Why do people find Beach vacations easy with toddlers?
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Anonymous
| We went to Cape Cod last summer and had so much but only went to the beach one day. That day was SO MUCH WORK. My kids were 2.5 and 16 months old we had to schlep umbrellas, food , chairs, a tent, beach toys, sun protection stuff etc. then drive to the beach. Stayed out there for about 2 hours to get back home for naps and when we got home it took forever getting all of the sand off the kids off o out of the car off all of the stuff. It was exhausting. What are we doing wrong? How do you make Beach vacations work with little kids w/o all of that work? |
Anonymous
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1. We stay in a house walking distance to the beach.
2. We use a cart to carry all of that stuff. 3. We stay down at the beach as long as possible, and either they nap at the beach or we leave all the stuff and a grown up and go back to the house for a nap and come back later. 4. I love beach vacations with small children because they can't hurt anything. They can dig and splash and run, and no one cares. If you have to drive, this is only fun if you go for a very short time and don't take quite so much stuff (not possible if it's a long drive), or if you're visiting someone who is already there and set up. However, if you're only going to be there for two hours, why are you taking all the stuff you'd need if you were there all day? Some towels, small bucket set, water, and diapers/trash bag should be enough. |
Anonymous
| Oh! and put the sunscreen on at home when they're naked. |
Anonymous
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You stay at a resort so the chairs and umbrellas are there already and there is wait staff to bring you food and beverages.
No driving and all you have to haul is a beach bag with sun screen and sand toys from your room down to the beach. What you describe sounds horrible, I agree. |
Anonymous
| Seriously? That’s sounds like a normal day with toddlers. |
Anonymous
|
Beachfront
Cart Tent |
Anonymous
| I don’t think it is easy, but I personally find it worth it. I like the beach and so do my kids. |
Anonymous
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Where are you staying?
You need to stay beachfront at a resort or use a beach set up service so you don't have to lug chairs, umbrellas, coolers, towels, etc. etc. Bonus is there is a bathroom nearby so you don't have to trek a mile to a disgusting public restroom. |
Anonymous
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Beach vacation at resort - walking distance to beach, beach service including umbrellas and chairs and food service already there on the beach, pools as well with service there too.
We also went to cape cod last summer with then 4 and 2 yo’s - more work than Caribbean vacation but we were walking distance (minutes) to beach and has grandparents along to help out. But renting a house and cooking/cleaning is definitely more work than a hotel/resort ...of course it comes with upsides. We always rent houses with pools too, so staying home she swimming in an option. |
Anonymous
It's supposed to be a VACATION! 
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Anonymous
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Cape Cod?
Are there any set up services there? We also use one when we go to the OBX in the summer. We rent a house right on the beach in Corolla and stay for two weeks. Super relaxing. With a set up service, you don't have to lug all that stuff yourself. It has already been put up for you. |
Anonymous
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Our beach vacation with toddlers were enjoyable given:
- We stayed very close to the beach. We either could walk over there for small spurts with minimal stuff, or would schlep a lot of gear over in the morning, set up a group spot, but then still be able to pop back and forth to the beach house for naps, forgotten items, breaks from the son, etc. - We stayed at a house with a pool and heated outdoor shower. Generally, we'd get our beach time in in the morning, and spend the afternoon/evening relaxing at the beach house. Obviously, well-gated pools are a priority, but we never had issues with that. Outdoor shower helped with sand issues because we'd quickly rinse off when we got home. - Beach house not hotel or small condo gave us space to relax and ability to do our own thing with regard to food. - Being close to the beach also meant parents could take a bit of time for themselves on the beach. I love my beach vacation morning walk/runs on the beach, and we typically go with extended family, so DH and I would often go drink a beer together by the ocean after we put the little ones down. |
Anonymous
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I personally think toddler amusement parks are the easiest with kids. Places like Dutch Wonderland or Idylwild. They run around, ride lots of rides and then sleep for hours in the stroller while we go on better adult rides. Camping was easy as hell too.
My DD hated the beach. She screamed when her feet hit the sand. She didn't want to sit in it and she screamed in the ocean. She's easy going and mild tempered so we were surprised by how much she hated it. We've been 3x and she hated it every time. |
Anonymous
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You're doing it all wrong OP.
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Anonymous
| There are no "vacations" with toddlers and small children. There are only "trips." |