My favorite beach gear

We spend a lot of time on the beach, so I thought I'd write a post about my favorite beach gear. I must say I enjoy having the right thing at the right time and passing on my awesome finds.

I recently discovered Saltwater Canvas mesh bags, and I am in love. I wish I could justify buying one in every color. They stand up on the beach, hold a bunch of stuff, and look cute. The thing I like the best is that you can fit towels and other large items on the inside, and then stack the outside pockets with all those little things that get lost in a big beach bag: sunscreen, books, goggles, sunglasses. Also, the mesh means that sand just shakes out.

Aqua Sphere swim goggles kind of changed the game for us. I think my kids are typical in that they had a real aversion to getting their eyes wet, so they were afraid to stick their faces in the water. These goggles have such a great, consistant seal that they stopped being afraid of getting wet....and learned to swim! Then my husband and I got some- they are really amazing. I always hated goggles before because they never really worked. Not these kind.

Check out our family of goggles:

When I posted this list on Facebook, a friend suggested a sunscreen stick, and I couldn't agree more. I lather the kids with sunscreen when we first arrive at the beach, but later, when we are all sandy, it is really hard to reapply on the face. I use this Coppertone kids sunscreen stick to get their cheeks, lips, ears, nose. I try to carry one at all times.

These days, everyone needs a rash guard. I used to buy Lands End, but to be honest, they don't hold up to frequent wear, even when hand washing. Now I go to Swim Outlet or Coolibar.  With his rash guard, my husband no longer gets burned on his back. I wish I could get him to wear a bucket hat (see below). My kids just know that a rash guard is a fact of life.

Speaking of Coolibar, if you have child under 4, you have to buy this bucket hat. This is my favorite kid product, hands down. It stays on the head, can get wet, dries quickly, and provides a lot of coverage. Many other hats are annoying and kids don't want to wear them. This one does the job.

And another favorite Coolibar product: the infant beach romper. This romper protects baby's delicate skin and keeps sand out of tender places.

We always take a small fabric cooler, like this one from Thermos. I try not to take something too huge.

I love taking our Easy Lunchboxes to the beach, because you can pack the whole lunch (including snacks) right in the boxes and you're done. No passing around the containers or bags of chips- each person has his/her own. 

I don't have chairs, tents, or umbrellas on this list, because here in the DR, umbrellas and other major accessories kind of scream American. We usually bring some beat-up chairs or frequent a beach that provides them. No one uses a tent here- in fact, no local brings half the stuff that an American brings to the beach, but we have accepted this fact. I try to minimize as best I can.

So there you have it- my favorite beach products. Hope this helps someone else!