Everything you need for your trip to the beach with baby!
Summer is just around the corner and the days are getting longer, so it’s time to update my baby beach essentials list! I love shopping for baby beach stuff, and because I’ve brought my baby to beach vacations more than my fair share of times, I am happy to put out my recommendations for the products that really make a difference.
I’ve started off with an easy-to-navigate Quick List of all of my recommendations. If you scroll down further, though, you’ll see my detailed reasoning for each item, along with 3 alternatives. I’m not a fan of just seeing a bunch of products – I want to know why each of these products is important, and why a specific brand is preferred!
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We tend to travel carry-on only (yes, even with a 3-year-old and a baby), so I’ve given preference toward things that pack light or fold up small or are multi-purpose. However, not everything on the list fits that criteria.
Baby Beach and Pool Fashion
Every baby at the beach needs to look his or her best, right? All the cutest beach gear for babies!
Best Baby Swimsuits and Rash Guards: Green Sprouts
I really love the rash guards and swimsuits from Green Sprouts, which is formerly i play babywear (one of the biggest names in infant beach gear). They are high quality, last a loooong time, and come in dozens of adorable prints and styles.
The best part is that their swim bottoms are actually full-fledged swim diapers, so you only need one piece, instead of dealing with the diaper under the swimsuit. I prefer to buy direct from their website (and sign up for the newsletter for that 15% off!), but they are on Amazon.com as well:
| Top Alternatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cat & Jack @ Target | Simple Joys by Carters | Kanu Surf |
Best Sunglasses for Babies: ro•sham•bo baby
Sunglasses should be at the top of your list of baby beach essentials. They will not only make your baby more comfortable, but they protect developing eyes from harmful UV rays.
And let’s not ignore how incredibly cute they look!
I love ro•sham•bo baby sunglasses so much that I’ve written an in-depth review of them here. I’ve owned a number of pairs of baby sunglasses, and these are by far and away the best, and an awesome company to support. Get them directly from ro•sham•bo for a better price than Amazon. (And psst… that link will automatically get you 10% off at checkout!)
Best Baby Sun Hat: Zutano
Hats do more than just protect your baby’s head from sun. A good hat will also protect the face, neck, and help shield the eyes.
We’ve gone through a ton of sun hats over the years, because we usually grab whatever we can find at Target or H&M. And while they’re adorable, they don’t all actually accomplish the most important task: they don’t protect well from the sun.
You’ll want to ensure that your baby’s hat has a structured but soft wide brim, is a breathable but UV protective material, and has a tie (preferable to Velcro which can be scratchy and doesn’t allow as much adjustment).
Zutano is a brand that I know and love from their excellent baby booties. Truly the first brand to perfect booties that babies can’t remove.
Their sunhat checks all the necessary boxes, is made with solid, high-quality materials, and is adorable to boot.
| Top Alternatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Green Sprouts | SwimZip | Camptrace |
Best Swim Diapers: Green Sprouts
Even if you don’t go for the full swimsuit, I am all about Green Sprouts’ swim diapers. Wondering if reusable swim diapers are for you? I wrote all about reusable swim diapers here, and why Green Sprouts (formerly i play babywear) are by far the best.
These swim diapers check all the boxes, and actually do well to contain pee outside of the pool, too. And if you’re dealing with anything less than completely solid poo in the pool, I wouldn’t want to be in anything other than Green Sprouts.
With a ton of cute designs, plus matching rash guards and hats, you can’t go wrong with this company that has specialized in baby swim gear for decades.
| Top Alternatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Beau & Belle | ALVA Baby | Applecheeks |
Best Beach Shoes for Toddler or Baby: See Kai Run
We’ve had about as many pairs of beach shoes as we have swimsuits. The different styles have their pros and cons, but I have been happiest with sturdier, more protective shoes.
We’ve tried the cute little sandals. Terrible idea. For someone who is learning how to walk effectively – and on sand, even – you probably want to prioritize comfort and support over style.
