What a trip! Our little family takes an annual beach trip every summer and it is always one of the highlights of my year. We like going to a different Airbnb every year to explore new places and this year we chose Emerald Isle in North Carolina. It was a long drive but completely worth it! A lot of people asked me for tips for taking babies to the beach so I wanted to share a few things that were helpful to bring and do while we were there!
When I booked the Airbnb there were a few things that we were looking for. Having a bedroom for each kid was definitely a plus! We made sure the beach was a walkable distance because it is a mess getting the kids in the car and driving to the beach especially with sandy car seats! Our house wasn’t on the beach, but it was across the street, which also made it a little bit cheaper to not be oceanfront. We also tried to find an area that had a playground and other fun things for girls nearby. The aquarium was a big hit one afternoon!
This to bring that really helped with two babies under 3!!
Travel Tray: This was wonderful for Payton to have a surface to play on for the 7 hour car-ride. She also used it to eat her lunch on and it wipes down easily which is great. I also got a few new small toys for Payton and gave her a new one every few hours when she would get bored. This really helped since toddlers will play with new toys for hours! Thank you to the Target $1 section!
Portable High Chair: We used this on the beach and at home. It is great because it folds up to transport easily.
Blow Up Toddler Mattress: This portable was AMAZING! Payton is still sleeping in a crib at home and we didn’t want to pack two packnplay’s, so this was the perfect option. Payton did really well in it! For her first nap she got up a lot but by the third day of napping she knew to stay in her room for nap and bed. It was really comfortable and had padding on the sides so she couldn’t roll out. It also has a small mattress that comes out that fits a crib sheet which is great. We brought her blanket and pillow so it felt like home!
Portable Play Yard: Since Hallie is crawling now it was so helpful to have an enclosed area for her to play while we got ready/made dinner!
Beach Tent: Having shade for the babes is a MUST. We had an umbrella over the baby pool but Hallie was able to nap in the tent which was amazing. It also folds up super small but is big enough for a few people to sit in to get out of the sun.
A Big Beach Bucket: If you have a babe under 1 I recommend using a beach bucket to bathe your baby in! Seems silly but it worked really well with Hallie!
A Beach Cart: We would have had to make so many trips if we didn’t have a beach cart. It also folds up for easy packing! It was also fun to take a walk with the girls in the cart.
Small Baby Pool: I got this idea from a friend and it was the best thing we brought! They are super cheap and makes for fun water play for toddlers at the beach. Payton was too scared to swim in the ocean so it was fun for her to play in the pool instead. It was also nice to be able to put Hallie in the pool to cool off when it got really hot.
I put the links so you can see more details, but I got a lot of these things from local Facebook groups and Marketplace! People are always selling baby equipment and it is much cheaper than full price. It was a lot of stuff but we were prepared and had a much better time because we had everything we needed.
Payton had a blast the entire week. I kept telling Kevin that I had never seen her so happy. I think she loved having me and Kev all to herself for a week! We walked on the beach finding seashells, played in her baby pool building sand castles, went to the Aquarium and out to ice cream! I hope you all are enjoying your summer with your families and also soaking up the sun!
Enjoy these images from our 2019 Emerald Isle beach vacay!
God is so good. It is so important to get away and enjoy good quality family time! In case you missed it, check out Cameron and Kelsey’s romantic wedding at Pond View Farm!