Beach/vacation Essentials

Water shoes, swim suit, sunblock (a lot), towels, toys, umbrella, chair, camera and a float! And lots of water :)

Huge umbrella (or find out if the beach or hotel you are going to rents those big umbrellas--totally worth whatever the fee is because they'll set it up for you)... Coppertone baby sunblock in the pink bottle.... something to dig with-- can simply be wooden spoon and plastic cup.... sippy she'll drink out of and cooler full of lots of water and ice (plus snacks)..... extra towels.... hat is a MUST for the child-- start having her practice wearing it now.... don't forget to apply sunscreen to everyone on ears and tops of feet.... for hotel, I lay a towel down in floor of the tub to make it less slippery... if she tends to get into things, bring those plastic thingies that go in electrical outlets... call the hotel ahead and make sure they have a pack-n-play or portable crib you can use and ask if they can have it set up before you arrive--- and bring your own crib sheets for it, plus a blanket and/or stuffed animal she knows and loves to help her sleep comfortablely... get a water proof disposable camera for beach photos-- they take decent pictures and you won't have to stress about dropping your real camera in the sand

Must haves - life vest, sun proof shirt, hat, lots of sunscreen, water shoes, buckets, shovels and rakes and a sun shade of any kind. The places we have gone we were able to set up camp at the shoreline and have the gate thing (2 of them) makes for a great amount of space. We put down fake grass under it and then a pop up shade tent over it. Our daughter wasn't quite a year and it kept her out of trouble. We did this for our son while he was under two also and gave him some sand/water to play in on one edge. Our son was almost 3 last summer and he lived in a life vest and hat, didn't have good enough shoes though and he got blisters on his feet from the shows and being in the water 24/7. Don't forget your camera, its a blast. =)

We took a neat sheet because they have weighted corners, some sand toys, lots of water (no glass bottles) and some snacks. I would recommend regular sunblock as the wind tends to blow away the spray on stuff. If you are driving all the way there I would totally recommend at least one chair of some sort. The beach is so much fun even with little ones. I loved watching our run from the waves.

Super responses so far! I just have my two cents to add:

Take a spray bottle of water for misting. Not only does this help keep your baby cool, but it comes in handy for getting sand off of little fingers and toes.

Also, to save space in the tote bag and suitcase, go to the dollar store and get a set of measuring cups and spoons. Carve out a little space in the shade of your umbrella (a must) and let her dig with her cups and spoons until her heart's content.

Finally, I agree that pretzels are the best beach snack! Have a wonderful trip!

Make sure you have a large umbrella or one of those baby tents to keep her out of the direct sun.
Lots of sun block.
A small cooler or insulated bag filled with water bottles and a few snacks.
A large blanket or an old sheet works well.
Your own beach towels. The hotel may provide them, but they're usually too small and the only give you one per person.
A pail or two. Fun to play with and great for collecting treasurers.
Water shoes.
If she'll wear it, a hat.
A sundress. After being on the beach, rinse off all the sand and take off the suit, then just slip the loose fitting dress over her head, much easier than trying to put on clothes or cleaning up all the sand.
Make sure you have lots of snacks available in the hotel room. When kids get hungry you don't want to have to run around trying to find something.

super high spf...super high walled play-pen..huge umbrella...and mothers little helper...liquid tylenol..LOL..kidding...That baby is gonna be so worn out in about an hour of playing in the sun...your best purchase is a good camera..and all of the above cept the drugs.Just be ready to haul butt to the hotel and get the baby comfy if you and dad want to have you time..

At that age, one of the best things to have at the beach is her bathtub! Bring it with you so you can fill it up halfway and let her play with some floating toys or fill it up with wet sand. Hours of entertainment, I promise. Also, another thing that came in handy and allowed us to spend more time at the beach (instead of having to go in for naptime) was a tent that my twins slept in. Make sure it is UV-proof or under an umbrella. Who says you can't relax at the beach and catch up on that good book???

I've seen cool, small beach tents for little ones that are great! Especially for napping. O. year, when my son was pretty little we saw a great deal on a 10 x 10 canopy tent and it was awesome to have that much shade! (It wasn't expensive, so we were prepared for it to blow away--but it didn't. We had a beach right in front of the beach house so we left it up the entire time. It was GREAT to be able to get out of the sun. And it didn't take up that much room in the vehicle.

Here's our essentials:

Sunscreen lotion, not spray-WaterBabies Unscented spf 50 is my favorite
Water Shoes/sandals- hot sand and pointy shells can hurt tender little feet
Bamboo or vinyl beach mat-sand doesn't stick to it like it does to a towel
2 large umbrellas-i find them easier to handle than a tent. I put up one over our beach mat and put one down closer to the water so my kid can be shaded while she plays with her buckets and whatnot.
Plenty of water and snacks

I don't want to repeat what is written so I will add:
1. extra hat -- one always gets lost (preferably one with a tie underneath)
2. extra baby sunblock
3. special lovey
4. long sleeved t-shirt or spf shirt
5. fruit snacks
6. pretzel snacks (the one time I like salted pretzels is when we are outside in the heat for a while)
7. aloe vera -- in case you miss a spot with the sunblock :)

baby powder- sprinkle it on her sandy feet and hands and the sand comes right off

Will your room be on the beach? When I took my 16-mos the first time, we did two 2-3 hour trips a day -- one early AM right after breakfast, then back for nap, then one before dinner when a little cooler. Napping great for Mom too:)

If all day, I totally suggest a tent big enough for everyone to sit in/under -- you'll spend almost half the time there:) Sand shoes for sure (my son won't walk on sand without them), sand toys, small brush for brush-off, and definately clean dress for back-to-room or nap in tent.

Have a great time and go slow and easy, not "adult" paced -- you will be pleasantly surprised with the joy of this trip:)