Hellobee Boards

Does she like sand? We just got back from a beach vacation and spent the majority of the time at the pool because DD hated sand.

You may not even need chairs because you'll be chasing R all over the place, haha. We've only been to the beach once with Xander and we were only there for a couple hours, but we stayed sitting in the water with him and playing in the sand. I guess we could've taken turns where someone could have relaxed and the other watched him, but we just both hung out with him the whole time. But it might be different if you're going to be there longer! Definitely bring some toys though!

@Smurfette: definitely! If there's room, I'd bring them to the condo and then see if you miss them before lugging them down to the waterfront. You'll be lounging less than prebaby, and a towel or blanket may suffice!

@Cherrybee: OMG, yes!!! What is with them eating sand??? It can't taste that good, can it??

@Smurfette: tie a ribbon to the bottom rail of each chair- then you can throw them over your shoulder like a strap but don't have to buy new chairs!

Umbrellas, umbrella stake, sand toys, cooler, large towels, baby powder and other stuff that I usually have in my diaper bag.

I want to get some chairs!

We live by the beach, so we go pretty frequently. If you're planning on staying at the beach for a while, I would bring a small inflatable pool. We always do. With the pool and sand toys Sadie is content to just stay in our little area, and we don't have to chase her around. The pool keeps her cool too. We take her to play in the wave breaks, but the waves are too big here to take her all the way in the ocean. We bring an inflatable pool that folds up pretty small, so it doesn't take up much space, and fill it with a couple of buckets of water when we get there.

Between chairs, blankets, towels, food, umbrella, toys, diapers, etc. it's a lot to carry. I am usually exhausted after going! Next year we will definitely get a beach wagon. We can throw the stuff and Sadie in... so much easier.

tent is good because you need to be in the shade. Pool is good only if your kid can't walk by themselves. Then it's just not worth it to take them to the ocean .. it'll kill your back. Since the pool and tent are portable and don't really take up too much space, I think it's better to have them than not. If your tent can hold chairs, why not? It's easier and less messy than beach towels! The wagon .... let me tell you ... it's SUPER SUPER hard to pull that thin on sand. There are carts made for sand and they have super wide heavy duty wheels. You're basically pulling the wagon on sand. NOT FUN. I would take 2 coolers. 1 with drinks and ice and 1 with all your stuff. Everything's going to get sandy, so I stuff them into a foam cooler to contain the mess. Lots of baby powder.

We went to the beach for 4 days with our 2 year old and this is what we actually used at the beach - giant blanket (the kind that is sturdy and foldable, beach towels, lots of sand toys (cars, buckets, shovels, etc plus ziplock bags for storing the toys), cooler bag for snacks and waters.

We ended up not using our wagon on the beach bc it was actually hard to use on the sand. We did use it a ton on the condo property (to go to the cabana area, go to the pool and playground).

We didn't use our chairs for beach time with LO bc mostly we were running around with her collecting shells and rocks and playing in the sand. We did use them late at night for bonfires on the beach after the kids were in bed

What we did was have someone stay with the kids while others took everything down to the beach bc it was easier to carry everything down to the beach rather than use the wagon. Once everything was set up and down there we'd bring the kids down. Not sure how your condo is set up but ours had beach access so we just had to walk out and down a little path to the beach

We got our blanket at costco but this is what I'm talking about - it's heavy weight so it stays put once you lay it down. And mine had weighted corners so the wind doesn't blow it up.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0033OG86K/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1409756203&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40

We also didn't end up using our sun tent bc it wasn't that hot when we were there - mid-70s and the kids were fine. We just did tons of sunscreen and hats and rash guards. Everyone was fine and no burns

@Smurfette: How often is R napping? C is still on 2 naps, so when we go to the beach our time there is pretty limited anyway, between naps, it's like 2 hours maybe once you factor in getting there and back.

I don't bother with chairs since I just sit on a big blanket with her. We have happened to go during low tide so we sit in the tide pools with her, which is more fun than a pool. But she isn't walking yet so I imagine things will be a lot different next year!

@Cherrybee: Yes, to the sand eating. She cries because she got a mouthful of sand before I could stop her and has sand in her mouth. Then she cries because I'm trying to get the sand out of her mouth. Later on she cries when she poops sand.... No but really, it's fun!

@Smurfette: WHAT? Sit on the beach and read?!?! I actually laughed at myself the first time we were taking C to the beach and I thought, oh wait, do I have a book or magazine to bring? Then remembered I was bringing a one year old and there would be no relaxing beach reading. That sounds amazing.

I just take a bucket and spade and a bag with snacks, diapers, sun cream etc. maybe a small pool would be good if you are going to be there all day..... I wouldn't bother with chairs, I'd just sit on the sand. Maybe a pop up tent for R for shade......

@Foodnerd81: i've taken DD to the beach by myself and brought a chair and a magazine and later thought, that was idiotic. no way was i sitting or reading!! ha.

We don’t bring much because (at least in my limited experience) taking toddlers to the beach isn’t an all-day lounge-around affair like it is with grownups. We are on the move and stay about 2 hours, tops. We are lucky to live about 10 minutes from the beach though, so it’s not a hassle to only stay for an hour or 2.

All I bring are: beach towels, hat (for myself and LO), sunscreen, a set of beach toys for LO (she likes digging in the sand, collecting shells and rocks, etc.), 1 bottle of water and sometimes an umbrella.

I avoid going to the beach between 11-2 when the UV rays are the worst.

Oh, and I bring a spare outfit for LO and change her after I hose her down (there is a foot wash type station at the beach we go to).