Mom's genius beach day hacks for baby get praise from millions
A California mom is sharing how she navigates bringing her baby to the beach, and parents are loving her helpful tips.
Kate Bast, mom to 1-year-old Lily, said she launched her TikTok page @thebastfamily to document her hacks and one in particular received 6.6 million views.
"Parents will send me pictures and videos of their kids enjoying the hacks," Bast told "Good Morning America." "The best part about it is seeing it helps people," she added.
Some of Bast's ideas include storing beach toys in a mesh bag so parents aren't bringing sand home with them. She also brings a baby bathtub since a baby is too young for the ocean. Bast warms the water under the sun and then supervises Lily as she splashes.
In her video, Bast creates a playpen from a fitted sheet and places objects in the corners so it'll stay put.
"A fitted sheet its a good place of refuge to have a cleaner space," she said.
Bast also shows how applying sunscreen to a baby with a makeup brush can be a less messy and more enjoyable experience for a little one.
Dr. Leah Lalor is a board-certified pediatric dermatologist and a member of the department of dermatology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She practices at Children’s Wisconsin.
Lalor told "GMA" that applying sunscreen is "vital to protect the skin of infants and children from sun damage," regardless of how it's applied.
"Sunscreen should be applied to the entire skin surface evenly to infants and children over six months of age at least 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapplied every 1.5-2 hours or after water exposure," Lalor said. "Most of the time, you need to use a lot more than you think you do. If using a makeup brush makes it easier to accomplish sun protection, definitely do it. Just remember to wash the brushes regularly to avoid bacteria overgrowth."
Lalor also noted that sunscreen is the third step in sun protection with the first being avoidance between highest intensity times [10am-2pm] and use of sun protective clothing such as sun hats.
Bast said she often brainstorms hacks with other parents online as well as her family and fellow mom friends.
