Written by: Caroline
Joe and I have gone on multiple beach vacations since we’ve been together. When he was growing up, Joe’s family would go semi-regularly, my family would go occasionally when we visited my grandpa in Florida over the winter. Joe and his family had gone on beach trips with small children before, mostly his sister when she was young, but I had only been on adult beach trips.
When planning our May trip to Myrtle Beach we mostly knew what we were getting into. Lilly was going to be a little over a year and a half old and Elliot would be turning 12 weeks while we were in South Carolina. There’s only so much a 12-week old kid can do, but there’s a lot of trouble a toddler can get into in a house that is not child-proof. We believed we were setting realistic expectations but of course with two little ones nothing ever goes to plan.
The goal was to spend mornings on the beach before Lilly’s nap time. We had a variety of toys, umbrellas, a blow-up pool to put ocean water in, beach chairs for everyone, and a beach tent to use for Elliot’s naps. Since we were going early in the season we figured the sun wouldn’t be as hot and the water wouldn’t be super warm but we thought we could still enjoy building sandcastles and run in the waves with Lilly. Elliot napped a bunch so we thought he should be content laying in the tent with the ocean in the background, nature’s noise machine. Between all of us, we could carry a few things and manage to get everything important out in one trip. It’s stuff we’ve done before so it should be doable.
After we got to the beach house, reality set in and changed our plans. The bag we needed was at home, the baby gates we brought weren’t big enough to go across the stairs and it was the biggest flight of stairs Lilly had seen in her little life, and Elliot picked the weirdest times to take naps, effectively holding at least one person hostage in the house most of the time. We didn’t know Elliot doesn’t handle heat well until we drove down to the beach and it didn’t get any better when we took him to the beach.
The first day we brought all of our stuff out to the beach and got set up things went ok. It took forever to set up the umbrellas (it was windy and we were out of practice) and then Elliot was cranky even though he had just had breakfast. We think he didn’t like the wind and he only got more cranky any time we attempted to set him down. We ended up spending about an hour on the beach that day and the rest of the time in the pool. Lilly was getting cranky as well after that first hour was up so into the house everyone went and Lilly had a much-needed snack and then a nap.
Over the course of the week, we figured out our groove and made it work. We would get up with the kids, get everyone fed and dressed (Lilly into her swim clothes and Elliot to go back to sleep), Elliot would go down for a nap, and someone would stay in the house with him while whoever wanted to would go to the beach with Lilly. After spending about half an hour on the beach we would move to the pool, Lilly would get a snack, Elliot might join us or continue sleeping, and a little after 12 we would all go in for lunch and then Lilly would take her nap. After Lilly woke up, we would either hang out in the house or go back to the pool if our dinner plans didn’t involve going out to eat.
We would only bring beach toys with us after bringing too many things the first few days, if you’re not staying on the beach for more than an hour and everyone is wearing sunscreen you don’t need to overpack in May. The ocean water was cool so the family wanted to spend most of the time at the pool, so it all worked out. Lilly enjoyed the waves when we were on the beach but had a blast in the pool making us ‘drinks’ and improving her ‘bartending’ skills.
In the end, we were grateful we had a house on the beach with a walkout so we could do short trips to the ocean guilt-free. If we had gotten a house that was a row or more back we would have rented a golf cart to make it easier to get everything around, but I will always try to go for a beachfront house/condo with small kids. The less distance you have to move their stuff the better, and kids come with a LOT of stuff.
Tips for planning a beach vacation with small kids:
- Simple toys are best. Lilly would rarely play with actual toys. She was usually using solo cups, old drink containers, coozies, floating coasters, and whatever else we would let her keep her hands on to entertain herself.
- Reusable swim diapers are great for infants, disposable diapers are better for kids who are eating foods
- Be prepared to change your plans at the drop of a hat
- Toddlers and infants do not understand “we’re going to spend all day on the beach today!” Sometimes they get overwhelmed and that means it’s time to go inside.
- Get a lifejacket for your kids if they’re going to spend any time in/near the water
- If you’re going with family see if they’re willing to watch the baby monitors while you and your spouse walk the beach kid-free
- Bring food pouches and other easy to eat/hands-free snacks for beach eating, your kid will eat less sand that way
- See if there’s an attraction nearby that your kid(s) will enjoy (we found a park within walking distance of the house that was perfect for Lilly)
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