WHAT TO PACK FOR TODDLER FOR BEACH VACATION

pack baby for beach

Are you mamas heading to the beach this spring or summer with your babes? I am so excited we leave Thursday for Maui and we are taking Smith for the first time! He has been asking to go to the beach a lot, and while we do have a beach nearby, it’s not exactly relaxing to drive to the beach an hour each way, schlep everything to the beach, and not be able to get in the water because it’s too cold, so that’s where Maui comes in! Doug and I got married in Maui 5 years ago and have been dying to make it back and are so excited to finally do it and to show Smith how beautiful it is! He loves airplanes and hotels and pools and need I say more!

packing for maui

While we have taken Smith on the plane many times in the last two years, it has mostly been to just go to his family’s house in St. Louis or to see my friends and family in Louisville, plus a ski trip to Colorado, but no beach vacations yet! The flight to Maui is around six hours and I know it won’t be easy for my high-energy toddler to stay still for so long, I know it can be done and it will be worth the plane anxiety once we get to our beautiful destination!

Since I have been planning for the trip for a while now, I thought I would share a few things I bough and what we are taking with us to Maui for Smith! My most exciting recent purchase is the Kindle Fire! It came with a protective case and already loaded with options for shows, games and books for kids – it’s awesome and way more affordable than buying a new iPad, since ours just gave out. I know this will come in handy on the plane and while we are on the trip either at dinners or by the pool when he starts to fade! I also got him these cozy headphones so he can listen to the Kindle in private and so we don’t have to disturb the people around us!

The next thing that was super important to me was swimming gear! We got him this amazing float vest last year and love it and will be packing it, plus a little blow up float as another option because it will take up no room. I also had to order him a new cute rash guard top, swim trunks and a UPF hat since we’ll be spending a lot of time in the sun. The one thing that I will be trying out for the first time are toddler water shoes for the beach and pool. His little feet were burning last year by the pool in LA since it was so hot, so hoping this will make life easier and better for Smith to be able to walk around. One other last minute purchase was reusable swim diapers. I hate the regular swim diapers because they fill up with water easily and Smith always want to take them off because ew, so hoping this is a better alternative. There were so many great prints and colors on Amazon.

I also got him some cute new shorts and tees from Cotton On, they have great little boy’s clothing options! And I will be packing my favorite baby sunscreen from Erbaviva. It smells great, goes on easily and not thick and white chunky like some of the natural ones do, but it is all natural and organic.

Obviously packing snacks and diapers and little toys and games, etc is also equally important and something we always do. I usually make a trip to the Dollar Store the week before every trip to get a few inexpensive things that we can open and play with on the plane to hope to pass some of the time. One thing I also love are the no-mess marker books, Melissa and Doug On the Go Water Wow Reusable Water Activity Pad, reusable sticker book, and anything that doesn’t cause a big mess or fall all over the ground. Magnetic blocks are another great option.

One last thing I thought I would mention, not for packing but when booking a hotel! Make sure there is some sort of kid friendly pool or area. Smith is definitely not swimming yet and is a little scary around big pools because he will just jump in, so to make things more relaxing for my husband and I, we made sure that the hotel has a little toddler pool and play area. This way he and we will feel more confident! I am also a big proponent of hiring help when you travel with the kids so that you can still have date night and get some sort of relaxation time in, after all it wouldn’t be a vacation without that! I actually used to work for a sitter service in Louisville during college and sometime we would get booked by families staying at local hotels, and most hotels around the country do work with services like this and will put you in touch with local sitters who are vetted and experienced. It’s awesome and the best of both worlds so we don’t have to leave Smith at home!

Thanks for checking in on today’s post and make sure to follow along with our trip on Instagram this week @thestyleeditrix. I’ll also be back here tomorrow with a new spring outfit post with a look I am packing for Maui!

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