Family beach holiday packing list

With children at the beach, sun protection is most of the job — and a UV swimsuit does more of it than any amount of chasing a wet child with a sunscreen bottle.

75 items · 7-day beach holiday, hot and dry weather, with a checked bag, travelling with kids · tick them off, print, or adjust the list to your trip below

Cover them with fabric, not just cream

A long-sleeved UV swimsuit blocks sun continuously without needing reapplication every eighty minutes to a child who is in the sea. Sunscreen still goes on faces, hands and feet, but the surface area you're responsible for drops enormously. Add a wide-brimmed hat with a chin strap, because the ones without get lost on day one.

Bring your own shade

Most beaches have none, and hiring a parasol isn't always possible. A pop-up beach tent gives a baby somewhere to nap and everyone else somewhere to retreat at midday, when the UV index peaks and small children stop enjoying themselves. It's bulky and it is consistently the item families say they'd bring again.

Sand and water need a logistics answer

A wet bag for swimwear keeps the rest of the beach bag dry and the hire car survivable. Baby powder is the standard trick for getting sand off skin — it dries the moisture the sand is clinging to and it brushes straight off. Bring more towels than seems reasonable; they're never dry when you need the next one.

Medication, dosing and the travel day

Children's paracetamol and ibuprofen dose by weight, and formulations differ between countries — bring what you already know how to use, plus a thermometer. For the flight, pack a change of clothes per child in the cabin bag and a spare top for whichever adult is holding them. Downloaded shows, not streamed ones.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you protect children from the sun at the beach?

Cover them with fabric rather than relying on cream alone. A long-sleeved UV swimsuit gives continuous protection without you chasing a wet child around with a bottle every ninety minutes, and a sun hat with a chin strap survives the first day, which the ones without generally do not.

How do you get sand off children?

Baby powder. Sprinkle it on dry skin and the sand brushes straight off, including the film that a towel just grinds in further. It is the standard trick among parents who have spent a week on a sandy beach, and it takes almost no room in the bag.

What do you need for a beach holiday with a toddler?

Bring your own shade — a pop-up beach tent, because most beaches have none and midday UV is exactly when it stops being fun. Add a wet bag for swimwear so the beach bag and the hire car stay survivable, and float vests or armbands you actually trust, since rental gear at the pool is a lottery on both fit and condition.

Each one is a full list with advice specific to that trip — and the generator underneath it, so you can adjust it to yours.

Family beach holiday packing list

Cover them with fabric, not just cream

Bring your own shade

Sand and water need a logistics answer

Medication, dosing and the travel day

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