HEAD TO THE BACK BEACH

Sand.

Sand everywhere.

Sand in places you don’t even want to know about.

I do love Summer; the smell of BBQ’s wafting through the windows, soft serve ice-creams, sunshine sparkling across the ocean, icy cold drinks and people genuinely seem happier.

But I hate sand.

This Summer, because of a move for my husband’s work, we are lucky enough to be living a short stroll from an incredible beach. I am excited. I am picturing picnics and sand castles and sun kissed kids who are exhausted and begging to go to bed every night.

Then the picture gets a little blurry. You see, I was also envisioning me in bikinis, and…well…it appears at this late stage, that ain’t gonna happen.

I have also forgotten the reality of a trip to the beach with little kids.

All of a sudden I become a pack mule: I am loaded up with buckets, spades, sunscreen, snacks, towels, drink bottles and all the ‘stuff’ we desperately try to cram into our overflowing bags. Generally, the kids spot the water and make a break for it, with me bolting behind screaming for them to, “WWAAIITT!!!! STOP!”, hats and Tiny Teddies peeling off me as I run. Sweating and exhausted already, we plonk ourselves down in a spot that quickly becomes the beach hub for the crowds of backpackers, one child will all of a sudden need to go to the toilet and the drink bottle will have spilt through the bag and now be crusted in sand.

Given I plan to spend a lot more time there this year, I needed something to make my life easier. I started ‘spying’. It began at swimming lessons, when I watched a few kids trot in wearing towelling robes…not just the towels with hoods…an actual robe. I began to keep my eyes peeled. I spied a ‘perfect’ mummy down there at the beach…you know the one; lying back reading a magazine peacefully in her oversized hat and sunglasses, whilst her children played quietly knocking out sandcastles on par with the Taj Mahal. They were happily wearing their hooded robes. “Genius, ” I sighed. And so I googled.

I was thrilled to find an Australian company called Back Beach Co who have loads of gorgeous designs, colours and sizes (might even make it’s way to my own Christmas list this year). These “Zip Up and Go” robes have already saved me from the wretched swimming lesson struggle. They can wear them to the pool, and when the hop out, I whip off their wet swimming top, pop the robe on, then discretely put some dry underwear on and walk home. The dripping, wriggling change room wrestle is over.

I can simply walk them down to the beach in their robes (which are rated UPF50+) and they can ‘wear their towel’ home. No more towels bulking up my bags. They are thick enough that they could soak up the water if hopping in the car (I’d probable take their bathers off, though), however this heavy, though quality, material might prove pretty hot in the midst of Summer. There are so many cute designs to pick from and if you have a peek at their web site, they also have other products to check out. These guys are also able to customise your products; a great idea for swimming clubs or family gifts.

The cost increases with the size of the robe, and my 3 & 4 year old’s robes are valued at $58 each. My 4 yo son did go into the next size bracket (5-7) as I wanted him to get a bit more wear out of it and that was a good call. Back Beach Co also provide a handy size guide if required.

And the all important question? Just pop them in the washing machine and ideally throw them in the dryer to keep their shape. No fuss cleaning and the material came through well.

So it seems I am set for the summer.

Well…nearly…did I mention the walk home is uphill and past an ice cream shop?

Massive thanks to the team at Back Beach Co. for gifting me these robes and helping me get beach ready; now… if only they could sort the bikini body, too….

Time for you to check out what I’m banging on about :

Web site : http://www.backbeachco.com/

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/back_beach_co/

Facebook :https://www.facebook.com/backbeachco/?fref=ts