Must-Have Beach Items for Kids

As we look forward to summer vacations and day trips to the beach I thought I would share some tips for your next beach trip. When our children were little we went to the beach every year, so I have a list of must-have items for kids at the beach.

Here is my list of beach stuff for kids that you might want to pack for your next beach vacation.

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1. A Foldable Beach wagon

We purchased a used kids wagon years ago and it has been a great investment! I would recommend a foldable wagon nowadays because it’s lighter and folds up for easy storage and transportation.

Having a wagon was a life-saver at the beach! My husband used the wagon every morning to drag all of our umbrellas, chairs, and coolers out to the beach each morning to set up. Then he would come back to the beach house and we would let the kids ride in the wagon out to the beach.  

During our day at the beach we would use the wagon as a makeshift crib by putting down a soft towel and letting our toddler take a nap. (make sure it’s in the shade!) This was a super handy and sand-free! option. The kids loved taking rides along the shore in it too. This is one of the best beach items you can pack especially if you have toddlers!

This foldable wagon is lighter and made specially to roll on the sand at the beach so it’s easier to use. See the foldable wagon on Amazon, here.

2. Sunblock – Spray and for the face

I’d love to hug the person who created the sunblock spray, what a timesaver! While the spray sunblock is super easy, you may want to start with a sunblock lotion and use the spray to reapply later. We went through 2-3 cans of the spray while on vacation last week!

This easy-to-use stick is perfect applying sunscreen on their faces!

3. This incredible beach bag for sandy toys

Lugging sandy toys and buckets to and from the beach is a pain and can be a huge mess. This bag is mesh. Your toys can air dry allowing the sand can fall to the ground instead of making a mess! It also opens really wide which makes clean up easy.

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Click to shop for beach toys

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4. Beach toys

Beach toys are a must! If you don’t have a bunch of buckets and shovels use repurposed plastic cups and bowls just be sure to have something for your kids to dig and fill, they are, after all, in the world’s biggest sandbox!

Consider packing some of these fun beach toys:

• Buckets & Shovels
• Large Beach Balls
• Velcro tossing game
• Nerf Football
• Kite for kids
• Sand and Water Play funnel

5. Wet wipes and Baby Powder

You can never have enough wet wipes!!  Sticky faces and fingers from the peanut butter and jelly sandwich or an ice cream cone don’t go well with sand. I recommend these WaterWipes that are not fragranced (you don’t want to attract bugs!)

Baby powder is the magic trick to getting sand off of the little ones.  Sprinkle on a little powder and the sand falls right off!

This new product was just launched that removes sand easily. It’s a similar concept to using baby powder but neater and easier to pack in your beach bag. Check it out on Amazon

6. Mini inflatable pool

The first 2 years we went to the beach with kids we brought a small Inflatable Pool.  If you have a single toddler or baby you might want this smaller pool.

We filled it up with water from the ocean and stuck an umbrella nearby to shade the pool. The kids LOVED it.They were too little to go into the ocean but the pool was perfect!  (* please never ever leave your little one unsupervised, Remember it takes less than an inch of water for a child to drown.)

I think you can tell by the picture of Caleb (he was just 10 months) below that the pool was a hit!

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Are you looking for more family vacation tips?

• Road Trip Bingo for Kids
• What to Pack for a Disney Park Day
• Disney Movie Marathon List
• Summer Camp Packing List and Tips

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Beach must-haves for Kids

7. Detangling Spray

If you have a little girl you NEED a detangler (or leave-in conditioner in a spray bottle)!  Spray your girl’s hair before they go swimming and you won’t have nearly as many tangles!  Braids or piggy tales help too, just be sure to put sunblock on their part so their scalp doesn’t get sunburned!

8. Beach Blanket + a Small Blanket or Towel

We try to bring an extra towel or blanket for the kids to sit on at the beach.  Beach chairs just don’t work for our kiddos, they prefer sitting in the sand but sometimes need somewhere less sandy to sit and eat a snack.  This blanket is a sand-free blanket (sand slides right off!) and has pockets for sand to keep it down in the wind.

Having a lightweight blanket or towel is nice to cover up the little ones if they fall asleep (protects them from the sun and sand.) Turkish beach towels are perfect – thin and super absorbent!

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Click HERE to see my beach must-have list for kids on Amazon

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9. Snacks

We usually stay within walking distance to the beach but we still want to have some goodies to snack on while at the beach.  Some of our favorite beach snacks are raisins, nuts, popcorn, squeezable fruit sauce, granola bars, frozen grapes, and apples.

10. Backpack Cooler

This soft-sided cooler backpack is perfect for a day trip to the beach. It holds plenty of drinks and snacks and will keep everything chilled throughout the day.

11. Cabana or tent for shade

Beach tents are great especially if you have little ones it’s nice to have a sand-free and shady place for the kids to rest or change their clothes.

12. Drinking water

Don’t forget to have the kids drink plenty of water.  Nothing ruins a great vacation like a run to the hospital because of dehydration!

These are just a few of my top beach items for kids. What are your beach must-haves for kids? Leave your suggestions below.

– Click here to see this list on Amazon –