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Original poster

Am off to Cornwall for a week shortly, have been having nightmares the last couple of nights oabout crawling ds2 on beach..... Any advice?

25 replies

LadyOfTheFlowers · 07/06/2007 14:33

I can see sand all in his mouth, eyes, nose, ears etc already and was wondering what any of you have done with a crawler on the beach?
He obviously cant sit safely in his buggy all day, sadly, so am stumped!
Also, both boys, 'tother is 22m , need a kip during the day, what do i do then?
Sound like an idioy dont i?
Nevermind!
TIA.
Xx

OP posts:

ChippyMinton · 07/06/2007 14:43

Would this work? Beach in the morning, home for lunch and a nap (you won't want the children on the beach during the hottest part of the day anayway (12- 3pm-ish)). Then back to the beach before tea.
Mine were all babies when we lived at the seaside and got very sandy. No advice really, i just let them get on with it and had freshwater handy to hose them down. I'm sure more oranised people will have some advice.
Have a great holiday

WK007 · 07/06/2007 14:43

Highly recommend a huge blanket to spread out on the beach - its a pita to keep turning them round when they reach the edge but no sand in mouths!! But can vouch for the sand being very clean, unless you go to Newquay or anywhere near Redruth

Could you buy/borrow/beg one of those kids beach tents - good place to hide if the suns too strong and good place to kip.

kittypants · 07/06/2007 14:46

ive never thought about it before.we just get sandy.i watch it doesnt go in mouths but im sure it does.have nap when sun is hottest.or get sun tent.

Clary · 07/06/2007 14:55

All crawling children eat sand on the beach. It's fine. It's what they do. Seems to do em no harm.

I recall DD at just 1 crawling right through a rock pool and out the other side! Don't think she was completely submerged but lol.

As for the nap, well just take them back to where you're staying and put them down for an hour while you laze in the garden!

Tigana · 07/06/2007 14:57

reeeeeelax... babies eat sand...leads to sliughtly gritty poo that's all.
try to entertain him with digging, shells etc. Take a good shade and let them nap in that if you are on the beach. Will they fall asleep in pushchair if you go for a stroll around nap time?

bozza · 07/06/2007 14:58

As others have said. Or time a car journey to coincide with naptime. I have only had a crawler on the beach once. DD was 13 months and verging on walking but not on that sort of a surface. She got very sandy.

Enid · 07/06/2007 14:59

if you cover them with talc and brush it off it takes the sand with it

quite useful at the end of the day

ChippyMinton · 07/06/2007 14:59

How about a cheap paddling pool for crawler to sit in? Or fill with water and save all those trips down to the sea.

Or find a pebbly beach if it all gets too much?

ChippyMinton · 07/06/2007 15:00

I love your talc tip enid. If only i was organised enough to take some with me!

Enid · 07/06/2007 15:01

lol I never remember it either

i did once though and it was brillo

Tigana · 07/06/2007 15:01

compo · 07/06/2007 15:02

so you cover them wiht sun tan lotion, and then talc? Doesn't it go all yukky?
(God this is why I don't do beach holidays )

Diplidophus · 07/06/2007 15:07

Crawlers/toddlers love the sand and yes, they do eat it. I just watched out for the fag buts and let him get on with it. More reaction I gave then the more he did it.

I put DS in either his pushchair or on a lilo for a nap.

When not in the idday sun I also let him have a good romp naked - not often does he get the chance to get the wind on his winky!
Although I did catch him trying to bury it on Sunday 'ouch - hurt winky' was his only comment.

fortyplus · 07/06/2007 15:13

Don't worry about eating sand - you have to keep an eye on them the whole time to stop them crawling off to the sea.

When mine were that age we often used to go to the beach late afternoon when everyone else was packing up to go home.

fortyplus · 07/06/2007 15:15

Oh - and top tip is make a racing car out of sand - they'll stay put!

Where in Cornwall are you going? You need a beach with nice pools left by the tide.

PrettyCandles · 07/06/2007 15:16

Do the sunblock in the morning before you dress them (for all the children), much easier than when they're wriggling to go play. Then do the talc when they're undressed on the beach.

Enid · 07/06/2007 15:27

do talc as you are going home

shake it on them and dust it off, it takes the sand with it - especially good if you have children who moan about having sandy feet

haggisaggis · 07/06/2007 15:27

You could always stick a travel cot on teh beach (that is what the AMerican families when we are on holiday seem to do). They also take a small paddling pool and fill ith seawater for paddling / washing off sand.
They all just seem so organised - arrive at teh beach with toy wagons filled with beach chairs, sunshades, coolboxes etc and then start putting up travel cots and paddling pools. Meanwhile we arrive with a beach towel and a couple of buckets and spades - adn that's it!

PrettyCandles · 07/06/2007 15:29

Oh, I always put it on befoer they get sandy (and when they've dried from swimming). I shall try it your way this year, Enid.

WK007 · 07/06/2007 15:31

Can't imagine seeing a travel cot on the beach round here!! Think the locals would drop their pasties in amazement. Mind you, stick 'Quiksilver' on it and it will instantly be de rigeur (sp?).

purpleturtle · 07/06/2007 15:31

Ds2 got covered in sand - inside and out lol! - last week. I did think he'd overdone it when he threw up a full bottle and a fair amount of sand, but realised later that actually, he was just the first of us to succumb to the tummy bug.

We did carry the pushchair across the sand for him to sit in, but he didn't want to be in it long.

I think you just have to accept that he's going to get sandy.

Original poster

LadyOfTheFlowers · 08/06/2007 14:17

thanks for all these responses.
was contemplating travel cot but it weighs a metric ton and we burst enough blood vessels getting the blanket, towels, bucket, wind break and sun tent down there tbh!
I want one of those drag along cart things they use in the US, they look great!

what about eyes? do i justtake some bottles of fresh water and pour it over his eye if it gets in there?

OP posts:

ChippyMinton · 08/06/2007 14:21

a radio flyer wagon? saw one at legoland the other day. Looked good, although i'm a bit of a minimalist myself when it comes to going out.
Keep a couple of old squash/water bottles filled with fresh water and a clean flannel in a ziplock bag to keep it sand free.

Surfermum · 08/06/2007 14:32

I always find a bottle of water with a squirty mouthpiece is really useful for getting sand out of eyes, hands, mouth etc.

I used to put her in a uv sunsuit and a legionnaires hat so that the back of her neck was protected.

We have a beach shelter and a plastic groundsheet. Dd would nap in the beach shelter, or we would go to a beach where we could get the buggy on there and she'd sleep in that.

What part of Cornwall are you going to?

DebitheScot · 08/06/2007 14:33

It'll probably rain every day and then you might not want to go to the beach.

We went to Wales last week and spent quite a bit of time on the beach. Including 1 hour or so one afternoon where it was raining the whole time. It wasn't cold and ds had his allin one waterproof on and he had a great time splashing in the streams that go down to the sea.

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