What to pack when going to the Beach with a Toddler

I’ve lived close to the beach almost my entire life. Even when we moved to be closer to Boston, we ended up only about 20 minutes from a beach. So that should mean I’m a huge beach bum but to be honest, I’m not. I love the beach. I love going to the beach. But going to the beach takes a lot of work, especially when you have a toddler in tow. When we do have a beach day though, we have it down to a science and know exactly what to pack when going to the beach with a toddler. Here is our list:

SPF & Shade of Some Sort

Alex and Arielle both have pale skin and Alex burns easily. We have yet to find out if Arielle burns though because we’ve been so good about keeping her lathered up with sunscreen. We also try to keep her shaded as much as possible.

Beach Toys

You can never go wrong with a pail and small shovel, but Arielle loved playing with some of the molds so she could make mermaids and seahorses in the sand.

Extra Swim Diapers

We rarely need this now, but before she was potty trained it was so important to bring a few extra swimmies so she could keep playing in the water without a care in the world.

Extra Towels or Beach Blankets

We always bring extra towels but during our most recent beach trip Arielle started to feel cold and sleepy. So we dried off with one towel, laid down on a beach blanket (courtesy of Shop Nantucket a few years ago) and threw another towel over us to curl up for a little summer snooze.

A Coverup

Speaking of coverups, I am always surprised when I see little ones arrive and leave without any kind of robe on. I always make sure I have something for Arielle because I know how cold she gets when she’s soaked. And you can find so many cute options out there!

Snacks & Water

Arielle got her first taste of sand in Ogunquit and she freaked out. I gave her her water bottle and told her to rinse and spit. She ended up doing it several times because she just couldn’t get all of the sand out. So I was grateful to have brought extra water. And some mini M&Ms helped with the bad taste in her mouth!

We took these beach photos at Footbridge Beach in Ogunquit, Maine and you can read more about that trip here! You can also read more about what I wore during our trip if you’re looking for some vacation wardrobe inspiration!