Specific Types of Vacations: Going to the Beach or a Lake

Keywords: beach, checklists, lake, vacation

By Stacy DeBroff

We collect seashells from wherever we go and keep them in special jars around the house. —Amy, mom of Sacha, 8, and Libby, 6

PACKING FOR THE BEACH

• If you rent a house or condominium, call ahead to clarify what extras the house has so you don’t find yourself lugging beach chairs, towels, and an umbrella to a place that has them available.

• Cooler

• Plenty of food and thirst-quenching drinks

• Boogie board or float

• Hats

• Bathing suits

• Bandages and disinfectant

• Beach blanket

• Chairs

• Brush, comb, barrettes, and ponytail elastics

• Large swim towels

• Beach shoes

• Goggles, ear and nose plugs, and swim caps

• Life jacket or other flotation device

• Wind screen or umbrella

• Beach toys

• Mesh or plastic bag to carry wet toys. A heavy gauge plastic bag makes an enormous bucket for sand and water. A mesh bag is easier to clean—get rid of sand with one spray of the hose.

• Bring a small inflatable wading pool for your infant or toddler. Your child stays safe next to adults, and the water warms as the day progresses. It takes up far less space than a playpen and keeps your baby and his toys out of the sand. It’s also a convenient place to clean the sand off at the end of the day.

• Bring a raft to pull your toddler along the beach when he complains of being too tired to walk. If you find yourself with too many items to carry down to the beach, put all the toys in the raft and pull it across the sand.

• Buy your children matching bathing suits when in crowded place like the ocean.

Stacy, heralded as a “parenting guru” by the Wall Street Journal, authored four best-selling parenting books (Simon & Schuster) and launched Mom Central, Inc. (www.MomCentral.com), a company devoted to providing savvy advice to simplify and enrich the lives of busy Moms and their families. Stacy appears as a regular parenting expert on national TV show, including NBC’s Today Show, CNN, The View, Tyra Banks Show, CBS’ Early Show, The Daily Buzz, Mike And Juliet, Fox & Friends, and the Rachael Ray Show. Stacy also serves as a corporate spokesperson, trendspotting for the media on behalf of over 30 national brands.

In the 1990’s, Stacy founded and ran as an attorney the Public Interest Office at Harvard Law School. Stacy lives with her husband, Ron, and happily engages in imperfect parenting of their two teens, Kyle and Brooks, in Boston, Massachusetts.