Author Topic: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?  (Read 2122 times)

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Offline Lockie & Sam's Mummy

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taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« on: January 13, 2007, 22:19:09 pm »
hi,

my ds is almost 6mo & we're thinking of taking him to the beach in a couple of weeks. we've bought all the clothing gear, i.e. rash vest, shorts, legionnaire's hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc as he's due to start his swimming lessons in february. we also have a sunshade (huge tent-like thing).

anyhow, my question is, what activities (if any) are there for a 6mo at the beach? is it safe to let him plan on the sand? and, if so, wet or dry sand? or should i keep him in the tent away from the sand? also, what happens if he accidentally takes in some of the salt water? how old was your lo when you first took them to the beach?

any advice would be really appreciated!
Livvy
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Offline shelliz

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2007, 22:52:38 pm »
We currently live in Florida and have taken our lo to the beach many times since she was a few months old. I would test the sand/salt water out on your son's skin before letting him sit directly in it just to make sure it doesn't irritate his skin.  My dd did get a bit of sand in her mouth but as soon as she found that it didn't taste good, she didn't try to put it in her mouth any longer.   The salt water (in small amounts) isn't going to hurt him. It's always a good idea to have lots of fluids available b/c even though it may not be hot this time of year, the wind, sun and salt water can really be dehydrating. 

Have a great time and don't forget to keep reapplying the sunscreen often! It is so easy to let time fly by when you all are having bunches of fun!


Offline momofclaire

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2007, 00:32:58 am »
We took lo to Florida when she was 7 mo.  I agree with pp.  Test the sand and salt.   I would grab some very wet sand and put it on his arm.  Wait 30 min and you'll know if it's going to bother him.  Set your tent in a open area so you are not near a ton of people.  My LO just wanted to crawl all over and eat sand.  No matter what I did she kept putting it in her mouth.  We would wipe it out and she'd go back for more!!! Crazy girl.   It didn't bother her though.  Have fun and keep the sunscreen close.  My ped also told me to offer more fluid than normal and even juice (she never get juice) just to keep her hydradted.
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Offline Lockie & Sam's Mummy

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2007, 21:30:04 pm »
thanks shelliz & momofclaire! i'm from melbourne, australia so it's pretty hot here right now! we're currently in the middle of a terrible heat wave actually. consequently, haven't had the chance to take ds to the beach yet. waiting for the temperature to drop below 30 degrees, could be waiting for a while by the looks of it. anyhow, thanks so much for the tips! i'm a bit concerned about the sand so i'll be sure to test it out on his skin first & keep an eye on his sand consumption :P i'm already paranoid about suncare & hydration so making sure he's all covered up & hydrated is a given! thanks again.
Livvy
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Offline Samuel's mum

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2007, 07:54:02 am »
Sam was really into eating sand too so although I'm sure you'll be fine it might be worth having a large light sheet so you can always pop him on it and keep him out of the sand completely for a while. Just to give you a break from sand scooping police as much as anything.

Bubbles are fun because there's a good breeze.
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Offline Mum2Connor

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2007, 12:01:02 pm »
Livvy, thanks for your post, and everyone's replies.  I've also been wondering about taking our 10 mth old DS to the beach and we're in Melbourne too - the heat has been rediculous this year.  Here's hoping the temp drops enough it's safe enough to take our LOs.

Also @ 10 mths do you think we could try sand castle building?

Thanks
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Offline SallyDom

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2007, 21:05:54 pm »
We were on holiday when Dom wa 6 months and he really wasn't impressed with the sand and once he got used to the cold sea he was ok but on the whole he didn't really like the beach experience. Always was a bit of a delicate child...!
Anyway just a warning, I noticed a day or two after we'd been on the beach that Dom's right ear was oozing a bit and within 3-4 days his ear smelt quite nasty. It didn't seem to bother him too much but I took him to the doctor when we got home and he said it was likely that a grain of sand had got in his ear and the sea water had pushed it further in and caused an infection. He recommended putting a little cotton wool in babies ears if they are going in the sea to stop sand getting in.
Have fun when you do go, we are having storms and 40 mile an hour winds at the moment (Yorkshire, England) what I would give for 30 degree weather at the moment, not with a baby of course though!
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Offline Lockie & Sam's Mummy

