We do a lot of day trips to the beach and my husband is a phenomenal packer. We get approached often about what some of our items are, and I do feel like these items have made our day trips easier to manage. So I wanted to highlight these items for anyone looking to make day trips with small children easier! This is not an advertisement for any of the products, and we do not financially benefit from promoting any of them. These are just the items we actually use and enjoy.
Top Three Items
1. Beach Wagon. Our number one item is the beach wagon. Regardless of what brand or kind you get, make sure it has large wheels so that it moves through the sand under the weight of your stuff easily. We bought this one on Amazon years ago and it has held up well. I also like that it
folds up for easy storage in the off season. With the use of a couple of bungee cords (we are intense about our packing in this house), everything fits, stays secure and nobody is carrying bags and buckets down to the beach. Right now it is about twice as expensive as when we bought this, and I have seen it on sale or special, so put a watch on it if you aren’t in immediate need. Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Wagon Beach Cart.
2. Beach Shelter. Our kids have very fair skin and it is important to us that we keep them out of the
sun when possible. This shelter is perfect to set up their chairs in for snacks or lunches. We also set up towels in it for rest time or quiet play. What we like about this specific product is that it stays in place by filling small bags with sand. On incredibly windy days, we do not set it up, but on typical breezy beach days, it is perfectly sturdy. We had a small baby one when our littles were really small but I wish we had just bought this to start because the kids grew into it so quickly. It still works perfectly for my daughters who are 3 and almost 7. We have been using this product for about five years. Lightspeed Outdoors Bahia Quick Pop Up Beach Sun Shade
3. Kids beach chairs. Nobody wants the kids in their own beach chairs throughout the day. My mom just purchased these two chairs for my kids and so far we like them both. Emma, age 7, loves her lounger chair for resting, reading, sitting up and reading etc. Riley, age 3, likes her chair for the umbrella (be careful on windy days though). We have had other chairs that haven’t been as sturdy as these two. These are purchases from this year, so we will see how well they hold up! Links to the beach chairs: Riley’s chair (age 3) and Emma’s Chair (age 6.5).
What else do we pack?
- Bag of cover ups, diapers, wipes & sweatshirts for the beach
- Bag of clothes to change into, diapers & wipes (remains in the car)
- Umbrella
- Adult beach chairs
- Beach blanket
- Sunscreen (spray & bar for the face)
- Bottles of water (on hot days a second bottle with ice in the cooler)
- Soft top cooler (stays in the wagon with towels over it to stay cool)
- A book (ha!) and magazine for my husband
- Toys: Shovels 2x, Buckets 2-3, Sometimes we pack a few plastic “guys” so they can have quiet time in the tent
- Food: Sandwiches for the kids and ourselves, A yogurt for each person in the family, Peanut butter or cheese crackers, Fruit (apples, precut watermelon), Pasta salad (leftover – we do not make it the morning of), Kid Protein bars / granola bars, Bel vita breakfast bites, Goldfish, Bag of dried mangoes, Large bag of Smart pop
- Plastic bag for trash
What beach items can your family not live without? Let us know in the comments!
Looking for things to do with the family? Visit our calendar!
