On Saturday morning we woke up at the crack of dawn, loaded up my RAV4, and headed east for Wrightsville Beach. 

From door to sand it took us 2 hours, and it was entirely worth it.

I have been struggling lately with being home all day, every day while I work full time and mother Jack. Combined with a global pandemic, it has become extremely isolating. I needed a day away from our home.

The beach, even though we were only there a couple of hours, recharged me.

We rolled into town early and found a great parking spotting at one of the public access points. Quickly, we set up the beach tent I ordered in preparation for this day.

The tent was a total game changer. I would not even attempt to sit on the beach with an infant without it. It shielded us from the sun and other people while also serving as a cozy place for me to nurse Jack when he got a little fussy. And Jack enjoyed being able to crawl around inside the tent.

The water was cold, but Jack didn’t mind at all. I sat in the sand with him where the tide was starting to come in, and he loved it. I think he needed to get out of the house as much as I did.

To make the day a success, we packed a cooler with snacks and drinks for Justin and myself, as well as our beach tent, a portable fan, and a wagon to tote everything in. And, of course, we took towels and sunscreen, and Jack’s sun blocking hat and rash guard (he’s still too young for baby sunscreen), as well as swim diapers.

The beach tent and wagon were the best investments we made, though.

What we learned for next time:

  • Another fan would be great to have to blow cool air from two directions.
  • Bring a change of clothes for the ride home. I can’t believe Justin and I forgot to pack a change of clothes for us (I remembered for Jack). Riding home in a wet swimsuit was no fun.
  • Chairs! I will definitely order chairs for our next beach day.
  • The earlier the better. We were there early in the morning before the crowds, which was perfect. We got a great parking spot and were leaving as the beach started to get crowded.

Justin and I said a long time ago that we would take our kids to as many places as we can, regardless of how difficult it might be; that “it’s too hard” wouldn’t be an excuse to miss out on family experiences. We understand that moments like this won’t always be perfect, but it’s important to us to expose Jack and any future children we have to as many experiences as possible from a young age.

Were we in the car longer than we were on the beach? Yes. Was it worth it for the memories we made as a family? 100 percent. I’m already dreaming of when we can go back.