Tuesday Tip: Baby at the Beach

A friend shared a great idea for making our beach trips a little easier, and I couldn't wait to try it out last week.  Taking both boys to the beach has been a challenge because I still need to keep a very close eye on JD, but O is crawling, eating sand, storing rocks in his mouth- basically getting into trouble in any way he can.  

To keep him occupied in one spot, I brought JD's Safety 1st booster seat along.  It wasn't difficult to carry- I just folded it up and hung it over my shoulder by the straps- and it is very light.  I could strap O in, put the tray on, and let him play while I also gave tons of attention to JD.  We put some water on it to splash in, gave him a few toys, and he was content for much longer than I had feared.  Bonus: I could use it to feed both of the boys without most of their lunch landing in the sand!

Happy to be sitting in the big boy seat

flirting

We put him under the tent for some shade.

We all had a great time!

**It is important to note that he was still able to bend over and reach the ground, so placing him on a mat or towel prevented him from eating sand.  Also, with enough force, he could tip himself over backwards (since the seat is meant to be used against a chair with a back), but you could pile up sand behind the seat to prevent that.  This is NOT a substitute for watching your baby at the beach- just a way to make it a little less stressful.