On our recent trip across the pond to our home state, we were so excited to introduce Olivia to the beauty that is Lake Michigan.  Tyler and I are both born and raised Michigander’s, and grew up never far from one of the Great Lakes.  Although in true Michigan fashion the weather didn’t always cooperate, we were able to squeeze in a few great beach days with our little babe.  Since I put in a fair share of research on the back end to make her beach days “effortless”, I’m sharing our must haves for beachin’ with babe!

SPF Bathing Suit // I stressed about finding her perfect suit so much, that I had ordered an adorable two piece Flamingo theme months in advance.  Unfortunately for me, I didn’t take into account that our babe grows like a bean, and the suit was a bit snug once our beach bound time came.  I’m always preaching the gospel of Amazon Prime, and thankfully I found the MOST ADORABLE suit for our little Livstar to enjoy the rest of her days at the beach.  Since sunscreen is a battle, I love the long sleeves and UPF 50+ features so that the battle time is cut in half.  I’m a new RuffleButt convert, and am so in love with the brand, the quality, and the adorable design.  Shop // Exact Suit: HERE and HERE –> Girls Swimwear or HERE –> Boys and HERE

Sunscreen // A no-brainer for fair skinned little ones, sunscreen is a must for a day at the beach.  Sunscreen has been a hot topic lately with regards to what ingredients are safe for both adults and babies, and I’ve rounded up some of the top safe picks.  Shop safe sunscreens HERE,  HERE, and HERE

Sun Hat // Let me preface this by saying Olivia hates hats.  With that being said, she’s 11 months old and doesn’t get a say in what she wears, and Mom wants to keep her beautiful little head safe from the sun – so Mom wins!  Tyler figured out a way to tie this hat behind her head so she doesn’t pull at the strings, and it actually works to keep the hat on her head and safe from the rays.  We really love this hat by iPlay (we bought the 9-18 months size, which is great because it’ll last!)  I’ve been keeping a hat in the diaper bag *just in case* for the past few months, and it’s been great for spur of the moment park playing.

Play yard with Canopy // Ok, so ya’ll know I am low-key obsessed with this play yard. It is super portable (it folds up like a lawn chair) and wipes clean of all messes (Olivia spills milk in hers on the reg).  After messing with baby umbrellas, I ordered this canopy so that we can enjoy the rest of our summer without Mom panic of a sunburnt baby. *OH and it’s 30% off right now…run! 

Swim Diapers // I went back and forth on disposable or reusable, and ultimately due to ease (there’s a trash can everywhere, but not necessarily a washer/dryer…) I went with disposable.  I was really impressed with this diaper by Babyganics, and loved that it was pull on/off and not tabbed.  Would absolutely buy again!  I’ve also heard great things about these!

Hot/Cold Bottle // These are great to have on hand pretty much always, as they keep hot water hot for baby bottles up to 12 hours.  On the plus side, they also keep other beverages (read: wine) cold for 24 hours, so I recommend buying one for the little one, and one for the Mama 😉 Shop // HERE or similar HERE

What are your must haves for a relaxing day at the beach with your babies?  Let me know in the comments!