9 Baby Beach Tent Options For Safe Summer Fun

Keeping your baby out of the sun and in a shaded space is absolutely necessary for their safety. Babies’ skin has less melanin than older children or adults and the sun’s harmful rays can cause your baby painful burns and even illness.

Baby beach tents are the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors with your little one without subjecting them to sun exposure and other elements like wind, sand, and even insects. As a parent myself , I know the best toddler beach tent is one that is fantastic for travel. They are lightweight, easy to set up and give your baby a place to nap and play while at the beach, sporting event, camping, or nearly any outdoor adventure that you can dream up.

We’ve spent nearly one workweek winnowing down the all the good infant beach tent options into a list of the top 30 beach sun shelters in 2024. From there, we shortened the list to the top 9 baby beach tents for various situations.

Our top overall baby beach tent pick is the Monobeach Baby Pop Up Beach Tent. It had great UV protection, superior storage space – but also comes with a built in splash pool for your infant to play in! No need to head down to the water – and all the hassles and risks that entails – you can bring the ocean or lake up to your child!

Of course, there are other great choices – one that might be better suited for your family. Check all our breach tent reviews out below.

Best Baby Beach Tents Compared

Schylling Infant UV Playshade
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Pacific Play Tents Lil Nursery Tent
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Texsport Calypso Quick Cabana Beach Sun Shelter Canopy
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Best Baby Beach Tent Reviews

1. Overall Best Baby Beach Tent: Monobeach Baby Pop Up Beach Tent Portable Shade Pool

The Monobeach Baby Pop-Up Baby Beach Tent is different from all the other portable baby beach tents on the list.  Sure, it comes with the highest UV Rating available at 50+ UPF – just like other great baby tent’s on the list.

What sets this portable baby beach tent apart is it come with a built in pool!  That’s right, when you are at the beach you can dig out a hole under the tent and fill in the mini pool with water. You don’t have to – the baby pool can be zipped away – but it’s a great way to let your child splash and have fun while staying shaded from the sun.

As with most of the best baby beach tents, you also get integrated storage pockets for your keys or phone. A tent bag and four ground stakes are also included for a windy day.

2. Schylling Infant UV Playshade

Schylling Infant UV Playshade - baby beach tent

The Schylling Infant UV Playshade offers the highest UV Rating available at 50+ UPF protection. This high level of sun protection is one of the reasons it made the cut for the best baby beach tents of 2024.

This packable and convenient baby beach tent requires no assembly. It pops up and down in just seconds and packs away easily in the included storage and carry bag. Whether at the beach or in the backyard, you won’t have to waste time putting together a complicated tent while your little one gets hot and cranky. This is truly an easy setup beach tent.

The construction is made of a waterproof polyester material, so it’s great even for rainy days. Loops for tent stakes and sand pockets offer two different ways to secure this tent on windy days.

3. Best Baby Beach Tent For Bug Protection: Bend River Baby Tent

The Bend River Baby Tent is one of the lightest baby beach tents on the list. Weighing in at 1.4 lbs and only 2 feet tall, this is not a beach tent the whole family can enjoy.

It’s a sun tent just for your child, to keep your baby protected from not just the sun’s rays for also insects. What makes the Bend River different from most baby beach tents is the mosquito netting mesh windows, which keep out pests but allow in the tropical sea breeze. It’s designed for maximum airflow to help your baby stay cool and happy.

One nice added bonus: there are toy hooks included inside this baby beach shade tent. You can hang some car seat toys from the hooks to keep your baby happy.

4. Kilofly Instant Pop Up Portable UPF 35+ Baby Travel Bed

kilofly Instant Pop Up Portable UPF 35+ Baby Travel Bed - baby beach tent

A fantastic alternative to the pack-n-play, the Kilofly Instant Pop Up Portable UPF 35+ Baby Travel Bed is a great sleeping tent for baby, and is useful indoors and out. It’s a travel bed for for infants that packs down to a very small size for convenience when traveling, and then pops up easily when you reach your destination. It’s perfect for camping trips, a day at the beach, or sporting events. The 35+ UPF rated material is certified non-toxic and lead free, completely safe for baby. The sleeping pad provides some padding, but is safe for infant use and can be detached from the tent. There are even loops inside the tent to secure lightweight toys to keep your little one entertained. Tent stakes ensure that the infant travel bed stays put. Some users have reported difficulty in folding the tent back to its original size, so the company has provided an online video showing exactly how it works.

