Nothing ruins a good beach day like a sunburn. And when you’re taking little ones to the beach, you’ll need to use lots of sunscreen and be extra careful to keep them protected from the sun whenever possible with a cool, shady spot to relax. Enter the pop-up beach tent.

The best baby beach tents are ones that provide plenty of space to nap and change the occasional diaper but also don’t require a pack mule and engineer to transport and set up. It’s also important that they’re sturdy enough to stay upright against the occasional gust of wind and are made from fabric that offers UV protection.

But type “best beach tent” into Amazon and you get…19 pages of results. And don’t even get us started about how complicated setup can be. (RIP beach tent of 2016 that my husband threw straight across the sand and nearly got us divorced…)

So what’s a shade-seeking mama to do?

We’ve done the research so you don’t have to and picked the best baby beach tents that are lightweight, provide great shade, and, best of all, easy to set up. (We promise!) From large family beach tents everyone can hang in to pop up beach tents just for babe, there’s something for every type of crew. 

The best beach tents for families

Pacific Breeze Easy Setup Beach Tent

Pacific Breeze

$59.99

Easy Setup Beach Tent

With over 6,400 reviews on Amazon and a nearly 5-star rating, this beach tent is the best of the best. It’s the fastest & easiest option that we’ve come across to set up and take down. Its roomy interior offers fantastic UPF 50+ sun protection, and it weights only 4.5 lbs and folds down to a convenient carrying size. It even comes with a carrying case, sand pockets & stakes for extra stabilization, and a one-year warranty.

Reviewers say: “We purchased this for a beach trip with our twins. I can’t say enough about this tent! It was easy to set up & take down each day by myself…with 9 month old twins in tow! The sand easily brushed off and it provided a large space for playing, naps, snacks, and keeping items for the day. We had it set up on a few very windy days and it stayed put – no problem. The sand pockets are very effective and easy to use. As a bonus-it matched our beach blanket perfectly!”-Nicole

Veer Family Basecamp

Veer

$379

Family Basecamp

Veer’s adventure-ready gear makes it not just easy, but enjoyable to bring kids along for the ride. It started with the ultimate stroller wagon which makes getting to the beach a breeze. Once you’re there? The Family Basecamp has you covered. A family-sized version of the brilliant pop-open play yard, Family Basecamp looks cool and keeps you cool–thanks to a white, sun-reflective fabric and three windows with both screen and solid panels. The portable and lightweight shelter offers 50 UPF+ sun protection along with resistance should a shower pass through. There’s plenty of space for two adults and a few kiddos along with all the gear!

Starts at $379 (with optional sand mat add on!)

Monobeach Baby Beach Tent

Monobeach

$29.99

Baby Beach Tent

This baby beach tent isn’t just Amazon’s top choice–it also comes with its very own built-in pool. Need we say more?! It pops up automatically, making setup a breeze, and provides great sun protection for your little one with the added bonus of her very own place to cool down and splash. It comes in a 21″ transport bag and works best for children under 3 years old.

Reviewers say: “I am thrilled with this purchase and so are our kids! It can take some practice to get the folding up right/ get it imprinted on your muscle memory, but that’s such a small downside. The zipper seems like it might be slightly fragile, but especially for the cost of the item I wasn’t expecting the highest end/ durability. It is so super convenient in it folds up/ stores flat, is so light weight & allows great airflow, I love that it has a carrying bag with handles, and the option for a little baby pool is perfect. We probably use it without digging out a pool hole more often – so just as a shade canopy/ tent. We use it in our back yard, at the park, on beach vacations, for picnics – etc. It’s everything I wanted for my 8 week old and has been great for my 21 month old and slightly less active 35 month old twin. Love love love. Wish we had gotten it sooner.”- Mom of 4 under 3

iCorer Automatic Pop Up Beach Tent

iCorer

$33.99

Automatic Pop Up Beach Tent

This self-expanding tent is perfect for setting up a shady spot for little ones to play and relax. It’s only 2.2 lbs and folds down easily, so it’s perfect to stash in your beach bag before you head out for the day. It folds back up quickly, as well, so you won’t have to worry about fumbling with it while you’re trying to get your family home for the day.

Reviewers say: “I cannot believe I did not have this sooner. This has made taking the kids to the beach so much easier. It is lightweight, fits in my bag, opens and closes in seconds. MUST have.”- Courtney

Sport-Brella Premiere XL

Sport-Brella

$74.99

X-Large Umbrella

If you’re looking for a tent and a beach umbrella all in one, this XL option is the way to go. It features a 9-foot UPF 50+ canopy that’s supported by steel ribs and wind gust relief vents, so it’s sure to withstand gusty days on the beach. We also love the extra details like oversized storage pockets and side flaps for full sun protection. It does weigh a bit more than the beach tents on our list, but at 9 lbs., we didn’t find it to be a challenge to carry.

