toddler at the beach?

Spangled

have any of you taken your toddler to the beach? my son will be two in july and were thinking about taking him to the beach for his birthday. taking him to the pool is exhausting already and i'm a little worried about the beach. we're not sure what we want to do though because last year we had a big party and this year we want it to be quiet and just the three of us. but we think he's too young for disneyland. any advice about taking a two year old to the beach?

NCMichelle

We took our kids to the beach last fall (so almost 3 and 1 1/2).  We had a blast!  They ran around on the sand and played in tide pools.  They only went near the waves to fill up their buckets.  If they wanted to go in farther than that, they had to be with one of the adults.  SO FUN!

BabyC925

We have a beach house and have been going since LO was 8 months old so hes a beach baby. He is 2 1/2 now and loves it! Just bring lotion, toys snacks and drinks and you'll be fine. We made sure to bring a few of his favorite trucks with us as well as some new sand toys and he stays busy for a while. Grab some good shells to bring home and paint if you have a crafty LO, I dont but im trying anyway haha have fun! 

rosesandpeonies

yes we go weekly (live in South Florida)

I got myself a beach cart that I can put everything on, I bring an umbrella, a cooler full of snacks, beach toys, etc.  You have to be prepared but he probably will love it.

We spend the entire day there and it works out great.  Just have to have all the stuff.

Got the best beach cart at Costco!  It is amazing and has made going to the beach sooooo easy!  I can bring my girls by myself now. 

Wulfgar

We plan to spend a week at the beach (Lake Erie) in July.  Our LO is at least the fourth generation to go to the same area.  My wife and I love being in the water so will have no problem keeping up with him.

You are correct that you can't just sit in a chair especially at a lot of the pools in my area where 2 year olds have to be within arms reach.

LSU628

We go almost every summer. Not sure where you are, but an umbrella or a tent are a must for us- the FL heat/sun in summer is crazy! The first few times DD was unsure and didn't like the feel of the sand on her feet. I figured out she doesn't like the sand in her shoes, so if she kicks off her shoes she is much more likely to walk in the sand. The last time we went DD was 3. She had so much fun and it was fun for the whole family. She would throw shells into the waves to watch them wash away, chased sea gulls, was tickled that she got to eat a picnic lunch. We bring a big sheet to put down on the sand so there are plenty of spots to sit and we can save our towels for drying off and wiping sand off before leaving the beach. Have fun!

southerntink84

We have carried our now 3 y/o a couple of times...we keep her puddle jumper life jacket on and sit close to the water with buckets and shovels and she loves it...she is definitely a water baby but we live very close to a lake that we frequent often.

Ardmhs83

We have taken him twice now, once at 11 months old and once at 23 months.  The car seat was the worst!  Take movies, Ipads, etc...whatever you gotta take to keep him happy in the car. 

It is a lot of work and to be honest it is like being at home, but in a hotel room.  We had fun on the beach and stuff, but he was still too little to do a lot of things with.  We had to take turns with naps and going back and forth to the room...and we were oceanfront!  Make sure you are oceanfront or in a hotel right on the beach...it was a PITA still, but would have been more-so away from the beach. 

I wouldn't trade the experience and the pics for the world, but it was just a huge difference then what we were use to.  We were so use to being free, laying in the sand and going out every single night...BIG change!

We are actually taking a year off this year...we need a break from the 9-10 hour car ride! lol  We are going to the beach alone this year :-)  We are going to just plan day trips with our DS to the zoo and things like that.  We will be heading back to Myrtle Beach next year when DS is almost 4.  Sorry to sound "Debbie Downerish," just being honest with our experience.  Like I said...it was still fun, just really different and a lot of work and preperation. 

