During the summer months, I am always on the run with the kids whether we are traveling the world on vacation, packing up for a full day at the beach, or on our way to Disneyland for a few hours. Keeping up that pace with 5 kids in tow isn’t always easy. That is why I have a few tricks up my sleeve to try and keep everyone in good moods, avoid meltdowns, and ensure I stay sane in the process. After much trial and error over the years, I think I have nailed the perfect summer day bag packing list. Read below to see what’s in my bag, then share your tips in the comments below and you may just WIN $100 VISA Gift Card for helping other moms out!
5 Easy Steps to the Perfect Summer Day Bag for Moms Who Want Happy Kids
Many thanks to Fruit Shoot® for sponsoring today’s story and encouraging me to enjoy a family adventure!
1 Hydration
Every mom knows that hydration is crucial especially in the hot summer months. I mean every cell, tissue, and organ in your child’s body needs fluid to function. That is why we always pack our refillable water bottles, but like many moms, I find that in order to get my kids to meet their daily hydration goals I need to pack something a little tastier too!
So, I am always on the look out for the best portable drinks for kids since we are constantly on the go. Recently at my local Stater Bros, I came across Fruit Shoot and I was intrigued. Fruit Shoot is made with real fruit juice *from concentrate and no artificial flavors, plus they have NO high fructose corn syrup or added sugar. I also loved that Fruit Shoot is packaged in a durable, resealable bottle. This meant Olivia could hold them on her own, unlike messy juice boxes and flimsy pouches. And, with the resealable lid I knew I could toss them in my bag and not have to worry about any spills. MAJOR BONUS!
I brought home several flavors of Fruit Shoots and had the kids taste test them. They absolutely LOVED them! Camden claimed the Fruit Punch flavor was the best while Shea and Owen were big fans of the Strawberry & Raspberry flavor.
Fruit Shoot has been in the UK since 2000, but are new to the states. If you have never tried them before I suggest you do. You can find Fruit Shoot at a store near you by clicking on this store locator. Or you can learn more about Fruit Shoot on their Facebook page or website.
2 Feed the Beast
I imagine all moms are well aware of the hanger beast. If you haven’t learned by now hangry stands for (hungry + angry) and if you don’t pack enough snacks that is EXACTLY what your kids will become which does not = a happy day out. In order to avoid the hanger beast, you need to pack a bunch of healthy, filling snacks to keep your kids’ bellies full and smiles on their faces.
I have found that whole food snacks work the best when it comes to keeping my kids in good moods while we are out and about. Here are a few healthy whole food snacks we love to pack in our summer day bag. Snacks to Pack in Your Summer Day Bag:
- Sandwiches on Sprouted Wheat Bread (we like hummus & veggie, nut butter + honey)
- Raw Cut Veggies (carrots and celery pack well)
- Whole Fruit (apples, oranges, grapes)
- Berries (blueberries, strawberries)
- Nuts
- Granola
- Homemade Energy Balls
- Applesauce
- Whole Grain Crackers
- String Cheese
- Dried Fruit
- Yogurt
- Find more healthy snacks we love here.
3 Sun Screen
I never go anywhere without packing sunscreen. It is just too dangerous to run the risk of skin cancer when the prevention is so simple.
I really love True Natural’s Baby Sunscreen Formula. It is certified organic, chemical free, safe, and effective. It is also extremely gentle with no alcohol or scents making it great for babies and kids with skin sensitivities.
4 Stay Clean
There are no escaping germs when you are traveling with kids. They touch everything!! That is why I always make sure my kids wash their hands constantly. Unfortunately, sometimes you run into the restroom to have your kids wash their hands and there is NO SOAP! What is a mom to do?
Don’t worry I am NOT going to suggest you carry a full bar of soap. I am not even going to tell you to use antibacterial hand sanitizer because that can end up causing more harm than good. Instead, simply carry Hand Soap Sheets! These are the coolest little sheets of soap that activate when they get wet. It allows you to always make sure your kids’ hands are clean. I have even used them at the beach with a bottle of water and voila- CLEAN HANDS!
