My Top 10 Essentials for Sports Mom's
If you're like me, you probably have a child or two that are in activities that require travel. Our Spring & Fall is filled with football games, track meets & weekends away for soccer. Over the last few years I've learned the key to keeping these events stress free is being prepared for just about anything that might happen.
My motto is "Plan & Pack". I look at my calendar a month ahead and week by week. By looking at our calendar a month out I can order anything I'm getting low on, and then each week I review the calendar to plan meals & pack bags. Each of my kiddos has a separate bag for each sport or extra curricular they are in. So for right now in the Spring, Cole has a track bag, and Jacob has a soccer bag. Everything they might need for these activities are to be kept in those bags, and reloaded weekly, or as needed. I also have my "sports mom bag" that goes along to every event. I'm going to give you a peek inside each of these bags and what I like to keep them stocked with!
Every sports bag includes a few basic things....Hand Sanitizer & Baby Wipes for cleaning hands, a basic bag of first aid supplies (band-aids, triple antibiotic ointment, blister band-aids, any meds they may need (older kiddos can have tylenol or ibuprophen as needed, kids with asthma or allergies you can put their inhalers or emergency supplies in with instructions), extra water & snacks.
Track is a crazy all weather sport, so our kids have to be prepared for just about anything. In the Track Bag I include the following extras: a blanket, gloves & hat, a bath towel, slides for walking around when they aren't wearing their spikes or throwing shoes, a chalk bag for throwers, a rain jacket or poncho, and a small pillow (track meets are LONG and every kid likes a nap every now & then!)
The football bag needs a lot of the same as far as the all weather gear goes..a towel, gloves & a hat, rain poncho. I also like to get my son a pair of sleeves to help with the coldest nights, and add in some hot hands.
Our soccer bag has much of the same, but we add in a shoe horn (yep they still make those!) to help get those tight cleats on, and lace bands to help keep those laces tied all game long. If you have a goal keeper, remember you need their goalie gloves & jersey in there too ;)
Here is a list of my Top 10 items to have on hand (aka in your car) as a Sports Mom.
1. Comfortable Chairs. Whether you like a bag chair, a rocker, or fold up chairs you have to find something that is comfortable because you will spend a lot of time in them. In addition, find something that is easy to fold up, and carry (especially if you don't have or plan to purchase the wagon I talk about in #2). Here are some of our favorite chairs: Jason's Favorite Chair & Jenny's Favorite Chair
2. Portable Wagon. This thing is a lifesaver when you are trekking from the parking lot to the fields. Toss your chairs, your cooler, your camera & bag all in it. It doubles as a great nap spot for your littles during those long days at the fields!Sam's Club has about the best price on this one.
3. Canopy Tent. An EZ Up Tent can provide you much needed shade on those super hot days and if you choose one with sides you can fit several under to stay out of the rain. There are tons of options on these, so shop around for what fits your needs best!
4. Weather Pod. This next one is an investment piece, but if you choose wisely and take care of it - you will use it for many seasons to come! One heavy rain or super cold game will probably convince you of the need for the weather pod. We first invested in a double size, but quickly bumped up to the family pod so our favorite chairs could fit inside. These fold up into a small bag (some even can fit right on your back!) and are lightweight to carry. My husband even has 18 volt battery fans and heat for those extra hot & cold games! ha! I love that I can unzip the top to be able to still shoot the best pictures & video, while staying dry & warm! If you go to a soccer game on a rainy day you will usually see a line of these pods from the most seasoned soccer Mom's. Been there, got wet...don't wanna do it again!
5. A good cooler. If you travel often for sports, you know how important a good cooler is. From cold drinks, lunchmeat & snack - to ice packs and adult beverages, it's all gotta stay cold! The hype over the Yeti brand IS all it's cracked up to be (I'm seriously jealous of our friends who have them!), but if you're not quite ready to drop a few hundred, this cooler is a good one. We've kept drinks cold for 48 hours (a lot of ice will melt to water, but everything is still ice cold) and the spout on the end makes it easy to drain the water out.
6. A good carry-all bag for Mom. I personally love the Bogg Bag for this. I can toss my camera, water bottles, a light jacket, keys and wallet in the bottom, there's even a zip up pouch for me to put some cash, or hand sanitizer if I want. These bags are made to get dirty! Perfect for the beach or dirt, you simply hose them out when you are done. There are lots of styles & options, and even other brands you can choose. Also I love to use these personalized charms to support my favorite players!
7. Camera. Wether you like to shoot with a DSLR or the camera on your phone, having a camera at events is so important. Grab those selfies, candid shots, action shots & after game team pics. You will never regret taking the pictures!
8. Water Bottles. Oh man, aren't we all sick of buying water bottles?! They break them, they loose them, the seals get dirty and you can't clean them. It's just a non-stop cycle. I wish I could tell you there is a perfect water bottle, but I'm just convinced there is not! These are the ones our kids love the most: Jacob's Favorite & this one is similar to Cole's Favorite which I can't find on walmart.com, but we got it in store. Meanwhile, I prefer to have some glitter and bling on my cups ;) Check out Frosted Farmgirl for all the fancy personalized tumblers!
9. Food. Listen, did you think my top 10 wouldn't include food? I'm a boy mama! I try really hard to pack at least lunches when we are on the road. While it definitely saves money, it also helps my Mom guilt from feeling like we are eating out far too often. That said, I don't pack a boring PB&J and chips every week! Some weeks we have lunchmeat or PB&J, but I dress them up a bit by using ciabatta rolls or Hawaiian sweet rolls. I love to incorporate charcuterie into our lunches, and I almost always have veggies and dip & fruit. Packing lunch does not need to be boring, and keeping a variety of items on hand means I won't be tempted to run to the concession stand as much!
10. Spirit Wear. No Sports Mom arsenal is complete without the apparel! I've got tees & sweatshirts for every season and sports. In case you didn't know, Esther's Nest has some really awesome Spirit Wear you should check out!
Now I need to know, are there things that are a must have for your sporting events?
We lovvvvvve our Panthers shirts. Super cute. I highly recommend doing business with these guys…great turnaround & prices are right. Thanks again, Jenny L :)
Girl you have seriously thought of everything!!
We are so organized with our racing trips that when Chase was in a school sport I’d show up so unprepared it wasn’t even funny. I’d look around and see all these families with all the necessities. Haha half the time we would even forget our chairs.
I can’t seem to juggle too many sports at once 🤣
Great blog by the way!!!
Sunscreen for both the kiddo sport bag and mine. And for soccer, having a plastic bag for wet clothes after those rain games. Personal fan for warm weather.