Happy unofficial start of SUMMER! Woohoo! I love summer naturally because I'm a Leo born in August. Sunny days, sun-kissed skin, sandals, beach, pool, friends, fun, BBQs, hiking, camping, road trips... summer makes my soul smile. Here are our favorite summer must haves of 2020.
#1 Eco-Friendly Sunscreen
Remember the days of putting baby oil on to tan – I remember my mom doing this?! Okay I may have been guilty of this in my teens too laying on black shingled roofs to tan faster (before switching to excessive tanning booths - gotta love the 90's).
I’m relieved that we are being more careful when out in the sun by wearing good sunscreen, but think twice before putting your favorite sunscreen on your kids! Many sunscreens have toxic chemicals that leach right into your kids skin and bloodstream. TheEveryGirl just released a great article of the best non-toxic sunscreens of 2020.
All three of my go-to sunscreens I put on my 4 year old made the list last year and this year ThinkBaby is still on the list.
#1 Goddess Garden Baby Sunscreen – SPF 50
#2 Thinkbaby Sunscreen – SPF 50+
Cool bonus use: rub a tiny amount on finger tips and use to spike your son's hair. It's amazing and stays all day. Non-greasy.
#3 Babo Botanicals Clear Zinc Sunscreen Sport Stick SPF 30
This makes it SUPER easy to apply to my kid’s face, neck, ears and I even use it on his body if I’m out and about and need to apply sunscreen quickly without any mess on my hands.
I use Babo Botanicals Daily Sheet Tinted Sunscreen on my face and I love it!
#2 ZizzyBee Bags
Once you get zizzy with it, you never go back. ZizzyBee Bags are reusable travel and organization bags that replace 1000+ plastic zip-style bags a year:
ZizzyBee Bags are the perfect solution to hold all your swim gear – sunscreen, goggles, arm swimmies, change of dry clothes, and I even put my son’s wet bathing suit in a ZizzyBee Bag when I leave the beach.
- Reuse em’
- Zip em’
- Wash em’
- Hang em’
- See through em’
- Love em’
- Replace em’
LIFETIME REPLACEMENT GUARANTEE - in 7 years my bags are still like new.
ZizzyBee Bags are awesome to use year-round:
- Travel bag – awesome for toiletries or important items that you reach for often when traveling.
- Toy bag for kids – we load up our ZizzyBee Bag with toys for the road when traveling. Makes clean up easy too!
- Purse Clutter – the only things in my purse are my wallet, phone, keys and everything else goes inside my ZizzyBee Bag.
- Grab and go back for walking, going to the park, etc. No need to lug a diaper bag – fits wipes, diapers, bottles and more.
- I use at the gym to create an instant hang shower bag that holds all my stuff.
- Awesome teacher gift
- Stocking Stuffer gift.
- AND so much more.
ZizzyBee Bags save 1000+ single use plastic ziplock bags a year! We will have more plastic in the ocean than fish by the year 2050 so don’t bring plastic to the beach and help save our oceans…
And there’s one more thing you can do and is another reason why I love ZizzyBee Bags because they launched this amazing initiative. You can Take The Plastic Pledge here to help save our oceans.
#3 RuggedButts and RuffleButts
What started out as RuffleButts for girls and then an added RuggedButts for boys, these are my favorite UPF 50+ Protection Swimwear for kids.
I love the designs plus they are affordable, fast drying, lightweight, and blocks 98{3eef1f002d1e0193b4b964844dbc64e3636761dc336ac7205011e67901c7a764} of the suns harmful rays. Invented by a mom who was also on Shark Tank - her story is incredible and inspiring.
I just bought my sun these shorts and rashguard swim shirt.
$19.50 for the shorts and $23.50 for the swim shirt!
The girl RuffleButts bathing suits are you guessed it...adorable suits with ruffled butts!
$29.95 for rashguard swim shirt and bottoms!
#4 Sand Cloud Beach Towel
These hand woven Turkish towels are so awesome and the company is doing awesome things with marine conservation.
Starting at $47 here's why we LOVE Sand Cloud towels:
- Not bulky - folds and fits in your bag.
- Dries 3x faster
- Gets softer and more absorbent with every wash.
