Beach Days with Blake

Our beach days have changed A LOT over the years. Before – it was grab a towel, tanning oil, beach chair, and drinks. We could stay at the beach from 11 AM – 5 PM. Fast forward 7 years, and we are at the beach by 8:15 AM {without any of the previously needed items}. Who cares about tanning oil or drinks? It is more about do you have Blake’s towel, water bottle, snacks, her beach chair, sunscreen, diapers etc.? This past weekend we had a family beach day out at St. Pete Beach. We are very fortunate to live close to some of the most beautiful beaches in the country.

Our family beach day started out like any normal day, wake up at 6, feed Blake, and watch Moana, while drinking ALL the coffee (pretty basic in the Kicia household). We had been to brunch the day before with a good friend from Maine and he told us about this place called The Boardwalk Grill out at John’s Pass. We were told they have some pretty amazing lobster rolls, and we wanted to try them. {So} We decided to make a day out of it. Got Blake dressed in her swimsuit, packed up ALL of her things and loaded up the truck. We were parked at the beach at 8:15 and set up by 8:30. For the first 10 minutes Blake refused to move in the sand. She was frozen and terrified to move. Eventually after pointing at all the birds and seeing other kids running around, she took off towards the water and the rest was history.

It has been a lot of trial and error to have a “good” beach day with Blake. However, on Sunday it seems like we figured it out. We spent a couple hours at the beach, let her run around and play in the water. And then when she was starting to get crazy, we loaded up the truck and headed over to John’s Pass to try out the lobster roll at the Boardwalk Grill. IT did not disappoint and they made Blake cheese eggs, which were amazing (and tasted like the kind they make at Waffle House).

It {only} took 16 months to figure out how to have a solid beach day with a baby/toddler. I have linked up some of the must haves that make beach trips with Blake easier.

Happy Traveling!

Beach Items

Gypsy 05 Roundie – I put this down on the ground wherever we set up. I got my mine in a FabFitFun Box but you can purchase them here.
Summer Infant Pop ‘N Sit Portable Booster Seat– This is awesome. It has its own bag, takes up little to no space, and acts as Blake’s very own beach/highchair. You can purchase it here.
Beach Bag- The one I use was a gift for being in a wedding, but I linked up one that I have used and loved! You can view it here.
Flip Flops – Blake hated the sand at first, and the ground has shells and is sometimes hot. These are similar to her flip flops.
Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection SPF 50 with Zinc- Really any baby sunscreen will work. Blake has sensitive skin so we use Aveeno.
Smartfood White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn– The best beach snack and Blake’s favorite. You can purchase it here.
Hooded Towel Poncho- I bought Blake’s at target, but have linked up a similar one here. This is great to help dry her off, keep her warm and it just pulls right over her head.