Taking baby to the beach

We're vacationing on Cape Cod now, and have taken our baby to the beach several times now.  We did it at the Jersey Shore a few weeks ago, and by now I think we have the routine down.  Our baby is about 4 3/4 months old now.



Babies can't use sunblock until they're 6 months old, so it's important to keep them out of the sun until then.  In fact, I'm not sure I want to even use sunscreen on our child until later - I'm a fan of using as few chemicals as possible.  Rubbing them all over his skin when he's still so tiny is a bit scary to me.  We have a sun hat for him, but this doesn't cover his arms and legs.  Sometimes we take him in the Baby Bjorn like this, and it's too hot for him to wear long sleeves, so he gets sun on his arms and legs.  I think it's okay to do this; people have been living outdoors since long before blogs and sunscreen and written history so I don't think it's the end of the world.  Of course, there weren't big holes in the ozone layer then, but that's a topic for another post (or blog).  Above is the original Baby Bjorn, but ours is black.  It's a lifesaver, especially when you need two hands to cook or do something.  That's not us in the picture there, that's an ad.

I have an old camping blanket that can be staked to the ground, which works well as the first layer between baby and the sand.  The blanket is around 8 ft by 6 ft, so when we place him in the middle he's a good distance from the sand.  Then we have this 9ft Sportbrella XL that I got at BJ's wholesale club.  It covers the blanket with room to spare, and unfolds very easily.  It opens like an umbrella and stakes into the sand pretty well.  I try to set it up so the wind hits the outside of it, but that's hard when the sun is coming from a different direction.  Yesterday I pointed it south west, since the wind was from the south and we were planning on staying into the afternoon.  In New Jersey we had some problems with it getting blown out of the sand, but there are pockets on the inside that you can fill with things to weigh it down.



We also have a folding bathtub that's made of vinyl or some plastic material.  Using a regular beach pail I filled it with water and let the sun warm it for an hour or two so it would be a better temperature for baby.  Once it's warm enough I pull it under the umbrella so he has shade while he swims.  We hold him under his arms and lower him into the water, and he kicks like crazy!  It's pretty fun to watch, and he seems to enjoy it quite a bit.  Often times he kicks himself out of his swimsuit so a lot of times we don't bother with a bathing suit at all.  We've filled the tub with fresh water from the hose as well, but never chlorinated water.  Chlorine is only a little bad for adults, but for babies it's very very bad.  It can lead to respiratory problems or worse.  We're going to avoid putting him in a chlorine pool as long as we can.

I think he really likes the white noise of the waves, and I'd bet the rhythm of the ocean reminds him of being in the womb.  He's taken naps on the beach, under supervision, and is content just to lay on the blanket and kick.  In the future we can look forward to sand castles and chicken fights, but just laying there is fun too!