I don’t know about you, but I love the beach! I remember beach vacations as a kid. And taking my kids to the beach now is just so much fun! I’m actually not sure who enjoys it more. Me, or the kids. We always come home with the kids begging to return.

For our beach trips, there are so many things I just can’t do without. So, here’s my top 5.

1. Body Board – We actually purchased a second one to take to the beach this year because we only had one last year, and one just isn’t enough.

This is fun for all ages and great for small to medium waves. The beach we go to has between 1 and 3 foot waves on most days. Not enough for surfing, but perfect for a body board.

I had to share WAY too much last year, so we bought a second. And I’m betting that next year we’ll decide that we need a third. This board is perfect for me and my husband to use.

And the kids will ride anything. On this board they can basically just sit on it while I tow them out and then ride in on their own. Pretty awesome for them. On a smaller board they get tossed around a little more – but that’s what life jackets are for!

2. Puddle Jumper – Speaking of life jackets. Puddle jumpers are my preferred flotation device for littles. They’re coast guard approved and in my opinion work even better than a life jacket. And they’re rated for up to 50 pounds. My kids all fit in these until they turned 6.

The arms and short front flotation give my kids way better balance in the water than a traditional life jacket. It’s easier for them to stay upright, and it keeps their head a little further up out of the water than a life jacket. Perfect for a sunny day playing in the ocean.

Plus it comes in all sorts of colors, so each child has his/her own and everyone knows who’s it is. No fighting over puddle jumpers!

3. Rash Guard – My husband has red hair and he burns just thinking about the beach. We can’t lather enough sunscreen on him to keep him from burning.

This rash guard is an awesome solution. It fits like a second skin and keeps him from burning. We’ve tried both short sleeved and long and he says the long is way more comfortable, and he doesn’t have to worry about burning his arms.

This lets water freely pass through, and clings tight to your body, so you can swim and enjoy the beach without being weighted down by your shirt. The perfect solution for if you burn easily or just don’t want to wear a ton of sunscreen.

4. Beach Umbrella – Another way to stay out of the sun is a beach umbrella. It’s also a great place to store chairs, buckets, shovels, drinks, phones, speakers, sunscreen, towels, flip-flops, cooler, and whatever else your kids just can’t live without!

Man, I’m tired just thinking about toting all that down to the beach! I like to set up a chair or two, hang up my speaker, and enjoy a cold drink in the shade while watching the kids build sand castles.

Just make sure you purchase a few extra tent stakes, we lost a few last year and didn’t realize they would be so easy to use! Luckily, they’re cheap, so I just grabbed some new ones, plus a few extras for this year.

This umbrella also folds down to basically smaller than my beach chair, so it’s super easy to carry and transport to the beach. Way easier than my cooler!

5. Wireless Speaker – And of course, no trip would be complete without music! This little speaker lasts forever (something like 10 hours). It’s very durable. Shock and water resistant. Has great sound. A little hook for hanging it in the tent. And even has an emergency flashlight for if you find yourself on a dark beach with just your speaker – if that happens, please share in the comments below, because it’s sure to be an interesting story.

Relaxing in the shade with my favorite tunes was definitely a fun way to spend a few minutes at the beach. You know, those 2.5 minutes of rest before I had to go rescue a toddler from the teensy tiny hold in the sand that his sister dug for him.

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