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5 Ways to Enjoy a Beach Trip with an Infant
We got back last week from a family vacation trip to the beach for the first time as a family of four. We had a great time, ate lots of yummy food, saw some incredible sea life, and did it all with a 3 (almost 4) year old and a 9 week old that turned 10 weeks while we were at the beach. So what are the tips and tricks to having a good time with an infant at the beach?
1. Seek out shade!
Shade becomes your best friend. I mean the sun is totally overrated anyway right? I highly recommend purchasing a good, easy to break down baby tent (some snap right up but then are almost impossible to break down) and invest in a good large umbrella or tent as well. We bought our tent from Sam’s club and it is a large 10×10 tent that allows for lots of shade and also have an infant tent we used the entire week – I would link to it but it was from Target and they no longer sell our model. Highly encourage you to read reviews especially when it comes to break downs before purchasing your infant tent. Our infant tent is pictured below with our little girl enjoying “laying out.”
2. Bring lots of long sleeve, light-weight infant PJs
The cute infant bathing suits you purchased while you were pregnant…while adorable they are pretty much only good for pictures at this young of an age, still worth bringing for that quick photo like the one I snapped below. I quickly found that putting my baby in light weight PJs was much more practical for walks on the beach and time spent in the sun as it protected her precious skin from the sunlight (you can’t apply sunscreen until 6 months of age). Add a good sunhat and your baby is protected from the sun’s harmful rays. Also, bring short sleeve little outfits that if your baby gets hot during mid day you can change the baby into while under the shade.
3. Bring a baby carrier that your baby enjoys riding in for walks on the beach
My baby loved being able to look out and watch the waves and boats in the ocean and when she wasn’t looking around would sleep in the carrier while we went on walks on the beach.
4. Visit the beach before it gets too hot or after the hottest part of summer has past
April, early to mid May, September and even October are awesome times to visit the beach – it’s not as crowded and not as blood coiling hot. However, if you must visit during the hottest summer months try to venture out to the beach early in the morning (you’ll be up anyway) or later in the evenings and avoid the peak sun times.
5. Bring a plastic baby bath
You can fill the baby bath with a little water and your baby can use that to play in under the shade and cool down. Always remember to never leave a baby alone in the water at any time. As your baby gets older and becomes a toddler we always bring a plastic pool to fill with water and allow our older son to play in. He loves it.
BONUS: Try to come without an expectations
Some babies like the beach more than others – my son we took at 6 weeks old and he hated it. It was the middle of July, blazing hot, and he couldn’t stand being hot and sandy all the time. While our daughter at 10 weeks loved the beach the first week of May. I think the time of year made a big difference and also the fact she was a month older but at the end of the day I think the biggest difference was my expectation of our trip. The first time I had all these visions of my baby in cute swimsuits on the beach with wonderful dinners late into the night at fun restaurants. This time I had not one but two children and literally came with no expectations other than we were there to have fun together for a week as a family. We woke up without a plan everyday (super hard for me who is a super planner) and we developed our plan as the day went on and we could see how our kids were doing. We did have a ton of fun and even got to go to dinner every night and have some delicious meals but where we ate and what time revolved around how the kids were doing that day.
All in all we had a wonderful beach trip with the kiddos and hope these tricks help you have a great trip if you are taking an infant as well!
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