Beach Travel with Kids

Here are a few things to remember if you're traveling to the beach with kids that will be of great help.

1. Rent a beach house. Seriously. They come with a washer, dryer, full-functioning kitchen, and living area. You will be so glad you did. We came home with ONE load of dirty laundry. One. We took tons of snacks, ingredients for breakfasts, lunches, and some dinners. It was so much better than staying in a hotel and really did not cost any more than a hotel. Actually, with not having to pay for lunches or snacks, because most hotels will give you free breakfasts, and being able to do other things instead of being confined to one room like you would be in a hotel, it was cheaper and made life a lot easier.

2. I made sure to take a variety of activities for the kids to do. I know I've blogged about it before, but, Thirty-one has an awesome large utility tote that fit perfectly between both boys' car seats and was easily accessible to them. If you don't want to invest in that, Target has the Cubeicals fabric drawers that work well, too!

3. Doodle books, crayons, map colors, books, and sketch pads. My kids loved these on the 8-10 hour car trip more than the dvd, DSI, LeapPad, etc. And yes, we bought the BIG packs of crayons and colored pencils.

4. Bring lots and lots of sunscreen! LOTS. I have never had to reapply as much as I did while we were on the beach and the boats. I love the Neutrogena baby faces stick for face application. Perfect for squirmy little wormy kids. I used Neutrogena Wet-Skin kids. I should have used the Mustela though. That one was awesome! Neutrogena is okay, but it didn't seem to last very long.

5. I had my kids wear sunglasses and colored bandannas on their heads. Seems weird, I know, BUT it was an easy way for me to keep my eyes on those colored bandannas while they were playing in the water.

6. Find a Buc-ee's and stop there! Cleanest bathrooms and it makes it a lot less intimidating for kids who have qualms about using the bathroom in public. Also, beaver nuggets are the bomb!

7. Flip flops- buy some for your kids...and you. They were so much easier than Crocs to hose off after a trip from the beach. Every beach house we've stayed in has an outside water source, complete with hose and warm water, to wash your feet down before you venture into the house. Crocs get clods of sand stuck in them and are hard to wash out. Flip flops will wash cleanly. I got the boys each a pair of Sanuks. They are a little pricey, but so comfortable! They were able to walk through town with them and the beach. You can just use the $5 ones from Old Navy and those will be just as good in terms of ease in cleaning.

8. Body Butter- You'll need it. Your kids will need it. Trust me on this. Body butter was the only thing that kept my kids moisturized. Salt water and sea air, despite the humidity, will do some insane things to your skin.

Above all, have fun. This was something I had to tell myself because I like clean and I definitely like neat. Yes, your kids will be sandy, dirty, sticky from the saltwater, and in desperate need of baths, but, capturing the first time they see the ocean and watching them play and learn in their environment is so worth it. Now, time to schedule myself a pedicure because the beach has done some serious damage to my feet. Ack!