And, parents are right to be cautious. About one in five children who drown are under 14 years old, and the CDC says, “For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.”
But don’t worry. There are ways to enjoy the beach safely with young children, including this awesome tip that comes from In Lieu of Preschool.
The mom of two suggests that every parent of a small child should bring a shower curtain liner to the beach. Sounds crazy, right? Sure, crazy like a fox!
How To Use It
You can use the shower curtain liner to create a little “mini-ocean” for your children in the sand. Simply dig a wide, shallow hole in the sand. Then take the shower curtain liner and lay it on top of the hole, making sure to tuck the ends into the sand so that it stays firmly in place.
Now, fill it up with water (have the bigger kids help cart buckets of water from the ocean—they will love to help). Put a few toys in, and voila! You have a safe, fun mini-ocean for your little ones to play in. Best of all, instead of having to stand anxiously in the water, you can simply lounge on the sand (or even hop in with them!).
The other cool thing about this idea is that a shower curtain liner is also perfect for beach-eating. Instead of sitting on a damp towel, you can lay out a shower curtain liner and picnic without sitting on the hot sand or a soggy beach blanket.
I think this would also be a clever idea for water tables. You can spread it out on your lawn under your water table or kiddie pool, and it will help keep your grass from turning into a giant mud puddle and also keep your kids’ feet from getting sticky with grass and dirt.
A shower curtain isn’t the only helpful household item that makes beach life easier, you’ll want to bring a fitted sheet and a laundry basket too.
Use Fitted Sheet For A Sand Free Zone
This idea from Team Johnson is genius. The beach is amazing, but the sand you bring back with you from the beach is not. Simply bring a fitted sheet from home, or purchase one here. Once you’ve got your fitted sheet, you’ll want to place bags in each corner to successfully create your sand-free zone.
Use A Laundry Bag For The Beach Toy Bag
Use a laundry bag to prevent sand from gathering in the bottom of your beach bag and creating an unwanted mess. The Idea Room suggests using a mesh laundry bag to keep beach toys together, and relatively sand free.
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