Packing the Perfect Beach Bag – Let’s Go to the Beach!

*This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LetsGototheBeach #CollectiveBias*

Summer time. My favourite season. Hot days, sunshine and plenty of time spent outside. One of my favourite things to do in the summer is go to the beach.  I could spend days upon days at the beach and be perfectly content. Some times I really do think I was meant to live on a tropical island. Thankfully, my family is equally as fond of the beach as I am. My son will happily spend hours playing in the sand with his beach toys and romping about in the water, with snack and drink breaks in between. We’re fortunate that my in-laws live within a five minute walk to a beautiful beach on one of our great lakes, so we spend as much time there as we can in the summer. We pack up a wagon with our favourite toys and games, beach gear, and plenty of healthy snacks and drinks. Other than splashing around in the water with a good beach ball, we also love to build big sandcastles and roadways for K’s trucks, play games, and just relax on the beach. Today I’ll give you an idea of what we take along with us when packing the perfect beach bag.

Food – Snacks and Lunch 

When we go to the beach, we always bring a cooler packed full of good food when we head to the beach. Along with plenty of water, we often have some lemonade or something fun to drink, as well as plenty of snacks and a simple lunch. Here are some ideas on what food to pack inside the perfect beach bag:

• Ice water in a reusable thermos
• Reusable plastic or tin cups for drinking
• Hummus and cut up veggies like carrots, celery and cucumber
• Crackers or chips
• Nuts and dried fruit – we normally bring either a mix of nuts like almonds and cashews with dried fruit like raisins, or some energy bars as they are the perfect energy boost and easy to snack on
• Cheese and Pickles
• Cut-up fruit – depending on what is in season, we’ll bring a mix of fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, peaches and apple or grapes as well
• Sandwiches – we often make a simple veggie and cheese sandwich to bring, or egg salad if we plan to eat it right after arriving

Beach Activities and Toys

When it comes to packing toys for the beach, we are never without a good sand pail set. These can keep children of all ages busy for hours. K has played with these items since he was less than one year old, and three years later, they are still his favourite items to bring. A pail, shovels, and a good truck are his favourites when we hit up the beach. Since our gear is a bit worn and some of it has been lost over the years, it could definitely use replacing before this beach season starts. I took a trip to Mastermind Toys, our local toy store, to see if I could find the perfect set. I love shopping at Mastermind as they have the best selection of good quality, unique toys and the store is small enough that you can’t get lost in there. Plus, since it’s organized by category (i.e. Crafts, Outside Toys, Building, etc) and they have toys out on display to test, it’s easy and fun to shop there with the kids. For this visit, I immediately headed to the outdoor/seasonal toy section, which is always located right at the front of the store.

For summer this year, it is full of fun items, from beach toy sets to outdoor exploration kids, to folding chairs (perfect for the beach or camping). I found a great beach toy set made by B. Toys, a company I really like for their good quality toys and the fact that they are focused on being as environmentally-friendly as possible. This B.Ready set is the perfect beach toy set as it has everything you need for a day at the beach: a sturdy bucket with sand sifter, a shovel and a rake, three fun sand molds, a mini monster truck, and a pinwheel – which will make an awesome final addition for our sandcastles.

K was SO excited to open it up and he put it into action as soon as we hit up the park the next day.

I know it will get a ton of use over the years for our beach days. We’ve been known to create some pretty amazing sand castles, and the items in the B Ready set will definitely help us create some this year. Some of our other favourite activities for the beach that are perfect for families include:

• Beach balls for fun in the water
• Velcro magic mitt and balls set (I saw a great one at Mastermind)
• Frisbee
• Bocce ball
• Volleyball
• Plastic trucks and cars
• Flying a kite on those windy days
• Flotable devices, which are especially great for little kids

Gear

You can’t forget the plethora of gear! This year will be our first year beach-ing with both a preschooler and a baby, and while we don’t plan on having our baby girl at the beach for too long (the sun will be a bit too hot for her yet), we will definitely be filling up our beach bag and wagon. Here are some staples you can’t forget:

• Bathing suits and sandals
• Beach toys, like the B. sand toy set
• Towels and sunscreen for everyone
• Sun hats and sunglasses
• Umbrella
• Sun tent – these can be very practical with little ones as they can take a break from the sun, and for me this year, I can seek shelter to feed our babe
• Cover-ups – the sun can get hot, so lightweight long sleeves are helpful.
• Beach chairs
• Water wings and goggles – Mastermind sells some great ones
• Baby gear: Diaper bag with change mat and fresh diapers, as well as a swim diaper
• Change of clothes

Family beach days truly are my favourite days. They are a wonderful, inexpensive way to spend the day, while also making great memories. Having some good quality toys to help occupy the time is key with little ones and I am so happy we found the perfect little beach toy set. I know our new B. toys set will keep my two little ones happily occupied making the best sandcastles, and I cannot wait to spend as many days as we can at the beach! I’d love to hear what’s in your perfect beach bag. Let me know!

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