One of the fondest memories of my childhood is the beach. When I see the dirtiest, sandiest toddler in the wet sand area, I remember back to when that was me. But as a parent, you have to worry about where that sand is going. Kids between the ages of six months and 2 years have a habit of putting everything in the mouth. Sand is no exception.
The kid is going to have a load of fun at the beach, no doubt. Will the parent have an equal amount of fun? Maybe. If the mom (or the dad) practices good parenting skills and employs common sense, then the kid will be fine and a moderate amount of fun will be had by all.
The day goes by smoothly; no drowning, no severe sunburn, no major spills, etc. The baby hardly cried at all. You think you are done? Perhaps not. Brushing off as much sand as possible on the beach itself, you put the baby into the baby sling for the long walk back to the car. She is somewhat fussy by the time you get to the car. You think this is a good time to give the already prepared bottle for this anticipated situation, because you are the active-proactive parent.
Feeding completed, you get out the burp cloth and prepare to burp the baby. Pat, pat, pat, oops? No. Pat, pat, pat, BWAAPP! Not only did the baby clear out the air in her digestive tract, she also expelled the quart of formula and three dry quarts of sand she swallowed. Sticky, wet sand/formula mixture all the way down the back. At this point you are thinking, I am glad I used a burp cloth. Handy husband hands you over another prepared bottle, this time it stayed down, the burp was uneventful, baby tucked into the car seat and fell right to sleep. Uneventful ride home.
Even when you think you have it all, be sure to check all the sand everywhere, because you never know where it might be lurking.
The All Baby Zone, at http://www.allbabyzone.com is the source for baby gifts, bibs, burp cloths, and baby slings. Contact at support@allbabyzone.com
