Going to the Beach with Babies and Toddlers

          Every parent goes through the initiation of baby's first beach trip.  The sand, the salt water, the sun are all factors that you as a parent must plan how to protect your child from.
         When dealing with sand it is best to keep your child's hands busy with something else, such as a toy or holding your own hands.  A good idea is to bring a fitted sheet and secure it
with objects that keep the sides pulled up.  If a fitted sheet is not available, any sheet or blanket will do.  If your baby sits in the sand, make sure to shower him or her off well, after beach time is over.
          When going into the water it is a good idea to keep your baby in no more than an inch or two of water.  Show them how to splash and have fun in the water.
            The easiest way to deal with the sun, is to avoid it all together.  Try going to the beach early in the morning or later in the evening .  If you must go during the day, apply sunblock made for sensitive baby skin liberally and try to get them to wear a hat.  It also helps to have some kind of shade whether from a umbrella or a large canopy.
             Using common sense when going to the beach with your baby is the best thing you can do.  Protect them from the elements and you and your baby will have an excellent time and you will have good memories for years to come.

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Small Tents on A Small Budget

       Are you headed to the back country for the weekend, or just looking to lighten you pack weight.  How about trying a small less expensive back packing tent.  I will review a few of the cheaper backpacking tents that can be had at the current time.
      Ozark trail has been making low-cost good quality tents for years now.  Finally, they have some lighter weight tents as well.  A tent worthy of mention, is the bivy one man.  This classic tent style has been around since the early days of going to the outdoors. It can be a little difficult to set up due to all the guy-lines, but is fairly stable once it's staked out.  This particular model has the vestibule flap that comes down and can be zipped up in the event of bad weather or if you can't stand the bugs.  This tent costs $30 from
Wal-mart.com. 
       Another smallish tent is the Coleman Hooligan 2 person.  This tent is nice because it has a full cover rain fly.  The tent is a all season tent and the only issue is that it weighs in at almost 9 pounds.  The price is hard to beat at $39.95 from Wal-Mart.com.  Tents such as this one are nice because they are free standing and the rain-fly is all that needs to be staked down.
        One thing I like about the Ozark Trail 1-person hiker tent is that it is completely free standing and weighs only four and a half pounds.  The tent also has a full cover rain fly and is a three season tent.  Another amenity, is the small gear loft and the price is $29.97 from Wal-Mart.com.
         These three tents are just a few of the budget small tents.  Wal-Mart.com is probably the best place to shop for low cost tents.  I prefer light tents, so I would go with the bivy one person.  The only problem with this is that it leaves your pack mate without a place to sleep.  One solution, buy two!
     

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