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When the sun is shining and the temperatures rise, many families head to the beach. They go to enjoy a day of building sand castles, swimming and splashing in the water, flying a kite or throwing a Frisbee. What’s not to like, right? Well, if you don’t plan accordingly, a day at the beach can turn into a nightmare. When visiting your favorite beach destination, you need to be prepared for a successful outing. Our beach loving Traveling Moms have you covered with our list of more than 50 things to pack for a day at the beach.
Disclosure: TravelingMom uses affiliate links.
You might think I am a little crazy to suggest that you need 50 items for a perfect day at the beach. Well, of course not, but when you are heading to the beach with kids, you can no longer just pop on flip-flops, grab a beach towel and some sunscreen and go. A beach trip with kids is a completely different situation. Through trial and error, our Traveling Moms helped me come up with this comprehensive list for a day at the beach.
Read More: The Complete Guide to Planning a Family Beach Vacation
The Ultimate Beach Day Packing List
Packing for a day trip to the beach is VERY different than packing for a family beach vacation. You don’t need nearly as much, but you’ll want to have the essentials. This is a fairly comprehensive list, along with a printable checklist to help you avoid forgetting anything at home.
Download the printable checklist: Beach Day Packing List
7 Essential Items to Take to the Beach
1. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen
Since skin cancer is on the rise, we know to come home with seashells, not sunburns! Kids’ skin is delicate and should be protected regardless of complexion. I had to have skin cancer removed from my face, so I learned the hard way that sunscreen should be priority #1! Don’t forget lip balm with SPF as well. A few of our favorite sunscreens for kids are:
2. First aid kit
Besides sunscreen, it’s good to be prepared for other small ailments and injuries. You should always keep a kit in your car and take a small one along when you travel. Keep in mind that most first aid kits will need to be in checked baggage if they contain sharp items like scissors. Once, my son fell on a piece of glass and we were so lucky to have our kit to wrap him up until we could get to the emergency room.
3. Bug spray
Most beaches have bugs. Protect yourself and your kids from biting flies. sand fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks. Some products combine bug repellent and sunscreen in one.
4. Beach Towels
Bring more than you think you’ll need. We like to have a small towel just for drying off and not laying in the sand. A quick dry towel works well.
5. Snacks
You can never have too many snacks at the beach. Kids run around a ton so they work up an appetite. Bite size snacks in Ziploc bags work well.
TravelingMom Tip: If you decide to pack sandwiches, cut them into quarters. This way if one piece falls, there is still plenty left.
6. Water Bottles
Save money and keep the kids away from sugary snack bar drinks by bringing your own water bottles. Fill with mostly ice so as it melts, the water stays colder longer.
7. Daypack or beach bag
You’ll need something to carry it all. Lightweight daypacks work well. We like to have at least one with a built-in cooler section to keep fruit fresh and drinks cold.
TravelingMom Tip: Check out this list of the prettiest beach bags we have found!
TravelingMom Recommendation
Ziploc Bags
These are so easy to pack and solve a lot of beach day challenges. Keep dry clothes dry and wet/sandy clothes away from everything else at the end of your day. They are useful or transporting swim diapers, snacks, sunscreen and much more.
Clothes for the Beach
What to wear to the beach may seem like a no-brainer, but having a checklist always comes in handy. We recommend these 10 key items.
- Swimsuits
- Rashguards
- Cover-ups
- Flip flops/sandals
- A change of clothes (more than 1 for babies)
- Water Shoes
- Sunglasses – rated for full UVA/UVB protection
- Sunhats
- Swim diapers
- Lightweight jacket or sweatshirt
Read More: Everything You Need to Know to Plan the Best Beach Vacation
TravelingMom Recommendations:
There’s nothing worse than an injured or sunburned foot. Water shoes protect feet from sharp rocks and seashells and provide added traction for walking on slippery rocks and moss. Our TravelingMoms like these:
Sunhats are a must, especially to protect babies’ fair skin. Hats with chin straps help them stay on. Here are some we like for the kids:
Personal items
While this is a list of what many people bring to the beach, I think most electronics (except maybe a cell phone) should be left at home. There is no need to worry about electronics that could get sandy, broken or even stolen.
- Hand wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Feminine products
- Cell phone
- Books/Magazines – the paper kind that can get sandy, lost or tossed at the end of the day.
- Kindle, iPad or another e-book reader (if you must)
- Extra set of keys – have 2 people carry keys in case a set gets lost
- Reading glasses or prescription sunglasses
- Wallet – or essentials like license, insurance card, credit card and cash in a Ziploc bag.
- Medications – epi pens, inhalers, etc.
