Tummy Time at the Beach: Taking Baby on Your Family Vacation

May 7, 2026

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Believe it or not, the beach is low key the perfect place for your baby to get in some tummy time. (But, you know I’m a biased beach bum PT).

How to set baby up for success

The set up:

Put Baby’s head uphill and feet downhill so Baby is facing away from the ocean.

The payoff:

Nature’s built in wedge!

Putting Baby on a slope decreases the full impact of gravity to lift the head with less work. Baby’s tend to tolerate this for longer, meaning a happier beach day for everyone in the family.

If you want clear guidance for establishing tummy time as a place you and your baby actually enjoy from the beginning, check out my Vowels of Tummy Time guide. The cost of a latte to confidently set your little one up to thrive in this foundational gross motor play position, no matter where you are for the week.

The warning:

If you spin Baby around facing the ocean, Baby likely won’t be as happy for long. That’s because now Baby is essentially downhill on a wedge, having to work at a disadvantage to lift the head.

If you spin Baby sideways, Baby will be pushing more weight through the downhill arm only and may even accidentally roll. (You can use this to your advantage too if Baby tends to primarily push up through only 1 arm. Just put to opposite arm on the downhill while sideways.)

You can use this to your advantage too if Baby tends to primarily push up through only 1 arm. Just put the opposite arm on the downhill while baby is facing sideways. This will help baby break up this compensation pattern and practice pushing through the downhill arm.

The safety:

Time with hands and feet in the sand has a whole set of benefits for Baby, but I understand wanting to decrease the risk of loose sand flying in Baby’s eyes and mouth. Try beach tummy time on the wetter, hard packed sand and over a play mat.

You can find the mat we take to the beach, along with our other beach favorites in the “All You Actually Need for a Beach Day as a Mom Going Solo with a Baby + Toddler” article.

Finally, baby’s have delicate skin that requires more protection from the sun. Aim for tummy time under a shade. Here’s my recommendation for a super easy shade set-up that provides UPF 50+ skin protection. (Commissionable link- I may earn a small commission from any sales through this link- thank you for your support!)