Every summer for 10 years, I packed up my three small kids, left my husband behind in New Jersey, and lived in Marblehead, MA for 9 weeks.
We hit the same little beach every single day. No bathrooms, snack bars or lifeguards. Just a little 2-acre plot of sand, a calm inlet of the sea, and the chaos I brought with me. And every day, we stayed for 6 to 8 hours. And I wasn’t chasing toddlers or wrestling umbrellas the whole time. I sat in my beach chair. I read books. I relaxed.
My kids are older now. We’ve since moved to Marblehead full-time, and while one is finishing up his freshman year of college and the other two now prefer the beach with friends over their mom, I know they treasure those summers.
The tan, salty skin. The sand between their toes. Being the last ones on the beach at sunset, heading home for quick deck baths, and dropping into bed, ready to do it all over again the next day.
As a mom on the other side of having little kids, who is so grateful for the memories we made each summer, I want to help you create your own version of that because beach days can be joyful for your kids and for you. I know even getting to the beach can feel like an Olympic event, here are the things that made it feel less like a logistical nightmare and more like a day I actually wanted to repeat.
Quick reality check before we get into it:
This didn’t happen overnight. I didn’t just wake up one day able to pull off 8-hour beach days with three small kids and a smile. We started small, just an hour or two at a time. I paid attention to what worked (and what flopped), and we built from there. You don’t have to get it right all at once. You just have to start.
The long salty beach days come with practice.
Start the Day With Smart Prep
Sunblock before swimsuits. IYKYK. Slather 'em while they’re still naked and you’ll avoid beachside wrestling matches and the overwhelm when you arrive at the beach. Getting a good base coat of sunblock on them before getting dressed helps with those “missed spots” where a swimsuit strap slipped and you have a crispy little shoulder.
Freeze your leftover smoothies in little pouches. Toss them in an insulated thermos and whip them out when the kids are too hot and too hangry to eat something that involves a spoon. These make a great mid-day snack to keep them hydrated.
Pack “Hidden Snacks.” Hide them in the cooler. End-of-day cranky kids become humans again with a surprise bento. When you pack the cooler, add in one more thing and thank me later. Pack a bento-style lunch box with nutrient-dense foods like cheese cubes, cashews, berries, and crackers. Tuck it away under the ice packs at the bottom of the cooler. At the end of the day, when you are packing up and they are hungry and too spent to do anything but whine, pull out the snacks and sit them down on a towel to snack while you finish packing up. Add in three little apple juice pouches for some hydration and everyone will have recovered by the time you are ready to walk to the car.
The post-beach bath hack I swear by—because dragging three kids to the tub wasn’t it. Before we left for the beach in the morning, I’d fill a kiddie pool on the deck. By the time we got home, the sun had warmed it up, and I’d toss all three kids in with a bar of soap. Instant outdoor bath.
No sand in the tub. No clogged pipes.
Add a snacky dinner outside, and they were in bed faster than you can say “Where’s the shampoo?” Did they get super clean? Probably not. Was their hair still a little tangled? For sure. But we were headed back to the beach the next day, and I chose my battles.
Gear That Earns It’s Keep
I’m not just linking cute stuff here. I’m linking gear that has been dragged, dumped, dunked, and is still standing
Sportbrella We used this tipped-into-the-ground, as a tent. It is super simple to set up and if you fill the pockets with rocks or sand, you never have to worry about your umbrella blowing away. It is extremely durable and the perfect place for your child to have a nap, lunch or quiet time, and it fits a few people easily.
Beach chair I love a good beach chair. If you play your cards right and follow along with my tips and tricks, your bum will be sitting comfortably in this chair.
Crazy Creek Chairs These are so versatile! Rather than lugging big chairs for the kids, we brought these foldable mat-like chairs. They are super durable, comfortable, and double as a rest mat.
Turkish Towels These towels get really soft after a few runs through the washing machine. They are stylish, lightweight, double as a sarong, and most importantly are big enough to make a beach chair fort-cover.
BOGG Bag. This washable, water-resistant workhorse carries everything from towels to sandy watermelon scraps. It has two clear zippered bags that attach, so my phone stays clean and dry.
