Moms Vibe:
By Krystle J. Bailey
All winter we long forward to trips to the beach, the squawks of seagulls, and sun rays on our skin but for those of us with little ones in tow, a beach trip can prove to be anything but relaxing. A family day by the ocean is both exciting and exhausting, memorable and messy, wonderful and worrisome.
While everyone else is relaxing, it’s usually us moms that are worried about packing enough snacks, who is going to clean up the mess later, and which kid is eating sand. The waves, the sunburn, the people, and the seagulls can all cause a little anxiety for the mom trying to keep the family fun day together. Here are a few family beach day tips to make things a little easier this year.
Freeze Everything
From water bottles to sunscreen, Gatorade to ice packs, pack the freezer the night before your beach trip with everything you need cold the next day. Frozen water bottles serve as ice packs for the cooler, boo-boo packs if necessary, and of course, cold drinking water throughout the day. Freezing your sunscreen is a great way to soothe hot skin while keeping sunburn at bay. Frozen juice boxes and Gatorade turn into afternoon slushies for the perfect afternoon cooldown snack. Popsicles, yogurts, and even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can all be frozen the night before a big beach day.
Baby Powder
This beach hack is life changing. If you’ve never been tipped off about the need for baby powder at the beach, pay attention! Invest in a giant bottle of powder and keep it in the beach bag for easily removing sand at the end of the day. Rather than dragging sand and water into the car or irritating everyone’s skin trying to scrub sand off with a dry towel, try baby powder. Pour a little onto a towel and dust the sand off baby toes and big kid elbows with ease. It’s like magic! You’ll never hit the beach without it again.
A Bag For Everything
Dry bags, wet bags, trash bags, oh my. You’ll need a bag for everything at the beach. Think through the day from start to finish. What can you expect you and your family to need before, during, and after the beach?
You’ll need a cooler filled with cold lunches, yogurts, drinks, and fruit as well as a dry bag of goodies for things like chips, Goldfish, and other unrefridgerated items. Keep a dry bag of clothes in the car for after the beach (this is where the baby powder comes in.) A minimum of two empty bags for trash and wet clothes at the end of the day are a must! But you can never go wrong with too many back up bags. Keep extra sandwich bags on hand to store your cell phone, keys, or any other items that you want to avoid getting sand or water in.
Ideally, you’ll want these bags to be reusable canvas or some other recyclable product that doesn’t end up in the ocean but if you must bring plastic bags, remember to be diligent about disposing of them appropriately to preserve our ocean life.
Blowup Baby Pool
Whether you have a baby or older kids, a blow up pool is a helpful tool for a full day at the beach. For the little ones, it allows them to play in the water and enjoy the sun without the waves. For older kids, a filled baby pool can serve as a way to easily rinse hands and feet or as a water supply for sand castle building. When they’re not busy playing in the baby pool, it can be used to cool off your feet or quickly splash yourself with water to ease the heat. Other blow up toys are great ways to keep the kids close while taking a break from the waves.
Check the tides
Before you hit the beach, visit tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov to check the local tides. There’s nothing more frustrating than setting up at the beach only to be forced to move by the incoming tide. Plan ahead and pick the perfect beach location for all day summer fun.
The sand and sun await. Enjoy the rest of summer at the Jersey Shore with your family and stay safe, Shore Local Moms.
Krystle J Bailey. Multimedia journalist, Author, Poet.
Connect with Krystle on Instagram @thedailybailey5
