Great beach hacks for families 27

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We live 5 minutes from the beach and growing up by the beach was a real highlight of my childhood.  However, I married a man that hates the sand!  One of my favorite ways to spend the summer is at the beach with the boys and these great beach hacks will make a day at the beach a dream.

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So I am going to share with you my top beach hacks from families in conjunction with Sunny-D.  Sunny-D have some great tips for families on their site and if you are a competition lover they often have competitions too, just be sure to bookmark their competition page.

Beach hacks for families

 

baby powder damp sand

 

  1. My top tip is to take along some baby powder or talcum powder, you cover the sandy area in baby powder and then leave it a couple of seconds before brushing it off.  No more sand scratches.   The baby powder absorbs the water in the damp sand, making it easier and softer to brush off.
  2. Keep your water cold.  By filling up water bottles to about a third and then freezing them in their side.  Once froze, fill with cold water and you will have cold water for most of the day.
  3. Turn an empty suncream container into a place to store your money and valuables.  Alternatively put them inside a nappie and fold it as though it is used and pop it in a nappy sack (nobody is going to look in there)! Have a secret stash of spare cash rolled up in an empty lip balm tube
  4. Use a fitted sheet instead of a beach towel to lie on.
  5. Turn your steering wheel,  Parking in the sun? Turn your steering wheel 180 degrees. That way when you’re ready to leave, the part of the steering wheel that you use won’t burn your hands.
  6. Go early or late.  We love going to the beach later in the day.  The car parks are usually emptying and the sun is not as strong.
  7. Do not take a good camera.  Take your camera, but also take a zip lock bag and pop it in.  Trust me the touch screen works through the ziplock.  Same for your Kindle, but nothing beats a book on the beach.
  8. String bags are great for beach stuff, we store all out buckets, spades and balls.  As they dry out and you are carrying the bag all the sand falls off before you store it in the car.
  9. Sun protection is key.  There is nothing worse than reapplying sun cream and getting sand on it (urg to scratchy cream).  So we use once a day sun protection and the boys wear UV surf suits.
  10. Take the kids trolley.  A trolley is great for getting all your stuff to and from the car to the beach and also perfect if one of the kids falls asleep.
  11. Buy a pop up tent.  We live by the North Sea, it can get really windy, so our inexpensive pop up tent is a must.  It is also perfect for storing all out stuff in.
  12. Pack all your food in separate small bags.  There is nothing worse than getting sand in your food.  So limit the chance of this by packing each sandwich separately.  Also take tubes of frozen yogurt.
  13. Be prepared.  As we live by the sea and good weather is not always guaranteed I have a basket in the boot of my car with everything we need for a short trip to the beach.

beach hacks for families

 

Free printable beach checklist

Anna from In the Playroom has a great free beach printable checklist for you.

Beach-pool-checklist-underwater-blue

Rainy day mum has tips for learning at the beach and also taking toddlers to the beach.

Chirping Moms have ten beach activities and beach bag essentials.

Why not take some food coloring to the beach and colour the sand or just smashing the sand castles you make.

Fabulously Frugal

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Do you have a post that is about thrifty parenting, decorating or lifestyle.  One that is about frugal food or crafts and art.  a free printable, or even a post about making the post of what you have, then please do link up.  Each week we make sure we pin the post, feature some on our facebook pages and then we each have a round up on a Sunday.

Let’s all share that being frugal can be fabulous.

 

The Mad House
Please take a look at my fab co hosts and their posts, Cass at Diary of a Frugal Family, A Thrifty Mum and Emma at Mum’s Savvy Savings.


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