5 Items For A Successful Beach Trip With A Newborn
Last year some friends shared that they took their 9 week old on a beach vacation and we thought, “are they crazy?” Well, this year, when the opportunity presented itself we decided to take a beach vacation, with our 10 week old in tow. Now we were the crazy ones. We packed up our play yard and headed to the Florida panhandle for a much needed vacation.
We brought our usual creature comforts, beach items, and items for the house: play yard and portable sound machine for sleeping, extra clothes and regular baby care items. We also packed several items to make it easier to take an infant to the actual beach.
Sun Protection (Baby Beach Hat and Sunglasses) – these are essential baby items in my mind. At home or at the beach, we do our best to keep baby protected from the sun. A beach hat and baby sunglasses are easy to find and easy to use with a baby this young. The hat was a tad big but that made it easier to ensure that all areas were covered and it could tuck it into the carrier.
Baby Carrier – It was crowded and my linen baby carrier was essential for trekking out to the beach and through all of the chairs and tents. I have an Onbuhimo style carrier which made for easy on/off, and a bit cooler, since there is no waist band. I was able to keep baby close and protect her eyes from the sun. I could also wade in the water without worry since I was wearing her.
Beach Tent – we ended up renting chairs and an umbrella from our resort but still utilized our beach tent. It was large enough for our family of four to sit in and also had a vent that allowed for a cross breeze. It was great for those midday baby naps and diaper changes.
SPF/UPF swimwear – I’m all about the sunscreen and protection from the sun. With a kid this young, there are limited options. (Although I did recently learn from a pediatrician that mineral based sunblock is okay for infants). We had two rash guard style swimsuits with built-in UPF. They were both long enough that they covered baby’s arms and legs. One, from Primary, has snaps in the seam for easy diaper change access.
Portable Fan – a small, USB charged / battery powered fan was a welcome relief during those really hot days that lacked wind.
Other items: you’ve probably seen the suggestion to bring baby powder to remove sand. Another item that came in handy post beach was a clean makeup brush. The brush made it easy to remove any sand from the baby’s (and toddler’s) face.
As a breastfeeding mom, I made sure we had lots of water and electrolyte replenishing options to ensure I stayed hydrated. I also chose swimwear that allowed for easy breast feeding access.
