Best Beach Gear for Families

Y’all, summer is here! As two North Carolina girls who grew up on the coast, it still brings us more joy than we can express to see summer sitting there on the horizon. It’s time for the ocean and the sand, and we couldn’t be happier about that.

Taking on beach holidays with kids is a brand new ball game from our younger years. Back then, simply throw a towel, some sunscreen and a magazine in a bag and you’re good to go. Did we even drink water back then? But, it’s different these days, and while you and your kids will still love the beach with just the towel and the sunscreen, there’s a lot of wonderful beach gear for families out there that makes life just a little bit easier.

We always think of the beach as nature’s ideal playground – regardless of age. The white noise of the ocean is perfect for napping babies, there are endless exploration opportunities for toddlers, and plenty to do to keep big & little kids entertained and happy.

Everyone has a different take on how much (or how little) gear they want to haul down for the day, but we’ve found some favorites that are worth bringing, in our opinion.

Here’s a roundup of our beach family favorites perfect for this summer.

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Family beach day essentials

Shibumi Shade

If you buy one thing off of this list (besides the sunscreen, of course), make it this one. You just can’t beat it. Designed in NC, this umbrella-alternative works with the wind, preventing any hurtling poles on the beach. Lightweight, easy to unpack and adjust and blessedly low stress (I can set it up by myself when on the beach with all the kids), it’s simply my favorite piece of beach gear that we own. Literally our kids can now set it up & take it down themselves, which is always a win.

Pick between two different sizes, although if you’re a family, you’ll want the standard size as everyone will be drawn to the shade in that hot summer sun. The mini size is a great fit for 2 people.

Fat tire beach cart or wagon

As the family beach enthusiasts, the kids and I are often ready to roll way before my husband. This cart makes it possible for me to haul all of our stuff over dune and sand on my own. The balloon tires are essential for the loose sand higher up in the dunes – you know what I mean. Game changer.

If you’re driving in for the day or renting a home that doesn’t have a cart available, there are many collapsible wagon options, but again you want to look for those fat tires! The other option that served us well over the years is the Single or Double Bob stroller – more info below!

Bogg Bag

Yes, they’re worth the hype. I’ve had my Bogg Bag for years and it still looks brand new. It holds so much and you can spray out the sand and have a sparkling clean bag in no time, which has never happened to any other beach bag of mine. I also love that the zipper pouches snap onto the sides, so you don’t lose them in the bottom of the bag. We use one for smaller items like the face stick & chapstick and the larger one for phones, kindles, or other things that shouldn’t get sandy!

Soft-sided cooler

So many cooler options out there, and honestly whatever actually keeps the food & snacks cold is fine with me. My husband is the cooler enthusiast in our house and loves the Rtic backpack cooler. It keeps everything super cold and is easy to carry, especially if you’re using the cart to haul other things. If you want a smaller size, this Rtic Everyday Cooler would be great.

The basics

Sunscreen

Blue Lizard has been a favorite since the kids were babies. Super safe and great for sensitive skin, our favorites are the 50 lotion & the face stick. We also love the Alba Botanica spray & anything Supergoop! For adults, we use Supergoop or SunBum which also both smell delightful.

Towels

You may have a million, but if you’re looking for a more lightweight, easy to pack towel, we love the Dock and Bay large or XL towels. They are super compact, don’t hold sand like a thicker towel does, and dry insanely quickly. For soft, cuddly towels we love LL Bean or Lands End, but they definitely take up more room in the bag!

Beach chairs

Depending on the ages of your kids, you may or may not get to sit in the chairs for long, but they’re important nonetheless! Ours love sitting 2 kid per chair for snack time, too. These are some of our faves, but again, I’d go with whatever the rental home has to offer.

Waterproof Sandals

I know it sounds obvious, but the right shoes are essential! Lightweight, slip on (hands free), and easy to hose off are the must haves for us. The waterproof Birkenstock sandals are my favorite beach shoe yet. There are plenty of knock-offs that will do the job.

Kid beach favorites (3 years +)

Our kids love to swim, ride waves, hunt for seashells and seaglass, take walks, build castles, dig holes (or make Chelsea dig an entire pool), and play any sort of game on the beach. We spend hours and hours on the beach each summer, and it’s truly never enough. Some of their (and our) favorites are below!

Beach games

“Sticky ball” (velcro ball), kadima, and bocci ball are their current favorite easy-to-pack beach games. We also love a football, frisbee, baseball or soccer ball, of course.

Sand toys

Our 6-11 year olds still love to build castles and pools and many other things out of sand, so sand toys still come with us daily. Bonus points for multiple big shovels and buckets at this stage.

We also bought a couple of these bags years ago and our kids love carrying the sand toys as backpacks. Favorite toys have been added, and we’ve gotten rid of those we don’t use, but anything that they’ll happily carry themselves is a win! These days our kids usually take turns carrying these, the shibumi, and pushing the cart, per their requests!

