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Check out my BABY BEACH ESSENTIALS post – which was recently updated after going through this phase with two kids. This is one of my most popular posts of all time for a reason!
We still live walking distance from a city beach and have also taken many trips with our kids to beach destinations like Florida, South Carolina, and Aruba – so it feels like a good time to share a post on my go-to toddler beach essentials.
When graduating from the baby to toddler, the biggest change was a focus on having the right toys, snacks and sun protection for activity time. Because of this, there was more to carry, so beach essentials like big mesh bags and wagons became helpful. It’s less sitting in a tent and more keeping the toddler occupied and happy so the day is an enjoyable experience for all!
Here are my picks for toddler beach essentials:
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Beach Wagons
With the reality of needing more stuff at the beach with a toddler, we have found ourselves either driving or using a wagon on beach trips, rather than getting by with just a stroller like we dud up until about age 1.5. We currently have the folding wagon cart below, but have used other options on trips or with friends and will consider upgrading if we have another child or move to somewhere with more space.
- Anthem 2 All-Terrain Double Wagon Stroller (also 4-seater here) – I came across this brand in a Facebook group and have had my eye on it since, as it looks a lot like the Veer with a lower investment. It’s nice looking, has a flat fold given all of its features, and it comes with most of the add-ons that other brands don’t.
- Veer Cruiser – The OG of high-quality beach wagons for kids, which my sister-in-law and other friends have and love. The price point is steep and accessories like cupholders, sun shades, etc. are additional add-ons. I’ve heard some families – especially those in the ‘burbs – use this instead of a stroller as it can be more enticing for the older sibling(s).
- Folding Wagon Cart – The simplest beach wagon, which is most compact but has no features or safety system to buckle your little one in. We have this for our beach gear and have seen others use them with a toddler inside when they’re close to their beach destination (of course, do what you need to do to keep them safe!).
Beach Toys for Toddlers
Having a good set is key for toddler entertainment and I highly recommend getting one that nests together in some way and that comes with a big bucket. If you’re taking a plane vacation, do an order pick-up at Target with one of their sets and/or utilize folding buckets or the ice cream set below that are more compact. You can give them to another family on your way out!
- These Target and Amazon sets have been our favorites, and here is another good one.
- Sand toys like water wheels are also fun if you have room to carry.
- Our favorite Green Toys dump truck (also in pink/purple) is a favorite both indoors and at the beach.
- This ice cream set was a big hit with our cousin group on a recent trip (ages 1.5-5) and you can consolidate it into the bag it comes with pretty easily.
- To save space, go with this set of folding buckets and shovels, which we’ve thrown in a carry-on suitcase or car seat bag.
- This set that helps build actual buildings with sand blocks with an adult’s help.
- Can’t go wrong with a football! This was my son’s favorite at age 2.
Beach Bags
While I’m still a big fan of Lands End canvas bags of all sizes, once we started lugging more toys to the beach, I gravitated toward more lightweight, compact options, which are also ideal for travel.
- Large Mesh Bag – This folds into a tiny square and is perfect for anything sandy – beach toys, shoes, floaties, etc. It’s big and really helps us get everything together quickly. I also usually have this Target bag on hand for the same reasons.
- Extra Large Lightweight Zipped Bag – All of those things are important – especially if we’re walking or traveling! This one has tons of room, a pocket inside for things like a phone or wallet, has a zipper to keep the sand out, and is light/compact for throwing in a suitcase if need be.
Pouches for Inside Beach Bag
My favorite way to stay organized is to have a big bag with smaller bags inside. You know exactly what’s in each of them – even my husband has claimed ownership of one of my waterproof clutches. Things I use pouches for: sunscreens, phone/wallet/keys, wet clothes, toddler potty essentials (wipes, hand sanitizer, travel potty seat, spare undies/clothes), spare outfits, snacks, etc.
- These waterproof/washable wet bags are what I use in my diaper bag too.
- Aloha pouches come in different sizes and prints.
- Pack all water resistant zipper pouches are another everyday favorite and come in both medium and large. When you’re not at the beach, they are great for storing restaurant entertainment.
