The best beach gear for kids

We probably speak for everyone when we say it’s been a long winter. If you've been dreaming of summer days at the beach, you are not alone. We are all craving some R&R with some sun and surf.

As with any day trip (or longer), a beach day takes a bit of planning to make it truly relaxing and, if you've got kids, that promise goes double. Luckily, we are pros at planning a perfect day at the beach. Here are some of our must-haves for a beach day with kids that will go off without a hitch.

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Of course, you need a great kids' swimsuit and some fun beach toys for kids—and few families can make it a full day without an excellent beach tent—but there's also some stuff you may not have thought of, like baby powder and polarized swim goggles. Read on for our summer essentials to make for a perfect beach day with the kids.

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We may never solve the mystery of why kids need so much stuff, but a good beach wagon for kids' stuff will at least help you carry everything from the car to the sand.

We like this roomy, collapsible all-terrain wagon for its full-traction wheels that can coast across soft sand. Not only does its 300-lb capacity wagon allow room for everything you need, but because it performs so well on sand, you can even let a kid or two ride along inside if the sand is too hot for their tootsies!

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I am very picky when it comes to beach bags. I want a zipper so that it doesn't immediately get filled with sand. I want it to be able to withstand splashes and spills. I want it to have a comfortable strap and fabric so that I don't get chaffed as I'm carrying all of our worldly beach possessions down a miles-long beach. And I want it to have smart compartments.

This beach bag by Seastar Beachwear checks all of the boxes. The neoprene fabric repels sand and ensures everything inside stays dry; it's also wonderfully soft against my [inevitably sunburnt] skin. The inside is filled with pouches to keep everything organized. And it's large enough to carry beach towels and other necessities for the whole family, without being obscene.

No other beach bag can touch this one.

It’s not a beach day without some serious sandcastle building. This Toy of the Year Award- and "Shark Tank"-winning set is about to raise the bar.

The innovative clip-together molds in the Create-a-Castle 5-piece kit take out the guesswork that usually comes with tapping out a structure from conventional castle-building kits. What you get is instant gratification with super-sized builds that will leave kids bursting with pride and crazy with excitement.

This is a beach toy for big kids and little kids alike, and we're willing to bet you get pretty sandy once you get your hands on it as well.

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An absorbent beach poncho is just the thing for changing from swim clothes to car clothes, or for keeping warm while the sun sets.

This towel-style beach poncho by Magneto is super absorbent and extra fluffy. It’s a perfect cozy cover-up after a long day of body surfing, and just the thing to make changing out of a wet and sandy bathing suit into street clothes a breeze. Plus, it lies flat so it can be used as a conventional kids' beach towel as well.

We love a multi-tasking product and this is just that.

Keep those strong sun rays at bay with this excellent, wide-brimmed sun hat. This kids’ sun hat by Outdoor Researchers is lightweight, packable and water resistant, which means it won’t get soggy when splashed.

It comes in a variety of sizes and colors so you can be sure to get a perfect fit and style for your kids’ personal taste.

If you’re gonna catch some waves, you’re gonna need a good boogie board! Trust us, not all boogie boards are created equal. Thankfully, this Gymax boogie board checks all of the boxes for a great kids’ boogie board, while still being affordable.

It comes in multiple patterns and sizes with a deck made of IXPE, a material known for shock-absorption and speed-enhancing properties—which makes for a comfortable ride on bumpy waves and the inevitable wipeouts.

The high-density polyethylene bottom makes for a slick exterior that’s able to cut through those waves with impressive speed.

A good pair of swim goggles protect against salt, sand and sun. These kids’ swim goggles not only have an easily adjustable strap that kids can maneuver themselves, but they also clip on and off easily.

The best part, however, is their polarized lenses that not only cut the glare of a blazing sun on a body of water but will protect kids’ eyes from UV rays.

It's time to toss those tired flip-flops. For active kids, water shoes are the way to go. The Keen Stingray is our favorite pick for kids who like to turn the beach into their playground.

Great both in and out of the water, not only do these excellent summer shoes protect against rocks and sharp shells, they help to keep hot sand out and their extra grippy soles help with all sorts of rock scrambling.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a Melissa & Doug sand toy set that isn’t fantastic. Well-known for quality and creative innovation, Melissa & Doug make some of the best kids' sand toys around.

We love this kids’ beach sweets set that will set their imaginations ablaze as they prep adorable, crustacean-topped cupcakes, and scoop out some sandy ice-cream sundaes. They’ll have a blast setting up their seaside sweet shop with this cute kit.

Before you buy your kid a new bathing suit this summer, read this article and make sure you’re equipped with the safest swimsuit colors for kids.

Alive Solutions, a company that specializes in aquatic safety, training and risk assessment tested 14 swimsuits in varying colors first in a pool and then in a lake. The results of the test may shock you.

Bathing suits in contrasting neon colors have been proven to be the safest shades for water safety and could mean all the difference in emergency situations.

There’s nothing worse than a weak shovel that breaks under the weight of wet sand. A strong and sturdy kids' sand shovel is a must-have for a successful beach day.

This lightweight, 16-inch beach shovel is easy to handle and perfectly sized for kids.

We own this. We love this. We think this is the perfect beach tent. Beach tents always come with a host of problems. It's hard to find one that's "just right." We think this is the Goldilocks of beach tents: not too big, not too small, not too stuffy and not too prone to flipping over with gusts of wind.

This pop-up beach tent by Moonlence is perfection on all fronts. It sets up in under 5 minutes, it has a small footprint that covers well against the suns' rays and it’s designed to withstand high winds.

Just remove the inner tent and leave the lightweight rainfly to have a perfectly-sized full sun cover with loads of breezy ventilation. It’s 100 percent perfect on all fronts. Plus it’s lightweight, compact and packs up easily.

Pro-tip: The best way to get sticky sand off damp skin is with a little bit of baby powder. Be sure to get a cornstarch-based, talc-free formulation and make sure to keep it away from kids’ faces—particularly in a nose or mouth area (this is a case where a face mask doesn’t hurt).

We like this hypoallergenic Burt’s Bees baby powder. It’s gentle, it’s non-irritating and it’s filled with skin-soothing ingredients like aloe and Vitamin E. Plus, it comes in a 3-pack to get you through the whole summer.

While you may be tempted to spray your child down with your sport’s sunscreen, kids’ sunscreen is formulated to be more gentle on a child’s skin. Kids’ formulas are less likely to contain irritants and are made to be more water-resistant and easier to apply.

We love the chemical-free Pure & Simple Kids’ Sunscreen by Coppertone. It rubs in quickly without a white cast or weird residue, it’s water resistant for up to 80 minutes and it’s specifically formulated to be “tear-free” so it never irritates eyes.

For melanated skin, we also recommend Black Girls’ Sunscreen, which we reviewed here.

Sunglasses may actually be the most important piece of sun protection for your kiddos. Be sure to find a good pair that has broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays.

A child’s larger pupils and less mature eye structure may allow up to 70% more UV rays to enter the retina than an adult's. What that means is it’s important to protect kids’ eyes, and not just any kids’ sunglasses will do.

We have a long list of great sunglasses for kids, but our favorites are these polarized pairs from WeeStyle, which are designed and developed by a family-owned business out of South Carolina.

Your kid deserves to kick back and catch some rays just like you do! Don’t let them steal your chair this summer (and muck it up with their soggy and sandy bathing suits).

This kid-sized Tommy Bahama beach chair is just as sturdy as the adult size and has the same excellent backpack feature that allows your kiddos a bit of autonomy when carrying their stuff.

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.