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2007, 22:19:48 pm »
hi all,

thanks for your replies! sonja, yes, the heat has just been terrible, hasn't it?! and all those poor people living in or near the bushfire areas too. looks like this week will be much better though, thank goodness! normally, i hate rainy weather but when the rains came the other day, i must admit i did a little dance ;) heheh

emma & sally, thanks for the tips regarding the light blanket, bubbles & cotton wool. there's always so many things to think about when taking your lo outside. i'm particularly concerned about the ears as ds has mild partial hearing loss in his right ear so we're always conscious of keeping them clean & unobstructed - cotton wool is a great idea!

thanks again!
Livvy
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Offline Samuel's mum

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #8 on: January 27, 2007, 09:00:36 am »
We're off to the beach on Monday. My SIL who has 4 kids and a lot of beach experience says the key to removing wet sand is TALCUM POWDER. Don't try to rub with towels just sprinkle on talcum powder and it all falls off like magic. Talcum powder isn't recommended for daily use but on this occasion it's apparently a lifesaver.
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tstasko

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2007, 19:22:48 pm »
ooooh - have fun!  We've been taking DD to the beach since she was about 5 months old - she LOVES it, and we always have so much fun!

You've gotten great advice...the only other thing I thought to mention was don't be alarmed if some of the sand (that your LO pops in his mouth) ends up in his diaper later on.  :P  Extra diaper cream can help his bottom if it gets a little red.  We just doubled up on it and DD had no problems.  Also, don't know if this was mentioned, but aside from the sunscreen, you may want to bring some heavy duty baby moisturizer (like the baby aveeno w/the blue top).  Their little skin is sensitive, and the sand particles in the air, the sea salt, sand etc. can act like a loofah (which is great for an ocean pedicure...lol), and be rather harsh on their perfect sweet baby skin.  We lathered dd up several times a day.  It worked out great.

Are you planning on taking your LO in the water?  I would make sure you do it gradually.  Our Lo was very used to pools and such, but the ocean freaked her out a bit at first.  We initially sat in the wet sand and let the waves come up to our feet, then gradually got her comfortable.  Soon DH had her in the waves and she's been a beach bunny ever since.  ;D

Hope you have fun!
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Offline Mum2Connor

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2007, 04:53:27 am »
Hi again, we're hoping to go to the beach on Saturday, forecast 31 degrees celcius, Sunday 38 degrees which is way too hot.  So we're thinking of heading down after DS' breakfast, should have time for some play then DS' nap. So my question is what is the best thing for them to sleep in at the beach?  Should we take the 3-wheel stroller?  Or is there something else?  We have a little tent but it not sure that would be big enough if all 3 of us are in there tee hee.

Any suggestions?

Sonja
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tstasko

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2007, 15:51:17 pm »
If your ds can nap in the stroller I think that would be great.  Does the stroller have a full sunshade?  Or would you put a cover over it to keep out the sun/heat?  Our house is one row back from the water, so we went in for naps.  Have fun! 

 BTW - another thing I forgot to mention - we also brought a big jug of tap water - just for rinsing dd after she was in the ocean, and before re-applying sunscreen and moisturizer - so that it would wash off all the tiny sand particles and rubbing sunscreen/moisturizer wouldn't make it worse. 




Offline Lockie & Sam's Mummy

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #12 on: February 03, 2007, 10:29:07 am »
sonja, how was your day at the beach? any advice? we still haven't managed to make it there yet, been too busy, but hopefully in the next couple of weeks. btw, ladies, thanks so much for the tips r.e. the talc, moisturiser & water jug - i'm going to be *so* prepared by the time we finally make the trip out ;D
Livvy
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tstasko

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #13 on: February 03, 2007, 14:07:23 pm »
haha - that made me laugh lockie's mom.  my mother couldn't believe all we toted w/us w/all of dd's stuff...she said "when you guys were little - we just put you in your suits and took you - plopped you on the sand..."  ;D

I'm so jealous you all are going to the beach....can't wait to hear about it.  We have another good 4-5 months until we can take advantage of it again.


Offline Mum2Connor

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Re: taking 6mo to the beach - advice?
« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2007, 04:38:17 am »
Hi everyone, well we didn't get to the beach in the end as silly me forgot that my in-laws were coming down  :-[ so we went to the pool instead.  It was still lots of fun, we try to go to the pool every weekend, but the beach would have been nicer I bet.

Will keep you posted when we finally get there  ;D

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