Like a lot of parents of small children, I have a love-hate relationship with family trips to the beach. We set out in the morning looking like we?re about to shoot a J. Crew catalogue, only to return home hours later as though we?ve emerged from the ocean in a post-apocalyptic world. But our annual trips to Cox Bay Beach in Tofino, B.C. have easily become our favourite family vacay spot, so I?ve had to learn a bunch of tricks and hacks to make a beach day with kids a lot more enjoyable.
Resign yourself to an early start 
My ideal day at the beach does not begin with my husband circling the parking lot 14 times while my stress level soars. I try to arrive no later than 10 a.m. Depending on the popularity of the beach, this gives us our best chance of finding a parking spot and an optimal location for setting up base. Pack snacks (then pack more)
If you?ve ever seen someone wheeling a full-size fridge onto the sand, it was probably me. My kids are only five and eight, but their appetites seem to grow exponentially when we?re at the beach. My fave foods to bring are easy to eat and relatively mess-free:

Individual packages of snacks like Goldfish (lots of sandy hands reaching into one giant bag = gross)
Trail mix divided into small containers or baggies
Protein granola bars
PB+J sandwiches
Veggies and fruit kebabs

Don?t forget these beach MVPs
All kidding aside, you?ll never see me haul a wagon to the beach (no judgement) but there are some items that I deem beach MVPs (M...