15 essential items for a family beach day with young children

Many soak up the long summer days lying on the warm sand, the sound of waves crashing on the shore filling their ears.

Going to the beach on a warm summer day can provide hours of relaxation and fun with so much to do while enjoying the outdoors.

One of the hardest things about going to the beach is carrying all your heavy gear. For less muscle strain on your part, a beach cart can help you easily transport your belongings from your car to the sand.

Before you head to the beach for your perfect summer day, don’t forget to pack these must-haves.

1. A refreshment with drinks and food

Make sure you have plenty of drinks and snacks to last you through the day at the beach.

Chips and sandwiches are easy snacks to pack to the beach. Mini-sandwiches are even more ideal, so people can consume them throughout the day.

Plenty of water is a must to stay hydrated in the hot sun.

2. Cabana for babies

Every parent knows that taking a child to the beach can turn into a disastrous situation if the adults are unprepared.

These are relatively inexpensive and can provide much needed shade for your little one during a day at the beach.

3. Too much sunscreen

Don’t forget the sunscreen for a beach day.

Spray, lotion, sunscreen for the face – make sure to grab them all.

If you have an SPF lip balm, throw it in your bag too, for added protection.

4. Wristbands or UV adhesives

Keeping enough sunscreen on children throughout the day can take away from parents’ enjoyment of the beach.

There are many products available that can take the stress out of letting parents know when it’s time to reapply sunscreen.

UV stickers come in packs, so you can have enough for all your beach days. All you do is apply the sticker and watch it change color when it’s time to reapply sunscreen.

These will help you keep track of when to put sunscreen on your children.

You can also put a sticker on yourself to make sure you are protecting your skin too.

5. Sunglasses and hats

Sunglasses and hats provide even more sun protection for children and adults.

Pack a few extra pairs of sunglasses and even a few hats in your bag in case someone you’re traveling with needs one throughout the day.

Bucket hats are perfect for the beach as they provide ample amounts of shade, but a baseball cap will also come in handy.

6. A sheet equipped for a sand-free area

The ultimate beach hack is bringing a fitted sheet to keep the area free of sand. Just place the assembled sheet upside down in the sand and place four objects in the corners to hold it open.

Then, you’ll need a little foot bath. Fill it with ocean water and place it outside your sheet with a towel next to it.

Once you’ve collected sand on your feet, dump them in the bucket of water, dry them on a towel, and then slip into the fitted sheet, which should remain fairly sand-free with this method.

Throughout the day, whenever someone wants a break from the sand, such as when it’s lunch time, follow this process to keep the sand out of your sandwich.

7. Portable fan

A day at the beach can be hot.

While a dip in the ocean will cool you down quickly, a portable fan is nice to have.

Portable handheld fans can be found on Amazon for cheap. Some even mist the water for an extra cooling effect.

If you need to cool down but don’t want to dive into the water, this fan will come in handy.

8. Hooded towel

It can be hard to get kids out of the water at the end of the day when it’s time to head home.

There are tons of hooded towels that can help you get your kids out of the water.

Hooded towels come in all sorts of different designs, such as land animals and sea creatures, so you’re sure to find one that your child will love.

9. Buckets and shovels for sandcastle masterpieces

Sand toys can keep kids entertained for hours.

Take a bag of beach toys complete with lots of shovels and buckets to build sand castles and other sand creations.

Give your toys a good rinse in the ocean so you don’t bring wads of sand hidden in the car with you.

10. Beach games

Beach games offer endless fun for families.

Whether it’s a game like Spikeball, or just a football or volleyball to throw around, having different activities for kids will help keep them busy.

A deck of waterproof cards is also a beach must-have for a selection of fun games without worrying about ruining your deck.

11. A comfortable seat for mom and dad (plus a small chair for the little ones)

While you probably won’t be able to sit and tan on the beach while watching the kids, it’s still important to have a nice and comfortable beach chair to sit on while you have time to relax.

While they are napping, you can take a relaxing break in your comfortable chair.

You can also get a cute beach chair for your child with an attached umbrella to keep the kids in the shade.

12. Bag for wet clothes

You’ll have a lot of wet gear after a day at the beach, and it can be a hassle to get it home when you don’t have a separate place for your wet and dry items.

Be sure to pack a separate bag to dispose of everyone’s wet clothes after a long day on the water.

Then, when you get home, you can simply toss the contents of the wet laundry bag straight into the washing machine.

13. First aid kit

Accidents happen – and you’ll want to be prepared just in case they do.

You don’t need anything fancy here – just a simple first aid kit that can help with any minor injury.

If you don’t have a first aid kit, throw extra bandages in your bag so you have something in case you need it.

If you or your child experiences an injury at the beach, find lifeguards who can provide assistance.

14. A beach cart

Carrying all your belongings to the beach can be difficult, but a beach cart makes things a lot easier.

While there are different models of beach buggies, many of them look similar to a wagon.

You can throw everything into one of these carts and then drag your belongings with you instead of trying to carry everything with your two hands while most likely dropping things along the way.

15. A speaker and a catchy playlist on the beach

You should have beach tunes playing all day long.

A waterproof speaker is your best bet, so you don’t have to worry about it getting ruined.

Just make sure you don’t play your music too loud to avoid disturbing your fellow beachgoers.

Kimber Crandall contributed reporting for this article.