I say, ‘to beach’ it is! And yes, they were literally running…
Both of us adults in the family were brought up inland, so while the lure of the waves, sand and breeze does get us…its more of an island holiday or Queensland trip that gets us thinking ‘beach’. But, we actually have beaches only around 1/2 hour from us here and we have sadly neglected them over the years. For me it was the thought of Melbourne’s ‘bay’ beaches and my old theory that ‘no waves, no beach’. Mind, I am nowadays a real Melbournite and defend Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay beaches fervently! And the lack of waves is perfect for the little ones!
So, this stay-cation, on a beautiful autumn morning we headed off. The whole thing was magic – for the kids it was one big sandpit and an unconditional ‘get as wet as you like’ thing. For Mum and Dad it was all about having our feet buried, making sandcastles and the sound of the waves, seagulls and that other thing…what is it…oh yes, no kids arguing!
What we took for our Autumn morning beach trip;
- the kids already in their bathers, sunscreen, Banz sunglassesses and hats.
- our 2yo, currently potty learning wore swim pants
- water (check our range of gorgeous kids Cheeki drink bottles).
- hot cross buns, its now officially pre-easter and I can’t resist them (ate morning tea on the way)
- beach towels for everyone.
- bucket and spades (raided the sand pit). And the bucket is great to bring your shells home in (show and tell, tick).
- truck (our 2yo boy mainly played with this).
- croc’s (easy on and off and good for checking out rock pools).
- change of clothes (but why bother if the kids are dry when you’re getting back in the car and aren’t sandy).
- lunch (ate on the way home). Don’t miss our Fridge to go to keep things cool for up to 8 hours!
What I’d recommend;
* If you don’t have one of those collapsible picnic baskets I recommend them. They’re great for tossing a whole lot of things together when heading out with the kids. You’ll use it a lot more than you think.
* Stuff it bags, I just grabbed one (from a row of them hanging in our broom cupboard) and filled it with our clean change of clothes. Another one for spare swim pants and wipes.
* If you’re like me and not keen to show off your beach body, don’t despair. I wore my swimmer pants under a light dress. There were no bikini’s there this time of year!
* Map out how to get there before you leave. I also goggled “best (insert your coastal area here) beach for kids” and read a few articles to choose one. Some had barbecue areas and playgrounds which would be OK if you were planning on going for a while and maybe had older kids.
* With younger kids don’t think you have to stay too long. We kept it simple and made it a morning trip – as our lot are fairly worn out after an active 1st semester at Kinder.
* coins – our car park needed coins to buy a ticket! And lets face it, with kids, park as close as you can I say.
So, if you’re not normally a beach goer, aren’t sure if your kids are old enough or worry about too long in the sun – pick a lovely autumn day and enjoy your staycation!
While I don’t have strong childhood memories of the classic Disney movie ‘Mary Poppins’ I have often longed for her arrival at my home over the past few years!
