Babies easily burn and overheat. That’s just a reality, especially when you live in or visit someplace warm. But another reality of our pandemic-stricken world is that we need time outdoors more than ever before.
That’s what makes a baby beach tent such a game changer if, like me, you’re looking for an afternoon of fresh air.
If you’re considering one of these nifty baby gadgets and want to get the scoop on the hottest selling versions of the best beach tent for babies currently available, read on.
In this comprehensive guide for how to buy the best baby beach tent, we’ll be answering commonly asked questions about baby beach tents and help you decide on the best beach tent for your baby.
Jump straight to our reviews of the best baby beach tents:
- Best Baby Beach Tent for Infants: SUNBA Youth Baby Tent
- Best Baby Beach Tent for Toddlers: Schylling UV Play Shade
- Best Baby Beach Tent for Play Time: Monobeach Baby Beach Tent
- Best Baby Beach Tent for Catching the Breeze: Pacific Breeze Easy Up Beach Tent
- Best Beach Tent for the Whole Family: Oileus X-Large 4 Person Beach Tent Sun Shelter
- Best Beach Tent for Privacy for Mom and Baby: Coleman Beach Shade Shelter
What is a Baby Beach Tent?
Imagine if a beach umbrella and a camping tent had, well, a baby.
A baby beach tent provides more shade than a traditional beach umbrella, since they often have walls that allow for more all-around protection. They also have a bottom surface, that in theory, provides a sand-free surface for your baby to escape to.
However, unlike full-size camping tents that are designed for families sleeping overnight in the wilderness, a baby beach tent is more geared towards day-time use. Meaning they are lighter to carry, easier to set up, and allow for more breezes than an overnight camping tent.
Is A Beach Tent For Baby Really Worth The Cost?
Sure, you could take your camping tent to the beach and set it up for the day. You could also buy a beach umbrella and drape towels over it, and hope the wind doesn’t blow them off.
The truth is: if you’re planning on going to the beach often this summer – or the park, or spending lots of afternoons at soccer tournaments, or anywhere where you’ll be outside with baby for a few hours or more, you will want to seriously consider investing in a beach tent for baby – and truly, for your whole family!
Baby beach tents are portable and easy to set up. Think about how much baby gear is already involved in going anywhere. Add that to the bulkiness of a regular sized beach umbrella or camping tent (and don’t forget what a pain it is to set up and then tear down those monstrosities).
Now think about setting up a miniature or lighter version. Much easier, right? And easier to transport, too (especially if you watch this video with tricks on how to fold them up).
Finding the best baby beach tent for your family will also stave off that nagging anxiety of Was this a bad idea? Has my child gotten too much sun exposure? Should we leave? No, really. Should we just leave?
What should you look for in a baby beach tent?
Baby beach tents come in many shapes and sizes, so how can you pick the best one for your little?
UPF vs SPF vs UV Protection: What does it all mean anyway?
There are a few acronyms you need to know when dealing with sun protection.
The Skin Cancer Foundation breaks down the difference between the acronyms:
“Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) indicates how much UV radiation (both UVB and UVA) a fabric allows to reach your skin. For example, a UPF 50 fabric blocks 98 percent of the sun’s rays and allows two percent (1/50th) to penetrate, thus reducing your exposure risk significantly.”
Meanwhile, they explain: “Sun Protection Factor, or SPF, is based on the time it takes for UV-exposed skin to redden; if you burn after 20 minutes, if used correctly, an SPF 15 sunscreen may protect your skin 15 times longer.
Another important distinction: UPF measures both UVB and UVA rays, while SPF measures only UVB.”
For our needs: the bottom line is this: while you’re looking for the best baby beach tent, the higher the UPF number, the better to protect your baby.
Ease of Assembly
Not every baby beach tent is created equal, and one very important consideration is the ease of assembly.
Especially with pop-up tents and billowing, lightweight materials, it can be a struggle to put up and take down your beach tent—especially at a windy beach, so you’ll want to keep this in mind while choosing the best beach tent for your baby.
Weight and Portability
As you search for the best baby beach tent, you’ll want to be sure the materials are lightweight and easy to stow. Can your tent be rolled into a bag the size of a ziplock, or is it as big and heavy as a briefcase?
When you’re already weighed down by towels, diaper bags, coolers, and sand toys, the more compact your beach tent, the better.
Age Ranges
While some beach tents are intended exclusively for babies, others are designed to fit the whole family.
Depending on the needs of your family, it’s an important consideration.
Reviews of the 6 Best Beach Tents for Babies
Best Baby Beach Tent for Infants: SUNBA Youth Baby Tent
The Sunba Youth Baby Tent is like many of the other pop-up baby beach tent options on the market, but on turbo. It has a number of cool and helpful upgrades, like a completely securable mosquito net and a zippered flap to keep your little one from crawling off.
It is intended to be more of a covered bed, so there isn’t as much wiggle room compared to the others. But if your little is still quite young, it offers plenty of space to play. And that makes it a great option to consider for infants.
It is technically a baby beach tent, but its classification is actually as a baby bed—simply one intended for temporary outdoor use. Its price is in the middle ranges for this type of baby gear, and parents love its design and ease of assembly.
What We Love:
- Suitable for infants and one of the smallest options
- Ultra-portable and easy to set up
- Primarily intended as an outdoor bed for little ones
- Different color and style options
Keep in Mind:
- Heats up faster than other baby beach tent options
>> Check out the Sunba Youth Baby Tent on Amazon.
Best Baby Beach Tent for Toddlers: Schylling UV Play Shade
If you’re looking for something inexpensive, simple, and ultra-portable, you’ll want to consider the Schylling UV Play Shade.
