Tag Archives: tips

Life, Parenting

How to Have a Better Day at the Beach with Your Kids

Leave a comment

Image source

At this time of year, one of the most fun things to do with the family is head down to the beach and spend some time building sandcastles, swimming in the beach and eating cool ice creams.

Unfortunately, trips to the beach aren’t always so idyllic, especially when you have young kids in tow. Often they get too hot, tired and uncomfortable too quickly and what should be a great day descends into tears and tantrums. If you want to avoid that happening, and have a wonderful time in the sun, here are a few things you can do to make it so….

Dress the Kids Appropriately

If you want the kids to feel as comfortable as possible on your beach trip then dressing them right for the occasion is pretty important. First of all, you’re going to want to ensure that they have comfy shoes. For babies and toddlers, soft-soled shoes like these Olive and Bean Baby Moccasins are ideal because they are as comfy as they are supportive, or if kids are a little older, Crocs or even sneakers will be better. In terms of clothing, loose-fitting garments made from natural fabrics like cotton are best (although they might not be optimum for washing) because they will allow the kids to breathe. If their skin is going to be uncovered for any length of time, be sure to apply lots of sun lotion on a regular basis to avoid burning too.

Pack a Pop-Up Tent

Packing a pop-up tent or sun shelter is an excellent idea because they are lightweight and can be folded up into a small bag with ease, and they will ensure that whichever spot you pick on the beach, you will always have access to a cooler, shaded area where you can all sit if the heat is getting too much for you.

Pack Activities

Image source

Although you might think the beach is all the entertainment you need, well apart maybe from a  bucket and spade for building sandcastles, a lot of kids will get pretty bored with the sand and the sea before you’re anywhere near ready to head home, For that reason, it never hurts to pack some crayons and coloring books and a few small toys that you know they enjoy, so if they aren’t into paddling or burying dad alive in the sand, you have other options to keep them busy. Trust me, you’ll be glad of those crayons.

Bring Beach-Friendly Blankets

If you’re heading to the beach with really young kids who still enjoy their naps from time to time, you’re going to want to bring some washable blankets along, so you can male them comfy if they need to sleep. A well-timed nap will, most of the time, nip any tantrums in the bud, so this is one step you aren’t going to want to skip. It might also be useful to bring along a soft toy for snuggling if your child usually has one to nap with.

Pack a Cool Box

When you’re at the beach, it’s important that you keep everyone hydrated or they could start to get cranky or even become ill. A cool box which will keep everything chilled, filled with lots of water and juice boxes is ideal and will save you money because most of those beachside stores and kiosks are pretty expensive.


Go Early

Image source

Heading to the beach earlier in the (say before 9 a.m.) is a good way of ensuring that you get the best spot for your family. After that, if it’s a really nice day, the beach will start to fill up and those prime spots that are close to the sea, near a little shade and close to the facilities, will be snapped up so fast. If you go really early, you may even have the beach almost entirely to yourselves for a little while.

Sit Near the Lifeguard

If you sit near the lifeguard, although you should absolutely be watching your kids very closely at all times, you won’t have to worry quite so much because you’ll know that should you get separated there will be a trained pair of eyes to alert you and intervene if necessary. So, don’t get in their way, but stay close by them if you can.

Plan a Treasure Hunt

Want to ensure the kids have fun and stay engaged enough that there are no tantrums? Plan your own treasure hunt and you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll all have a blast without any problems whatsoever. I mean, which kid doesn’t like finding the treasure hidden in the sand?

Have fun at the beach!

Life, Parenting

Are We There Yet?: Keeping Kids Happy When Travelling

Leave a comment

keeping kids happy, travelling, road trip

Image Source

Whether it’s a car journey or a long flight, kids are likely to get bored without things to occupy them. In order to avoid tantrums and the dreaded ‘are we there yet?’ question, why not try some of the travel tricks to help keep your kids happy.