Sun Protection for Toddlers
Sunscreens deserve a whole separate post as I’ve tried every clean sunscreen for kids under the sun!
- Pipette Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 is a lotion and gets applied before heading out for the day.
- If we’re too sandy for quick lotion application throughout the day, we’ll use clean chemical spray sunscreens like Sun Bum SPF 50. It’s my version of better ingredients and practicality.
- Babo Botanicals Sheer Zinc spray is a good in-between – it’s a spray but comes out more like a thin regular sunscreen and then you easily rub in.
Sun Protection Hats – Bitty Brah remains our favorite kids’ hat brand. They have fun logos, can get wet, and actually stay on – even with a drawstring option if it’s windy or you’re on a boat. For good sun protection that also covers the neck, our kids had either this Sunday Afternoon hat or this one from RuffleButts, both of which come in lots of colors.
Sunglasses became an everyday staple for our daughter as soon as she hit about age 3, but it started at the beach a bit earlier. Here are the brands we’ve had, many of which have been repurchased. Avoid the random Amazon brands – they break much faster! If your child has blue eyes like ours, I like that you can get polarized options. And the options below are all designed to be bendable so toddlers are less likely to break them.
Beach Gear for Toddlers
Puddle Jumper Floatie or Swim Vest – At this age on the beach, it’s mainly a safety precaution as the toddler is right by the ocean or swimming in calm water. While our kids have used bubbles in swim lessons, swimming on vacation is an example where we prefer a puddle jumper (I know these are controversial, which is why we use in specific scenarios). A swim vest has also worked well for playing by the water or on a pool deck.
Tent/Umbrella Setup – We currently have this LL Bean sun shelter tent – it’s a great source of shade and not too hard to set up. If you are at a windy beach – like we were in South Carolina – I highly recommend a Shibumi Shade tent, which gives your whole family shade, is lightweight, and has tons of air flow. In all honesty, unless your toddler is napping, it’s unlikely you are going to spend much time under a tent. But it’s good to have for snacks and lunch.
Kids’ Beach Chair – As adults, we love the convenience of backpack beach chairs, and this year we upgraded both of our kids to their own. You can start using these when they’re toddlers, but they’ll last several years. We had a tough time with other kids chairs over the years, particularly those that come with attached umbrellas, as they constantly fall over. These low camping folding chairs are also easy for a little one to get in and out of despite being adult chairs, and they fold up compactly. Melissa and Doug kids camping chairs also work well!
Travel Booster Seat – This Hiccapop booster seat folds like a camping chair and fits in its small bag even with the tray included. We found this particularly helpful for ages 6 months to 2 years, but we’ll continue using it this summer (potentially without the tray) when my son is 2.5.
Compact Towels – These towels are amazing because they take up very little room in your bag. They come in fun prints and offer smaller sizes for kids. The texture of them feels weird at first but they are actually absorbent and don’t retain the sand.
Food & Drink
Yeti Lunchbox + Kids’ Water Bottle – There’s no better lunchbox than this one for a day in the sun; same goes for the kids’ water bottle! We also use the lunchbox as adults so it gets lots of use. This Yeti lunch bag is also a good pick at the same price.
Snack Containers + Pouches – We have several different snack containers and pick the right one depending on what we’re bringing. Some of my favorites are this 2-compartment Bentgo and this 4-compartment tupperware. These are all great for any kind of travel too! We also always throw a few pouches in the cooler as a cold snack.
Other Toddler Beach Essentials
Toddler Bathing Suits: I did a whole post on my love for toddler girl one-pieces with diaper snaps here. Even once a toddler girl is potty trained, I find the snaps easier, particularly once bathing suits are wet. I also like 2-pieces with long-sleeve rash guards. These are my favorite toddler boy swimsuits because of the compression shorts layer for comfort and the fun patterns.
Potty Seat – This compact travel potty seat goes literally everywhere with us. It’s small enough to fit into a large(ish) pouch and has worked well on all types of toilets.
Yeti Cooler + Koozies – We’ve now upgraded all of our coolers and koozies to Yeti and get so much use out of them that they’re definitely worth the price. We usually go for the Yeti Hopper cooler, which comes in different sizes.
