Beach vacation

[SpringCrane]

Hi all! We're leaving in a couple of weeks for a stay in Hawaii. My baby is 6 months. He's just barely starting to think about sitting independently. I'm hopeful he'll be a strong sitter by the time we're there, but he might still be a tummy timer.

We'll be doing some hikes and visiting sites, but I imagine most of our time will be spent at the beach. Any suggestions on how to make the beach fun for a 6 month old? He's obviously putting EVERYTHING in his mouth, so I'm worried about/grossed out by sand in the mouth. A little bit is expected, but mouthfuls have me worried! And dropping his teething toys and him putting them right back in his mouth... yuck. Sorry, not a fan of sand!

We have a shade tent, wide brim hat, and full length sunsuit. So, the basics. Anything else helpful?

Just wondering if there are any clever tips for a beach trip with baby, really. We didn't really take my older boy until he was walking, and with just one, I pretty much left him to my beach loving husband while I hid away from sand with a book and snacks ;-)

 

[iBeach]

Bring the largest flat sheet you have . King size works fine. It will give you enough space to move around without touching the sand.

 

[jessmke]

We've been taking Isla to the beach all summer and honestly it is a pain in the butt. She doesn't like being held and always wants to be put down, but as soon as you put her down she almost obsessively puts handfuls of sand in her mouth. We've tried the giant sheet thing but it didn't work for us, she just crawls off it, or before she could crawl she would pull the sheet until it was bunched around her so she could get to the sand. We've also tried the pop up tent but she just cries when she is contained in any way, and if we put down the side flap she just crawls out (he's been crawling since 6 months old) or flops out onto her belly to get to the sand.

Since your little one isn't super mobile yet I would recommend a bumbo. We took one to Mexico with us when Isla was 10 weeks old and it was awesome on the beach. She could happily sit up and watch what was going on but was still contained and couldn't get to the sand. We also used it in restaurants instead of a high chair because she was (and still is!) too tiny for most restaurant baby chairs. Isla wouldn't tolerate the bumbo anymore but it was awesome for the beach when she was less mobile.

Where in Hawaii are you going? We will be in Kauai for 16 days at the end of November.

 

[SpringCrane]

Thanks!

I thought about a Bumbo, but how did you travel with it? I guess it could maybe fit in the car seat bag and could gate check the bag and Bumbo even with the car seat installed on the plane... Or does it fit in the overhead?

We'll also be in Kauai, but October. We're staying in Poipu. I haven't been to Kauai yet, so I'm looking forward to it on one level, but baby+sand is yuck!

 

[broodymrs]

Bumbo is a good call. I used a sling with my ds and kept going paddling in the sea. He liked that. He also ate a lot of sand and it was gross.

 

[zorak]

We lived in San Diego and found the beach a nuisance at that stage until baby was walking. One thing that did help was a sun tent that was 4 sided with screens that could be zipped closed. Not too sure how practical it'd be for a vacation though. You may just have to accept that sand will be eaten.

 

[jessmke]

Thanks!

I thought about a Bumbo, but how did you travel with it? I guess it could maybe fit in the car seat bag and could gate check the bag and Bumbo even with the car seat installed on the plane... Or does it fit in the overhead?

We'll also be in Kauai, but October. We're staying in Poipu. I haven't been to Kauai yet, so I'm looking forward to it on one level, but baby+sand is yuck!

I took the bumbo as one of my carry on items. Each person is allowed two pieces of carry on, so I had the diaper bad and bumbo as my two pieces. I just packed my purse in my checked bag and put my wallet and iPad and other things I would need for the flight in the diaper bag. My OH thought it was ridiculous to bring the bumbo but we were both so glad to have it once we were there. I am getting a mesh ring sling designed to be worn in the water to use when we go in November, it will be much cooler for carrying her around than the ergo, and I can take her into the ocean with it. I think it will also be helpful on the beach to keep her out of the sand, but she will be almost a year old when we go so I am hoping the novelty of eating sand will have worn off.

We will be travelling around the island and not just staying in one place. The only place we have booked at the moment is 3 nights in the cabins at Kokee lodge at the Waimea canyon where we can do some hiking before heading to the beach.

 

[MindUtopia]

I am just like you, I hate sand. I hate it so much I avoid the beach. I'm definitely that person who sits up on the grassy bit away from the actual beach when I go to the beach. We're lucky where we live that we have lots of pebble beaches. I don't know about Hawaii, but any chance to could visit one that is more rocks and less sand? Beyond that, I think just embrace it, take a big blanket, pop up tent for shade that has an enclosed bottom sheet, and bring lots of changes of clothes and then just wash up right after. Also, is there a pool there as well? A pool was much better at that age, so if it's possible to spend time there, maybe you and your partner switch off so you can still spend time with your older LO?