Beach Baby Essentials

Planning for your first baby-on-board vacation is a little bit stressful. I spent hours reading through mommy blogs and Amazon lists to make sure I had everything for our first trip with Brady. Whenever you pack for something as simple as a beach trip, you start to over think it and then you realise you’ve brought too many things during the shopping trip. Saying that though, buying baby essentials can be quite pricey. But if it wasn’t for a friend of mine recommending I looked into a site like PromoCodeWatch.com, I don’t think I would have known that I could have saved as much money as I did this time around. To be fair, it’s better to over pack than finding out that you haven’t got everything. Overall, we had a great vacation! He loved loved loved the beach, and I can say I had almost everything. With a little bit of experience and a lot of advice from other moms I now have my ULTIMATE checklist of must-haves for enjoying a day on the beach with your little one.

SUNSCREEN- I love the Babyganics Mineral based sunscreen spray. Goes on easy, doesn’t rub off, and its non-irritating. Also great to bring a stick version thats easier for the face and won’t get in eyes.
SWIM DIAPERS- gotta have swim diapers. We’ve always used the Little Swimmers by Huggies and they’ve been great.
WATERPROOF DIAPER COVER- these are like the extra insurance for the swim diapers. Most pools require that little ones wear waterproof diaper (waterproof pants). Check out these really cute ones in lots of fun colors and prints.
BABY POWDER- great for getting sand off without rubbing and irritating sensitive skin. Burt’s Bees makes an awesome one thats talc-free.
RASHGUARD– these come in full zip-ups or top and bottom, have sunscreen built-in and keep baby protected in the sun so you don’t have to worry about areas you might have missed while they were wiggling around, or reapplying over and over.
SUN HAT- hard to get sunscreen on ears, cheeks and nose so a sun hat is a must to keep baby’s face protected. I-Play makes great sun hats with sunscreen also.
BABY SWIM SHOES– those soft little feet get blistered in a second on pool bottoms or hot sand.
BOTTLE COOLER– keep milk or formula from spoiling in the hot sun.
POP-UP SUN SHADE– if your gonna be outside for awhile these are great so baby can get out of the sun or take a nap. The Coleman Road Trip Beach Shade is quick to set-up, light to carry and easy to store.
BABY FLOAT- Putting a baby in water for the first time can be a bit scary. A baby float will make you feel more comfortable letting him splash and play. We used the Swimways Baby Spring Float.
TOYS- Give your little ones something to play in the sand and water with. A little beach pail, a water tower, or some squirters and sand shapers. Brady loved these fun ones from Melissa and Doug.
BEACH BAG- Something big with pockets, easy to clean, either mesh or waterproof bottom.