Bringing a Baby to the Beach: Tips From a Beach Resident

We are beach people through and through. It’s why we moved to Florida from the Midwest!

Taking your baby to a beach destination can be a really fun experience, but there is definitely extra planning involved, especially the first time as you learn you and your baby’s preferences. We have now had two babies at the beach and through trial and error, we have learned a lot.

The good news is that we have learned a lot about going to the beach with a baby. We are now bringing you those great tips so that you can bring your baby to the beach with more peace of mind.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this guide on bringing a baby to the beach are affiliate links (including links to Amazon) providing us with a small commission if you make a qualifying purchase – at no extra cost to you. We greatly appreciate your support! As always, we share our honest opinion and everything is written by us.

Expectations

Before we jump into all of the amazing tips and tricks I have for you on bringing your baby to the beach, I just want to talk about expectations for a minute. We know a lot of people who went on a beach vacation with their baby and/or toddler and were disappointed or didn’t feel like it was worth it.

Let’s be honest – parenting is easier at home with the comforts of home. When you have every single baby item available to you, your baby has their own crib that they’re used to sleeping in, you stick to your daily routine, and the list goes on and on. Traveling with a baby isn’t the easiest thing to do, but for us, it has always been worth it. Whether or not it’s worth it to you is totally up to you.

I see a lot of people encouraging people to travel, but if you don’t feel like it’s worth the extra work that’s totally ok! On the other hand, I also see people who had bad experiences discouraging others from traveling with their little kids. As a travel lover, and as someone who travels with my kids, this hurts my heart. But if you want to, it can definitely be done and it can be really fun.

But having realistic expectations can really help. I think that a lot of people who discourage bringing a baby to the beach (outside of concerns like crazy hot temperatures, that is) come from situations where there were unrealistic expectations, they weren’t sure how to plan, or don’t care that much about the beach (and therefore didn’t find the work to be worth it).

I recommend rolling with the punches. And I know that this is really hard for some of us. I know because I am not a laid back person at all. Like, not even a little bit. Your baby’s sleep schedule might get messed up, they might hate the sun, it might get too hot to sit on the beach for more than an hour at a time. If you can roll with it, you can still have a good time. But if every time you tell yourself that it’s not worth it because something didn’t go as planned, then it won’t be.

I absolutely do not say this to scare you. After all, we have taken tons of trips with our kids and we keep doing it, so clearly it’s worth it! There’s equally a chance that everything goes better than you could have imagined. You don’t need to dread all of the what-ifs. But knowing that a beach trip with a baby might look different can really help all of you.

Sun Protection and Baby Sunscreen

We try to keep our baby out of direct sunlight as much as possible. The best way to do this is by using a beach umbrella or canopy.

We also love going to the beach earlier in the morning since we’re awake earlier than most of the world when we have a baby anyways. The sun is less harsh, the beach is less crowded, and overall it’s just a nice way to start the day.

I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, but it is generally not recommended to put sunscreen on a baby under six months old. Once we can use sunscreen, we like the Earth Mama brand for baby-safe sunscreen.

Sunscreen sticks can be much easier to apply if your baby doesn’t like sunscreen.

We keep our baby’s skin covered as much as they will let us with long-sleeved rash guards and sun hats. Both of our kids were pretty good at ripping off those baby sun hats once they were around 6 months of age.

Dealing With Heat

This is one of the most important things because you don’t want your baby to get overheated. You might want to ask your child’s doctor how long they recommend keeping your baby out in the heat, especially on really hot days. You’ll also want to be aware of what overheating might look like.

We keep our baby cool by bringing a portable fan, using shade like an umbrella, and going to the beach outside of the hottest hours of the day such as early in the morning or in the evening. If it’s really hot, you might even want to bring a stronger rechargable fan than the small stroller fan. The one I linked will stay charged all day (our stroller fans don’t usually hold a charge very long).

I am writing this article in the middle of a blazing hot Florida summer. It’s easy to forget that there are chilly, and even cold, months at the beach. If you are visiting the beach during a chilly month, make sure you bring warm clothes. It can get cold, even at Florida beaches, in the winter months.

Bringing a small blowup baby pool to keep under the shade of the umbrella can be a fun way for your baby to play.

Diapers

Swim diapers are great if you know that your baby will be in the water. You can also buy reusable swim diapers. Regular diapers can get really heavy and uncomfortable in the water. But swim diapers are really best for #2, if your baby urinates in a swim diaper, the swim diaper won’t hold it. Since most of our time at the beach with a baby is spent out of the water/under shade, I just keep them in regular diapers unless/until we do actually get in the water.

Stroller

More than likely, your stroller won’t be a great option on the beach. We have a BOB stroller which works on the beach wonderfully but BOB strollers typically aren’t the best to travel with (unless you’re driving). Travel strollers typically don’t handle the sand well.

Since most strollers aren’t great for the beach, you might opt for baby wearing and using a baby carrier instead. You could also take your stroller up to the sand, leave it there, then walk the rest of the way.

Hydration

It is important for everyone to stay hydrated in hot weather, including your baby. Make sure everyone is taking steps to reduce hydration. If you’re breastfeeding, you need to make sure you are drinking plenty of water. If your baby is old enough to drink water, make sure you bring a water bottle for them. Sometimes, adding a tiny splash of flavor can encourage them to drink more.

Nap Time at the Beach

We like to go to the beach earlier in the day when the sun isn’t so harsh, then go back around lunchtime for naps. Usually we like to have a little break from the sun/heat, too, so this just works well for us.

But there are tons of people who nap their baby at the beach. You can do a contact nap or one of these baby beach tents can be good for nap time. You can also put it under the already shaded area for extra protection from the sun’s rays.

We had a fancy travel bassinet for the beach but neither of our babies would sleep in it and we didn’t push it. Like I said above, realistic expectations can be so helpful. It was no big deal, we just went back to the house for naptime or did contact naps. Your baby may like the fancier travel bassinet but it was pretty bulky to carry around, honestly. It wouldn’t be great for traveling unless you’re driving to your destination.

Toys

Some beaches have a community-type of beach toys where you can grab some toys to play with then return them. The beaches around us have them close to the entrance of the beach. This is always nice because then you don’t have to worry about bringing them.

Despite how the pictures below might look, our son actually doesn’t love toys at the beach – he would rather just run around! As babies, both our son and daughter just liked their normal toys that we’d bring anywhere.

You know your baby best, so if you think they’ll enjoy some water toys and you have room to pack them, throw them in!

Other Beach Essentials

Baby powder can be a great way to get sand off when you’re done at the beach. You just put the baby powder on and it will wipe off. It does not work on wet sand, though. We don’t bother with this because it’s just one more thing to pack and as Floridians who live at the beach, we’re honestly just used to the sand now.

Beach wagon for carrying everything. A lot of vacation rentals include these with the rental.

We do have a Mambobaby float that has a cover for sun protection. Both of our kids enjoyed it. I think it’s completely up to you whether this is worth packing. On a road trip to the beach, I think it’s worth putting in the car but when you’re more limited by checking your luggage, this might be one to leave out. You can also get cheaper options than the Mambobaby, but we knew we’d use ours for multiple kids and for lots of trips to the beach.

You might want to bring some plastic bags to put dirty diapers in after diaper changes.

Change of clothes

Beach towel

Something to lay on that will keep the sand away. We have this beach blanket which helps prevent our kids from getting covered with sand.

Hopefully this article helped you feel confident in taking your first beach trip with a baby! It does take a little planning but it can be so worth it to have a family beach day. We hope you have the best time with your baby at the beach!