Useful Beach Tips

Make the most of your day at the beach with what we hope are helpful tips, some may seem obvious but we hope they will take any stress out of your visit and make sure your time on the beach is enjoyable without any hiccups.

This is even more relevant when you have children in tow. Children do tend to enjoy a day spent on the beach.

Some of our suggestions might seem obvious but how often have you got somewhere and forgotten something. These suggestions are purely to help make your day at the beach the best it can be.

• Pack your bag the night before you are planning on going to the beach, wait until the children are in bed so there are no distractions. It saves a lot of time than trying to pack and get children ready at the same time.

• Don’t forget the sun cream or sun protective clothing. Protective clothing prevents you having to reapply cream throughout the day. Sun hats are important for children and adults and sunglasses too.

• Apply sun cream before you get to the beach, once there the children can promptly get playing whilst you get organised. Remember to apply sunscreen frequently and generously throughout the day. A valuable tip we have seen is to take a marker along with you and write down the times you need to reapply sunscreen.

• Check tide times, some beaches are only revealed at low tide. This will also enable you to decide where to set-up a base for the day. You don’t want to have to move again once you are settled.

• Wrap your valuables up in a nappy, it looks like it is used, and no one will think to look here. You could also use an empty Pringles can, most people would assume it is just food and ignore.

• Staying hydrated is important so ensure you have packed lots of drinks.

• Freeze water balloons you can use them to keep your drinks/food cool and once they have melted you can have a fun water balloon fight.

• Take along enough towels for everyone.

• A large beach blanket, this is where everyone will want to sit and eat or relax. Saves your towels.

• A change of clothes as the children are bound to get theirs wet or sandy throughout the day. It can be simply another swim costume. In the meantime, you can leave the other clothing to dry off, in case they are needed again!

• Some long sleeve tops are also a good option in case it turns chilly especially in the evenings.

• A waterproof bag to take the wet clothes home in, you don’t want to get everything in your bag soggy.

• Use a fitted bed sheet on the beach to keep sand out. You can create sides with your belongings, and this will limit the amount to sand that gets kicked onto the sheet. Best if there is are no young children with you!

• Hate when you can’t get the sand off your feet or from between your toes, then use baby powder to remove sand from your feet. It absorbs the moisture and makes it easier to wipe the sand off. Works on the rest of the body too. Best to wait until before you get back in the car to do this.

• A pack of baby wipes, they are useful for so many purposes.Empty packet can be used to store valuables.

• Freeze your drinks the night before you go, this will keep them cool throughout the day.

• Pack fun snacks in small portions, or make fun fruit kebabs and wrap up for a sweet mess-free snack. Also pack lunches separately at least this way if your container falls in the sand you will only lose that food and not the whole lot.

• Pack some cupcake paper cases, they can be used as covers for drinks, or place at the bottom of an ice lolly to collect drips and prevent sticky messes.

• Put bottles inside paper cups partially buried in the sand to prevent sand getting suck to them.

• Set up a hand rinsing bucket nearby, use a large bucket of water anchored in the sand as a place for sandy hands to be rinsed in.

• Remember to pack some coins for the car park or to cover treat whilst on the beach.

• Take along a selection of sand toys, bucket and spade, sand moulds. These will keep children occupied all day. Perhaps they could also take along a few chosen small toys/figurines to use in their sand creations.

• A cheap paddling pool is a great means to keep a baby cool and happy, simply throw in a few baby toys with them and they will splash away. Or you can make your own pool, simply puck up a cheap shower curtain, dig a hole and use the curtain as a liner for the hole and then fill with water. Can be easily packed away afterwards.

• Dig a small hole in the sand and place a towel over the hole; it creates a cosy little spot for small children to lie down in. Pop up an umbrella to provide shade or place your wind breaker around the hole.

• Keep your mobile phone in a Ziploc bag or wrap in clingfilm to keep it free from sand and safe from water (it can still be used.) A Ziploc bag is also useful to put your keys and purse/wallet in.

• Write your number on a wristband for your child to wear, just in case they should wander off or you should lose sight of them.

• When not wearing your shoes turn them upside down to keep them cool. Otherwise, they can get hot in the sun and burn your feet when you go to put them on.

• Take along a bag to take your rubbish home. It would be nice if you could leave the beach better than you found it, this would really help with saving and protecting our beaches.

• If anyone should suffer with blocked ears take a long a balloon for them to blow up, this will release the pressure. It is easier for children to do this than getting them to hold their nose and blow.

• Bug spray just in case, better to have it than being pestered by annoying insects.

• Take along a bag to collect some beach items, and you can create your own beach memories when you get home.

• Pay attention to swimming warnings and lifeguard flags and take them seriously.

• Do a final check before you leave, don't want toleave anything behind.

We hope you find this list useful and perhaps there is something on here that will make your beach day easier and fun.

Remember we only get so many beach days a year, so make the most of them. It may seem daunting to get ready but once you are on the beach and feeling the sand, hearing the ocean and the giggles of the children as they play, it will be so worth it!

Have a wonderful fun filled day on the beach.