Summer must haves for babies & toddlers!
SUMMER IS HEEEEEERE!!! At least in my mind. The weather is consistently in the 70s-80s, my husband just finished work for the year (he’s a school counselor!), lakes are at a comfortable swimming temp, etc. Anyways, we try to spend as much time as humanly possible outside in the summer. I personally love being in the sunshine and don’t mind the heat whatsoever but things are different with little kids (especially with a newborn / young baby!)
when it comes to baby and toddler gear I tend to err on the side of less is more because honestly, they don’t need much! but as a mom of two I’ve found these items to be super handy / necessary
sun hat - last summer ruth refused to wear a hat so we would have to put sunscreen right in her hair (she also got suuuuuper blond last summer) but this summer she’s much more open to wearing her sun hat and Arne is too young to even realize he’s wearing a hat so it’s been working well. while we certainly use sunscreen when needed, I personally like to offer a little coverage. we got Ruth this hat last year and it still fits! it’s super lightweight breathable linen and cotton and is pretty darn cute if you ask me. Arne’s sun hat is a hand me down that I can’t find online but I found something similar because I really like the fit of it for a young baby. personally I don’t like hats with neck straps/strings for little babies since it could be a strangulation risk. this hat adjusts around the head and at least the one we have stays on quite well!
stroller fans - if you don’t follow @safeintheseat on insta go do so now! she does such a great job of educating on stroller and car seat safety- so many things I wouldn’t have known otherwise. anyways, putting a canopy/shade all the way down or any kind of blanket over top of a stroller or carseat doesn’t actually cool it off. sure, it provides shade but it also creates a greenhouse effect and makes it substantially hotter! like dangerously hot. so, rule of thumb do NOT fully cover baby in stroller or car seat - allow for ventilation / check on them / give breaks / and use a stroller/carseat fan to provide extra cooling. we got two of this one and the charge lasts a super long time, it stays put, and it comes in a variety of colors :)
water bottle - an obvious one, I know. I’ve been using ruth’s insulated water bottle more often if we’re outside in the heat to keep it from getting super warm. I also add a few drops of trace minerals in it (she has no clue!) for extra hydration.
toddler sun glasses - we got these for Ruth last summer and they are so stinkin cute!!!! and haven’t broken yet which is saying a lot! she’s hit and miss about wanting to wear them (which is fine with me) but they are handy to have just in case it’s super bright out!
life jacket - I always make sure their coast guard approved since not all lifejackets / floatation devices are!
car sun shades - we had the traditional style of window shades for the car (the ones that clip on the top of the window and then you pull down and suction into place) but they never worked well so this summer I bought this stick on ones and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by them! they offer good coverage/shade and actually stay put..like we’ve had them on for almost two months now and they haven’t fallen off so I call that a win.
lightweight beach towels - we got this pack of beach towels last summer and I love them! They absorb better than I expected them to. they also fold up much smaller than a traditional beach towel which I’m a huge fan of because the fewer bags/things I have to bring anywhere, the better.
lightweight baby wrap or breathable carrier - we already have a few nice structured carriers so I’m not going to buy a new one but having a super lightweight and breathable wrap has been so nice for summer baby wearing! do we both still get sweaty and hot? yes. but, overall the thin (yet durable) material of these wraps is much appreciated on these hot days.
silicone beach toys - we definitely have plastic beach toys and will likely accumulate more over the years but last summer we got this pack of silicone beach toys since the silicone is far less likely the break or crack than regular plastic toys. so, fewer broken plastic toys going in the landfill or ending up in the water.
non toxic sunscreen - without going into too much of a rant, it’s important for families to know that not all sunscreens are created equally…I’d go as far as to say most sunscreens on the market actually do more harm than good. I’m not joking when I say there are sunscreen recalls annually due to toxic ingredients and/or carcinogenic ingredients in them. seriously defeats the whole purpose. anyways, many areriddled with Oxybenzone, Parabens, Octinoxate, Titanium dioxide, artificial frangrance and dyes - to name a few. not safe for you, your kids/baby’s skin, not safe for the water/reef/plants/animals. up until this year we’ve only ever used YL sunscreen on ruth and it’s always worked so well for us! I bought a special baby face sunscreen for ruth and Arne (later in the summer, at this point I don’t put anything on his face and just keep him out of intense sun hours/use a sun hat/etc.)
muslin blankets - preferably white/light colored. while it’s not a good idea to completely cover a carseat/stroller with a muslin blanket (even if it’s wet) I find they’re handy for offering a little sun protection for little babies or beach napping toddlers. they aren’t UPF or anything but it does offer some lightweight sun blocking. (of course use your best judgement - it might be too hot to have even a lightweight blanket on) but when we’re down at the lake, I like to have one handy to loosely put over Arne’s body every now and then (of course while being supervised) plus - they can double as a burp cloth or towel in a pinch!
non toxic / deet free bug repellant wipes - again, with little babies if it’s super buggy out I’d rather just go inside and not coat them in anything (even non tox stuff) but with older babies and toddlers we’ve always used these wipes and they work really well! I like the wipes for littles since I can have more control with it and it doesn’t get in their eyes/mouth/etc. Edgar and I also use these on ourselves occasionally!
brightly colored swimsuits!!! I love lots of neutrals in general but when it comes to swimsuits for my kids I will always get bright (or even neon!) colors. it is SO much easier to spot them on a crowded beach or in the water (you cannot see light or neutral pastels in the water…) are the neutral more pastel swim suits more my style? yes. but I’d rather be able to quickly spot my kids near or in the water than have them in the most “stylish” swimsuit!
there ya have it! a little round up of some of our favorite baby and toddler summertime must haves :)