Bring a tablet

By tablets, we don’t mean paracetamol (unless the kids really are giving you a headache). IPads and Galaxy Tabs and other touchscreen devices are the ultimate distraction tool. They can be used to stream bike games or you could even download a few turn-based games for kids to share. They can also be used to stream movies. You can even download audio books and music for them to listen to (you could pack some headphones for them to use so that you can still listen to the radio). It’s more convenient than having to give your kids your phone, which you may need to use for GPS or your own entertainment.

Load up on snacks

In case kids get hungry, it’s worth packing a few snacks. You probably don’t want to pack too many sugary snacks as this could make kids hyper. That said, a couple sweets could be useful for a flight to help combat cabin pressure in the ears during landing. You may have to buy these snacks at the airport after going through security, so make sure you leave yourself enough time after check-in.

Play family games

Journeys can be a great time for family bonding – you could all pass the time by playing games. Obviously, during a car journey you don’t want anything too distracting for the driver – keep to simple games like i-spy and the pub sign car game. When it comes to flights, you may have more option. You can buy small fold-up version of board games like chess, Monopoly and Cluedo that are great for long journeys, as well as card games like solitaire. Bring a selection of games so that you’ve got lots of choice.

Plan toilet breaks

Be strategic when it comes to kids’ toilet breaks. Make sure that your kids use the toilet before boarding the flight as they may not be able to use the toilet on the plane until several minutes after take-off. When it comes to car journeys, stop every two hours and make sure kids use the toilet before getting back in the car – especially if they’ve eaten or drank something. This will prevent you having to deal with agitated kids that are desperate for the toilet.

Keep them cosy

Encourage you kids to nap during the journey by bringing a blanket and pillow. This could be much needed if you’re travelling early in the morning or in the evening and could prevent you having to deal with overtired kids. There are lightweight travel blankets and travel pillows that you can buy that are perfect for such journeys.

Life, Parenting

Top Saving Tips For Summer Camp

Leave a comment

summer, save money, tips, travel, parenting, camp

Sending your kids to summer camp is an enriching experience for them. It can teach them all about team work, decision making and interacting with others. They get to learn new skills, and build up resilience, which will definitely benefit them in adulthood. However paying for summer camp can also be an expensive experience for parents. The average cost of a day camp is over $300 per child. If you are looking at private or speciality camps, these can cost between $500-$1000 per week. For many parents, this is a necessary cost, when they are juggling work and childcare over the summer months. So how can you make allowances in your budget to pay for summer camp?

Using a dedicated savings account 

There is no way around it, keeping children entertained costs money. When they are young, it is worth setting up a dedicated savings account kept solely for funding things like summer camps and school field trips. By paying a little into this account regularly throughout the year, you will be able to budget better for the summer months when they aren’t at school, and need entertaining. Managing your family finance can be made easy, simply by setting up a regular payment into this dedicated account. For instance, if you know that you need to pay $300 for camp, you’ll need to put by $25 a month.

Have a clear out

Part of really good spring cleaning, is getting rid of all of the clothes that don’t fit anymore, and the toys that are no longer played with. Every year, set by a weekend to have a clear out. You could decide to have a yard sale – you will be surprised how useful your unwanted possessions are to others. With the average price of a yard sale item being 85c, it could potentially make you hundreds of dollars to put towards camp costs. Alternatively, it is worth listing items that are in good condition on eBay, Gumtree, Craigslist or one of the local Facebook selling pages. Not only will you be able to make a little money to put towards summer camp, but you will be making your home more organized and tidy.

Look into bursaries and grants

Many summer camp foundations offer a limited number of grants to children that they feel would really benefit from the camp, or that have done something community spirited during the year. These grants recognize that there may be families that can’t necessarily afford the cost of a summer camp experience, but have children that deserve to take part in engaging and interesting activities. These funding opportunities are open to everybody. 

Summer camp is a wonderful and exciting experience for children. With some regular saving, your children can spend the school holidays learning new skills and meeting great friends.