5.Pacific Play Tents Lil Nursery Tent

Pacific Play Tents Lil Nursery Tent - baby beach tent

The Pacific Play Tents Lil Nursery Tent is a great outdoor tent for baby that comes in several fun colors. Larger than some of the baby travel cribs designed for just sleeping, this tent gives baby a place to sleep, eat, change,

The Pacific Play Tents Lil Nursery Tent is a great outdoor lightweight tent for babies that comes in several fun colors. Larger than some of the baby travel cribs designed for just sleeping, this tent gives baby a place to sleep, eat, change, and play at the beach, while staying out of the harmful sun and wind.

The polyethylene water resistant floor is super easy to clean up any messes and keeps baby off of the sand and sand out of clothing, snacks, and toys. It has plenty of ventilation on the sides and the door through the mesh panels, and is UV treated for SPF 30. The door attaches with velcro so it’s very easy to open and close.

It’s a solid entry on our list of the best baby beach tents – and it usually is one of the more affordable options available.

6. Calypso Quick Cabana Beach Sun Shelter Canopy

Texsport Calypso Quick Cabana Beach Sun Shelter Canopy - baby beach tent

The Texsport Calypso Quick Cabana Beach Sun Shelter Canopy is not just a great baby beach tent option, but is also an inexpensive beach tent for the whole family. Unlike most pop up tents, the Calypso Cabana is open on one side. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of room for the whole family to find some relief from the sun’s rays inside.

This beach tent offers ample room to set up a sleeping or play area to keep your baby occupied. Because it’s fairly large and the one side is completely open, adults can easily play inside with the baby while still enjoying being at the beach. Four sandbags and tent stakes keep this tent stable in the wind.

The mesh windows provide light and ventilation but have storm flaps for extra shade and protection from the elements.

7. BBLuv Suni Anti-UV Sun and Play Tent

BBLuv Suni Anti-UV Sun and Play Tent - baby beach tent. Better than an umbrella for ultra violet light.

The BBLuv Suni Anti-UV Sun and Play Tent is extremely lightweight and easy to set up and take down; it pops up and down in just seconds.

It also comes with a nice storage bag for easy transport.

This baby beach tent has a simple, practical design that protects your baby from the elements without any extra, unnecessary gear. A floor keeps baby off the ground and a roll-down curtain provides further sun protection while baby is napping and playing.

Refolding this tent is a bit of an art form. The best advice is to search YouTube for a video on how to quickly get the tent back into the carrying bag.

8. BBLuv Nido 2 in 1 Travel Bed and Play Tent

BBLuv Nido 2 in 1 Travel Bed and Play Tent - baby beach tent. Keep baby crawlers in!

Where the BBLuv beach canopy above is a minimalist baby beach tent, the BBLuv Nido 2 in 1 Travel Bed and Play Tent has all of the options. This is the best beach tent if you want tent walls 360 degrees around your child.

It’s still lightweight and simple to set up, but this tent includes a canopy, removable comfort/sleeping mat, retractable mesh potion of the canopy to protect your baby from insects, and soft, detachable toys to keep your little one entertained.

I think this is one of those baby tents you could use for double duty. The walled-in nature of this tent means it’d be great for blocking out visual distractions when you put your infant down for a nap – say in your own backyard.

9. Candide Baby UV 55 Pop-Up Tent

Candide Baby UV 55 Pop-Up Tent - better than umbrellas for preventing sundriven skin conditions

The Candide Baby UV 55 Pop-Up Tent is designed for children under 19.8 pounds that have not yet learned to turn over. It provides your little one with excellent UVA and UVB protection and a mosquito net protects from insect bites. This convenient baby beach tent comes with a convenient storage and carrying case and pops up instantly. It’s a great choice for the beach or most other outdoor activities.