5 Entertainment
Kids have short attention spans and as a parent, you need to be prepared. You never know when that quick errand is going to turn into a long wait. To avoid a meltdown I always pack a few surprises to keep my kids entertained. *These items are also great for theme park queues. Summer Day Bag Surprises:
- Bubbles
- Deck of Cards
- iPhone loaded with a few kid apps (Toca Boca, Disney Jr., Heads Up)
- Fidget Toys (we love these ones from Amazon)
+ Something for MOM
GIVEAWAY!!!
Enter to win a $100 VISA Gift Card. All you have to do is answer this question-
What is the one thing you can’t leave home without when you are heading out for the day with your kids?
Leave your answer in the comments below and you will automatically be entered for a chance to win $100 VISA Gift Card from Blogher.com.
*Many thanks to Fruit Shoot® for sponsoring today’s story and encouraging me to enjoy a family adventure! All thoughts and opinions, as always, are 100% my own.
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What a cool post, thanks for sharing!
I am always looking for ideas on what to pack in my bag in summer. Especially snacks and drinks haha.
Love from Austria,
Theresa | http://www.primetimechaos.com
Thank you!! Hopefully these summer bag essentials work in Austria too!
Tweeted https://twitter.com/Mommybay12/status/870114154853675008
Good luck!
I always have to take juice and snacks for my little man.
I can’t leave without hand sanitizer.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/870250512096145408
Good luck!
I could not leave home without snacks and sunscreen. Kids get sunburned so easily and they are always hungry!
tweet – https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/870253932748177408
Good luck! My kiddos are always hungry too
I can not leave the sunscreen at home when we are heading out for the day! Plus snacks and drinks for the kids is a must!
tweet-https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/870257289243926531
Good luck!! We can’t leave for the day without snacks either!
Best of luck!
I can’t leave home without bottles of water, snacks and our sunglasses.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/870304756912279552
Good luck!
Sunglasses are definitely an essential too! Good luck!
I can’t leave home without snacks!
What great tips! I need to make a bag like this up for our family! Love this idea!
soap sheets! how cool! I want those for roadtrips! And I agree, cannot not have snacks! They are a must!
I never heard of soap sheets, cool! These are all great tips, yummy snacks, and I love the pics!
Valerie
The one thing I can’t leave without is water bottle.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
tweet- https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/870848081817882625
Good luck!
I don’t have kids, but I never leave the house without lipbalm with sunscreen!
tweeted – https://twitter.com/LAMusing/status/871076301095936001
Good luck!
I can never leave home without a bag of goldfish for the kids to snack on!
Haha! Agreed! Gotta love goldfish
tweeted https://twitter.com/stephcouponsxx/status/871148762164580352
Good luck!
I cant leave home with out water and snacks.
cshell090869 at aol dot com
We can’t leave home without sunblock and baby wipes.
https://mobile.twitter.com/arress83/status/871354946100318208
Good luck!
I can’t leave the house without snacks and something to drink.
https://twitter.com/RachelGriesmer/status/871380128118575105
Good luck!!
Good luck!
We can’t leave home without a snack bag.
https://twitter.com/mitajdav/status/871476824743849984
Best of luck!
We can not leave home without water and snacks.
I can’t leave home without bottles of water and snacks.
Definitely snacks, hand wipes and water.
https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/871515560567353345
Agreed! Good luck!
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/871527225438347264
Good luck!!
Good luck!
I can’t leave the house without water.
https://twitter.com/benz1171/status/871543720188956672
Best of luck!
Good luck!!
tweeted!
https://twitter.com/cshell202/status/871309589173510144
cshell090869 at aol dot com
Good luck!!
I am so excited for summer! I can’t wait for beach days, cold drinks, and cute shoes 🙂 Love this post!
xx Carly | http://www.thecarlycollective.com
Thank you!
That would be bottle of water! especially in the summer!
amy [at] uTry [dot] it
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/872308120701341697
amy [at] uTry [dot] it
Good luck!
We can’t leave home without something to drink.
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/873212513847922688
Good luck!
I never leave home without hand wipes and snacks!
Tweeted about the giveaway as @traciemcooper05 on 06/10/2017
Best of luck!!
I have to have chapstick and sunscreen whenever I leave the house.
I never leave without my picnic blanket. You never know when you might have a spur of the moment picnic with the kiddos ?
