Summertime is so much fun! When I look back at all of the fun things we have done in past scrapbooks, a huge majority of them happen in the summer! Because kids are home in the summer, sometimes it can get a bit chaotic.

Heaven knows that I am a bit of a scatterbrain and packing for an outing is sometimes more than my brain can handle! Especially on a day to the beach where you need to pack a lot of things.

Most of the time I remember to pack snacks and a towel but I have been known to forget the sunscreen! So I created a printable for myself and wanted to share it with you as well.

I hope you find this printable helpful and that it makes your summer a little bit easier. If you’ll be having any beach days this summer, this post will be super helpful – it’s full of helpful tips and beach bag essentials!

Don’t forget to scroll down to sign up for my free resource library so you can download your free Beach Day Packing List!

What kind of bag is best for the beach?

Not all bags are created equal when it comes to the beach so make sure you choose one that will work best for you.

A mesh bag is great for toting around your wet swimsuit and towels. It will allow them to air out and dry while you are still using them. It’s also great for carrying things like toys that might get sand in them. The sand will fall through the cracks.

If you don’t want a bag made out of mesh(because it can show what is in your bag), then I highly recommend water-resistant beach bags. I have a couple of them that I am just crazy over and highly recommend.

1. Aloha Beach Bag
2. Scout Bag (BJ Bag)
3. Scout Bag (Errand Boy Tote)

How do I organize my beach stuff?

It can be difficult to keep an organized beach bag but it is important to try. I like to keep a mesh bag inside of a larger beach bag. This way, it looks like one bag, but I can still keep my wet swimsuit and towels separate from everything else.

I also like to keep a small bag for sunscreen, lip balm, and other essentials. This way, I can find them easily. I’m a big fan of keeping several bags packed inside a bigger one to help keep everything organized.

Pouches or smaller containers are the key to keeping everything completely organized in your pool bag.

If you organize things into like-items in pouches, it will be easy to maintain a perfectly organized pool bag. You will be able to grab exactly what you need without having to search through your bag. They are a sure way to keep an organized bag.

Here are a few products I like for beach days.

• Aloha Wet/Dry Bag
• Transparent Makeup Bags to keep it all organized
• Chapstick Keychain
• Blueprints Project Everyday Mini Bag

What should I put in my beach bag?

Below is a list of products that I recommend packing in your beach bag. I have tried to categorize them to make them easier to pack.

• Towels (I prefer the ones that do the job but aren’t big and bulky. These Turkish towels are my very favorite that I’ve ever owned!)
• Beach Blanket (these are great for under your towels and really help with keeping the sand at bay and it is SUPER small and packable)
• Umbrella (I use our constantly at the beach or kid’s sporting events)
• Beach Chairs
• Collapsible Beach Wagon

Personal Care Items to Pack in your Beach Bag

• Sunscreen (these are my favorite: Shimmer Sunscreen, CLEAR Zinc Sunscreen and Face Sunscreen)
• Aloe Vera
• After-Sun Lotion
• SPF Lip Balm
• Wet Wipes
• Hair Elastics
• Wet Brush (these are excellent for my daughter’s wet, tangled hair)
• Sunglasses
• Hat (a hat is also great for little kids – though some kids don’t love having a hat on their head, it can be a great way to protect against the sun)
• First Aid Kit
• Hand Sanitizer
• Baby Powder (works excellent for getting sand off of your skin)
• Medicine organizer

Must-Have Beach Toys and Sand Toys

• High-Quality Bodyboard
• Life Jacket
• Boogie Board
• Inflatable Floaties
• Seashell Bag
• Treasure Hunting Diving Toys
• Sand Toys
• Snorkel/Fins
• Goggles

You might think this seems like overkill, but if you’re spending all day at the beach, you’ll be grateful for packing all of it. You never know when a first aid kit might come in handy! With kids surrounded by rocks, shells, and sand, you’re likely to get a cut or two. Having at least a few first aid supplies (like bandaids) on hand is a great idea.

And trust me, even though packing baby powder sounds weird, I promise it helps to carry it around when you go to the beach. Your car will thank you later when you aren’t dragging sand into it.

Other Great Tips for Essentials

Also make sure to pack enough water bottles, food, and snacks for the whole family! Those are definitely essentials. Nothing is worse than hours of swimming and sun without having a water bottle or some snacks to replenish that energy.

If you don’t want to worry about your kids getting into the car in wet swimsuits, you can always bring a change of clothes. They don’t have to take up space in your bags either! Just keep them in your vehicle until you’re done swimming for the day, and then head back to the car to grab your stuff to change into.

I would also suggest bringing flip-flops or shoes that are easy to get on and off. If your child has sensitive feet and wants to get into the water, you can bring water shoes, but otherwise, just grab shoes that won’t get too filled with sand.

