Making Beach Play Easy
By April. Filed in Living |Tags: beach, beach blanket, beach toys, bees, boonie hats, california, diaper wet bag, green, making beach play easy, mesh bag, planet wise, planet wise wet bag, play, primitivemommy, rash guards, reuasable, roxy beach bag, sand, sand toys, swimsuits, towel, umbrella, umbrella anchor, yellow
I know I am known and loved for my lists, so as to not to disappoint, here I’ll share how I make going to the beach easy for us. A bit of planning with packing food and items into easy to carry bags (it’s all about the bags!) can make all of the difference. Make sure to check my post on snacks for healthy snack ideas. I believe children need plenty of outdoor play and I find that the beach is a great place for it. I hear many people saying that going to the beach is too stressful. We lived in California for a while and during that time I really streamlined the process. I noticed today that some of the items I use are on sale so this is perfect timing to share with you some of the items that make things easier, more Earth friendly and stress free for us.
Sand toys are a must for us. They keep our children entertained and learning for hours. We have a variety of different types of sand toys. Try to get high quality ones that are made of Earth friendly materials. Spielstabil makes the most awesome sand toys! We love ours. They are sturdy and are nothing like the cheap ones you find in the stores that break constantly. Love these!
I bought my large Planet Wise Diaper Wet Bag specifically for the beach. We were always toting wet, sandy swimsuits when we left the beach and I needed something that wasn’t going to destroy the ocean (plastic bags) to stick them in. This bag has worked perfect! It’s well made and pretty to boot!
We use Badger Sunscreen for arms and noses. We rely on boonie hats and rash guards to protect the rest. Badger is rated a 1 by EWG.org which is a good rating. In previous years we used California Baby but I’ve been extremely happy with this choice.
I love my Roxy beach bag. It’s perfect for holding towels, cell phones, cameras, keys, water and snacks.
You have to have a place to keep cool in the shade. A good Umbrella will have SPF protection which is my preference.
Umbrella anchors were one of the coolest inventions to come along. When the wind is blowing everyones umbrella’s down the beach, ours is still standing. We have a metal one that has lasted for years. Maybe you can find one somewhere if they still make them.
We use a mesh bag to transport our sand toys. We put them all in the bag and wash them in the ocean. This way they get clean and we don’t get sand all over our vehicle.
These beach blankets are so nice to have. Again this will prevent you from bringing large amounts of sand into your car and eventually home with you.
Don’t forget the boonie hats and rash guards. In this video I show you how we handle long hours at the beach. The sun is our friend. We don’t need to be scared of it, just spend time in it wisely.
Bees like yellow, blue and white, so keep this in mind when you are choosing colors. I have yellow towels they like to gravitate to. Please don’t kill our precious bees if they visit you on your towel, instead try to pick a color they won’t be drawn to if they scare you.
Plan to take your time and stay a while. We spend no less than 3 hours there if we are going to pack all of our stuff down to the beach. Our children never get tired of it. If you go in the evening try to catch the sunset. You can get some beautiful pictures and make some amazing memories too.
