How To Pack the Ultimate Beach Bag With Kids

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How to Pack a Beach Bag for a Day with Kids

There are many things I’m not good at, but when it comes to packing, I feel right in my zone.

I received extensive training over a decade ago as a military spouse – I moved six times in 11 years – and as a mother of three young boys, talk about packing! And, must admit that being born and raised in Rio de Janeiro has given me a little “insider info” on how to pack for the beach!

I also lived in cities near the beach after becoming a mom, and I’d take the boys to the beach at least twice a week before they started school. (Oh, good days!)

My beach bag always has these sections:

#1 – Mom

Why me first? Because, just like in a plane emergency, if my mask isn’t on, I can’t take care of my kids’ masks.

For myself, I always bring:

1. – A good sunscreen, one for the whole family, hypoallergenic, SPF 60 (it’s easier).
2. – Eye-sunscreen
3. – Hair protector, will protect your tresses from the prolonged sun exposure during the summer, even more so if you color your hair.
4. – Hat or cap
5. – Hair clip – You can use the “teeth” of your hair clip to detangle your hair. Looks a lot nicer than that big comb! 😉
6. – Extra pair of shorts or cover-up, t-shirt, for eventual spills, which I leave in the car.
7. – 1 reading material. I suppose that is quite ambitious!
8. – Umbrella, in case we’re going to a beach where you can’t rent one
9. – Towels – I don’t use the huge ones. It’s too heavy and we really need towels to get dry after the beach. We have two large towels for the family, and we use chairs when my husband is there to help.
10. – Power bars. I love the ones from Kind.
11. – Water in a safe reusable water bottle.

#2 – Kids

I always use the visual image of “head to toe”, including their tummies, to help me remember everything I need.

1. – Hats – I have my kids color-coded (I had twins first), and that helps A LOT to make sure all is there.
2. The kids will be wearing them to go to the beach:
3. – swimming shorts
4. – Rash guards
5. – Water shoes
6. – Extra set of clothes and sandals/flip-flops for each one in a Ziploc bag, to change to head home/hotel. I will use the empty bags to store the wet swimming clothes so I can bring them home.
7. – Sand-toys. I keep ours in an inexpensive laundry bag. It shakes the sand off through the tiny holes when you’re done, and then you can tuck it away in another bag if you want or straight in the back of the car. Use a toy bucket to wash little feet!

#3 – Food

Even if I know I’m going to a beach with lots of restaurants, I’ll bring something for the children to eat. I guess I’ve learned it the hard way at airports in our travels in the US or internationally, where you expect to have food, but then can’t find anything, or it’s all closed because you landed too early.

Here is what I will bring in a small thermos that fits inside my huge Land’s End tote (can’t beat them!):

1. – 1 sandwich for each child
2. – Nuts, raisins, and small crackers, like Goldfish.
3. – Power bars (bring them in a small plastic box or they will turn into mush)
4. – Cheese sticks
5. – 1 bottle of water per child
6. – Prepare all your food the night before and put in the fridge. Pack your thermos in the morning.

#4 – Emergency

I have a small see-through plastic pouch where I have:

1. – Band-Aid – they can solve WW magnitude meltdowns!
2. – Neosporin on the go.
3. – Benadryl – spray for bug bites or itch.
4. – Calendula lotion – refreshing for sunburned skin (yes, it happened to us) or after sun lotion.
5. – Pain reliever for kids and mom.

Since the best hours with kids are always the early ones, when they are fully awake, fed, and happy, and when the beach is still fresh, my strategy has always been to pack the day or night before. This way, you can get out the door without stress.

I know this sounds like a lot, but we have been enjoying days at the beach without worries for years now and have always gone through them without troubles. I prefer to carry my big tote rather than worry and waste my gorgeous summer vacation on the small stuff.

I hope this is useful on your next trip to the beach.

I have a lot of fun organizing my family and many others!

Because Life can be Simpler.

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