Beach with the babes - any advice?

We've got two beach vacactions coming up. We're going to Palm Beach, FL for a week when the babies will be 8 1/2 months old, and we're going to Kiawah Island, SC for a week when the babies will be 11 1/2 months old. The Palm Beach trip is a family vacation with my sister's family and my parents. We are staying at a Marriott resort which is very kid oriented, but more so for older kids than babies. The Kiawah trip - we are renting a house on the beach for a week, and our friends are staying next door. We'll have friends and family coming and going during the week.

Any suggestions, advice, or info about logistics, what to bring, and stuff I can do with the babies?

 

We just got back from Cancun with the girls. Here are somethings that we brought/did.

We got one of those cabana sun shade things. I got the bigger one and we put that in the shade on the beach and they napped in it. This gave us some time to relax in the sun and we didn't have to spend the whole vacation in the hotel room. I also got two of the floats that they sit in. They pack up pretty small for travel. It was nice because we didn't have to hold them in the water the whole time. Our girls aren't moving yet so we didn't have to deal with crawling in the sand so I don't have any advice for that. I also brought some long sleeve onsies that they ended up wearing in the pool (along with their hats) the last couple of days to keep the sun off them (before that they wore t-shirts with sun protection).

Oh - since these are our first kids I have to admit that we were not the best appliers of sunscreen. I don't know how but it seems that we always managed to miss a spot (eyes mostly). I just bought the quick cover lotion SPRAY instead of just the lotion. I don't know if it will be easier to get full coverage but...

I hope that you guys have a great time!!!

 

Mine were afaid of the ocean the last time we went. I think mine would now like to play in the water.

I suggest a kids tent or umbrella, sun screen(the spray works well for us, hats, sunglasses, towels/blankets, sand proof toys(no cracks for the sand to get into). NOTE: stroller do not do well in sand, don't even try. Babies r us had a carrier last year you could take in the water, that might be nice.

 

I actually live in West Palm Beach, FL and we took our guys to the beach for the first time this weekend (to the public beach in Lake Worth, FL - one city south from Palm Beach).

We only stayed for about an hour but that seemed to be enough. We packed light because we knew we weren't going for a long time so we packed a few beach toys (they sell a small bag of them at CVS year-round here for $5, so you can save some space by not packing them in your suitcase), towels, hats, bathing suits, T-shirts, swim diapers. I agree with the previous posts that some shade is necessary if you are going to be out there for any longer than an hour.

My husband and I each took a boy to the edge of the water and held them with just their feet in the water, but the water was cool and the waves were kind of loud, so both of them started to cry . Even though they both love bathtime, the ocean was scary for them .

The logistics of getting setup and packed up at the end were a bit challenging with two adults and two babies. Another set of adult hands would have been helpful to hold one of the boys while the other parent shook the sand out of the towel, etc.

You will have sand EVERYWHERE on the babies, so I did a quick wash off at the beach shower, which also made them cry .

So...overall...at 9 months, I'm glad that I took them to the beach for some family fun time for a quick trip, but I think I'll hold off for a few months before I bring them back again for a day at the beach.

I think that spending time at the hotel pool will be more fun for them and easier for you at that age.

 

You've already been given some excellent advice by pp.

DH is a marine biologist, so we live by the sea and regularly visit two beaches. One is stony, the other sandy. As soon as she learned to crawl, Maia spends her entire time trying to stuff sand or other bits and pieces in her mouth. If we're on the stony beach, we find we can buy about 1/2 hour of peace if we give them both long large stones to suck (we rinse them in the sea first and ensure they're small enough to handle with one hand, but large enough to ensure they're not a choking hazard). This distracts them from trying to put other things in their mouth.

Not all babies eat sand, but I've yet to hear of a solution to those that do from other parents beyond carrying them until they grow out of it.

 

LOL, I never even thought of them trying to eat the sand We are going to FL in a few weeks too, last time we went we spent most of our time at the pool instead of beach, I have feeling the same will be true on this trip.

Kristi
Molly and Zach

 

When I was in FL I took the girls to the beach. The biggest mistake I made was I put sun block on their faces and they rubbed their nose and got it in their eyes. Boy that wasn't any fun. Make sure you bring a umbrella, toys, snacks, hats, and maybe a swim suit cover up if they are going to be in a swim suit. Have fun and make sure you take plenty of help with you.

 

Kristie-
I, like stover, live in Palm Beach county. I'm on the north end. I haven't ventured to the beach with the twins yet but when I took Micah we had a portable cabana for him to play in out of the sun. I love the beach but the logistics of getting 3 kids 3 and under and all the gear it entails has me holding off.

Are your girls the only kids that will be on the trip. Palm Beach County has alot to do but as you indicated things tend to be geared more toward toddlers and children than infants.