What to Pack for the Beach

The best bonus of living in Southern California is the amount of time our family gets to spend at the beach. Which means we really narrowed down what to pack for the beach. Here is our packing list for a great beach day with the kids.

Everything We Pack for a Day at the Beach

Here are some of my favorite buys and what we bring to the beach, use this guide as a packing list for what to pack for the beach with kids.

1.This EltaMD UV Tinted Face Screen is my everyday essential and I now use it as my bb cream. I love that it has a little bit of a tint and gives me light coverage and also sun protection as it’s SPF 46 and formulated for sensitive skin.

2. I love this beach cover up so much I own it in two colors, the black and the white. But it comes in tons of colors. It’s flattering and so easy to throw on, especially if you’re heading to lunch after on need to run errands. It’s appropriate enough to not look like a beach cover up if you need it to!

3.We’ve been getting Hurley board shorts for a few years. They last for several years and he has been able to grow into a few of them over several seasons. Great colors, the fit is cute and they’re super durable.

4.This inexpensive tote has become the perfect beach bag. It fits everything I need and is incredibly durable.

5.We love this Yeti Rambler to help keep drinks cool on the go.

6.This pack of beach toys is always in our trunk. And this simple little mesh bag helps keep them organized.

We also love the Surfer Dude toy the kids spend hours tossing him in the water.

7. Beach Blanket —Thick and doesn’t collect sand and you can roll it up. Also an item that lives in my trunk. A perfect beach blanket.

8. Beach Chairs— I finally found aesthetically pleasing and durable beach chairs, a little more pricey but worth the splurge.

We also love a good umbrella for super sunny days.

Sunscreen — I recommend splurging on this one at the beginning of the summer season and we use it all year long. I also love this one to reapply at the beach.

Shop Our Beach Essentials

9. Sun hat—The older I get the more I never leave for the beach without a hat.I love this bucket style hat and I also own this one which I often pack for our resort vacations.

10. Best bathing suit—I love a simplicity of the perfect one piece black bathing suit, and this one is wearable and chic.

11. Paddle boards— we purchased two of these paddleboards last summer and we got so much use out of them. The kids enjoy riding along and we get a little exercise and scenery.

It’s now one of my favorite things to take to the beach. Highly recommend also purchasing this pump, it makes all the difference with inflatable paddle boards.

12. Beach towels— Plush oversized towels are the way to go for the beach. They’re cozy and wash really well.

13. Cooler— I gifted this cooler to my husband on Father’s day and it’s been our favorite cooler to date. We bring it everywhere with us, it packs a lot and it’s so easy to carry.

14. Beach Mesh Tote — I’ve owned this mesh tote for several years and we use it for both resort vacation and beach days for all of the kids beach toys. As an added bonus it’s also very chic and makes for a nice and inexpensive beach bag.

15. Waterproof phone pouch— this two pack is perfect for keeping your phone sand-free at the beach and it’s waterproof for when you’re at the pool. I love that it also comes with a lanyard so I can take my phone when we’re in the water.

16. Portable waterproof speaker— we love a fun vibe at the beach and bringing a speaker along is always a great idea.