Carefree and kids don’t seem to go together once you’ve crossed the threshold and left behind those lazy pre-kid beach days where you’d only need to chuck on your swimsuit, grab a towel and your favorite book and head out the door. Now it can feel like mission impossible just to rally the troops and step foot outside the house, let alone making sure you’ve got ALLLLLL the things you might need to keep the rugrats happy on your “relaxing” (sigh) beach day.

But even with a toddler in the mix, with a little planning, a family day at the beach can still be fun and carefree. The better prepared we feel, the more confidence we’ll have to give our kids lots of idyllic seaside memories together as a family.

Here are 10 of our top tips to make your family beach days carefree and fun;

1. Timing is everything

When you have kids, the best time to head to the beach is generally going to be early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Not only can you avoid the harsh midday sun and reduce your chances of some nasty sunburn, it also means you beat the crowds and have an easier time finding a parking spot. It’s never fun lugging everything down to the beach from a car park miles away, all while jostling the kids to keep on the footpath. By beating the crowds, you’ll also have a greater pick of the spots for where to set up.

2. Take twice as much food as you think you’ll need

Nothing makes you hungrier than a day at the beach (there is no greater universal truth, am I right?), so it’s pretty much guaranteed that the kids will be ravenous from all the sun, sea and splashing around. Keep their energy levels up by having plenty of food and drink on hand, including enough for the trip home.

3. Pack frozen drink bottles.

For a day at the beach, they can be a real treat! We like to use ours as ice packs to keep food cold, and then they’re ready to drink for the car ride home.

4. Have a bucket of water for rinsing sand off hands

We all know how much sand can get EVERYWHERE when dining on the beach, especially when it comes to kids! By having a bucket of water available (filled from the ocean) the whole family can easily rinse off their hands before handling their lunch.

5.  Prepare beach-friendly foods

Think snacks, snacks and more snacks, because you definitely don’t want anyone to become hangry at the beach! Some of our faves are dips with veggie sticks and crackers, fresh seasonal fruits, pretzels and granola bars. For lunch, we love skewered foods, wraps and sandwiches - basically anything that’s low fuss and is guaranteed to be eaten. If you love to cook, making up a few big containers of food to share can be fun, especially if you serve it out onto individual dinnerware and make sure to keep sand out of the containers when serving up..

6. Take your bobo&boo dinnerware

Having kid's dinnerware to serve out individual portions of food is always a great idea to minimize the chances of your containers of food getting filled up with sand. Our eco-friendly dinnerware is perfect because it’s lightweight, durable and BPA free. Available in either bamboo or plant-based, there’s a whole range of fun colors to choose from. You can check out our awesome kid’s dinnerware sets here.

7. Think outside the box for sand play 

We probably shouldn’t say this, but a bobo&boo cup (or bowl) doubles as a great sandcastle tool! Our dinnerware is non-toxic and biodegradable (and the plant-based is even compostable), which means you won’t be giving more cheap plastic toys to the ocean if one gets left behind. Don’t leave one behind though, it’s easy to keep track of these beauties by doing a simple check of your dinnerware sets before you leave. 

8. Go non-toxic

The last thing you’ll want to take on your family beach day is a heap of toxins. There are some great alternatives available for pretty much everything these days, and you can start by making sure to stick to natural sunscreens, non-toxic dinnerware and food/drink containers, natural fiber clothing and towels, and by avoiding BPA plastic and PVC beach toys and products as much as possible.

9. Take your trash with you

Be prepared by taking a trash bag to collect all your rubbish and food scraps to dispose of off the beach. Better yet, you could make it a teachable moment for the kids by spending some time together collecting rubbish off the shore.

10. Plan and have dinner sorted for when you get home

Chances are the kids won’t be the only ones pooped after a big day at the beach, so think ahead  for an easy meal when you get home. You could have something already cooking in the slow cooker or pizzas waiting in the fridge ready to put in the oven.

And remember with all this said, things don’t usually go perfectly to plan. You might forget something important at home, someone might have a  few too many tantrums, sand might get everywhere… and that’s okay. The most important thing is to have fun and create some beautiful memories together. And what better place is there to do that than the beach!