Beach Canopy (These are as easy as putting up an umbrella and stay put with the sand pockets.) This is a great alternative to the Sportbrella.
Beach Wagon Glides over the sand easily and doubles as a napping spot for toddlers.
Clips for hanging towels and wet suits This is a game changer for keeping towels from blowing off your chair and for hanging wet suits off the umbrella to dry in the sun. I especially love them because the kids spent hours making forts with Turkish towels, sticks, and these clips.
Portable Potty Oh how this little thing saved me. Line it with a diaper and a plastic bag, and eliminate the trek to the bathrooms with your little ones.
Stand Up Paddle Board We have this exact one and we’ve used it for six summers straight. It has been dragged around, bumped into the rocks, and withstood multiple kids balancing and jumping off into the water. It is a great durable choice for an inflatable SUP. (We keep it inflated all summer and only deflate it for winter storage).
Wave Kids Kayack We love love love these. If you have access to a lake or a protected harbor, your kids will be busy for hours on these kid-sized kayaks. We introduced them for independent use at 5 years old.
Inner Tube A super thick and sturdy inner tube is so much fun, you will float it in too.
Sand Remover These are the best way to get the sand off before getting in the car at the end of the day- Also a superstar for sandy hands and tushies when you need to change a diaper.
Sunblock Applicator Kids love to use this themselves! I love that I don’t have to get sunblock all over my hands. We keep one in the bathroom at home and one in the beach bag.
Umbrella Anchor when it’s windy or the beach is rocky, this anchor is a lifesaver.
Weird Beach MVPs: Trust Me, They Work
Forget the $3 shovel-and-pail sets. Here’s what kept my kids playing independently. And before you ask: yes, weird beach toys = fewer “mommmm I’m bored” moments.
Sturdy Bucket Skip the cute shovel and pail sets. They crack easily and cannot stand up to years of rugged beach play. This industrial bucket will be your friend for sand castles, transporting water, housing crabs, and lots more. Need another chair? Flip it upside down. You’re welcome
Sand Scoop These are a little pricier than those useless little shovels that come in a pail set, but they are fantastic for digging, safe for the youngest toddlers, and still very useful for older children. They last season after season.
Sand Shovel These stand-up shovels are great as your children get older. They are sturdy and great for digging.
Colander Slightly strange for a beach list, no? Trust me, this will see tons of action from children of all ages.
Wood Spoons These spoons double as diggers, but can be used to mix ‘soup’ and play the day away.
Condiment Cups I could write an entire post on why these babies make the most versatile toys for children. Get them, bust them out at the beach, you won’t regret it.
Reusable water balloons These are so much fun at the beach, and you don’t have to worry about littering.
Crab Trap A must-have for any adventurous little ones who like to catch sea critters. Pack a raw hot dog in the cooler for bait.
Shell collecting Bags We love collecting sea glass here in MA. These bags are perfect for long walks on the beach.
Mesh Shovel This isn’t great for digging but it is great for sifting.
Clear Bucket for Catch and Release If your children love to collect beach creatures, this is a fantastic observation tank for catch-and-release fun. It’s also a way to involve younger siblings. My youngest used to “babysit” the crabs while the big two kept hunting.
Plastic Animals and Vehicles are great at the beach! They can be buried, used in sand creations, and rinsed off at the end of the day!
Small Pool for Baby Fill this up in the beginning of the day and your little children will play and stay cool while you sit and relax. This portable air pump changes everything.
Stepping Stones These are so fun at the beach. They float in the water, can be used to collect shells and crabs, make obstacle courses, or used to make sand castles. The possibilities are endless. If you invested in these, make sure you bring them to the beach and pool this summer!
Rubber Roads If you have cars and trucks kids, these waterproof roads are worth their weight in gold at the beach or pool!
Heavy Duty Plastic Shovel If you aren’t sold on heavy metal shovels or your kids aren’t old enough to be safe with them, these are a great second choice.
These collapsible funnels take up very little space in your beach bag, but your child will love poring water and sand through them. They are also great for making drippy castles!