This play shade is a small nylon pop-up tent that offers 50+ SPF protection, a 360-degree covered space, and comes in a stylish, royal blue and bright yellow exterior.
It’s recommended for children over 3 years of age, largely because it does not create an escape-proof enclosure.
It also has a small mesh screen, which lets air flow easily through the tent, and ground stakes to help keep the tent secured in place.
This play shade offers great portability – it comes with a small carrying back and pops up in mere seconds.
However, while it’s super easy to set up, it can be a little challenging and frustrating to get the tent back into the bag.
What We Love:
- Affordable, ultra-portable, and easy to set up
- Materials offer 50+ SPF protection
- Ages 3 years and up
Keep in Mind:
- Challenging to fit back into the carrying bag
- Cases of early breakage
>> Check out the Schylling UV Play Shade on Amazon
Best Baby Beach Tent for Play Time: Monobeach Baby Beach Tent
Another option that receives endless praise for its design is the Monobeach Baby Beach Tent, which is a pop-up tent with a unique spin. The tent floor actually sinks down a few inches in the middle so that you can actually dig a small hole in the sand and sink the tent into it.
This helps your child stay extra cool and also makes it more difficult for the tent to blow away.
It comes in a trendy blue color with lime green lining and gets so much praise for giving toddlers a neat hideaway when the sun becomes too much.
It offers 50+ UV protection, 4 pegs, and access to friendly customer service professionals that can help with any issue that arises.
It’s worth noting that this is a smaller beach tent – best for children under 3. And as with many pop-up tents, it can be difficult to fold back up after use.
What We Love:
- A very unique design that helps keep your baby cool
- Offers 50+ UV protection
- Best for very small children, ages 3 and younger
Keep in Mind:
- Too small for some babies and toddlers
>> Check out the Monobeach Baby Beach Tent on Amazon.
Best Baby Beach Tent for Catching the Breeze: Pacific Breeze Easy Up Beach Tent
Another family-friendly tent in the running as a baby beach tent option is the Pacific Breeze Easy Up Beach Tent.
This tent has an elegant dome shape and comes in a beautiful sky blue color.
It’s thin and lightweight, and has an open face, meaning that there is no way to close one of its four sides.
Because of this open face, it’s a great way to keep your family cool.
The larger footprint is also great for storing all the baby gear that goes with you on a trip to the beach.
Well-thought-out storage pockets and sand pockets for weighing it down make it convenient for a day at the beach.
What We Love:
- Lightweight materials that are easy to transport
- Thoughtful features like storage pockets and sand pockets
Keep in Mind:
- Safety concerns if the fiberglass support rods break
>> Check out the Pacific Breeze Easy-Up Beach Tent on Amazon.
Best Beach Tent for the Whole Family: Oileus X-Large 4 Person Beach Tent Sun Shelter
If you are also looking for a retreat out of the sun, then an adult size beach tent should be on your list.
One option that is very comparable in price and style to the popular baby beach tent options we’ve reviewed is the Oileus X-Large 4 Person Beach Tent.
This tent blocks up to 99% of harmful UV rays, offers generous space for two adults and two children, and is made from umbrella rated and breathable polyester material.
Like the other options, it offers mesh windows for ventilation and stakes to help secure it into the ground.
This beach tent offers a convenient option for big families, especially, or when you have quite a bit of gear that you would like to keep cool and in one place.
While it is slightly more expensive than the previously mentioned baby beach tent options, the cost is still fairly reasonable. It is also easy to set up, although it requires a few more steps than the pop-up alternatives.
What We Love:
- Affordable option, and a great value
- Spacious tent that fits up to two adults and two children comfortably
- Thoughtful features, like sandbags to help it in place
- UPF 50+ sun protection. Blocks up to 99% of harmful UV rays
Keep in Mind:
- On the more expensive side
- Not a pop-up option, so some on-site set-up is required
>> Check out the Oileus X-Large Beach Tent on Amazon.
Best Beach Tent for Privacy for Mom and Baby: Coleman Beach Shade Shelter
The Coleman Beach Shade Center looks like a miniature version of the Pacific Breeze Easy Up Beach Tent, but with a zippered flap to close its open side.
The zippered flap is a great addition – especially for moms who want to breastfeed in the shade and in complete privacy, and then place baby down for a rest.
It’s on the more affordable end of options considered, and it’s fairly plain and straightforward as far as the design.
It offers 50+ UPF sun protection and comes with a one year limited warranty. Parents were overall incredibly pleased with the tent and a number offered quite long and detailed reviews of the tent.
It’s not specifically intended for babies or young children, but it still keeps them nice and cool. Families can stay at the beach (or other outdoor activities) for entire afternoons due to the sun protection that it offers.
What We Love:
- Affordable and ultra portable baby beach tent option
- 50+ UPF protection
- Very few complaints about early breakage
- Three color patterns to choose from
Keep in Mind:
- Especially challenging to set up on windy days
- Difficult to assemble, especially on windy days
>> Check out the Coleman Beach Shade Shelter on Amazon.
Final Thoughts on the Best Baby Beach Tent
All things considered, the best baby beach tent is going to depend on the unique needs of your little one and your family. But our favorite baby beach tent is the Oileus X-Large 4 Person Beach Tent.
This tent offered the best compromise in affordability and style, but without compromising its superior sun protection.
We found durability and sun protection to be top priorities. Early breakage was a major issue for baby beach tents, and any breakage at all will leave you without the sun protection that you wanted in the first place. That’s why, ultimately, early breakage was a deal breaker for us. The Oileus X-Large 4 Person Beach Tent will keep your baby and your family protected and cool for many trips to come!
