These are good suggestions, OP. We like OBX and VA Beach. We loved taking turns when the kids were little - one of us would go back to the house to relax while kids napped, others stayed at the beach. Kids are happy playing at the house, one parent can go for a run, make dinner, read.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all of the advice! Yes we definitely did it wrong...Sounds like a beachfront resort or home is key. Any recommendations on a resort that is beachfront and good for kids? Ideally a drive or direct flight?

Kiawah. Stay at the Sanctuary ($$$) or rent a villa. They have chairs and umbrellas already set up for a fee.

we like the Holiday Inn and Suites, Ocean City MD at 17th st. After several years- here is what works for us.
1. get up in the morning, and eat breakfast in the room. 6.
2. Get in bathing suits, sunscreen kids.
3. Go to the beach, don't bother to take chairs b/c kids need more attention than that. Only take towels, a beach blanket, a water bottle for everyone, some sand toys. Do not expect this to be relaxing, focused on kids.
4. When we start to wear out/ kids get hungry, etc- come back to room (when kids were really little like yours this would often be at 11am, now we make it until 1 or later). Use outside foot rinsers on way up from beach to get visible sand.
5. Upon arrival at room one parent throws all kids together into the big whirlpool bath and the other parent gets lunch ready (again from stuff in the room- the holiday inn and suites has a kitchenette.)
6. eat lunch, and put kids down for naps.
7. during naps, parents sit and relax on oceanfront balcony.
8. after naps, go to the hotel activity pool- super fun, but no sand to deal with.
9. eat an early dinner out.

Anonymous wrote: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.

Interesting. Amusement parks and zoo days are what I consider the most amount of work. I come home bone tired and find it difficult to manage more than one child to keep track of.
My four year old will sit and play in the sand for hours. Once we're past the sunscreen and taking stuff out, the beach is easy.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all of the advice! Yes we definitely did it wrong...Sounds like a beachfront resort or home is key. Any recommendations on a resort that is beachfront and good for kids? Ideally a drive or direct flight?

Don’t rent a house. You cook and clean when you’re not on vacation. You want someplace with daily maid service and eating out options (at the very least for dinner).

Look for a condo at a resort. Usually these are timeshares, but you can sometimes get them through the resort if they aren’t booked that week.

OP, we love ocean city NJ. Super family friendly, get a house right by the boardwalk. It's great.

I grew up on the cape and found it harder to go to the beach when my kids were that little for the reasons you listed.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all of the advice! Yes we definitely did it wrong...Sounds like a beachfront resort or home is key. Any recommendations on a resort that is beachfront and good for kids? Ideally a drive or direct flight?

Gulf Coast of FL: Sanibel, Captiva, Sarasota, Naples. Fly to Fort Myers.

Hawks Cay in the Florida Keys is very family friendly.

I personally prefer the Caribbean. Anywhere in the Caribbean.

Another thought: city vacations are great with stroller bound kids. They won't kvetch about visiting museums and galleries as long as you build in time for playgrounds, naps and ice cream.

Check this out: https://redjacketresorts.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9e3W3vel2gIVl7XACh2_WQSFEAAYASAAEgLghPD_BwE

OP here. Thank you for all of the advice! Yes we definitely did it wrong...Sounds like a beachfront resort or home is key. Any recommendations on a resort that is beachfront and good for kids? Ideally a drive or direct flight?

Also water in Aruba is so calm and warm that it is perfect for toddlers and little kids. Just stick good quality floaties or a swim vest on them and they're good to go. You can stand waist deep for quite a distance.

I do not find the local beaches here to be nice - water is cold, can be rough and there are few full service resorts.

Anonymous wrote:Beachfront
Cart
Tent

This. OP, above are the magic words.

I would also add -
Local beaches (2-3 hours drive from home)
Large house with a pool, on the beachfront

Resort directly on the beach with food and drink service so you don't have to leave once you get there and can enjoy a margarita while having fun with kids in the pool.

Anonymous wrote:There are no "vacations" with toddlers and small children. There are only "trips."

+1

This is where it pays to be at a full-service, beachfront resort rather than an AirBnB.

Resort in the Caribbean with gentle water, beach chairs, umbrellas, food service, etc.

Or, a Disney cruise to the Caribbean.

Both are easy, fun and enjoyable.

We've gone to Bethany every year, but I think last year might have been our last full week there. The beach was crazy crowded, the parking is ridiculous, etc. My ten year old literally said, "I think we need to up our beach game...this is ridiculous!"

I love beach vacations and we have gone the past 3 years with a 1yr old, a 2yr old and then a 3yr old + 8mo old.

We rent a house at a beach we drive to. Because we drive, we have toys, stroller, wagon, noise machines, baby monitors, etc. All the things we need to keep our kids happy. Because we have a house, we get groceries and eat all meals at home so adults and kids can eat on different schedules and kids don’t wait at restaurants. We get a big house with grandparents and siblings so we have a high adult to kid ratio. We get a big enough house that the kids have their own room / quiet place to sleep. We get a house that is on the beach or a quick walk.

We go to the beach early in the morning at 8 or 9am and stay until 11. By the time we head back to the house for lunch and naps, other family has shown up at the beach and we leave our umbrellas and chairs for them. People in our group come and go until dinner time and the last people clean up while another group makes a simple meal.

Staying in a hotel, driving to the beach, or taking my kids to restaurants every day would make it too much work to be enjoyable.