Monday, August 13, 2012

Mission: Toddler Beach Packing List

I have been so good about blogging on a consistent basis so far and now I am getting off track! Things get so hard when you have a toddler and are in your 3rd trimester!
We are so excited to be getting ready for our annual beach trip. We didn't get to go last summer since Charlotte was born at the beginning on June. There wasn't really any time to go beforehand and she was just too young the rest of the summer.
I have a great packing list that I have used for Jason and I for the past few years. I keep it on Google Docs so that I can refer back to it no matter where I am and also update it as needed each year. It's a really great list since it's basically been a work in progress for the last 5 years. This year I added an entire new sheet for Charlotte's items. I will probably still think of items to add, especially after we go and come back and I realize what I was missing!
Most of the items are self-explanatory but I'll go through a few of them.

Kitchen Items
Thank goodness we don't have to take bottles and formula! (That will happen next year though!)
- Cups: We have a separate kind of cup that she uses for milk, hence the two different kinds of cups.
- "Cold freezer things" are so we can take milk and fruit out with us.
- Bottle drying rack: We still use this daily at home to dry her milk cups. I just thought I would really miss it if we didn't have it.

Recreational Items
- Float: She has a great float for the pool that allows her to get out of the sun for a bit and gives our arms a rest from holding her in the pool. It's the Swimways Baby Spring Float Activity Center with Canopy.
- Beach bag: We have a giant beach bag that we use but I have a smaller bag for her that goes inside ours. It keeps her sunscreen, snacks, toys, water shoes, etc. separate and easy to find.
- Beach tent: I have heard from so many other parents that this is a complete must for babies/toddlers/kids at the beach. We even had one when I was little although I don't think it's as nice as the one that we recently purchased. I researched the heck out of these things before we settled on the Coleman Instant RoadTrip Beach Shade. It pops up, kind of like an umbrella, and is therefore set up in a little less than a minute, not including staking it down. It has pockets on the sides for sand to help weigh it down even more. I'll do a more thorough product review of this once we are back but we are really excited about using it.
- Inflatable wading pool: I always remember having one of these at the beach when I was younger... Mostly for my younger brother. He could not stand having sand on himself. So my parents set up this little pool under our beach tent and he could just dip himself in it to rinse off. Also, it will allow little ones to play in the water while being on the beach without having to actually be in the ocean.

Toiletries
- Bath mat and Spout cover: She gets so crazy active in the bathtub now that we feel it is necessary to bring these items!

Clothes
I feel like all of this is pretty obvious!

Technology Items
- DVDs are listed because we have a DVD player in our car and will probably let her watch a couple on the way down.
- Baby monitor: We love our video monitor. It makes it so easy just to see what she's doing in the middle of the night if she makes a noise without having to go in the room and disturb her so we definitely want to have it with us.

Medicine
I really think you should never go on any trips without any of these items.

Toys
- Books: We read 3-4 books a day and especially before bed so these are a must! We'll probably make a trip to the library a couple of days before we leave to pick up some new ones.
- Sand toys: We purchased the Spielstabil Backpack Sand Play Set after I read many glowing reviews of the product. Again, this is another product that I will review myself here once we are home. So far, she has loved wearing the backpack around the house. I haven't let her play with it too much so it will still be new and fun on the beach.
- Car toys: We have been slowly gathering new toys over the past month and setting them aside in a bag for the car. I plan on having enough to pull out something new every 30 minutes if needed. And we, hopefully, won't even need that many since she should nap at least part of the way so we should have enough to get us there and back happily!
- Regular toys: I have also been pulling some of her current toys away for the past month so that when we get down there they will be kind of like "new" toys. I'm not taking a lot just enough to give her a few things to do inside every once in a while.
- Bath toys: Rubber ducks, water squirters, Munchkin Star Fountain (which she loves!)... Just enough to keep her busy while we bathe her and wash her hair. 

Miscellaneous Items
- Stain remover: I'll be upset if we get something on one of my favorite outfits for her and have nothing to treat the stain with! And the Dreft stain remover is amazing. I even use it on my own clothes it works so well.
- Sleep sack: She still wears one at night just to keep her covered in a light blanket. It also helps to prevent her from crawling out of her crib.
- Pack N Play mattress: I couldn't stand the thought of her having to sleep on that hard board at the bottom of the pack n play every day and night for over a week so we bought a fabulous Foldable Playard Mattress Topper from MamaDoo Kids. It makes the pack n play so soft and comfy for sleeping and I love the fact that it folds up. It is also made to fit many different brands of playards.
- Pack N Play sheets: I also purchased the Everlasting Playard Sheet from MamaDoo Kids. The standard sheets would have worked but were just slightly too small and therefore kind of difficult to change. The sheet is great and very soft and it has elastic at the corners so very easy to slip on and off.
- Night light: I'm going to bring her night light that is always in her room just as a familiar source of light.
- Strollers: We are considering taking our larger stroller and also our umbrella stroller but that might change after we start packing the car! I'll update on this!

I'll definitely be adding/taking away from this list when we get back. We are so excited to get packing! 



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