toddlers that hate sand

anyone elses toddler HATE the sand at the beach?
DD hated it last year at 1 but she wasnt walking yet so i could plop her on a blanket or in the baby pool and she was fine.
this year, at 2 years old, she vehemently hates it. so far she would do nothing but sit on a beach chair. i feel like i have the only toddler that actually stays in their seat (which i am not particularly upset about).

i grew up in Long Beach and there's sand in my blood. all of my friends live there and we always take the kids to the beach. all of her friends are there playing in the sand. she gets totally mad when they come over and hug her and get her all sandy! my little princess . at home we talk about the beach and sand and she loves the concept of sandcastles but doesnt get that you have to build them with sand (whenever she builds a castle out of anything she says "sandcastle").

we have literally tried everything - blanket, chair (which is the only thing that she tolerates), baby pool, putting her directly in the sand, playing with the sand with shovels and buckets, going to the hard wet sand by the water, going in the water.. i want her to get used to it but it kinda feels like im torturing her. should i just give up until next summer?

Message edited 7/16/2013 10:36:00 PM.

toddlers that hate sand

It's probably a sensory thing. Take home some sand and put it in a Rubbermaid bin and put some toys in there and have her slowly start playing with it. Then move onto her feet. Let her put her feet in, pour sand on her feet etc. overtime she should become more tolerant.

toddlers that hate sand

Yup! My dd is 19 months and hates it too! We keep bringing her to beach and she will sit on a blanket but can't stand to have her feet touch it. She starts cleaning them if there is any sand. She's slowly starting to play with it but not quite to the point where she will walk in it willingly.

Re: toddlers that hate sand

Have you tried putting baby powder on her before going to the beach to keep the sand to a minimum?

Re: toddlers that hate sand

She's only 2.
Skip for this year if she has a miserable time.

Re: toddlers that hate sand

Our little guy hated the sand 2 summers ago.
Come to think of it, he hated the grass too

He's outgrown that phase!
Can't keep him out of the sand

toddlers that hate sand

My son hated it at 2 - he's more tolerant of it this summer at 3 1/2 though but, still isn't a huge fan (and in the instances we went to the beach, there was a pool option so he chose that).

We're hoping to take him to the Jersey Shore at the end of the summer so we'll see!