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D.C. Area Babies
What gear do I need for taking kids to the beach?
I am SO over this cold weather so I'm trying to distract myself by planning for and thinking about our beach trip this summer in Rehoboth. We are renting a house that is two blocks from the beach and staying for a week. I'm hoping that we'll spend a few hours each day at the beach.
We don't really have any beach gear other than beach towels and a small umbrella which doesn't provide much coverage. So, I'm looking for ideas of things that I need buy for taking a 1 and 3 yo to the beach. I'm especially looking for ideas on tents, umbrellas, or some sort of sun coverage contraption that isn't too bulky but which a few people can sit under. Also, I've seen people using some sort of beach cart for carrying all of their stuff so any recs on those would be appreciated. I'm thinking of getting beach chairs for DH and I so any recs beach chairs for adults and what features to get (or not get) would be great. I don't really have any beach toys for the kids other than a few watering cans. So if your kids have had any favorite beach toys other than the standard items, let me know. Bonus points for anything that's available on Amazon.
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Re: What gear do I need for taking kids to the beach?
I would get a rolling cooler; floaters for the kids (they make them w/ shades, your 3 y.o. will be too large but 1 y.o. should fit.)
My kids have only been to the beach once and hated the sand and the waves were too big but I would bring just buckets/shovels, things like that.
Lots of towels, sunscreen, drinks.
I too have seen the tents you are talking about, I think COSTCO carries them.
When we went to the beach last year, we used this tent:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009PUTIE/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details
It was decent, but not wonderful. It definitely isn't big enough for everyone to sit under, so I don't 100% recommend it, but I thought it might be useful for you to know about so you can see the dimensions and compare it to any other tent you are thinking about getting.
I don't have any other real advice b/c we only went to the beach once. But, I was wondering how you found your house? We're thinking of renting a house this summer or next summer, and I have no idea where to start looking.
Thanks for the tent info. We got our house through Jack Lingo. They are the main real estate company up there. You can search some of their properties online but if you want to rent something, I would recommend calling and speaking with one of their agents. They can give you recommendations based on your specific needs and also send you a listing of what's available during the weeks you want. They can also provide important information on specific properties. For instance, there were a few properties that I looked at online that I liked but the agent told me that they were really close to the bars and restaurants and that if being in a quiet area was important to me, that she wouldn't recommend those options.
If you want to rent something this summer, I would call them soon. The house we got is now booked for the entire summer except for 1 week.
https://www.jacklingo.com/
We are beach minimalists, so we don't take a ton of stuff. We also don't stay on the actual beach for that long at a time. About two hours max is when C starts to either need a nap or lunch (or DH does!). So, we bring a small bucket of beach toys (C loves playing with shells) and when he was tiny we brought a kid's sun tent. I can't find the one we have and it wouldn't fit multiple people, but look for a pop up tent if you can. They are so easy and lightweight. We also bring an insulated bag (not even a real cooler) with drinks and snacks.
Are you staying in Bethany or Rehoboth? I don't know Rehoboth that well, but I know in Bethany (especially in Middlesex) it's common practice to set up your little area on the beach and leave stuff there all day while you go back and forth for lunch, etc. If you just leave chairs and an umbrells and beach toys, no one will bother them.
No recs on chairs as we use whatever our parents have around but you might want to see if the house you're renting offers them before you buy them yourself. I know Costco has some that look really nice. I would look for the kind that you can carry with a strap or that have padded straps like a back pack.
Actually, you might call and see what the house offers in the way of beach toys and umbrellas too. My mom stocks her Bethany rental with all of those things.
ETA: Whoopsie! You already said Rehoboth. I don't know if people claim their spots the same way there.
Yes, we got one of these Puddle Jumper "jackets" last year which she really liked using in the water and which I like for safety reasons.
https://www.amazon.com/Stearns-Puddle-Jumper-Basic-Jacket/dp/B003648O7I
About the house, they said that they don't provide any beach gear so that's why I'm trying to figure out what we need. Costco is a really good idea. DH usually does our Costco runs because I don't have a membership card (he and his dad share a membership) but I need to get him to take me one weekend so I can see what they have for summer gear.
We've gone to the beach every summer with my family for the past 5 or so years. This year we'll have 8 adults and 7 kids under the age of 7. Fun times!!
A shade tent is a must!! We have a huge one, that we take down to the beach earlier in the morning and set up, and leave it up all day. We usually spend pretty much the whole day on the beach, from about 10:30-3:30 or so, and our kids nap in the shade on the beach. My older brother's kids usually go back to the house to eat.
We also bring an inflatable baby pool with us on the beach, and fill it up with ocean water. This is great for the littlest ones who don't love the ocean, but want to get wet.
Definitely get chairs that have a carrying strap (how did they not have these when I was growing up and walking 3 blocks to the beach in the summer??)! I also recommend a huge backpack for carrying beach toys. I have a bag I use for scuba diving which is awesome.
We bring an old fleece blanket that we put down under the sun tent. My brother uses one of those furniture moving pads.
We've never used a rolling cart, but we've always stayed on the beach so it wasn't very far. This year we're staying a block away, so I'm not sure what we'll invest in for easier carrying.
Have fun!
In addition to the strappy chairs, I definitely recommend getting a blanket that folds up with a strap - like this one.
Even though we spend a long time on the beach, we're also pretty minimilist. We have a small umbrella, a couple chairs, and a blanket... we try to keep it to that.
Oh, and we also make sure to bring two bags.... one with a zipper, for stuff we don't want to get sandy; and, one big one for sandy stuff.
We went to the beach early last summer and bought this tent: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LGV2PA/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details?ie=UTF8&redirect=true
It was really easy to set up and take down and was big enough for probably 2 adults and a kid or two to sit side by side in the fully shaded/enclosed part (but not too much elbow-room). It held up well even in the wind. It did get a little warm inside the tent, but keeping all the "windows" open helped a lot. the black part that extends out from the tent got a little hot but we just put towels down to sit/stand on.
one thing I didn't consider with a tent like this is that in order to maximize the shaded space you need to turn the tent so the back is facing the sun (which meant sometimes we weren't facing straight ahead to the water, but more on a diagonal).
We were at the beach with my mom, dad, and sister and we brought an umbrella and chairs, plus the tent for and i think we had plenty of shaded space.
We go to the beach every year with the kids (this will be the 3rd year with both).
We have this beach tent:
https://www.amazon.com/Genji-Sports-Family-Beach-Sunshelter/dp/B002970M1E/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1329145134&sr=8-6
It folds down to nothing and weighs nothing. We can fit two beach chairs in it, which is all the room we need right now because we never seem to have two kids (or two adults) sitting at one time.
We have backpack chairs that Costco typically sells (although I did buy mine on amazon a long time ago). I am pretty sure they are cheaper and come in a two-pack at Costco.
https://www.amazon.com/Rio-Aluminum-Frame-Backpack-Chair/dp/B0034XCI8M/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1329145313&sr=1-3
The house we rent in Corolla has a cart that we use to wheel our stuff to the beach, but due to the stairs on the beach access it doesn't get us too far. Typically, DH hauls stuff down in the morning while I'm getting the kids ready and "sets up" our spot. We typically spend maybe 2-3 hours in the morning or late afternoon at the beach every day.
So far, the kids are happiest with pails and shovels...DH digs them a big hole and that keeps them happy climbing in and out for awhile. Last year, DS did not like the waves so we were spending no time in the water with him.
Besides the tent, chairs, and beach toys, we pack water and sunblock in our backpack chairs and that's it!