If your DS has never been before...I say go for it though!

ncbelle

My kids had a blast every time we've gone - it's a giant sandbox; what's not to love?  We just took plenty of sand toys.  We have a little sun tent thing that was nice to have for a bit of shade (didn't blow n the wind like an umbrella) and as a place to keep sand free.

jc&cat

The beach is 100000% easier than the pool with a toddler IMO. I echo everyone's comments of sand toys, snacks, water, and an umbrella or some sort of shade (hat and sunscreen too). Not sure if you are planning a day trip or a vacation since a vacation has some more complications but not as far as being on the beach. My kids love the beach and have so much fun. It's tiring just like anything else with a toddler but a great time. Enjoy!

mexicolombiana

We just spent 10 days in Puerto Rico and my toddler could have sat on the beach and played in the sand FOREVER.  

Here's what made our life easy on the beach:

1. Shade- you need to have either an umbrella or tent, or shade

2. Hats and sunscreen

3. Long sleeved bathing suits or the ones with sleeves at least are a must IMO.

4. We carried 2 big gallons of fresh water in our car to wash ourselves off in case there were no showers at the beach. 

 

skio

The beach is no big deal and great for kids. Bring an umbrella, some sand toys, and reapply sunblock often. Have fun!

lite-bright

We went on a trip with DH's family to the OBX last summer and rented a house with a pool/hot tub that was walking distance from the beach. DD2 much preferred the hot tub and pool to the beach. My 4-YO (at the time) loved it, but my 2-YO, not so much. She wanted to stay on the dry (hot) sand, didn't like sand on her feet, and didn't want to go near the waves. 

Thank God I brought beach socks for her -- better than sandals or water shoes for keeping the sand off her feet, and they still protected them from the heat. Otherwise I don't think we could've even persuaded her to be on the beach at all, but the socks made it tolerable for her. 

We're going to my parents' beach house in FL this summer and I think she'll be fine this year, but I'm buying another pair of beach socks just in case. Some toddlers don't care for the sensory stuff related to the beach and sand, and what might be tolerable to an adult in terms of walking on hot sand can be really painful for little feet. Just things to think about. 

cmoats1

I don't think a 2 year old is too young for Disneyland, but that's me!

Beach is easier than the pool for us too.  In addition to all above.....We also took a very small inflatable pool. (Yup a small pool for one on the beach!) It was the little splash pad to a slide and there were no issues for DH to blow up on the spot.  She LOVED it!  Kept her close and occupied.

rosesandpeonies

cmoats1:

I don't think a 2 year old is too young for Disneyland, but that's me!

Beach is easier than the pool for us too.  In addition to all above.....We also took a very small inflatable pool. (Yup a small pool for one on the beach!) It was the little splash pad to a slide and there were no issues for DH to blow up on the spot.  She LOVED it!  Kept her close and occupied.

I just took my 2 year old to Disney World, and its not that its too young but the two year old age....she was sort of a mess the entire time lol even though I had tons of snacks, we took breaks and naps, etc.  lol 

PepperBug

We did both disneyworld and the beach with our almost two year old, and he did great with both. The key to Disney was to make sure he was wellrested. We stayed on property and rented a full sized crib and music box to recreate his home sleeping situation. Most days we came back to the hotel for naps. On the other days, we had a big sit down lunch to get out if the heat and rest. Then we pushed him in the stroller for an hour in case he wanted to sleep. He often did! We left the parks most nights in time to get him back close to his normal bedtime. He had a great time, and there were no meltdowns.

For the beach, we brought a blow up pool, a bucket and shovel and a wagon. We rented an umbrella. We filled the pool with ocean water. That was really enough entertainment for him. It helped that we went where there was a boardwalk, so we could get him treats and take a break to go on the rides before the drive home.

