one is perfect for the job.

12. A kids sized fish net- Casting nets out into the ocean is such a fun pastime for my kids. Often it becomes a teachable moment because they catch something that we can talk about. Plus it keeps them busy! Bonus, this fishing net floats.

13. Sand toys- You are sitting in a giant sandbox. You and your family will need something to play in the sand with. You can get a large amount of sand toys, like these, extremely inexpensively.

14. A big ol’ bag that you don’t care if it gets wet/sandy- My plastic Ikea bag does the trick. It is HUGE and super sturdy. Plus they are cheap so I don’t care if something happens to it while we are on the trip. You can buy a set of 2 on Amazon.

15. A large beach towel/beach blanket- You need a place that is home base, a place to sit that isn’t totally sandy. It will go nicely under your shade! We love this one from Amazon because it is sand proof

Tell us, what is the most important thing that you take to the beach with you? If you are looking for the perfect beach to visit with your family, we have lots of suggestions! Check out our list of best beaches for families, a girls trip to Navarre Beach, and our roundup of best vacation spots in Florida.