Beach Babe

Like the rest of Spain, we’re on holiday at the beach.  It’s our first beach holiday with a child. He’s 13 months, still can’t walk, weighs about 11kg and still likes to crawl all over his parents at every opportunity.  The beach does not enhance this experience.

Here’s some stuff you might not know if you haven’t tried to go with a baby or small toddler yet.  Read more...

• Your days of lying back on a sand controlled towel are over (an arsenal of toys will not make any difference).  Babies and toddlers will not sit quietly in the shade, on a towel, playing with toys. What they will in fact do is crawl directly off designated sand free zone and bring back a substantial amount of the stuff with them.

• You’re not cool anymore. Face it, there is NO WAY on this earth to go to the beach packed like a camel – carrying change bag, toys, bucket and spade, water, baby food, umbrella, towels, and more (am sure Kate has the definitive spreadsheet somewhere of all the things one should take to the beach) AND carry an 11kg baby all the while walking on hot sand AND look cool.  You are the stereotypical parent of every hip single’s nightmare.  Don’t attempt to fool anyone.  If you’re not loaded up like a cartless gypsy, every other parent will be smugly aware that you are either at the beach for five minutes or about to face down a disaster.