I don’t know about you, but I find autumn is a good time to plan for next summer. As the days start to get shorter, the weather turns and nature shows us its true glory with beautiful colours, I love reflecting on what worked well over the summer, what didn’t, and the things that I’d like to buy for next year so that, hopefully, things are easier.
Going to the beach is one of the things we spend a lot of time doing over the spring and summer. This is the first year both kids have been old enough to play with each other with much less input from us. So, I’ve had time to look around and see what bits of kit other parents take to the beach to make their lives easier, think about what we need and make a list of things to save for and buy for next summer.
This post looks at six beach essentials that make trips to the beach in the UK easier, more comfortable and lots of fun. It includes affiliate links to Amazon products and two Wicked Uncle products we were kindly gifted.
Foldable chairs
I know part of the fun of a day at the beach is getting sand everywhere, but if you’re like me and crave a bit of comfort as well as the chance to keep relatively sand-free, a foldable chair is a must. Light-weight camping chairs that come with a carry case are perfect. They’re easy to carry, don’t take up much room in your boot and are relatively comfortable, letting you relax and enjoy some rays while the kids are covering themselves with sand.
Prices start at around £10 from Asda, £15 from Amazon, and up to as much as you want to pay.
Beach essentials for parents: Changing robe
These are a game changer and make transporting the kids back to your accommodation so much easier when they’ve been in the sea. Changing robes are a coat on the outside and a towel on the inside. You can either put the robe on top of your wet swimwear and keep it on until you get home, or they’re big enough so you can get changed wearing it.
The cost of kids changing robes varies massively, starting from under £40 from Amazon, up to over £140 for one from Dry Robe. I’ve got my eye on the Regetta ones for next summer as we saw so many kids wearing them this year and they looked nice and cosy and perfect for wrapping our two up for the walk back to the caravan.
Water toys
Everyone is going to get at least their feet wet at the beach so it’s the ideal place to let the kids use their water toys. Anything from buckets and spades to water pistols and spray guns are great, as long as they’re lightweight and easy to carry.
We like this Fire Fighter Henry water sprayer as it’s easy for young kids to carry and is the perfect beach toy. Water pistols can be as cheap as a couple of pounds, or more sophisticated options up to around £20.
Easy-to-use sunscreen
Sun cream, sand and kids are often not the best combination, but keeping everyone protected from the sun’s rays is a must for a safe and happy day on the beach. After a lot of trial and error, we’ve found roll-on to be the easiest way of getting the kids protected. Our girls are six and ten and they can both apply the cream themselves using a roll-on (we still supervise to make sure they’ve covered everywhere).
I found buying in bulk the best option as they’re also great for having in their schoolbags and even if the sun isn’t out every day, we still get through quite a lot of them over the spring and summer. We’ve found the Nivea Factor 50 roll-on suits us best as it’s nice and thick and it’s easy for them to see where it’s been applied and where they still need to do. You can get similar ones from supermarkets such as Asda and Sainsbury’s.
Card Games
Sand sandwiches are a Great British tradition and one we try and do at least once every summer. But if you’re kids are anything like ours, they will like going to a beach cafe or pub for lunch or tea on the way home.
Colouring tends not to keep our girls occupied for long so I’ve been looking for something that’s easy to carry and simple to do and this Polar Panic card game fits the bill perfectly. It’s simple enough that our six-year-old can join in and is engaging enough for the 10-year-old. The game comes with rules, but when we’ve played it, we’ve tended to make up our own (or rather our youngest does!). It comes in a lovely metal tin so it’s quick and easy to clear away when your food arrives!
What are your go-to beach and holiday essentials? Leave a comment and let me know.
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