Packing for the beach

The thought of writing this post is daunting, let alone thinking of the act of actually packing for the beach.  I hate packing, but maybe not as much as I hate unpacking.  I am known to let a suitcase sit in my closet for weeks on end until it just ends up kind of unpacking itself as I need things.

We leave Saturday to head to Isle of Palms for my family's beach week.  So, where do I even begin to start the process of packing for a week at the beach with 2 small children?  The first and obvious step would be to make a list, right?

Notice that I left off a few big items like the pack and play and stroller?  That is because I use Baby's Away for those items.  Have any of y'all ever used Baby's Away?  I learned about it last year when planning our beach trip with a newborn in tow.  It is great!!  They have a list of items that you can rent and they deliver them to the house and come get them at the end of the week.  For one, I would much rather Katelyn sleep in a crib for the week instead of the pack and play, because I can't imagine that can be too comfortable.  Plus, one less thing to pack!  I would much rather rent a stroller than bring one a) because we don't have to pack it, and b) we don't have to get our stroller all sandy.  It's great!

So, what are your must have items when taking babies/toddlers to the beach and what am I leaving off my list??