One of the best parts of being a parent is all the treasured moments you spend with your little one. There are many milestone moments to cherish—from the first feeding to their first steps to your first journey out into the big world together.
Another big moment that you might be looking forward to is your little darling’s first beach trip. While you might be ready to share the warm summer sun and the cool ocean waves, exploring the shore requires a lot of prep, like figuring out how to keep a baby cool in hot weather, to ensure your little miss or mister is ready for fun—and the elements.
If you’re not quite sure what to bring along to the beach, we’ve got you covered. This helpful guide to your baby's first beach trip will simplify your packing list and prepare you and your family for a day to remember.
No one needs to tell you the benefits of preparing for outings in advance. With all the gear your baby has, you know you’ll need time to pack—and pack well—to avoid the quick trip back home for the diaper bag or baby bottle you forgot.
Since a beach trip packing list might be a bit longer than one you’d prepare for other trips, it’s best to give yourself as much time to pack as possible. For hassle-free adventuring, get started the night before. That way, you’ll avoid feeling rushed and running the risk of leaving a key item behind.
Another important part of prep work is making a list of all the items you plan to pack. The best beach trip lists will include the following items at minimum:
Pro parenting tip: Don’t forget to charge your phone, too. When your beach-loving baby is donning their Fab Flamingo One Piece to match, you’d be remiss not to catch it on camera.
If your bundle of joy loves the beach, it might be tempting to stay for longer than you’d planned. But just because your baby is having fun doesn’t mean you should stay from dawn to dusk.
Even a baby that’s enjoying themself can quickly become fussy, cranky, or downright exhausted if a trip drags on past an appropriate time frame.
The beach is an active place for babies, which means it’s essential to budget the right amount of time for the trip to stop your darling from becoming overtired, overstimulated, or affected by the heat.
To ensure your first beach trip with baby goes off without a hitch, make it a manageable endeavor by:
Sticking to your time frame for this trip will make sure that both you and your baby have a fun time and enjoy the beach to its full potential.
While your ideal beach agenda might include relaxing in a lounge chair with a good book, a cool drink, and a drop of sweat glistening at your temple, babies can’t regulate their body temperatures well enough for that yet.
That means it falls on you to make sure your baby stays cool when you take to the sea and sand.
For a baby-friendly adventure, follow these helpful tips:
Pro tip: Pack an easy-to-assemble beach tent so that there’s plenty of room for you and baby to enjoy a mid-day siesta on the shore.
Keeping your baby shady is one of the most important to-dos during a beach trip. Fortunately, it’s easy to do—especially with your watchful eye and the proper, protective apparel.
When you enjoy a day at the beach, you can sometimes leave with peeling, red skin. Even if you’re careful about reapplying sunblock, you may still notice sunburn on your shoulders and cheeks if you spend all day out of the shade. And your little darling burns faster than you do!
While keeping your baby shady and cool is vital during their first beach trip, the other mission-critical task is making sure you’re taking steps to reduce the chance your little one burns. You can do this in a variety of ways, such as:
The above tips will help ward off the most harmful effects of the sun. That way, your little darling can come home from his or her first beach trip with nothing but fond memories.
As a parent of a newborn, you’re always on baby mess duty. But if you haven’t taken your little one to the beach before, you likely haven’t dealt with one particular type of mess: sand.
Sand is a big part of the beach experience, but it doesn’t have the same effect when it’s on your living room floor. How do you prevent your little one from carrying sand back home with you after delighting in it all day long?
One easy and baby-safe trick to de-sanding your child is to use baby powder. That’s right—baby powder is useful for a lot more than preventing diaper rash. Since it takes moisture off the skin, it’s a champ at giving sand nothing to stick to.
To take advantage of baby powder’s sand-whisking powers on your beach trip, all you have to do is:
If you want to make sure your hands stay clean and powder-free, you can use a cloth or soft towel to rub the powder and sand off your little miss or mister’s skin.
When properly planned for, your baby’s first trip to the beach can be a milestone you’ll always look back on fondly. Preparing ahead of time, understanding what to expect when you get there, learning water safety, and providing your baby with the proper attire will help keep them cool, safe, and happy.
Fortunately, when it comes to sun protectant attire, RuffleButts can help. All our girls and boys bathing suits and rash guards are made with UPF 50+ fabric to block out the worst effects of the sun. Plus, they come in a variety of adorable styles and designs, from pastel floral one-pieces and bold rainbow bikinis to baby swimwear today. With RuffleButts, sun protection has never looked so cute.
Sources: NSW Health. Babies and children in the heat. https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/beattheheat/Pages/babies-children-hot-weather.aspx, Healthline. How to Prevent and Treat Infant Sunburn. https://www.healthline.com/health/baby/baby-sunburn
