Prepping for the beach

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Who doesn't love a beach vacation!?
A day at the beach, relaxation, free from work and home responsibilities. 
Only to find new ones, sand in everything, sunburn, over heated and tired kids, carrying everything but the kitchen sink, wondering if your keys will still be there when you get out of the water. 

​Read below to see how we've come to combat a few of these problems! Between Caitie being a Florida native and Amy's 14 years in the area, they have learned a thing or two about making a trip to the beach a little easier. Read on for some tips on how to deal with sand and heat. 

Between Caitie being a Florida native and Amy's 14 years in the area, they have learned a thing or two about making a trip to the beach a little easier. Here are our favorite tips.

• SAND IN YOUR EYES Little ones playing in the sand are, at one time or anther, going to eventually get sand in their eyes. Keep a water bottle handy for washing out the sand. They will probably not open their eyes, that's ok, when running the water over the bridge of the nose have them try to blink. Try to stop them from using their hands to rub as this will scratch the eye and bring more sand from their hands (they can hold the washcloth to keep the hands busy and help create a feeling of being in control). I like to keep a clean washcloth in a ziploc bag just for cleaning faces and hands for snack time. 
• CLEANING HANDS Speaking of snack time, how to clean up while on the beach? Use the clean washcloth or a make up brush and put a little baby powder on it, the sand will wipe right away. 
•  CREATE A SAND FREE ZONE You can keep the sand free washcloth in the sand free bag. I like to carry one bag for things that will be ok when sandy hands go digging for things and one sand free bag that only clean hands go into. In this bag I keep zip loc bags for a variety of uses, keys, snacks, shells, glasses, phone (you can still take pictures through the bag!). I always set the bag under my chair and draw a circle around it to declare to all the kids that this is the sand free zone.
• WASHCLOTH AND BABY POWDER If you are dry, avoid using the water shower when coming off the beach. I found that especially with little ones, their diaper gets wet, then the car seat and it never ends. We like to use baby powder and a soft cloth, it gets it all off without scraping your skin off with it. 
• TOYS, Yes you will most likely need toys for little ones when not in the water so you don't hear 'I'm booooored". But save the backache. Bring one bag with a few toys to manipulate the sand and they'll be happy. (Keep in mind, if kids get out of character whiney it may time to head back to rest and cool off. Their little bodies do not regulate heat as ours do).   THIS ONE is personally on my wish list... 
• BEACH WAGON OR NO? Easy answer, no. Skip the beach wagons. They have yet to make one that actually works. Your better off throwing it on a towel or blanket and sliding it. (I'm waiting for one that transforms into skies to slide over the sand)
• TOWELS towels towels. I keep hand towels in the car at all times. Not only to pick up inevitable spills from long drives but to brush off the rest of the sand after it dries on the walk to the car and to lay in the seat to keep it dry from wet suits. Hand towels are the perfect size for carseats and do not take away from limited hotel allotment of bathroom towels.
• SHADE. If you are not renting an umbrella/chair set make sure to have some sort of shade available. Hats, chair umbrellas, beach tents. On average it is 10 degrees hotter under the shade than in the sun. Sunscreen alone can help with sunburn but it cannot cool you down and will not work 100%. It takes 15-30 minutes to work, sweat and water lower the protection no matter how high SPF or waterproof it is, spray gets mostly in the air. Sun reflects off the sand and water and sweat slowly reduces the coverage. Remember, you can still get sunburn on a cloudy day.  We prefer to go to the beach early in the morning and in the evening. I love this one because it is versatile enough to be used on vacation, sport practices, in your backyard, anywhere. 
• HYDRATION. Swimming will cool you off and can trick you into thinking your staying hydrated so be sure to bring water or a sports drink. Pay attention to your body, if you feel overly weak, dizzy, nauseated, get a headache get something to drink right away. We like to fill up with Gatorade for those extra electrolytes in the ride over to the beach. 
• COOLING CLOTHS If you know you know. Wearing these things completely saved us on our Disney vacation. Having postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and narcolepsy I overheat easily and these cooling cloths were a true life saver!  These neck fans are pretty cool, and cooling, too. 
• ENHANCE YOUR VACATION You've seen a bonfire on the beach and I bet you've wondered how they can do that. It's easy! You just need a permit from the fire department. It's easier to use a company as they have all the equipment you need. We love using Captain Zac's ! Tell them we sent you! 
• TRAFFIC is worst when locals are heading to work, getting off and going to lunch. Then there is the rain, when it rains everyone comes off the beach and goes shopping or to restaurants. Be prepared to wait in traffic on rainy days for a ridiculous amount of time. Try to avoid driving if you can, stock up on rainy day activities and food.  Okaloosa Island, Destin, Miramar Beach, SanDestin are located on a small peninsula and therefor do not have a lot of room for roads to help avoid wrecks or heavy traffic. It's pretty much one straight shot, hwy 98.
• RENT DON'T BUY Don't buy it just to toss it later. RENT IT. You know about chairs, umbrellas, SUP boards, kayaks, golf carts. But did you know you can rent kid toys? Beach blankets? Small folding chairs? Coolers, lifejackets, floaties, wagons. This one has it all: Baby's Away     
• MY FAVORITE TIP Place valuables (wallet, keys, phone, etc) inside a wrapped clean diaper. No one is going to swipe a wrapped diaper! I get a small cheap pack like this one from Amazon or the Dollar Store and reuse it all summer! If you're like me and don't want to waste the rest of the pack you can donate them to your nearest daycare center or friends. 

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Do you have any tips you would like to add? Leave them in the comments below! 

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Remember anything you take on the beach goes back home with you! We are visiting the sea animals natural territory, we must leave it as we found it for them to take their turn at night.

SAFETY FIRST!

• RESEARCH WATER SAFETY. Rip tides do not have to be a death sentence. Ride it out, I promise you will not end up in Cuba even if it feels like it. Swim around it and head to shore.
• Red flags mean do not go out unless you are a proficient swimmer and have a floatation device. 
• Keep in mind that electricity travels through water. Yes, you can swim in the rain, your wet already right? However if you see lightening or thunder, get out. 
• Double red flag means it is against the law to go deeper than below the knee. You will get fined for potentially putting the lifeguards at risk. You may see some exceptions such as surfers who are skilled swimmers, know what to do in an undertow and have a floatation device. 

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CURRENT CONDITIONS, FLAGS AND LIFEGUARD POSTS
Flag and lifeguards: Fire Department
Water Quality in Walton County: Florida Health