PayolaCrayola

fredalina:

My LO is very "busy". We went to Puerto Rico when she was 2 years 3 months, and it was far from relaxing. She wanted to walk everywhere, tried to get n everyone's bags and play with their toys, ran to the rental kayaks and almost toppled them, went to the floating dock and chased crabs and made me fear she'd fall off, etc. it was fun but there was NO relaxing! At least she was "contained" at the pool lol. We are now driving home after the weekend on Tybee Island, GA. LO is now about to turn 4 and it was so much better! She would sit beside us building sand castles, walk nearby to collect shells, play with other kids, and didn't like the sound of the ocean or the way the breakers looked so I didn't have to worry about her going into the ocean without us. I watched other families with kids ages 0 to 5 and was amazed at most of them who could let their toddlers down and still lie down and relax because their kids would do the things at 1 or 2 that mine FINALLY did at 4. So I would say a lot of it depends on your child's temperament. Have fun!

This. We live 5 blocks from the beach and we've only taken DD twice because she just runs wild and it is so stressful. My mom has an amazing pool though so we take her there like 2-3x a week and it is much easier than the beach.

I also agree that 2 isnt too young for Disneyland. We have yearly passes and try to go at least once a week if we can.

BeanNut

PayolaCrayola:

fredalina:

My LO is very "busy". We went to Puerto Rico when she was 2 years 3 months, and it was far from relaxing. She wanted to walk everywhere, tried to get n everyone's bags and play with their toys, ran to the rental kayaks and almost toppled them, went to the floating dock and chased crabs and made me fear she'd fall off, etc. it was fun but there was NO relaxing! At least she was "contained" at the pool lol. We are now driving home after the weekend on Tybee Island, GA. LO is now about to turn 4 and it was so much better! She would sit beside us building sand castles, walk nearby to collect shells, play with other kids, and didn't like the sound of the ocean or the way the breakers looked so I didn't have to worry about her going into the ocean without us. I watched other families with kids ages 0 to 5 and was amazed at most of them who could let their toddlers down and still lie down and relax because their kids would do the things at 1 or 2 that mine FINALLY did at 4. So I would say a lot of it depends on your child's temperament. Have fun!

This. We live 5 blocks from the beach and we've only taken DD twice because she just runs wild and it is so stressful. My mom has an amazing pool though so we take her there like 2-3x a week and it is much easier than the beach.

I also agree that 2 isnt too young for Disneyland. We have yearly passes and try to go at least once a week if we can.

I also agree that the quality of your beach trip is related to your child's temperament. DD1 is so so busy-at 2.5 she is just starting to be able to sometimes "stay close" and do an activity for a few minutes vs. running around at 100 mph all of the time. We go with family so if H or I are busy with #2 my parents can also help.  DD2 is much more "typical" and she should be fine as long as we have snacks and plenty of activities for her .  It's a ton of work but still really fun.  We also do naptimes back at the beachhouse and that's when I will relax or even sleep if needed!

kaswanson

We recently went to Maui with DD and took her to the beach every day.  She absolutely loved it!!  She could sit and play in the sand all day long.  Literally... I could almost just lay there and read a book she was so content.  We had beach toys, umbrella, towels, snacks, sunscreen, sun hats, etc.  We occasionally splashed around in shallow water with her holding our hands (which she also loved), but she was mostly content with the sand.  Bring a camera, so cute!!

ksyknelvr73

We have taken DS to the beach a few times - and we are going again in July. Each time has been different (progressively better). We just bring lots of toys for the beach, lots of sunscreen, water/snacks, and we're pretty good. DS listens pretty well (for a 2 year old) so he won't go in the water without us and he is pretty content to hang out and play on the beach. We still don't get to "relax" b/c someone has to keep eyes on him at all times, but it's pretty fun and enjoyable. We wait until he takes a nap to really relax and actually lay out by the pool, etc.

lauralovesbob

We take my son to the beach at a lake regularly. It's easier with more adults. Don't expect LO to want to swim. Despite the warm weather, the water is always too cool for DS. He loves the sand and digging. There are large trees we can sit under to be in the shade. I'd take an umbrella if you don't have shade available. Also, we take a huge blanket so we don't have to deal with sand in food.