A Mamas Guide To Hassle-Free Beach Days
Oh those glorious warm, salty beach days. All these profound beautiful memories we have as a child thinking that these things just happen. Hahaha. Who are we kidding here. You know what I'm talking about.
Some serious effort goes into making sure that - A. Your little human wears the appropriate clothing (or not) - B. To stay hydrated and fed, without the dash of sand ideally - C. You don't loose your little human. A pretty important point, probably the most important one.
So how to have a hassle-free beach day? (Does that even exist?).
As seasoned solo beach going mums with 5 kids amongst us, these are the things/tips/hacks/ideas we live by with the absolute minimum stuff to drag to the beach.
1. How to get out of the door faster?
One word PREP. Because seriously, getting out the door with little humans in tow is already stressful enough. So pack the night before and have your snacks ready to go. Some perfect beach snacks are; frozen grapes, water melon, popcorn, cut veggies or pick up some veg sushi if you're time poor. Pop some water bottles in the freezer so they will keep the food cool as well as having a cool drink later in the day!
2. Apply sunscreen at home
One less thing to worry about when you arrive and them getting distracted by well... all things beach. Also the sunscreen will have the required time to sink into their skin to provide the best sun protection. Make sure to re-apply every 2 hours or sooner! And if you have fuzzy - I don't like sunscreen applied to my face - kids, use a foundation brush to apply. Applying sunscreen has never been this fun!
3. The right swimwear is your best friend
Choose swimwear that is UPF50+ certified and covers more. Less time needed to slap on sunscreen, more time for having fun. Get the kids to put it on at home so you don't have to deal with your wriggly monsters at the beach.
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4. Bring baby powder. For real
It's like 'sand disappear' kind of magic. Just sprinkle it on sandy skin and poof, it will wipe off. No idea how it works, but is does. Like I said, It's maaaaagic.
5. Beach toys are always a win win
Endless play guaranteed when you're at the beach but beach toys give both you and the kids a little zennnnn time from all the bird chasing, rock climbing and wave chasing. Don’t have beach toys? Check your kitchen for measuring cups, bowls, brushes etc. Put them in a mesh bag (laundry bag works) so you don’t bring the whole beach back.
6. The shady business
Shade is not always wildly available so your best bet is to bring it yourself. If you do happen to have an extra pair of hands we love a beach umbrella as it’s not as hot, but if you’re flying solo a beach tent is your best pick as it will fold small to drop into your bag.
7. Don't get lost on the beach...
Now that sounds pretty obvious but in reality finding back your spot on a crowded summer day is well... hard. Especially for your kids. So your best bet is to arrive early, pick a spot that is easy to locate i.e. next to a rock or a hot lifeguard.
If you do have to pick your spot in the crowd attach something to your tent like a windmill toy or a kite tail, anything that will move along with the wind.
8. The Poncho is your best beach accessory
When heading home don't bother wriggling them into new clothes just throw on some ponchos and done.
9. How to get your kids home?
Ok so it's the end of the day, you're tired, they are tired but they refuse to go home. How to get them going... briberyyyy. Ice cream for us always does the trick.
A little bribery goes a long way, and nothing to feel guilty about in our opinion. We don't judge.