8 Awesome Beach Hacks for Busy Families
Summertime in Huntsville can be sweltering – it’s the perfect time to be beach-bound! But beaching with baby is not for the faint of heart.
It doesn’t matter if you’re headed south to the Gulf or to the Florida panhandle to dip your toes in The Atlantic – our RCM Contributors have put together some of their favorite beach hacks to share. if you’re still deciding which shore to visit, take a look at some of our Favorite Mom-Recommended Beaches.
Beach Hacks from RCM
1. We love our wagon – it’s collapsible so packs well, can be hosed off and dries quickly, the boys can ride and/or we can haul our stuff and we use it in place of a stroller if we need it in the evenings! We used it at the beach and every where else we went last summer!
– Katie H.
2. Baby powder to help get sand off. And bring hats with toggles and TONS of sunscreen – apply before you go to avoid spraying in the wind. Here’s my personal story about that.
– Meg
3. Extra squirt bottles of tap water for rinsing sand and saltwater eyes, hands, etc. And plastic shopping bags — for diaper changes, wet stuff, etc. and plastic ziplocks for cell phones and small cameras.
– Shannon
4. Bring dip nets and a bucket! If you catch one minnow or a sand-digger or a small clam you’ll have hours and hours of entertainment – it’s even fun for the adults. (FYI, they won’t live if you take them in the bucket overnight).
– Stephanie
5. This might seem silly but I bring a small inflatable baby pool for my babies that aren’t walking yet and put under the umbrella. Gives a nice place for baby to play.
– Katie D.
6. Who needs beach toys when you can pick up plastic toy soldiers, cowboys, and animals at the dollar store? Completely reusable after the trip, and lots of fun to build sand structures & castles. I also like to pop yogurt tubes, applesauce pouches, and water bottles in the freezer the night before. When it’s time to pack the cooler the frozen treats keep the cooler cold and they thaw in time for snacks on the sand when the boys are hot.
– Stephenie
7. Use an athletic ball bag to hold beach toys & shoes — rinse items while they are inside the bag or take them out. The holes are a bit larger than mesh & it allows sand to escape easier & items to dry faster.
– Benita
8. Take your crock pot! Slow cooking keeps the kitchen cooler, is economical, and gives you more time to spend at the beach instead of cooking for a crew.
– Brandi
Get more of our favorite hacks on our Beach With Kids Pinterest board!
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Get some tried & true beach hacks from local parents! We’d love to hear your favorite tricks too.
Rocket City Mom is a website about raising children in and around Huntsville, Alabama. Started in late 2010 by a local mom and newcomer to Huntsville, Rocket City Mom has grown into a thriving community of local parents and now boasts a staff of four, thirteen regular contributors, and tens of thousands of Tennessee Valley readers making it the #1 Parenting Resource in North Alabama.