At the beginning of this month, while we were visiting Clark's family, we took a day trip to the beach. It was impossible to be that close to the ocean (1.5 to 2 hour drive compared to 7 to 8 from home) and not go.

I was nervous. I was afraid we were going to get there and Michael wouldn't like the sane. Or the water. Or he'd get too hot. Or I'd forget to reapply his sunscreen. Or we wouldn't have enough food/liquids for him.

The list goes on.

Still, after doing some search through the blogosphere and google-ing the subject as much as possible, I came up with the Top Five things (in my opinion) to have for a baby beach trip.

1. Lots of Water
I know this may seem a bit redundant, but it is just as important to keep the little one hydrated as it is yourself. While Michael wasn't too keen on his water bottle, for whatever reason, he was very content to drink from one of our nice and cold ones. Perhaps bring a bottle with a sports top (or whatever you like to call it) so it's easy for the baby to drink from it.

2. Apply, Reapply, and Keep Track of Sunscreen
I will admit that one of Michael's legs got a little pink. And when I say a little, I do mean a little. He fell asleep under our cabana and the sun moved while he was sleeping and his leg that was in the sunlight got a tiny bit too much sun. KEEP TRACK OF WHEN YOU NEED TO REAPPLY! Since the baby's skin is so delicate, it's super important to make sure you apply whenever the sunscreen says to.

3. Hat
As mentioned in #2, the baby's skin is delicate. This being said, you should cover their delicate heads/faces. A hat is a perfect solution, especially if you have one that wants to go splash in the tiniest of waves (with you holding/sitting/standing close by, of course).

4. A Cabana, Sun Tent, or Umbrella
While Clark thought I was being a little dramatic when I said we had to have one of these things, I was persistent. Luckily his family had a cabana so we didn't have to go buy our own (yet). Just like #2 and #3, keeping the baby shaded is vital. If you plan on being out on the beach through his/her nap time, make sure you have a way to cover him. Sunscreen won't do the job completely... plus you want to keep him/her as cool as you can.

5. Snacks
For yourself and baby! We brought a cooler full of drinks, fruit, and more. We wanted Michael to feel as "at home" as possible at the beach. After all, if you enjoy something tasty, so will the baby. If he/she is under six months, just make sure your BM or bottle is readily available!

The last one that didn't make the top 5, but I thought I'd throw in as a suggestion, is a little baby pool. While Michael preferred to play in the "big bathtub", he did love that we had a little pool underneath the cabana. It was another way for him to cool down. Just bring a bucket to fill it up with water, and you've got another way of keeping baby happy close to you (in case you don't want to venture out in the sun for an endless amount of time as well)!