What to Pack for a Swimming Holiday with a Baby or Toddler

We’ve done swimming holidays with a baby, a toddler, and now a child who would happily spend most of the day underwater. Over the years, I’ve packed too much, forgotten important things, and spent far too much money replacing items in hotel gift shops. These days, our packing list is much shorter.

These are the items that have earned a place in our suitcase time and time again.

Bring the Sunscreen You Actually Use

You’ll find sunscreen almost everywhere, but not necessarily the one your family likes or trusts.

For children, I’ve always liked Vichy Kids, Isdin Pediatrics and Eucerin Kids Dry Touch in Europe and Sun Bum Kids when we traveled to the USA. In fact, I used to bring several bottles home with us from Florida because I knew we wouldn’t easily find it once we got back.

If you’ve found a sunscreen that works well for your family, pack it before you leave.

Don’t Sleep on Swim Nappies

You can usually find them abroad. The problem is that they always seem to be more expensive than expected, and the choice can be surprisingly limited.

If your child still needs swim nappies, I’d pack enough for the whole holiday and consider anything you buy abroad a bonus. (You can stock up on Huggies Little Swimmers before you fly).

A UV Suit

If there’s one thing I wouldn’t skip when traveling with a baby or toddler, it’s a UV suit. Trying to apply sunscreen to a wriggling child every twenty minutes isn’t my idea of a relaxing holiday, and a good UV suit provides an extra layer of protection during long pool and beach days.

In the early years, I bought some beautiful UV suits from Liewood. They were lovely, but I quickly realized I couldn’t justify the price for something that might only fit for a single holiday.

Over the years, I’ve had excellent luck with the UV swimwear from H&M. The quality has always been good, the designs are fun and, most importantly, I never felt guilty when they were outgrown six months later.

A Sun Hat

A good sun hat is non-negotiable. Over the years we’ve tried quite a few, but I always seem to come back to the children’s hats from Polarn O. Pyret. They fit well, stay on, and provide excellent coverage around the face and neck. Like most things on this list, they’ve simply worked for us.

Swimming Aids: We’ve Used Both

Over the years we’ve used both adjustable armbands and swim vests.

• Adjustable armbands with removable floats were fantastic when confidence was developing because you could gradually reduce the support as swimming improved.
• Later on, we found a swim vest offered more freedom of movement and was more comfortable for longer periods in the pool.

Every child is different, but we’ve successfully used both.

I would also recommend packing an inflatable pool if they are very little – don’t be precious about it – you may not be able to pack it on the way back.

Pack Two Pairs of Goggles

If I had to choose one swimming accessory that has come on every holiday with us, it would be goggles. Our favorites have always been Speedo goggles. They’re comfortable, easy to adjust, and seem to survive being thrown into beach bags and suitcases.

Pack two pairs. Not because they’ll break—but because one will mysteriously disappear halfway through the holiday.

Children’s Sunglasses

I made the mistake of spending a fortune on children’s sunglasses when my daughter was younger. These days, I usually look for second-hand Izipizi pairs on Vinted first. They’re well-made, comfortable, and often appear in excellent condition because children outgrow them long before they wear them out. (If you prefer buying new, you can browse the latest Izipizi Kids collection here).

Buy a pair you won’t be upset about losing.

Shoes We Always Pack

There are two types of shoes that have come on almost every beach holiday with us: Native Shoes and Havaianas.

• Havaianas Kids: We’ve bought Havaianas since she was around 18 months old. We started with the versions that had the back strap and eventually moved on to the classic style as she got older. Part of the reason is simple: it’s what we wear, too. She always liked the fact that we were all wearing the same shoes, and over the years they’ve become part of our family holiday uniform. Pool days, beach clubs, ice cream runs, and walks back from the marina usually involve a pair of Havaianas.
• Native Shoes Kids Jefferson: We discovered Native Shoes when she was around two during a stay at the St Regis Bal Harbour in Florida. Everywhere we looked, children seemed to be wearing them—around the pool, at the playground, and heading off to breakfast. We bought a pair and never looked back. Four years later, we’re on our fourth pair of white Native Shoes. We usually get a full year out of each pair before passing them on to a younger cousin or nephew. (I once tried a cheaper alternative and it didn’t survive a week.) They’re lightweight, machine washable, and seem to cope with everything from airport days and marina walks to beach holidays and everyday life at home.

Between Native Shoes and Havaianas, we’ve rarely needed anything else.

Beach Bag & Travel Essentials

Pack All the Wipes

I don’t think I’ve ever returned from a holiday and thought, “I packed too many wipes.” Sticky hands, ice cream faces, sandy feet, restaurant tables, airplane trays, mystery spills, and emergency clean-ups… somehow wipes end up solving an astonishing number of problems when traveling with young children. However many wipes you think you need, pack another packet. (We always pack a few packs of WaterWipes).

The Tiny Pharmacy Bag

I don’t travel with a full medicine cabinet, but I do always pack a small pouch containing the things I know we’ll struggle to replace quickly if we need them. Ours usually contains:

• Thermometer
• Calpol & Nurofen (I can guarantee that Spanish ibuprofen tastes completely different!)
• Plasters & a small first aid kit
• Mustela Arnica & Calendula Cream (or an arnica stick)
• Chicco Post-Mosquito Bite Roll-on

Thankfully, most of these items are rarely needed. But when you do need them, you’re usually very grateful you packed them.

Take Advantage of the Breakfast Buffet

One of my favorite holiday tricks is to fill a couple of small Sistema snack containers at breakfast. Fruit, cereal, crackers, or pastries all work well. Swimming seems to make children permanently hungry, and having a few snacks in your beach bag can save an expensive trip to the beach bar or a meltdown thirty minutes before lunch.

We also always bring a children’s water bottle from home. Ours is a Liewood water bottle that has somehow survived four years of holidays, beach days, and being thrown into countless bags. I genuinely don’t know how we’ve never lost it.

Tip: A small insulated cool bag can also be surprisingly useful once children get a little older, especially for long beach days or road trips between beaches.

Pack a Tiny Bottle of Washing-Up Liquid

One thing I always pack is a small travel bottle filled with washing-up liquid. It takes up almost no room and means you can wash snack pots, water bottles, and cups in the hotel bathroom sink ready for the next day. It’s a tiny thing that makes life surprisingly easier. (Grab a set of refillable travel bottles to make this easy).

If Space Allows…

These aren’t essentials, but they’ve all come on holiday with us at one point or another:

• A lightweight cotton poncho
• A small bucket and spade set (only 1 hotel has given us a set…only 1).
• A beach ball
• A few activities from the flight bag (colouring pens, sticker books, or a small activity book)
• A travel fan to clip on to the pram/stroller

The truth is that most young children are perfectly happy with a bucket, a pair of goggles, and access to a swimming pool. Don’t feel you need to pack every toy in the house.

The Biggest Mistake I Made

The goal isn’t to pack more. It’s to make the holiday easier.

Swimming holidays with children don’t need to involve endless packing or buying lots of specialist gear. After years of travelling with a baby, toddler and now an older child, we’ve found that a small number of genuinely useful items make all the difference.

Many of the products in this guide have travelled with us for years, while others are more recent discoveries that quickly earned a permanent place in our suitcase.

And once you’ve sorted the swimming essentials, the next challenge is the journey itself. If you’re flying with young children, you might also find these guides helpful:

• Airplane Activities for Toddlers (1–4 Years Old)
• Airplane Essentials for 5-7 Kids
• The Travel Tech We Never Leave Home Without

Safe travels and happy swimming.

Mrs. O