What To Pack For A Day At The Beach With Kids

If you’re planning a beach trip, be sure to check out our list of The Best Family Beach Vacation Tips.

Beach tent

We won a small collapsible beach tent in a giveaway years ago, and I love it. It’s perfect for one adult or two kids. You pop it open and have instant shade. Plus, if one of your kids needs to go down for a nap, it’s a great place to put them.

A larger beach tent works great too. When we use to go to the beach with Pete’s family, someone would always bring a 10 x 10 pop up tent. That gives enough shade for the entire family to sit under, plus room for blankets for the kids to nap. Just be sure to check the town’s beach ordinance to see if you’re allowed to bring these tents. Some won’t allow it because they can blow in bad wind (which is why we always bring tent weights).

Blanket/chairs

Don’t forget the blanket or the chairs, if you prefer those. And if you do, we love the Tommy Bahama backpack chairs with the pouch up top and cooler on the bottom. As long as you remember to bring a place for your kids to sit, they won’t be competing for your lap or your chair.

And yes, you should bring them their own place to sit. If you only bring one chair, they’ll be competing for it. So either bring them one chair each or bring them a large blanket so they can all sit on it together.

Bottles/milk

If your kid is young enough that he or she drinks from a bottle, don’t forget to pack the bottles. And if your kid still drinks milk (which even older kids do), pack extra milk in your cooler.

Just, of course, be sure to pack ice or ice packs in that cooler as well. It definitely can get hot on the beach and you don’t want to serve your kids warm milk and get them sick.

Change of clothes

Before you leave the beach, you want to change your kids into dry clothes. They’ll be happier on the ride home. But you can’t do that unless you remember to pack a change of clothes.

Bring them up to a shower (most beaches have them on the boardwalk), rinse off the sand, dry them off, then put on dry clothes. Don’t forget to pack dry undergarments for them too.

Diapers

If your child is still in diapers, pack diapers. And pack swim diapers too. If your child isn’t still in diapers, you can skip these.

And, don’t forget to save one dry diaper for the way home. If not, your child will be going commando and you’ll be nervous for the entire drive.

Drinks

If you’re not packing bottles, you still have to pack drinks. We have a one-gallon water bottle, and that’s perfect for the beach. Ours is stainless steel, so throwing in a couple ice cubes with the water keeps it cold all day long.

I would definitely suggested getting a stainless steel water bottle versus a plastic one if you’re going to be keeping it outside, like at the beach.

Life jackets

If your kids can’t swim on their own yet, pack their life jackets. The last thing you want to worry about is your child running off into the ocean when you’re not looking. And, if they do, you want to make sure they have a life jacket on — and you want to make sure you run faster than they do.

Snacks

Kids or no kids, bring snacks to the beach. And if you’re stumped on what to pack, we have a list of healthy beach snack ideas.

This should go without saying, but … be sure to clean up after yourself if you do bring snacks. Don’t leave peanut shells on the sand.

Sunglasses

Don’t forget your sunglasses. And don’t forget pairs for the kids too because if you do, they’ll be stealing yours. And then it’ll be like you forgot yours.

Sunscreen

Your kids will enjoy their beach day a lot more if they don’t get burned. So prevent that by remembering to pack your sunscreen.

Don’t just pack it, though. You actually have to remember to use that sunscreen too.

Towels

At the beach, you usually dry off so quickly that you don’t need to wipe down with a towel. But not always. Sometimes you need the towel to wipe off and sometimes you need it as a barrier between you and the sand blowing at you violently (you know what I mean).

And sometimes, if you’re me, you need to use the towel as a shawl. Because it’s 90 degrees out, but it’s also cold.

Toys

If you don’t want to be your kids’ entertainment at the beach, you need to pack them entertainment. Sand buckets, shovels, beach balls, goggles, boogie boards … pack it all.

It’s better to overpack and have your kids not play with the toys then forget them at home and hear your kids say, “I’m bored” eight million times while you’re trying to read your book.

Umbrella

An umbrella is a great thing to have as long as it’s not a terribly windy day. If it is, that umbrella can blow all over the place. But on a less windy day, it will stick in the sand and give you some shade.

Rain On Your Beach Vacation

This list is great … until it starts to rain. But don’t worry. We can help you plan for that as well. Check out our 11 Things To Do If It Rains On Your Beach Vacation so you have a backup plan in case you need it.