HABA Spilling Funnel XXL The ultimate tool for drippy castles. The grownups will try to steal it from your kids.
The Cooler Is the Command Center: Here’s What’s Inside
Our beach didn’t have a snack bar, bathrooms, or running water. If we wanted to eat, drink, or go, we had to pack it.
Igloo 110qt Glide Cooler This is a sturdy, roomy cooler that glides well over the sand.
Wet/ Dry Bag I throw all of our dry snacks in here and use the loop/ snap to attach it to the outside of my beach bag. This way, everyone can access a dry snack without shuffling through the cooler.
Sistema Containers These seal tight and are easy for little hands to open and close. It helps that you can see through them when you are digging through the cooler.
Bento Lunch Box This has become my favorite lunch box of all time. In the summer, I pack it with fruit, nuts, cheese, crackers, and a small treat for the end of the day.
Freezeable Snack Packs These are SO handy for taking to the beach. I use ours to stash our sunblock and lip balm so it doesn't melt. During the school year, the kids used it to bring snacks to school.
Tall Insulated Tumbler for holding ice pops. Add some ice in the bottom and fill up with icy, hydrating pops.
Popsicle Bags are perfect for making your own smoothie pops to take on the go. They also make great dry snack holders for things like cheerios, goldfish, puffs, etc.
Reusable Ice Packs These are the best, they never puncture and stay cold for 48 hours.
Divided Clear Snackle Box Great for a crowd, I use ours all year long at home too.
Fruit and Veggie Containers These are awesome because fruit doesn't get soggy.
64oz Water Jug For refilling water all. day. long.
Quiet Time on the Beach: What’s in the Bag That Makes It Work
If you're spending long days at the beach like we did, your kids will need a break from the sun, the surf, and each other. I kept a dedicated “quiet time” bag packed and ready at all times.
Small Animals or VehiclesThese are great for sand play and water play, but also for independent, pretend play.
Chalk Chalk is the BEST at the beach. The kids mix it with seawater to make paint and to color rocks and shells. Best part? It all washes off.
Clipboard I love a good clip board. The children use this as a hard surface for drawing and making bracelets.
Friendship Bracelet Kit What’s summer without string bracelets? This is best for 7 and up, and it will keep the tangles and frustrations at bay. Be warned: ALL the adults will want to make one too.
Water Proof Playing Cards No more torn or warped, wet cards.
Silliest Hidden Pictures Book This kind of activity book can be super regulating for kids who are feeling out of sorts. Concentrating on this with a calm adult while having a snack can save you a few meltdowns. I also bring this to restaurants, and when traveling. Big kids love this too.
Cardstock cut into fourths. We use this for drawing, watercolor painting, and chalk paint. It is sturdier than regular paper so damp hands can handle it without tearing. I cut it into fourths to make a little bit go a longer way. Clip it to the clip board.
Watercolors We use these on paper, shells, and to paint little toenails that wash off easily at the water’s edge. They are all natural and non toxic.
Colored Pencils I prefer these to crayons that melt and markers that dry out or lose their caps.
Books Some of my favorite beach memories of my kids are when we curled up under the umbrella with towels as blankets and I read to them while they rested or colored. Our favorite books to bring to the beach are Frog and Toad and George and Martha. Some other favorites are Shell Guide, On My Beach There Are Many Pebbles, At the Beach, Spot Goes To The Beach, The Little Island, Sea Glass Summer , The Beachcomber’s Companion
That’s it—my complete guide to surviving (and actually enjoying) long beach days with little kids. Steal what works for you, leave the rest in the sand. And if this helped even a little, send it to another mom who deserves a beach day that doesn’t end in a meltdown.
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Lately, my feed has been full of posts that shout some version of: “Bring back the 90s summer! Ditch the schedules! Let your kids run free like we used to!” Sounds dreamy... or does it?
Don't Wait Until They're Ready
It was four years ago, and we’d just moved to MA. My youngest (nine) asked if she could go into the pizza place alone to pay for our order and bring the pizza out to the car.
We are going to the beach for the first time in two years with our kids so this will be helpful. Thank you!
This is so genuinely helpful, thank you so much for sharing your learnings X