- Hairbrush and hair ties
- MP3/Music player
Comfort Items
When you want a more “luxurious” day at the beach, these are the additional comfort items you’ll want to bring (depending on what can fit in your car, of course).
- Beach chairs
- Beach blanket
- Shade Tent
- Cooler/Insulated bag
- Beach Umbrella
- Folding snack table
- Collapsible utility wagon – these are the absolute best way to get all of your stuff to the beach from your car without breaking your back.
TravelingMom Recommendation
Experienced beachgoer and TravelingMom Kathy Penney loves this beach tent. It’s even got screens to keep the bugs away.
Not all beach blankets are created equal. We recommend those called “sand proof.” These blankets easily shake off the sand and typically come with tent stakes and/or corner pockets so you can weigh them down. Nothing worse than a beach blanket that blows away.
Extras
- Goggles
- Snorkels and masks
- Swim fins
- Floatables – rafts, tubes, flamingos, whatever “floats your boat.”
- Coast Guard approved life jackets for little ones who can’t swim
- Waterproof camera
- Waterproof phone case
Just for fun
- Sand toys
- Frisbee
- Kite
- Paddleball
- football, soccer ball or volleyball
- Beach Bocce set
- Spike Ball
- Portable waterproof speaker
Extra TravelingMom Recommendations
Want to save space and money? Skip the toys and use what’s at the beach. Make sandcastles by hand, create seashell art, play wave tag, etc. Let your imagination come up with unique ways to play without all the extra stuff.
A mesh laundry bag is great for holding beach toys, water shoes, etc., The sand will fall out and less of it will end up in the trunk of your car.
Consider bringing a full-size bucket and shovel, not just kid-sized toys. This helps dig holes for umbrella stands and fire pits. Leftover sand can be used to keep beach tents and blankets in place.
My recommendation is to leave the electronics at home, or at least in the car, and keep the family “unplugged” for the day. After all, it’s meant to be a family day. This way, you don’t need to worry about getting tablets or cell phones sandy or broken.
Have a successful beach day!
This may seem like a lot of stuff to take with you, but you’ll be glad you came prepared. This is will not only serve you well at the beach but a day at the lake, park or anywhere there is dirt, sun, and water.
Heading on a beach vacation? Check out this post: The Ultimate Family Beach Vacation Packing List.
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I hadn’t considered bringing bug spray with us, but that’s helpful. We’re going to be going on vacation next month and we know we’ll want to spend a day on the beach. Bringing sunscreen, bug spray, and a first aid kit should help us walk away as healthy as when we came.
Great list, Traveling Mom!
And that’s a great checklist that you added at the top of the page. I love checklists because it takes all of the difficulty out of everything.
I noticed you put floaty on the list and I wanted to recommend an inflatable standup paddleboard as the floaty.
Amazon has a handful of options for inflatable SUPs and when I first thought of them, I thought they would be terrible, they’re actually pretty awesome.
They come with a special high pressure pump which allows you to inflate the SUP to a surprisingly rigid board and they’re super easy to take around. Very travel friendly.
Many of them fit in an included pack the size of a few stacked bath mats so you could just throw it in your trunk (or just keep it there for the spur of the moment paddleboard on the water) and go.
You have an amazing list and I’ve put together a list that would complement yours. Our lists combined pretty much cover the entire spectrum :).
You can find my list at https://www.packinglistformaui.com/what-to-bring-to-the-beach-maui-edition/.
Mahalo for this awesome list!
Aloha from Maui
John
Well I’m a single farther of 2 Im I the UK and its my first ever time I’ve taken my 2 kids alone lol This list has just helped many thanks also a beach tent s a must myself and my burn so easy.
This looks so fun! I haven’t been to a beach since 2005.
Sunscreen is a must. I cannot tell you what a disaster it has been anytime we have forgotten sunscreen and ended up at the beach.
Oooo great list here! We love hitting up the beach when the weather permits. I don’t think you missed anything on the list.
Oh how I love the beach too! In fact I wish I was there right now! lol! That is a lot more stuff than adults bring… except for my husband… he brings a lot too. 🙂
This is a great list and you’ve pretty much covered everything. I guess I would add some emergency medicines in the first aid kit. Pain relievers, allergy medication, Imodium.
I think you always need a little bit of cash at the beach. The parking garage we went to one time only took cash.
I am always so much hungrier at the beach so extra snacks are key! So many great items!
I grew up five minutes from the beach (though this was on the west coast!) and was there fairly often. These are great suggestions on what to bring! Every one of these items is crucial!
Great post. You are right. When you do something with kids (or pets), we have more prepping. I’m a dog mom and my dog has more gear than I do! That is a lovely beach. Yes, plenty of water.