Okay! Here it is, in GREAT detail, and with a few links thrown in, because we don’t gatekeep around here! Below you’ll find the full list of what we packed for a 6 day vacation as a family of four – two adults, one toddler and one baby – to drive to Hilton Head, SC for a beach trip. I’ll also make sure to share everything that we packed, but also what we actually used out of everything that we packed…all my mama’s will know the Murphy’s Law of packing for babies: if you only bring what you need, you won’t have enough. But if you pack extra, you won’t need it. I keep a pretty standard list in the “notes” section of my phone, and will add/delete trip specific or seasonal items as needed!
While we did purchase a few clothing items for fun, a majority of these items were things that we had on hand. We also spent the week with Jon’s parents, which was incredibly helpful as they were excited to spend time with the girls and also offered to bring a big cooler and all the snacks we could have imagined and tote around some of the items like beach towels and chairs. Even though our family isn’t right down the street, the bonds we have are incredibly tight and we love getting this intentional time together! So, without further ado, find the list below – items highlighted in red we either did not end up using, or didn’t use as many as we brought:
Katie
- Panties x7
- Bras x5
- Swimsuit
- One piece swim
- Swim coverup
- Dresses x2
- Shorts
x3x2 - Jeans
- Leggings/shorts x3
- Cute tops x4
- T shirts x3
- Pjs
- Jewelry
- Socks x2
- Sneakers
- Sandals
- Beach flip flops
- Hat
- Sunglasses
Jon
- Underwear x5
- Swimsuit
x4x3 - Beach shirts x3
- Shorts x3
- Jeans
- Sweatpants
- Basketball shorts x2
- Nice shirts x4
- T shirts x3
- Socks x4
- Sneakers
- Beach Flip flops
- Hat x3
- Sunglasses x2
Toiletries/Extras
- Tooth brush/paste
- Hair brush/bands
- Shampoo/conditioner
- Detangler
- Makeup/remover
- Cotton rounds
- Face lotions
- Body lotions
- Deodorant
- Razor
- Vitamins
- Phone charger
- Laptop/charger
- Rain jacket
- Books
Sophia
- Diapers
- Swim diapers
- Swimsuit
x3x1 - Matching dresses
x2x1 - Other dresses
x2x1 - Onesies
x8x6 - Tops x3
- Pants x3
- Overalls
x2x1 - Socks x2
- Booties
- Sun hat
- Sunglasses
Layla
- Diapers
- Swim diapers
- Swimsuit
x3x2 - Matching dresses x2
- Other dresses x3
- Tops x3
- Shorts x2
- Pants
- Socks x2
- Shoes
- Flip flops x2
- Sun hat
- Sunglasses
Baby Toiletries/Extras
- Wipes
- Sunscreen/brush
- Nail clippers
- Emergency bag
- Nanit/stand/charger
- White noise machine
- Stroller fan/charger
- Carrier
- Wash cloth x3
- Swaddle/all purpose x2
- Bib/spoon/plate x2
- Layla cups x2
- Bumbo seat
- Breastfeeding pillow
- Pool floatie
- Beach chairs x4
- Beach toys
- Stay cool towel
- Shibumi
My general rule of thumb when packing for the beach is two outfits per day – you’ll want something for the morning before the beach and something clean to put on for the evening after all the beach fun. For the girls this felt simple enough since neither of them are really into PJ sets right now, we would just put them each in a clean t-shirt or onesie for bed, and when they woke up add a pair of shorts to go down and grab breakfast! Layla wanted dresses every night, which made things easy! Even though I packed a few hand-me-down swimsuits for Sophia, she ended up exclusively wearing this full coverage swimsuit from Caden Lane; it’s not cheap (even though they typically do some kind of 20% off), but her little skin is so fair it was well worth it. My diaper plan was a little loosey goosey too: I did 2 swim diapers per day for the girls (ended up only needing one per day) and 5-10 regular diapers per day, or honestly I counted up whatever was in the plastic sleeve and it was 32ish per girl so that was easy to already have it sealed and packed, we definitely had extras.
A few favorites from my list are a small stay cool towel – our favorite ways to use it are to get it damp and either drape it over the girls if they took a beach nap or put it between our shoulders and the carrier straps for a little relief! Another “mom hack” is we always keep a makeup brush in our diaper bag and use it to apply sunscreen to faces, for Layla it feels like a girly treat and calls it her makeup, and is generally easier on baby skin for Sophia. One purchase that really helped with this trip were packing cubes – each girl got their own cube and it was so easy keeping baby items organized and separated! I also have this small purse that is actually a diaper bag and is perfect for a dinner out without toting everything in your usual diaper backpack.
Some of our “just in case items” – like jeans, rain gear, and emergency bag with kids meds or first aid – weren’t needed, but we still like to have them on all trips. We were able to consolidate some of our toiletries, as we can all use the same shampoo/conditioner/bodywash and body lotion; the girls technically use “kids” marketed shower products, but they work wonders for us as well. Knowing that the hotel provided beach towels, chairs, umbrellas, etc. was helpful even when we opted to use some of our own items! I have a post reviewing the oceanfront hotel we stayed at here, but definitely make a note of what’s allowed at your beach. The Shibumi is my FAVORITE beach umbrella, when we’ve gone to VA beaches so far they aren’t allowed, but you’ll see so many of them lining the Carolina’s.
What are your must haves for packing list??
Strength and Grits 
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