These Beach Towels are Perfect for Busy Parents in the Summertime — Here’s Why

My family and I just moved a month ago and we’re settling into our new home and what feels like a whole new life — and all the little discoveries that go along with it. 

We’re still waiting on our first floor to be habitable (long story), but we have a semblance of a summer routine that mainly revolves around my kids being on a swim team that I put them on so they could get hot-weather-appropriate exercise and also meet some other kids in our community. When we’re not at the swim team’s pool, we can often be found at our neighborhood pool. 

In Florida, where we lived before, community pools weren’t as much of a thing because so many people have their own private pools. Our wonderful neighbor let us use her pool, and our summers for the last few years had consisted of popping next door for a dip and then going home for a shower. We rarely even brought towels with us and the kids would just sling their goggles over their wrists for the 30-second walk to our shared oasis. (I never brought a bag either.)

Things are different now. Great, but an adjustment. With the move, almost overnight, I’ve become a pool mom who has to pack a water fun bag and cart towels, floats, snacks, goggles, sunscreen, water bottles, and all the things — for five kids! — multiple times a day. I love it, but things can get heavy and messy fast. 

No matter what water activity you’ve got going on (from running through the sprinklers in the backyard to visiting the splash pad, pool, or beach), towels are a big, soggy necessity. One thing that I’ve found that really helps cut down on the bulk and weight is choosing a certain kind of new-to-me option: thin microfiber towels. 

I love thick, plush terry cloth towels, but carrying multiples of these to my destination gets prohibitive. And bringing them home wet and sometimes sandy is even worse! Then there’s shaking the sand or grass off of them and washing and drying them. The cycle is cumbersome and perpetual. 

Microfiber towels address each of these issues. They’re thin, so you can pack a bunch without taking up tons of space and they weigh nearly nothing compared to their fluffier counterparts. Additionally, sand and grass don’t stick to them, so they don’t bring messes into your bag, car, or home. Finally, they dry quickly, preventing mustiness. They wash up and dry super fast too. 

There’s a time and a place for cushier towels (they’re warmer for those cooler occasions), but for our daily pool days and water-related outings, microfiber towels have been a summertime lifesaver for our family.