Beach + Travel Essentials FOr Baby

Our first beach trip with Rowdy was a success. Little man loves the water!

Leading up to our trip, I spent a lot of time researching, planning and packing. I've had several of you interested in what worked for us - so I'm sharing our beach/travel essentials below. 

Beach/Pool Essentials

1. Air free float. I was influenced an Instagram ad and he LOVED it. Baby can float on his back or belly. Comes with a UPF 50+ canopy shade. We used this primarily in the pool at the house but on a calm day, I would have taken this to the beach as well. He loved being able to float around on his own, especially after a hot day at the beach. HERE
2. Travel High Chair - This is purchase we've used every day since it arrived and we will continue to use it. A lightweight, foldable travel high chair/booster. We used this at the beach a few times when he was playing but we used this every time we fed him at the house. **A great affordable baby gift** HERE
3. Stroller Fan - After a walk by the river several weeks ago, we realized Summer was going to be way too hot for a baby. Immediately went home and added this fan to my cart. We use it all the time in his carseat and stroller. It attaches to virtually anything so it was a lifesaver at the beach. #1 tip for the beach with babies... you can never have enough fans. It is HOT. If you plan on using it all day, charge it every night. HERE
4. Cordless Fan - Remember where I mentioned you can never have enough fans. That is one thing we were short on at the beach but our SIL had this for her 10 week old and it is a must for hot days on the beach or at the lake. HERE or HERE
5. Hooded Towels - I've talked about these a lot because we love them. But we took two hooded towels and used them daily at the beach/pool and after baths every night. HERE
6. Ice/Food Pacifier - This was another TOP essential at the beach. It was so hot. I put ice chips in this pacifier all day and he loved it. He stayed hydrated and it entertained him. I can't wait to try it with fruit soon! HERE
7. Sunscreen - We survived the beach with a VERY FAIR SKINNED baby and no sunburn! He is so pale I was terrified. Our pediatrician recommended THIS sunscreen and we loved it. My SIL used these two HERE and HERE on her 10 week old and we will be adding these to our rotation!
8. Sun Hat - We took several hats for Rowdy and honestly this is the only one we ended up using. He wears it almost every time we go outside. Pale baby probs. HERE
9. Tent - This tent is big enough for a few people and great for kids when they are napping at the beach or playing. Glad we bought it and I know we will use it a ton in the future, but honestly for a 10 wk old and 6 month old - we barely used it. Neither of them can sit on their own so they were in our laps the whole time. We are going back to the beach in August and now that Rowdy is starting to sit, I know we will use this a lot more. For older or multiple kids, I think this is a must. HERE
10. Pacifier - I have to throw this in as a must because Rowdy loves these pacifiers. And they are so cute! HERE
11. Disposable Swim Diapers - I have mixed feelings on swim diapers. They're great but getting a pull-up style diaper on a wet baby is challenging. And when they say they don't swell - it's because they don't absorb water so don't use them until you're really ready to go to the water. They were great for the beach but at the pool at home we mainly used reusable swim diapers. Side note: don't buy these on Amazon. They are like double the price. HERE
12. Reusable Swim Diaper - We loved this one and he wore it by itself in the pool and under swim trunks at the beach. HERE
13. Onesie Rash Guard - Most rash guards are shirts - we loved THIS onesie rash guard because it didn't ride up.
14. Diaper Trash Bags - Dog waste bags are genius for traveling. We used these for dirty diapers at the beach, beach house and for the car ride. We had a few blowouts (yikes) on the trip back so I put his dirty outfits in these as well. HERE

Travel Feeding Essentials

1. Silicone Spoon and Suction Bowl - We use these every day not just when we are traveling. We love them. HERE
2. Glass Baby Food Jars - If I have the choice to get something cute or boring...I'll choose cute every time. We are currently making Rowdy's food. We are freezing it in ice cube trays and then putting a few cubes in THESE jars the night before so they defrost. So far, we love them. HERE
3. Chair - I mentioned this amazing chair in my beach essentials above but let's just put it here too because it's just that necessary. HERE
4. Bibs - Silicone bibs are amazing. Super easy to clean - we just rinse them and throw them in the dishwasher. I am here for the easy clean up. HERE (more coming soon)
5. Travel Bottle Cleaner - Just an easy essential. It is compact and gets the job done. We keep this in his duffle and take it on every trip. At home, we sterilize bottles every day, so I bought sterilizer bags but honestly, I never used them. We just made sure the bottles were squeaky clean every night. HERE

Bath/Playtime Essentials

1. Otteroo - We use the Otteroo neck ring for all of his baths at home. He loves it and I think this helped him have so much fun in the pool because he was use to floating around daily at home. My 10 week old niece used this once too! It deflates to be really compact so it's easier to travel with than a baby tub. HERE
2. Toiletries - We started using this line a few months ago when we weren't reacting well to our previous soaps. The healing ointment and lotion are amazing. The lotion has aloe in it so it's perfect after the sun. The ointment is great for cradle cap and eczema. We use the soap daily and the bubble bath when we're making bath time a little more fun. And it smells delish. We got the gift set so we could try all of them. HERE
3. Play Mat - Super light and compact but opens to be pretty large. This was great because the last thing I wanted was my baby's face on the floor. Both babies loved tummy time and rolling together on this. HERE

Honestly, I could go on for days with my favorite products so far for Rowdy. Is that something you're interested in seeing on our blog? Shoot me a DM or comment below, I'd love to know. And I know all you mommas have all the tips and tricks, I'd love to hear them!