The sun will make the sand very hot, so you’ll definitely need some shoes to carry you to your family’s beach tent or whatever spot you claimed on the beach.

Staying Organized on Beach or Pool Days

So now that you know just what to bring in your beach or pool bag, and how to maintain an organized pool bag, here are some other great ideas and products I love to use when I go to the beach with family and friends.

The easiest way to have an organized pool bag!

My Navy Blue Beach Bag is absolutely HUGE and can easily fit 6-7 beach towels inside, plus sunscreen and other things. It’s awesome! I, of course, jazzed it up a bit by adding ribbons because, well, why not?! I do that a lot.

Plus, the easiest way to have an organized pool bag is to get a bag with enough space to hold all of your beach essentials.

Lesa with Mountain River Crafts also offers tons of other incredible products and one of my favorites was the Seashell bag! How often do kids want to collect seashells or treasures at the beach, only to bring home a boat-load of sand with them!?

This seashell bag allows them to wash all of their treasures in the water before they come home! It’s also a perfect-sized shoulder sling. We took it to Lake Powell last week and my kids loved it! They are super cute!

I am not sure if you are at all aware of the ‘Glitter Tumbler’ trend or not but you better get on the bandwagon! Seriously, I wish my pictures could do this Beach Tumbler justice of how gorgeous it is!

It is glittered from top to bottom and sincerely gives me a bigger desire to drink water because I am absolutely terrible at it. And it keeps water ice-cold for hours!

She also added some UV reactive glitter at the bottom so when it gets in the sun, it turns pink! Super cute! She has tons of different designs, so go check her Facebook page out!

As I was searching on Etsy I stumbled on Lola’s Beach Brush. It is SO cute and is so great for getting sand off your body when it’s time to get into the car or onto your towel. This is a perfect, trendy solution to a very annoying problem! It is also customized with several different choices of brush handle colors and you can even choose the color of stamp that they stamp on the brush!

I truly believe that some of the most incredible products on the market stem from a problem that someone has found a solution for. Enter: Lippy Clips. I can never find my chapstick at the bottom of the beach bag. Never!

That’s when I fell in love with this chapstick keychain that you can attach to your keys, or even to the bag itself so you never lose your chapstick at the bottom of your bag again! It is made of sturdy vinyl, not just ribbon as I had originally thought.

Keep your water bottle or cup from falling over!

I don’t know about you but it never fails – someone always kicks my drink over and it gets sand all over it. Not to mention the sand that typically goes up the straw. That’s why I love these awesome Beach Spikers!

They go deep into the sand and hold your cup upright so that it can’t be knocked over ever again! And just in case you are worried about your husband drinking your drink – add your name to the front of it!

One of the very best products that I have ever seen to keep a beach bag organized is the Glam Roll Up! This has so many other uses other than just the beach but I think that it is perfect for keeping everything organized and in plain sight. Everything has its own place and it even rolls up super nice to keep everything compact.

I keep my chapstick, headphones, wet brush, elastics, power bank, charging cord, chapstick stick, and keys in mine. It is super handy and I just love it! This would be great for boating, camping, kayaking, or any other situation that requires organization!

Bringing my phone to the beach or the pool always makes me so nervous. I don’t want to miss out on capturing memories of my kids but I don’t want it to get ruined if I accidentally drop it into the pool. That’s why I bought a waterproof phone case to keep my phone in.

If you are nervous if the case you buy will actually work, test it out before you go. Just put a paper towel in the case and lock it up; then dip it in a bowl full of water for a few minutes and pull out your paper towel to see if it is wet or not. Viola!

Free Printable

And finally, here is your free printable!

This will help you make sure you remember to bring all the essentials you need for your family in your beach or pool bag when you head to the beach for the day.

One of my final tips for pool bag organization is to have your beach or pool bag packed with essentials all the time and have it somewhere in the house, ready to go.

Of course, I don’t mean ALL of the things you’ll need, and this only works if you have the space in your house (maybe in a closet). But if you can, keep some band-aids, sunscreen, wet wipes, aloe vera, and other small items in your bag ready to go.

That way, when it’s time to head to the beach or pool with the family, you’ll just need to add towels, snacks, and a few other items. It will make your life much easier.

Organize your beach bag for the perfect summer getaway!

I hope this post has given you some awesome tips and fun ideas of ways to stay organized at the beach as well as useful gadgets and products that will make your vacation to the beach that much better!

Going to the beach or pool can feel like a lot of work because of everything you have to bring, but with products you love and pool bag organization that will help you find everything you need, it can be a bit easier.

Enjoy the sun and have a happy summer!

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