Going to the beach with toddlers can be a blast. We’re just a month away from going on a family vacation to the beach with our own toddler, so I’ve been gathering the last few things we will need for a week away in the sand.
We’ve of course got the beach must-have’s ready to go, but I want to make our trip to the beach special. There are a ton of fun ideas out there about how to make a trip to Disney more magical and I love the whole concept of making a special vacation extra special. So, we’re going to make our beach vacation special with a few tricks up my mama sleeve.
Books
We’re packing a few beach-themed books from our favorite characters for the drive down to the beach. Tiger and George will definitely be making the trip down with us. We’re keeping it special by tucking these little guys away until the drive down to the beach. They’ll be a great surprise around hour 4 when the grumpies set in.
And my son loved Hide & Seek Harry. It was really fun for him to be “in” on the joke that Harry wasn’t very good at hiding at the beach. It’s an adorable little book.
Movies
And for the 6th hour, when the extra grumpies set in, we’ll have Finding Nemo rocking on the iPad. We’ll all enjoy watching it and we might even bring an HDMI cord so we can watch it in the room from our iPad during naptimes.
Snacks
The week before, I’ll try to find a few beach-themed snacks that we can munch on for the drive down and then a few more snacks to take out to the beach with us. Having cute little beach snacks will make snack time even more fun when the waves are calling our name instead of snacks. If you aren’t into making snacks and packing suitcases, grabbing some Goldfish on your last pre-vacation trip to the grocery store just might hit the spot.
Fun Beach Supplies
Another way to keep things fun at the beach is to pick up some new beach towels in your kids’ favorite character or beach-themed animal. You can find character/animal beach towels at places like Target, Amazon, Babies R’ Us or Bed Bath and Beyond. I know my little guy can’t wait to wrap up in his shark beach towel. He’ll probably want to sleep with it.
We also plan on getting Graham his own chair for the beach. Nathan and I have our own beach chairs and since Graham needs a spot to get a break and a snack, we think this little octopus chair is adorable and functional with a beach theme. Plus, it actually matches our chairs. Bonus!
Do something extra special
Does your vacation spot have an aquarium or water park? An aquarium is a perfect rainy-day spot to chill and learn about some of those animals hiding under the water. And a water park can be a welcomed change to splashing in waves.
Make memories to take home
Of course you’re going to make memories on your beach vacation, but don’t forget to get your camera going so you can always remember (and maybe even watch on the drive home). I have a waterproof camera that I absolutely love. It’s 3 years old by now, but it still does the trick and is perfect for saving beach memories.
There is also this one that’s a less-expensive option.
You can also go seashell hunting and save some seashells. I know some people have seashells from all their vacations displayed in a decorative jar in their home. It’s a fun way to remember your family vacation memories. This handy little bag can help you collect your favorite seashells.
The beach with toddlers can be a blast!
Family vacations are all about having special family time and creating memories. It doesn’t have to be a Disney vacation to be “magical.” You can make a beach vacation special with just a few special beach items.