We’ve also tried some ultra-lightweight plastic sandals from a number of brands, including Sketchers and Old Navy. I love that they are pretty indestructible and that you don’t need to worry about them drying out! But we’ve had issues with them digging in and blistering from essentially just hard plastic rubbing against wet skin. Good for short distances only.
Our preference is for sturdy, strong shoes with lots of air circulation, that dry out quickly, but are still comfortable. If you can find beach shoes that are also your everyday summer shoes, I think you’ve got a winner.
For us, that was these See Kai Run sandals. They are comfortably cushioned, they stay on the feet impeccably well, and they will protect from any hazards. They don’t dry as quick as the plastic type, but they are water-friendly and much better than getting most sandals wet. And machine-washable is a huge win!
| Top Alternatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Crocs | Stride Rite | Nike |
Baby Beach Necessities for Safety and Comfort
Everything you absolutely need for a safe and comfortable trip to the beach with a baby! Of course sunglasses and sun hat could fit in this category too, so definitely don’t forget those!
Best Baby-Friendly Sunscreen: ThinkBaby
Some doctors recommend that you don’t use sunscreen under 6 months, but our pediatrician recommended that we use a zinc-based sunscreen for our 4-month-old in Thailand. It’s hard to guarantee that you can keep your baby 100% out of the sun while traveling, after all.
I really love ThinkBaby brand. We’ve been using it for over 3 years now, since that very first trip. My babies have never burned with it on, even though we’re honestly not great about reapplying it throughout the day. It doesn’t run down into their eyes and is made with safe ingredients.
We’ve tried other zinc sunscreens that were okay, but ThinkBaby really spreads on better than the other ones we tried (though no physical sunscreen – like a zinc-based one – is easy to apply). I like the feel of it better than the greasy feeling of most sunscreens.
As our older child has become a preschooler, we’ve switched to using the spray stuff on her arms and legs, and ThinkBaby on her face. But unfortunately, sprays require much more diligent reapplication, and she has gotten some redness because of it. But not on her face, at least!
I recommend that you use a baby-friendly sunscreen on yourself, as well – anywhere that your baby is likely to mouth or touch excessively. So pretty much your whole upper half.
| Top Alternatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Babo Botanicals | Aveeno Baby Sensitive | Baby Bum Mineral |
Best Baby Beach Tent: bbluv Nido or Joovy Gloo
Can you guarantee that your beach will have available umbrellas or a good spot under the palm trees? If not, you will need to bring some kind of sunshade. These recommendations are for beach tents that are baby-sized and super portable, but of course you could choose to go for a full family beach tent instead.
We used to have the bbluv Nido beach tent. We loved it. It protected from sun, sand, and wind, and it folded up instantly to the size and shape of a frisbee, making it perfect for travel. It did start to fall apart after weeks of rough use, but we felt we got our money’s worth.
Our only concern was that it didn’t breathe super well – which comes with the territory of having solid sides to protect from sand. It also was not a safe sleep device, and while it was advertised at the time as a bassinet (it no longer is), it was only usable for sun shade and for supervised sleep. Ideal for a nap at the beach!
On our most recent trip to Vietnam, we brought the Joovy Gloo. We didn’t bring it specifically for the beach; we brought it as a travel crib, but it doubled as the best beach tent ever.
Would I pay the cost of the Joovy just for occasional beach days? Nope. But as a secondary use for an item that I already love, I am thrilled to have it for the beach as well.
| Top Alternatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| KidCo Peapod | Overcrest | Babymoov |
Best Travel Beach Towel: Wise Owl Outfitters Camping Towel
Beach towels are definitely a necessity! Sometimes we can count on the hotel or Airbnb we’re staying in to provide them, but we’ve also had to buy overpriced, low-quality towels from souvenir shops when that hasn’t panned out.
You might be tempted to go without towels because you know you’ll just dry off in the sun. Keep in mind that babies can’t regulate their temperature the way that we can, so it is important to dry them off and warm them up when they come out of the water.