I like to have the kids pack a water bottle or drink when we leave the house. That way, I don’t have to worry about anyone getting dehydrated. We also like to pack snacks for when hunger strikes.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Michael64263870/status/875452156698140672
I have 1 teenage son and I can’t leave home without water and money!! He eats me out of house and home?
can’t leave home without patience….
I always bring sunscreen
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/875730700313387009
I can’t leave without a football!! 3 little boys we can always find a spot to play catch to pass the time! Great suggestions by the way! Thank you
Ice cold water in a Contigo bottle and snacks!
Goldfish crackers the kids always love em on the go and they are not messy
tweeted https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/870253932748177408
Without a sweater
I can’t leave the house without frozen juice drinks. It save time in that we don’t have to stop when anyone gets thirsty and also on money! It is a small thing but it makes a big difference.
We can never leave without sunscreen!
https://twitter.com/JennyEvolution/status/875826956138315777
Can’t leave without my keys
Baby wipes! Sunscreen is a must, too.
Can’t leave home without hydration for sure!
I can’t leave home without my diaper bag
Never leave the house with out our stainless steel insulted water bottles, filled with ice cold water! And I always have emergency food in my car.
I can’t leave without my water bottle.
I cannot leave my house without hot wheels and baby wipes!
A mama’s kiss and a bandaid can help get the day back on track when the unexpected happens. Always carry bandaids in my purse, beach bag, backpack, anywhere I go.
I always carry in my mom bag: tissues, Tylenol, gum, & dental flosser. If we are heading to the beach, I make sure I have wipes and baby powder (gets the sand off in seconds).
I love this!
My kids and I can not leave home with out chapstick and baby wipes!
Chapstick is a great one!!! I always forget to pack it.
Even us grandmas need helpful tips like this when watching our grandkids.
Thank you so much.
If our youngest was to answer then it would be his dinosaurs! They go everywhere with us!! As a mom, little snacks in my bag are essential.
Ha! That is too cute!! I always have a few Disney figures and cars in my bag too.
A Chap stick, or lip balm of some sort, and water are a must.
Great idea!
Great suggestions Amber! I’m cautious of germs and I never knew about the hand wipes! Thank you for that tip!
The one thing I have packed is a pair of nail clippers. If my son gets a hangnail, he can’t enjoy the moment until that’s taken care of 🙂
What an interesting item! Shea gets hangnails all the time I will have to remember that. Nice!!
Fresh fruit and Cheese Its
I don’t leave home without my iPhone and sunscreen
digicats {at} sbcglobal {dot} net
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/MsCarolsueA/status/879096382425923584
digicats {at} sbcglobal {dot} net
Sunglasses and chapstick!!
I never leave home without lotion and lip balm. My daughter needs lotion after she washes her hands or goes swimming. She doesn’t like her hands to feel even the slightest bit dry and I use a lot of EOS lipbalm.
I cannot leave home without a fully packed diaper bag when leaving home for the day with the kids!
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/my4boysand1/status/879714732164382720
Wipes and sunscreen. And sunglasses and cell phones. Too many necessities now.
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/879716414407548928
Weird as this sounds, my. Summer bag has to have my kid’s swimming goggles in it! We go swimming so much and I was always forgetting them so now they permanently stay in my purse.
Weird as this sounds I can’t leave the house without my kids swim goggles. We go swimming so much and I was always forgetting them so now they are permanently in my purse.
I can leave without Wet Ones and sunscreen…and a drink.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/PrettyHotPink6/status/880143708091535360
is it wrong to say using the bathroom twice and the ipad
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/880559578857046016
I usually make sure to have some sanitizer and napkins with me
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/880616259720695810
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
we don’t leave the house without wipes, water, and snacks.
my tweet https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/880761400414543872
i cant leave home without sunscreen.
I can’t leave my home without sunscreen
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/880842700932620288
One thing we always carry with us when we go out is water. Thank you for the opportunity to win!
shared on twitter – https://twitter.com/iamdadtastic/status/880864621195739136
#SweepstakesEntry- comment
definitely don’t leave without sunscreen! and some extra pick me up snacks such as trail mix, raisins, etc to snack on to hold us over before we can have a big meal
my #SweepstakesEntry tweet:
https://twitter.com/thrincor/status/880903460492890112
I can’t leave without my sunglasses and water.