10 Water Must Haves for Summer

We have spent a good amount of time at the pool and the ocean so far this Summer.  And I'm really excited because I have a list of FAVORITES to share with you today.  All of these products made our lives easier, more fun and were a great deal.  Many of them are from Amazon so they could arrive at your house in no time.

I'll give you a little sneak peek into what I'm sharing today:
Puddle Jumpers, Shell bags, Beach tent, googles, Kid backpacks, Rings, sunscreen and Play-Doh Plus!!

Let's get started:

// 1 // PUDDLE JUMPERS
These have been complete lifesavers for my water loving kids.  They have allowed the kids to have some freedom in the water before they could swim.  They are safe, secure and many of them come with a label that says they are cost guard approved.  Olive is starting to use her less and less, but hers is at least 3 years old and looks brand new.  We have been really happy with the Body Glove brand.  Be sure to get the ones that have the tank top portion on top.  That really helps keep the puddle jumper in place and secure on your child.

 // 2 // KID BACKPACKS
Both kids get their own backpack when we fly.  I pack them with snacks and special surprises.  Fletcher loves his hero backpack and Olive used her unicorn backpack from school this year.

 // 3 // AIRPLANE DRESS
I ordered this dress for Olive for our flights and it was so cute.  It felt very Boden-y for just $13.99.  She loved the rainbows and the pockets.  We'd highly recommend it.  I was also tempted to get the striped version :)

// 4 // MESH SEASHELL BAGS
I picked these up on a whim and they were a big hit with the kids.  They could wear them cross body with the adjustable strap and had so much fun collecting their shells hands free.  The bags were comfy, easy for the kids to use and really kept their shells close by while washing all the sand away.  They come in a four pack and are sized for kids.  They would not work cross body for adults.

We also used and loved this sunscreen on both kids.  We used the stick on their faces and the spray on the rest of their bodies.  

// 5 // BEACH TENT
I picked this up on a lightning deal the week before our trip.  I figured the kids would love having their own tent at the ocean to get a break from the sun.  It folds up pretty easily (but works best with two people folding it) and it stores in a completely flat zipper pouch.  It comes with four stakes to keep in secure in the sand as well as bags to fill with sand to help hold the tent in place if it's really windy.  We just had to use the four stakes.  I set the tent up all by myself and I'm not particularly handy at stuff like that.

The kids played it in, ate lunch in it and they have had the best time playing camp out since we brought it home.  It's fun to use indoors and outdoors!  It looks brand new after using it for a week at the ocean.  Everything just washes right off of it and I think it'll hold up well for many summers to come.  This was great!  And it comes in a variety of sizes.  We have the smaller version.

// 6 // GOGGLES
This is the first year that my kids have enjoyed wearing goggles.  We have several pairs of Speedo googles and both kids love them.  They were great in the ocean and great in the pool.




// 7 // DIVING RINGS
Both kids spent HOURS playing with these diving rings.  They made up games, dove for them and had the best time tossing them

// 8 // PLAY-DOH PLUS
We had the best time playing with Play-Doh Plus at our condo.  It's softer than regular Play-Doh and kind of fluffy.  We all loved it.  There were tons of games we made up to play with it - construction site, spelling words with Play-Doh, sea creature challenge, stacked the Play-Doh cups and more.

// 9 // KINDLE FIRE
This one is a total splurge, but would be an awesome thing to keep in mind for your kiddos.  Olive got a Kindle Fire 10 for her birthday.  We have all enjoyed the games, books, learning apps and camera that comes with it.  She loves taking pictures, videos and then going back to look through them.  I love reading books with her on it.  We didn't have to pack any kid books for our trip because they were all on her kindle.  Both kids (age 6 and 3) love it.  We used it in the car while we were traveling, on the airplane and while we were hanging out in the condo.

// 10 // MAPS
 My last recommendation is fun and FREE!!  The kids had the best time collecting maps wherever we went.  We got them in the airports, the zoo, the arboretum and the grocery store.  They had the best time looking over them, planning out adventures and pretending they were looking for buried treasure.  They were so creative with markers making trails and played so nicely together.  So never underestimate a child's imagination while you're on vacation!  Give them lots of opportunities to play and enjoy being little.

What are your favorite water must haves for your family??

**Affiliate links included.  Thanks for supporting PDP!