Reviewers say: “We recently took this on a trip to Destin and we loved it. We set it up a few times and it’s very easy to do. We assembled it on the beach in just a few minutes. Lots of cover and shade, the windows are great. We fit two large chairs and a cooler underneath this. It could easily fit 2 adults and 1 child comfortably. Just be sure if it’s breezy to open the windows so you allow wind to pass through.”- Austin Williams

outdoor master beach tent

OutdoorMaster

$69.98

Premium Extra Large Pop Up Beach Tent

Looking for a beach tent that will fit the whole fam? It only weights 8.5 lbs., but this huge tent will provide all the shade you need for a cool day at the beach. A built-in zipper door provides privacy if need and takes about 60 seconds to put up.

Reviewers say: “This is probably the best purchase I have made for our baby/family! It’s super easy to use, and carry. Many small sun tents are easy to set up but impossible to pack – Not this one! Even I can do it 🙂 We love this for the beach, ball game sand even just hanging in the back yard. Mom likes her privacy when nursing and this is a perfect space for us to hang out and be a part of the fun and offers the privacy when we need it.”- Alyssa

schylling UV play shade

Schylling

$45.99

UV Play Shade

We love this extremely portable, easy set-up play tent for a cool spot for babies & toddlers to catch some shade. It fits easily into the included travel bag, and its pop up design makes setup quick & easy as well. It even comes with tie down pegs and sand pockets for those windy beach days.

“I bought this to use with our 10 month old on our family vacation to Mexico in February. We used it at the resort by the pool and at the beach. By the pool, we laid 1 towel under the tent to protect the tent from ripping or snagging on the concrete and then we put 2 towels inside for weight and padding for our son to play and sleep. He absolutely LOVED the tent. People constantly stopped us to talk about how nice it was. It folded up very easily each time and was a nice compact size for transporting to and from the pool and in the luggage. This was an absolutely blessing the entire trip!!! The few things I wish it has is: tent pad (like large camping tents have to protect the bottom of the tent), weighted pad for the inside of the tent and inside hooks and pockets to hang and store toys. If this tent had those 3 things, this would for sure be 5 stars!!! I would totally buy this again and even buy it as a gift for others.” Bill and Jenni
alvantor beach tent

Alvantor

$49.99

Beach Tent

The clean, simple design and extra-large mesh window make this beach tent one of our faves. (The fact that it weighs only 2.5 lbs helps, too!) We love the simple setup and take down, portable travel bag, and great sun protection.

Reviewers say: “This could be the best purchase we have bought for the grand children’s visit. Then when they left we took it with us to the beach and used it for us and a friend who didn’t want a lot of sun because of her fair skin. It really was cool sitting in a beach chair under it. And the mesh all around the bottom gives plenty of air flow! We will likely always have one of these moving forward and it is lightweight and portable. Wise purchase for all!!
I wanted to add to this 1 year later!! This is a great company that backs their product. We had one of the plastic pieces snap on us this year when we were folding it up. I contacted Alvantor and sent them pics and they sent a replacement piece out to us. If you are looking for a sun tent for kids or adults…this is the company to buy from!! They stand behind their products and we appreciate that!!” Sheila Bernard

lightspeed outdoors sun shelter

Lightspeed

$99.99

Outdoor Sun Shelter

Operated by an easy-to-use side-pull hub system, this is one of the best beach tents we’ve tried in terms of setup. (And most attractive to boot!) It features three windows for awesome ventilation and an overhanging canopy that creates a “porch” for even more shaded area. You can even clip up the front porch for privacy, making it the perfect spot for breastfeeding or your little one’s nap.

Reviewers say: “This is by far the best beach accessory we have. It is super lightweight, easy to carry and even easier to set up. We would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy shade option for the beach.”- L. Williams

zomake tent Motherly

ZOMAKE

$79.99

Pop Up Tent

Last but certainly not least, this four-person pop-up tent makes a great beach shelter and can even be used for camping in clear weather. It features easy setup, two doors & two windows for ventilation, and folds down to an easy-carry 31″ diameter ring weighing in at only 5 lbs.

Reviewers say: “I bought this tent for my day care children to play in. I have owned many fold up forts/toys in the past, so I already knew how to fold them. This one folds into a large disk, hula hoop sized, no smaller. It fits easily in the trunk. My day care children love this thing and we have taken it on many excursions. I decided to buy this tent for each family for Christmas this year. Super excited to hear about all their adventures.”- Tracey M.

A version of this story was published April 7, 2021. It has been updated.