- Extra large size.
- Turkish cotton for super soft feel and more sustainability
- Removable Beach Chair Strap so towel does not fly off.
- Sand resistant design.
You can get a 4 pack for $150.
#5 Bogg Bag
Lack of beach bags that could suit a family’s needs sparked the creation of the Bogg Bag. Needs were simple: a bag large enough to carry everything, that wouldn’t fall over and spill, and that could be rinsed at the end of the day. After coming up short, the founders decided to make their own.
- Use at the beach, pool, gym, school, for shopping or play.
- Three great sizes
- Many great color options
- Look great carrying anything where ever you go!
- Option to customize and accessorize your Bogg Bag too.
#6 The Little Monkey Company Bib
Summer means eating on the go - picnics, BBQs, beach, and more. Stop ruining your kid's adorable summer outfits and use The Ultimate Full Coverage Bib by The Little Monkey Company.
No monkey business… this eco-friendly bib has you covered!
- Wear our bib… feed the world!
- 1 bib = 3 meals donated to hungry kids in America
- No more stained clothes!
- Ultimate Full-Coverage Bib – unique high neck design, capped shoulders, snap-on crumb catcher
- Eco-friendly
- 2-in-1 waterproof design – top bib is waterproof + bottom is 100{3eef1f002d1e0193b4b964844dbc64e3636761dc336ac7205011e67901c7a764} snap-on, silicone food catcher
- 7 interchangeable styles to choose from
- Long-lasting – from babies and bottles to toddlers and tater tots – with everything in between!
- EASY TO CLEAN – top machine washable, bottom dishwasher safe
- BONUS FEATURE: Use the top part of our bib under any other bib to protect clothes from stains!
- Perfect Travel bib to keep clothes clean while eating on the go – bib rolls up and snaps closed inside the food catcher (transforms into a travel case)
- Mom invented, kid approved (even kids who take off their bibs, love this bib!)
$19.99 but use code FOODIE to try a bib for $13!
#7 Lock & Lock Insulated Cooler Bag
My mom LOVES QVC so I often get surprise packages in the mail and the most recent one was this awesome cooler! We bought a couple soft coolers at the grocery store and one was too small and the other one leaks when ice melted, but this one is AWESOME!
It’s very roomy, yet still lightweight and compact enough to lug to the beach, pool, or on the boat. Fits a whole bag of ice in there easily and can fit a ton of foods and drinks too.
- Flat top opening, zip closure, long shoulder strap
- Insulated interior with leak-proof lining
- Measures approximately 14-1/2″ x 10-1/4″ x 9-3/4″
- Outer cover 100{3eef1f002d1e0193b4b964844dbc64e3636761dc336ac7205011e67901c7a764} polyester
- Wipe clean with damp cloth
- Trendy looking!
Here’s my husband holding it in the boat marina last summer.
#8 Two Elephants Summer’s Essential Beach Vault
Wouldn’t it be so much more relaxing to not have to worry about valuables getting taken or wet/sandy when at the beach?
The Beach Vault by Two Elephants is an amazing gadget that is a must for summer. This unique, cork-screw safe holds your phone, wallet, keys and other valuables with an air-tight, water proof lid. Once closed, just screw into the sand and cover with your towel!
#9 Sturdy Sand Coasters
These are genius! Turtlebacks all-terrain drink holders prevent drink spills and dirty drink bottoms at the beach, picnics, camping, tailgating, backyards and everywhere else.
They speak for themselves and are so awesome.
#10 Eco Water Bottle
Ditch the plastic whenever you go to the beach so make sure to bring eco water bottles for all.
A cool tip is fill the water bottles up with water and freeze them the night before, then take them to the beach and as ice melts you have cold water all day long.
For kids we LOVE Klean Kanteen eco water bottles.
- Stainless steel
- BPA-free materials
- designed specifically for kids - very durable
- easy to clean
For adults we love Contigo water bottles.
And we have to mention BottleKeeper! It holds your beer or even has a can size - insulated to keep your beer colder, longer, and protected from breakage.
What are your favorite summer essentials? What else would you add to the list?
Written by Tasha Mayberry, The Little Monkey Company (Marketing & PR)
