As the weather heats up, you may be lucky enough to be able to head to the beach! Nothing beats a great beach day with the family, but it is also an occasion you have to be prepared for. There are so many things you need to pack, especially if you have kids! Here's my list of essentials to bring to the beach, to make your day as relaxed and stress-free as possible.

We are extremely lucky to have the use of a family beach-house throughout the year. We headed there this past weekend with our good friends - it was so great to be able to get away during the hectic Christmas period! Luckily, the weather was kind enough for us to be able to get to the beach both days.

Intending to keep things casual and 'laid-back' we grabbed the kids' towels, water bottles and the cricket set, and headed to the beach on the first day. Talk about unprepared! Noses were running, the kids needed a snack, I forgot to bring the sunscreen to re-apply, and no-one had any idea of the time! The kids weren't even in their bathers the first day because it was so overcast, but of course they wanted to go and jump the waves. Needless to say, lots of jokes were made about 'the dis-organised us' haha. 

Because we are heading back down to the beach-house on Boxing Day for a 10-day break (woo!), I want to make sure our holiday is as relaxed and stress-free as possible. Especially in preparing for the daily beach trip.

So I whipped up this quick checklist (which you can download for free by clicking on that big button!). Obviously your list will differ depending on your family situation, but it's great to have a general checklist to ensure nothing is forgotten. The checklist is available in 2 different formats. I've printed mine off and laminated it to keep in the beach-bag (see how I pack it here).

What to bring to the beach 

• Towels

• Bathers/underwear

• Spare nappies/swim nappies

• Sunscreen

• Hats

• Sunglasses

• Water bottles

• Snacks/lunch

• Spoons and small containers for feeding babies

• Lip balm with SPF

• Tissues

• Wipes

• Plastic bag/s (for wet bathers if they are removed, or wet nappies)

• Sunglasses

• Beach-toys

• Book/magazine (if you're lucky enough to have time to read on the beach!)

• Umbrella / beach tent

A great way to store all these essentials within your larger beach bag is in separate pouches/bags or even ziplocks, so you can easily and quickly locate everything. I also keep a few handy essentials in my Car Kit, such as first-aid kit, spare towels, spare underwear etc (watch the video here). You can truly never be too prepared with kids!

What are your essentials for a beach trip? Do you like to refer to a checklist to make sure you haven't forgotten anything?