Road Tripping & Beach Bound

In just a month we are heading to the Outer Banks to spend some beach time with our friends.  And I am irrationally excited about this.  We have taken some awesome trips the past few years, but I have missed the sand in my toes for sure.

We took Gianna to Myrtle Beach when she was 18 months old and it was a gloriously relaxing vacation.

She is so pumped about this trip because two of her best friends will be there – I know they are all going to have a KILLER time.

I have never taken a wee baby to the beach though and the idea of lugging my littlest most-particular-princess to the beach is a little daunting to be quite honest.  I have a beach tent to keep her out of the sun.  And protective swim suits and a hat for her.  I thought she might be sitting up on her own by the time we left, and maybe she will be, but right now she isn’t.  Needless to say I am a little unsure of what all to bring with me to entertain her, keep her cool and protected from the sun.

So far my plan is to bring her beach tent and pretty much keep her in there with a few toys.  we will have a large beach towel so she can lay down and eat sand play if she wants.  Perhaps the bumbo seat would be a good option for her too.  Someone on FB mentioned bringing a little baby bathtub for her – which, possibly, but that might be a bit much to lug to/from the beach house. Sunscreen, obviously, we have under control. 

What other tips might you have for enjoying a trip to the beach with a baby who may (or may not) be quite particular about life?!

We are renting a house down there and planning on buying the majority of our food when we get there – but aside from cleaning products & personal stuff– what are things we should bring with us?

And for the to and from portion of our beach vacation we will be road tripping.  Aleesia will be fine in the car, and honestly I think Gianna will be too.  Luckily both girls generally sleep anytime they are buckled into their seats!  I want to put together a few things to entertain Gianna – she has been really into coloring lately so we will pack a lot of crafty/coloring stuff.  And her v.reader and the eyepad, naturally.  I found a few ideas on pinterest but it’s questionable whether or not I find the time to do any of them.  Has anyone tried anything awesome that would go over well with a FOURyearsold?  I have an old ipod nano that maybe I will have Mike load some tunes on for her… road trip playlist, FTW!

Typically, if we are driving somewhere, we just drive straight there and only stop to eat and use the bathroom.  We decided this time that we would stop on the way there and home (when we passed the halfway point) and maybe find some cool things to see along the way, since we are going to need to stop to eat and use the bathroom ANYWAY. I believe the world’s largest hammock is on our list… we are notoriously NOT GOOD at road tripping, in general, so I’m hoping this helps to make the trip portion of this vacation more enjoyable.

Any other beach-going  (or Outer Banks specific) tips/advice you want to throw my way, I’m all ears.