The Essential Packing List for a Beach Day with Baby
Who wants to go to the beach??? We just LOVE it every time mommy and daddy ask that question. The beach is definitely our happy place. Warm water, waves crashing, colorful shells, cool breeze, tide pools, and endless sand dunes! We always have a blast hanging out with friends, exploring new textures, and running freely until our little legs can no longer move. A day at the beach is always fun... as long as mommy and daddy are well prepared... This is why we want to share our list of essential items for a day at the beach.
1. Beach tent / Beach Playard
We need shelter and shade in order to spend hours and hours at the beach. Our parents love the Pop Up Tents and/or the Summer Infant Pop n' Play Playpen. We love them too. Less time setting up and more time for playing! At the end of the day when we are out of energy, our parents can fold it in less than 30 seconds, and our epic nap-time is just around the corner. In our home town of Tamarindo, all-day sunny skies are normal. These essential products are perfect for keeping cool in the shade and keeping the blowing sand out of our eyes.
2. Transportation
Since we are twins, mommy and daddy always take us to the beach in our comfy, double jogging stroller. The three, heavy-duty wheels make the sand dunes feel like a freshly paved highway. Mommy and daddy also put all our toys and snacks in a convenient storage pocket underneath our seats. As for us, we just love to cruise around in our shaded seats until we discover our perfect beach-play spot.
3. Small inflatable pool
Even though we love the ocean, it is nice to have some extra water to splash around in the shade. We've noticed that a small, inflatable pool allows mommy and daddy to stay longer at the beach. We can cool off and be entertained at the same time! Plus we get to use our favorite water toys without losing them every time a wave comes. When it's time to swim, nothing beats the ocean, but our own private pool is always a nice addition.
4. Hat, sunscreen, rash-guard
We take very serious (what grownups call) "UV radiation." We have heard that sunlight can be very harmful for you if you don't protect yourself. So every time mommy and daddy want to put sunscreen on us, we are happy about protecting ourselves. You should be too! Make sure your mommy and daddy always have your hat, sunscreen and rash-guard so you can play for extended periods without looking like a lobster afterwards.
5. Toys
Even though the beach is so much fun by itself, having some familiar play toys is always a plus. We have been through many stages in our 18 months... When we are teething, we loved having those special toys that made us feel better. Mommy and daddy would even bring a cooler with ice to keep our teething toys nice and cold. In our experience, we've found that the best beach toys are the simple ones that don't have too many gaps or crevices where sand can get inside. As we got older, we started bringing stacking cups, sand buckets, shovels, and our favorite balls to chase around. We also love having our boogie board. Its fun to climb on and even better when mommy and daddy pull us along the shoreline.
6. Food and water
"A comer, a comer, a comer!" That's what mommy and daddy sing to us at meal time ("a comer" is a way to say, time to eat in Spanish). We are 100% food lovers and even though we eat all kinds of foods, there are some snacks that are better suited for the beach. Two of our personal favorites: Avocados and bananas. They are filling, easy to pack, and delicious. We also love pre-cut mango, pineapple, papaya, cantaloupe or watermelon. They are yummy fruits that keep us hydrated in the sun. And don't forget about bread/tortillas/bagels + jam/cream cheese/avocado spread/hummus. These foods are easy to pack and exceptionally filling. Also, any other munchies like rice cakes, cookies, cereals, etc are always enjoyable too!
And of course, bring lots of water! In this tropical weather, babies and grown-ups need to drink tons of fluids!
We have noticed that our mommy and daddy like to pack simple, but very effective food. They never carry a big cooler because they have to carry all our toys (and us too!). With a small cooler and the right food, we can have an awesome time at the beach with our bellies full.
7. Changing station
To keep the sand off when we are getting our diapers changed, any beach blanket works perfectly. But because we are professional beach goers, we recommend the softest Turkish cotton blankets that you can buy at 2 Aves, a boutique beach store here in Tamarindo. We also love Amaroo Baby products. They have a cool multi-use organic blankets like the one in the picture. Their designs are super cute, beach themed, and great quality. Hey look, that's my mommy and me (Sebastian)!
8. Electronic devices
We love listening to music while we are resting after our beach adventures. Dancing on the beach is always fun, especially if you have sandy feet. Our advice, bring a Blu-Tooth speaker and play your favorite jams! Also, we've heard our mommy and daddy ask each other the night before, "is your phone charged?" They always make sure phones and cameras are charged because we are extra cute at the beach and they want as many photos as possible. We can't deny it, we enjoy the attention. Make sure to follow all our adventures on our Instagram Page!
So that is our ultimate list for a successful day a the beach with your baby. We try to keep it simple, but very effective. There is not much to worry about here in paradise, especially if you are a baby :)
Leave us your comments on how your experience at the beach went. What do you like to bring? What works for you? Remember, there are lots of future mommies and daddies out there doing research! Let's help them out by sharing our experiences :)
PURA VIDA!
Sebastian and Jonathan