Because we like to pack so light, we love microfiber travel towels. They take up way less space and are super absorbent. They’re not the lushest of towels, but they certainly do the job. I couldn’t find the brand that we own (I think we got it at REI?), so I went with a well-reviewed, very similar option instead.
In a pinch, we’ve used our clothes in lieu of a towel to dry off the kids. It’s not ideal.
Best Water Floaties: SwimWays (for babies), Speedo Begin to Swim (for older toddlers or preschoolers)
Babies and toddlers should never be out of arm’s reach in the water.
So why would you need a life vest or floatie for your baby at the beach or pool? They are kind of the opposite of a safety item if they encourage parents to step away from their kids in the water, right?
I still like to give my baby a floatie for a few reasons: it takes some of the work/weight off of my arms, it’s fun for babies to float “on their own” with you just gently there, and it gives me confidence in case I slip or stumble, which is pretty much a guarantee with me.
There are different types of floaties, and they are good for different situations. When our babies were infants, we loved our hand-me-down pink blow up float chair (the SwimWays is not the exact same one, but we have tried it at our local pool, and it is better than the one we own).
It allows the baby to splash and kick in the water, enjoy the sensation of floating around, and it even had a detachable shade cover. As a bonus, it’s inflatable so super easy to pack!
As our toddler has gotten a bit older, especially because she has been in swim lessons for over a year, we wanted to give her something that would support her learning to swim properly while taking some of the work off of her. The Speedo Begin To Swim vest is perfect for this. It is not a life vest, and will not keep her comfortably above water if she’s holding still. It is an aid to make it a bit easier on her while she uses her blossoming swim skills.
This made playing around in a pool so much fun for her, and it is easy to pack because it’s quite thin.
We have brought puddle jumpers for the in-between ages, where they have no swim skills whatsoever but are too big for a baby pool float. They are a good compromise for a child that you intend to hold the whole time or are not worried about learning perfect swim positioning (not really a priority when you’re on vacation). They don’t pack very easily, and are always one of our biggest packing frustrations. But they are easy to find, and you can usually find them on location in a beachy place.
Best Baby Beach Seat: Summer Infant
If you are heading to a beach that has umbrellas and loungers, you might want to consider an infant beach chair. It will keep the baby contained, you can feed him, and you don’t have to constantly worry about him rolling off the chaise lounge.
Infant beach chairs won’t offer any protection from the wind. On a windy day, your baby might end up with lots of sand blowing in her face. But for a lot of beach set-ups, one of these would be great to have!
This is also great because it doubles as a booster seat. If you’re staying somewhere that doesn’t provide a highchair, you’ll be happy to have this along.
| Top Alternatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hiccapop | Baby Delight | KidCo Go Pod |
Best Beach Cooler: IceMule
You’re gonna need something to keep all that milk and wine (more on that later) cool. Do it in style, I say.
Travel tip: I use my soft-sided cooler as carry-on luggage when we fly to a beach vacation. It works as a “personal item” (like a purse), but I can shove a lot of stuff in there. And then we have a cooler when we get to the beach! That bright green thing in the sleepy airport picture is actually our cooler/carry-on.
I wouldn’t actually recommend the particular cooler that we own, but if I were shopping for one again, I would definitely go for the IceMule. For our purposes of a day at the beach, we don’t need a rigid cooler that can keep things frozen all day (although this claims it can retain ice for over 24 hours!) And because we travel with it, soft-sided and collapsible are key.
Add to that the fact you can sling it over your back, and this is the ideal cooler for our carry-on travel hack. ……..BRB buying this cooler real quick.
Best Wagon for the Beach: Veer Cruiser
I made the decision to sell our double stroller, which was not working for our family, and get the Veer Cruiser instead.
I could not be happier with that decision.
This thing is rugged. Look at those off-road wheels! And yes, they can handle sand. You can fit all of your beach stuff in here, and still attach the bucket car seat, if you want.
I use this as my everyday stroller and it works great, but this baby was made for days at the beach. Read all about traveling with it here!
