And just like that.... we have a six month old! Time is absolutely flying by and we have been busier than ever! (Hence, the lack of blog posts) :)
In addition to everything taking place in our lives this past month, we also went to the beach for a week long vacation. This post will outline a few items that we loved having with us at the beach for our five month old!
Outdoor Blanket - This blanket was amazing for the beach. It folds up into a little bag for easy carrying, and it's easy to throw in the washing machine when you're done! We received this as a present from my work shower, and it was truly a life saver to have. We have lots of pictures of Bennett lounging and sleeping in the shade on this blanket.
Battery-Operated Fan - I thought of this last minute before leaving for the beach.. thank goodness for free and quick shipping via Amazon Prime! :) This fan was great to have on the beach (and it's extremely slim so it fit well and easily into our big beach bag). It takes 6 D batteries, and we used it all day long on the beach for a week, and it's still kicking! Our friends borrowed this fan for their beach trip this week, so I'm anxious to see how long it'll last on one set of batteries. Regardless, it was nice to have a constant breeze for Bennett while on the beach and by the pool. Also, we didn't need it for this - but if you did, it comes with a cord as well, so if your room was a little warm in your beach house, it could serve as an indoor fan as well.
Rash Guards - We were lucky enough to receive a few new rash guards as gifts for showers, but also lots of swim hand-me-downs from cousins (thank you Ali/Brady and Sus/Ethan)! One piece of advice I have on rash guards for summer time: go one size up for your little guy/girl. The true size that they're in will probably be a little too snug for comfort (mixed with the warm weather, you'll have an overheated baby in no time). We went with the size 9 month rash guards (he's currently in 6 month tops) and they worked perfectly for Bennett. This little pineapple rash guard with the matching pineapple trunks were my favorite! :) Don't forget a beach hat for their little heads!
Honest Company & Babyganics Sunscreens - We loved both brands. There are so many different brands of sunscreen out there for babies (so it can definitely be overwhelming when trying to choose the best one for your little guy/girl), but these two came highly recommended from friends. Both are tear-free, mineral-based and worked great for Bennett.
Beach Umbrella - We liked having an umbrella for shade for Bennett. We often sat under there with him too while he napped, but we brought two down to the beach with us (one for us, one for him), to make sure that he had enough space in the shade to nap and play while being completely covered. You can never be too careful having them in the shade, completely lathered up in lotion and covered in hats/rash-guards/suits! :)
Side note: We made the mistake one day on the beach of letting Bennett nap without his hat on, thinking that it may be too hot for him. He was completely under the shade, wearing his bathing suit and rash guard, while also lathered in sunscreen - but we didn't take into account that the sun could/would reflect off the sand and onto Bennett's face while he slept. While the sun was never shining on him, he did manage to get a little sunburn on his face, without being directly exposed to the sunlight. Lesson learned - always nap with a hat and reapply sunscreen even when your little guy has been napping in 100% shade for 2+ hours. We definitely won't be making that mistake again and were much more careful for the rest of our trip :)
It made it easy also traveling with Bennett's teething toys mentioned in last month's blog post - if they were to drop in the sand, they were so easy to quickly rinse off and give back to him :)
There were a million other items we brought for Bennett for the week - but these were the most beach-specific ones I'd recommend looking into if you plan on taking a trip to the beach soon with your little one! I'm sure this list will be much larger later this summer for another beach trip with a mobile baby - lots of toys and additional things to keep him occupied when he's able to move around! :)
