Beach Holiday Essentials

• UV beach suit.

Where to buy: Choose from brands such as Zoogs and Splash About at Amazon; from £11.25

• Swimming costume or trunks.

Where to buy: Boden has a lovely collection of patterned costumes; from £11.20, or trusted brand Speedo; from £11.

• Summer dresses, t-shirts and shorts.

Where to buy: JoJo Maman Bébé’s Summer Collection is brimming with pretty prints, soft t-shirts and beach shorts; from £18.

• Two sun hats (in case one gets lost).

Where to buy: Choose from a selection of colours and styles at Amazon; from £1.

• Sunglasses.

Where to buy: Zoobug has a super-cool selection for babies and children; from £28.

• A long-sleeved t-shirt for cover-up.

Where to buy: Gap Kids’ are soft and affordable; from £5.99.

• One pair of nice sandals.

Where to buy: John Lewis has nice styles, that won’t fall apart as soon as they get wet; from £8.

• Crocs or jelly shoes for the beach and water.

Where to buy: Crocs is leading the way in the waterproof shoe industry; from £16.99.

• Sarongs, a make-do beach towel or a sun-shade.

Where to buy: Plenty of high street stores sell scarves and sarongs, try Accessorize, Heidi Klein or King’s Road Sporting Club.

• One big beach towel per family member.

Where to buy: Choose from a selection at Amazon; from £1.99.

• Armbands, rubber ring or float.

Where to buy: Brands such as Zoggs and Speedo are available from Amazon; from £4.99.

• A selection of small beach toys.

Where to buy: Early Learning Centre has packs of toys; from £6.

• Canvas tote bags to chuck everything in.

Where to buy: As with the sarong, you’ll find totes in plenty of stores, try Not on the High Street for something a bit different; from £8.

• Sunshade for the buggy.

Where to buy: Choose one that will work with your buggy or a clip-on parasol at Amazon; from £4.80.

• High factor sun cream.

Where to buy: Read our article on our favourite suncreams.

• Plug adapter.

Where to buy: Save money by getting a one-plug-fits-all at Amazon; from £8.99.

• First aid kit.

Where to buy: Check out our separate article on what to include in your first aid kit.

Top tip: Do not let your child pack their own clothes – it’s likely to end in disaster and will result in your little ones having zero pairs of pants, nine cuddly toys, a tub of playdough, a pyjama top and a Cinderella dress, all for a fortnight in Spain. So let them help, but take control.