While there are other all-around-awesome stroller wagons on the market these days, the Veer is widely regarded as the best for off-road use. It’s a great choice for taking the baby to the beach!
| Top Alternatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pronto | Wonderfold W4 | Keenz |
For Mama
Let’s not forget that this is a day at the beach for you, too! Here are a few items to make the whole experience easier and more enjoyable for the person who really deserves a relaxing day in the sunshine!
Best Baby Beach Bag: Red Suricata
There are many different options for lugging around all those baby beach supplies. To me, the best option is a large, airy tote. It should have mesh to help with air circulation for wet towels, should be reasonably see-through, and should be very durable.
That’s why I like this Red Suricata mesh beach bag. I don’t own it yet, but it is next on my list of things to purchase for our ever-growing supply of beach necessities for babies! We’ve been pretty much just using our diaper bag. This is not ideal because a) it’s not designed to get wet and dry out quickly; b) it’s not easy to see into and find whatever you’re digging for; and c) I prefer to use a minimalist diaper bag approach, so our diaper bag is tiny. A beach tote must be massive.
This beach tote checks all those boxes and has plenty of pockets to keep all your baby beach accessories organized, including water-resistant one inside.
| Top Alternatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dejaroo | F-color | Holly LifePro |
Best Mommy-and-Me Matching Swimsuits: Macool
Look, I know I’ve been talking about mommy-and-me swimsuits for a loooong time, but this might be the year I actually make the plunge. I love them! And who knows how much longer I’ve got before my children absolutely refuse to match with me.
There are lots of cheap brands making these, but Macool stands out for a few reasons. For one, they are the only ones on Amazon with a lot of positive reviews (and they pass the Fake Spot test, which I run without fail on every item I recommend that I don’t already own).
They are also one of the only mommy-and-me swimsuits brands that actually has one-piece suits, because not all of us are ready to rock the eeny-weeny bikini with our powerful mom bods. They also have tankinis and at least one suit with full-coverage boyshorts.
Plus, they have some ridiculously cute prints. If (when) I finally decide I’m ready to be that mom with the matchy-matchy… we’re totally getting the bananas!
Best Nursing Clothes and Swimsuits: Latched Mama
If you’re not planning on swimming – or even if you are – you’re probably going to need clothes at some point. And if you’re breastfeeding, you probably want clothes that are easy access.
I absolutely love everything that I own from Latched Mama (more than 12 items!). Their clothes are high quality, cute, and well-designed for breastfeeding moms.
For me, the “momper” is the perfect beach dress, because it’s not really a dress. It’s a romper, so you can forget any fears about it billowing up when you bend down to play with your baby.
Total win.
When I’m breastfeeding, I usually just get a swimsuit top that pops down easily for nursing access. However, if you prefer something a bit more modest (meaning, you are still covered above the nipple while the baby is feasting), Latched Mama has great nursing swimsuits that are figure-flattering for moms.
| Top Alternatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Milk Nursingwear | Oceanlily | Milk & Baby |
Wine in a Can
Perhaps the most important thing on this list. Target and Trader Joe’s both carry really great wine-in-a-can. Clearly, I could not choose just one favorite, as they are all delightful.
What is a beach day without wine? And now you have no need for any of that bottle opener business – just stick a can or three in your spiffy new cooler.
Cheers!
Did I hit all the beach must haves for baby? What did I miss? What is your favorite baby beach gear? Let me know in the comments!
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5 thoughts on “Baby Beach Essentials”
Those sunglasses for babies are so cute ! Good to know there’s alternative sunscreen for babies ! And lastly, wine in a can is the most genius invention ever ! =p
A bucket hat is a must for all babies spending time in the sun. Definately a must have. I also love that baby beach seat. It is so cute and practical!
There are so many great swimmers for mum and baby’s these days but it’s nice to see jelly shoes/sandles are still making the top of the list!
How cute are some of these bay items for the beach. Definitely some good suggestions for gifts for my firends children in the future. Glad to see that you have included wine-in-a-can, I never knew such a product was on the market.
Aww such cute baby dresses. They add so much color to beach.
Those strollers look so sturdy and perfect.