Boogie boards

At their current ages, this is probably my kids’ top beach activity. If you’re a beach regular, I’d go with this boogie board. It’s also great as they’re venturing into the ocean more and more boldly to send them with a board.

We also love when a rental house has these to use, because it’s no fun to haul them back and forth to the coast. If all else fails, buy a cheap one at Wings and leave it for the people after you!

Skim Board

Not a must-have, but it provides hours of entertainment for our kids! Another item some rental homes have for you to use, which is always a bonus!

Shell bag

Our kids spend hours walking and hunting for beach treasures, and we always carry quite a bit home with us. These bags aren’t necessary, but make a great stocking or Easter basket stuffer and may get you off the hook for holding some of the shells 😉 They’re also super easy to pack!

Headlights

After dark strolls on the beach (especially if they involve looking for crabs in the surf) are a tradition of my family summers. These headlights are perfect for the kids to wear and explore. Another great gift idea if you have a beach trip coming up!

Best toddler beach gear (9 months – 3 years)

Toddlers can be both delightful and exhausting at the beach. The wide open space and tide pools are toddler perfection, but the sand and sweat levels hit an all time high with mobile littles. Bring some toys, plenty of snacks, and spray sunscreen for reapplying and let them run wild and exhaust themselves!

Green Toys Wagon

Maybe my favorite beach toy ever. We had more than one and they used it for YEARS. Our kids loved pulling it behind them on the beach, loading and unloading sand, carrying their treasures in it, and using it as a mini water table.

Sand Toys

Other than the wagon above, you just need your standard mix of buckets and shovels. Maybe a few dump trucks or diggers. Multiple of the same type/size if you have multiple kids and don’t want to listen to fighting all day. Ask us how we know.

Big Kid toys

See list above, but my toddlers also loved shell bags, headlamps (who doesn’t?!), boogie boards, and the beach games! They’re not just for big kids! Also if yours love to swim, we found life jackets or puddle jumpers super helpful when ours were little.

Single or Double Bob stroller

Depending on the number of kids you’re taking to the beach, the Bob stroller can be a lifesaver! When we had 3 under 3, the Double Bob was the only way I got to the beach solo. The tires can handle the sand, you have storage space for some gear, and can add a giant stroller clip to hold a bag or two (just make sure it’s not so heavy it’ll pull the stroller over!).

This also allows for comfy beach walks, a great place for beach naps, and an easy & shaded changing spot! Add a towel to keep the seat less sandy & wet and a stroller fan for a breeze and you are good to go.

The basics

1 million snacks (+ water bottles!)

That’s a real numerical suggestion. Plus individual containers if you also want to snack and don’t like to crunch on sand.

Sunhat + sunglasses

A monogramed ballcap or this hat in a toddler size (9-18months) were our go to! Sunglasses are also great & fun if they’ll keep them on.

Spray sunscreen

Is there anything worse than reapplying sunscreen on a sandy flailing toddler?? Probably not. Just do yourself a favor and use the spray sunscreen for everywhere except the face. We always start with a base coat of lotion before going out to the beach and then use the spray for reapplication. Worth. it.

Life jacket or puddle jumper

We love that our babies love the water, and we also know the constant attention that comes with that. Ours play in tide pools or waves independently as we watch, and they love for us to swim out deeper with them, too. When they were little it gave us some peace of mind to know they had a floatation device of some sort on them (this is our favorite because it can’t slip off!). Bonus points if it’s neon colored and easy to spot anytime!

Best beach gear for babies (0-9 months)

I honestly love taking babies to the beach. Mine found the sound of the surf super soothing, loved the breeze, and easily took beach naps on whoever volunteered to hold them.

KidCo GoPod

We never brought additional things for our babies to lay in before they were sitting up. A parent, grandparent or beach towel in the shade worked just fine! Once they could sit up and wanted to pay attention to what was going on, the KidCo GoPod was a lifesaver! Hook toys on for playing, easily feed them solids or let them snack, or just place them in the shade and they can’t move but can still see what’s happening. It folds up like a tiny camping chair (and the Shibumi!) so is super easy to transport!

Sun hat

I swear by this one (or this style)! Adjusts to fit their heads well, the tie helps it stay on, and it’s so lightweight mine never even fought it when they were babies/toddlers. Plus it truly keeps them protected from the sun & is super easy to pack.

Stroller fan

You never know what you’re going to get wind wise at the beach, so it’s great to have this on hand in case of a sweaty beach nap or stroll.

Single or Double Bob

See above for the lifesaving use of the Double Bob stroller. I honestly cannot count the beach naps my crew took in ours. There are a few other items that make beaching with babies easier than it sounds. You can tell my love for this, but honestly it saved me years of shortened beach time with so many tiny babes!

Also depending on the number of kids with you and how hot & humid it is outside, your favorite baby carrier can be helpful at times! The summer I had a newborn on the beach + 3 toddlers, I used a wrap or ring sling often, just because I needed my hands for the others.

A day at the beach as a parent isn’t quite the relaxing break it used to be, but it’s still so much fun. Plan to play more as you did when you were a kid and get ready to be covered in sand.