We love the sand and the sun, so as soon as my husband suggested last minute that we go south for a week, I was totally on board. We honestly didn’t think we would be able to take a family vacation anytime soon, since Sayla’s spinal surgery was scheduled for early summer. When we found out her surgery was cancelled, I was very upset about it, so I think Patrick knew I needed some beach in my life. It was the perfect way to end the quarantine!
30A is a small coastal highway that runs along the Florida panhandle, and is a favorite destination for our family! The beach towns are beautiful, clean, and family friendly, and the best part of course, is the white sand and crystal clear water all along this part of the gulf coast.
One of my brothers, one of Patrick’s brothers, and his sister were all able to join us for this trip so the kids got some quality Aunt and Uncle time. On our second day of being in Florida, my husband surprised me by flying in one of my best friends to stay with us for the rest of the week. It was amazing! We all got in some pool time, beach time, and went out to eat for the first time in months. All establishments we visited had taken thorough coronavirus safety precautions. This was the easiest beach trip I have ever taken with children, so below are four tips that I think made a big difference this time:
- Rent beach chairs and umbrella.
I know this can get expensive, but try and put it in the vacay budget! I promise your trip will be much more enjoyable when you’re not carrying everything back and forth to the beach each time with the kids in tow.
- Rent a home/condo with beach toys provided.
This was something I have never thought about, but it quickly became a game changer for us! The rental had a closet full of beach toys for my kids to choose from each day. The toys were already sandy, so I returned them back to the closet sandy. Easy peasy.
- Get a beach accessible wagon to pull the children and gear in.
Pepper, toys, and beach bag went in the wagon while Pax walked…unless he was too exhausted after playing in the sun to walk.
- Make dinner reservations prior to the trip if possible.
Most restaurants in beach towns are “first come, first serve,” so when this was the case, I would feed the kids dinner at the house before we would go out to eat with whole family. Makes the wait much more enjoyable for everyone!
Swimsuits:
April | Patrick | Pax | Pepper
The kids’ matching dinner outfits are from Walmart (super excited to find them in the store!!), but unfortunately, I can not find the exact links for you. I have attached what I could find! Hope this helps. Please let me know ALL your beach tips with kids in the comments below!!
Photos by Dapper House
(This post is not sponsored, but does contain affiliate links.)
