Beach vacation

charliegoldengirl

We are at the beach for the next week- any tips to help me survive? I find that I'm so anxious about overheating/dehydration/sunburn that I'm lasting about 15 minutes actually at the ocean. The whole time I am there with the baby I'm worried if he is too hot, and/or not shaded enough, etc.  His hat won't stay on due to wind so I'm probably going to go buy one with a strap tonight, which might help. I have one of those long sleeve/pants one piece bathing suits that he wears. And we do have an umbrella for shade. I'm still constantly worried about the sun though.  I even look at the umbrella like, "does this have UV protection? .....I can see sun peeking through the material.... maybe I should add a towel on top for added shade... Is he getting sunburned from the reflection off the sand?...." And on and on. It is exhausting. I'm being crazy right?

This is is not even mentioning the nap and night time sleep routine disturbances- I'm actually doing okay with relaxing on his schedule. It's mostly myself not getting any sleep because I can't let him fuss or cry when he wakes up at night for fear that he will wake up his brother or the rest of my in-laws in the house. 

Meanwhile I'd like to be enjoying time with my family and enjoying the beach/ocean (which I used to love).  Maybe I should start the day with a beer instead of ending with one, lol. 

katieashley13

We are actually at the beach right now! We have a little sun shade canopy thing and a portable battery powered fan. The longsleeve swim suits are a good idea, because it's less you sunscreen you have to put on (and less worry about missing a spot). We also have kept her lightweight swaddle blanket down at the ocean to cover her from the sun if someone is holding her, and it's also a good cover for nursing while down at the beach.  My LO hates the ocean so far, so I haven't spent much time down there. Today we went ahead and went out to the beach early, so by the time she was ready for a nap, it was getting pretty hot and I would've brought her inside anyway. If you're doing solids already, the squeeze pouches are really convenient for the beach or out at a restaurant, etc. Above all else, RELAX! Vacation is definitely not what it was before baby, but it's still fun making memories in a different way. Also recruit some family help whenever possible.

Cherylaf83

We bought a sportbrella which has uv protection. My DS won't nap under it though, so when it's nap time I put him in my carrier, cover his legs with a Muslim swaddle blanket, and put on his big bucket hat. I walk the beach until he's asleep and then TRY to transfer him back onto his blanket. 

Definitely get some long sleeve rash guards too! I also got bigger size swim trunks so they cover a larger portion of his legs. Not sure if the beach you're going to allows floats but a baby float with shade is a godsend! Have fun!

charliegoldengirl

Thanks ladies!  Day two went much better- I was able to relax a bit and he took a long nap under the umbrella.  @Cherylaf83 I did think about popping him in the ergo for a beach walk  but I'm so sweaty I think we would both get pretty uncomfortable. I'm getting better about asking family to help too so I can have some fun.