What To Look For In A Great Baby Beach Tent

The best baby beach tents tend to share many of the same features. Here’s a list to look out for:

Beach day means sun – and with it comes the need for sun protection for the sensitive skin of your baby.  Make sure your baby beach tent has UV protection – the higher the rating the better. 

 You’ll find an ultraviolet protection factor of 35 is the bare minimum for a portable beach tent that will keep your baby safe from sunburn.  The best baby beach tents will provide a UPF of above 50 for optimal sun protection.

Your infant or child is going to get hot playing at the pool or the beach.  Without a window for ventilation to allow for a nice breeze in your tent, it’s going to be tough to keep your baby cool.  

If you live in an area with bugs (who doesn’t) – mesh-lined windows jump to a must-have for your beach shade tent.  

You’ve got enough going on when you head out with your baby.  You don’t want the hassle of taking 15 minutes to put together a tent.  That’s why most tents for babies are designed to quickly go from a carrying bag to a usable tent without much work on your part.  Look for an easy setup beach tent. Some allow for one-hand setup!

A pop-up baby beach tent is the easiest option to set up.  Some of them unfold by themselves – throw them and watch as you magically have a beach tent ready before your eyes.  You may need to put some sand bags in the tent or anchor tent pegs into the ground if you are having your beach vacation in an area of strong winds – but that’s it!

You’ll want to have plenty of space for both you, your baby, and any beach toys or other beach essentials on your adventure.  You might also have other kids or a spouse that are tagging along.  Therefore it’s important to get the right size tent – realizing a bigger beach tent will likely be heavier as well.

For most people, a 2-3 person or 3-4 person portable beach tent will work fine. You aren’t camping overnight in the tent – it’s more of a baby beach shelter to provide UV protection from direct sunlight during your time on the sand.  Of course, always look at the measurements to make sure the size matches up with the “person” description.

You’ll want to make sure your baby tent is able to stand up to strong winds and rainstorms that can strike at a moment’s notice.  Look for a tent that is made of water repellent or water-resistant materials.  

This usually means looking for a baby tent made of synthetic materials.  Most baby beach tents are made of polyester, but check the label to be sure.


A Few Best Beach Tents For Infant Questions – Answered

What else can I do to protect my baby from the sun?

Limiting sun exposure during the time of day that harmful UV rays are at their strongest is your first line of defense. If you and your infant can try to avoid sun exposure between 10am and 4pm.

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends you don’t start using sunscreen on a baby until they are at least 6 months old. Therefore, you need to rely on protective clothing and other sun-blocking products to protect your child. That’s why buying one of the baby best beach tents is an important part providing more sun protection.

Are beach tents safe for babies?

Are beach tents safe for babies? This is a question that many parents ask themselves before taking their little ones to the beach. The answer, unfortunately, is not always clear-cut. Beach tents are made of a variety of materials, including polyester, nylon, and mesh. They typically have an SPF (sun protection factor) of 50 or higher. This means that they can block out up to 98% of the sun’s UV rays.

A poorly configured tent won’t help much. Even the best beach tent for a baby will collapse in strong winds if the proper setup directions aren’t followed. Likewise, you need to make sure your child is covered by the sunshade in order to get UV ray protection . In other words, you need to follow the directions to get the right benefits.

Also keep in mind – the best beach tent doesn’t provide protection from someone falling into the tent. You as a parent still need to be villigant – you can’t leave a baby in the tent unattended. That should go without saying, but sadly that’s not the case.

What’s Your Favorite Baby Beach Tent?

If you’re looking for a great way to keep your little one safe and cool while enjoying the beach, be sure to check out the many options for baby beach tents. Most models provide high levels of UV protection, are lightweight and waterproof, and allow for great airflow. With all of these features, as well as the added bonus of keeping your child out of the sun and sand, a baby beach tent is a must-have item for any trip to the beach with your infant!

We’d love to hear about your favorite baby beach tent in the comment below!

Feature image courtesy of Flickr, SowersPics.

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