Who is ready for an adventure at a moment’s notice? I’m sharing my summer must haves for moms so that you can head out the door and be prepared for whatever summer brings!
Why does it feel that above all other seasons, we need to prepare for summer more than any other? Maybe it is the unbearable heat, constant sun exposure, potential for adventure, and likelihood of major meltdowns from the kids. (and the moms, let’s be honest). So I’m sharing the ultimate list of summer must haves for moms!
Hopefully this list will get you through anything that summer may be able to throw your way! I tried to think of any situation that could come up and what I would like to have with me in order to be prepared for it. Granted, not every single person will find themselves in every single situation I thought of, but I wanted to be thorough! You may not need everything on this list, but I’m guessing there are a couple of things here that will change your summer life!
Summer Must Haves for Moms
Beach Blanket: Whether you’re headed to the beach or the park or the baseball field, a blanket to park everyone on is way easier to carry than several lawn chairs! This one is water and sand resistant, easy to clean, folds up into a compact bag for carrying, and has incredible reviews!
Waterproof Phone Cases: I grabbed this set of waterproof bags for my phone in anticipation of lots of trips to Schlitterbahn and the pool this summer! So far they have passed with flying colors! I can slip my phone in there and wear it around with me, which means I can capture videos and photos on waterslides and in the pool (where I would have missed those moments before!) Tip: make sure they pass the test first – it comes with instructions! Also, I have a 7+, and I had to remove my protective case for it to fit inside this bag. Just a head’s up – you don’t want to drop your phone while it is in here!
Silicone Ring: One of my worst fears is that I’m going to lose my wedding ring. I rarely wear it around the house – I usually only slip it on if I’m headed to church or out with my family. I have insurance on it, but still – it is a sentimental piece of jewelry and while physically it could be replace, emotionally I never want to part with it! So I am grabbing a silicone ring to wear in it’s place! I love that these have a nice pattern on them for a little texture and that they come in understated pretty colors!
Wet Wipes: Something nobody told me when I became a mom: You will never stop buying baby wipes in some form or fashion. They are the most useful things on the planet and we keep a stockpile of them in my office, in the kitchen, in the bathrooms, and of course in the cars. They are so handy for a quick wipe-down between baseball camp and church and easily wipe up spills too! I use the Seedlings line of wipes from Young Living because I love the way they smell!
Hydroflask: Jett is a bit of a water snob and prefers his water ice cold. He also drinks a LOT of water. He can empty his 24 oz. water bottle in minutes and while I always have my big, obnoxious Nalgene with me, I don’t care if it gets warm or not so he hates me using it to refill his water. Enter this huge 64 oz Hydroflask! I fill it up with ice water and carry it with me in the car so that I can top him off with what he likes! Because happy, hydrated kids are easier to deal with! Ha!
(Note: I know that this is a little pricey, but I read a ton of reviews on less expensive ones and a lot of them said they wished they had dropped the extra $20 for this one to get the quality and durability!)
Sunglasses: My sunglasses become a permanent part of my uniform in the summer time. I’m never without my Rose Theater sunnies from Blenders Eyewear. I saw an ad for them on Facebook last summer and all of the comments were praising them, so I took the plunge and ordered a pair. I’ll never go back to another brand of sunglasses again. Since then I’ve ordered another pair for myself and three for Chris! We love them SO much! They are lightweight, scratch resistant, and this particular pair is polarized. Oh and they’re pretty and look really great on!
Sunscreen: I’m known as the sunscreen queen among my pool friends. I am fanatical about making sure Jett has sunscreen on (so much so that at this point, he won’t go to the pool without it!) and I am all about reapplying as often as possible! I’ve tried a lot of them, but I recently grabbed this BullFrog Watersport spray from my friend’s bag and fell in love. It might not be the cleanest, organic, etc… but it soaks in FAST (i mean, within seconds) and has a super-fine mist that does a great job covering all those spots. When you’ve got a kid itching to get in the pool – speed like this matters.
Bug Bite Thing: I’m honestly a mosquitos favorite dinner (more on that in a minute) and they love Jett too. I’d never heard of this thing, but I was searching for things on Amazon for this post and came across this and immediately #addedtocart. It sucks the venom/serum/whatever irritant out of your skin so that it doesn’t send the signal to your brain that it needs to be scratched. I haven’t tried it yet but it has great reviews so I’ll be sure to report back!
Cooler: Having snacks and drinks with you at all times is a requirement in the summer. With all the heat, you’re burning calories faster and getting dehydrated faster. Like I mentioned, Jett prefers his drinks ice cold, so I usually keep them in this PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag in the car. You throw the entire bag in the freezer and it keeps the items inside cool for a few hours! (This is great for packing snacks for airplane rides too, since it is not actually a liquid inside the walls of the bag!) I also love that this one is a backpack because having your hands free is always preferable.
Snacks & Drinks: Let’s talk about what kind of snacks and drinks I haul all over creation these days! Jett loves Gatorade, but I don’t love how much sugar is in it! (Have you looked at the label? It is insane!!) So we opt for GZero in the Glacial Cherry flavor (purple). I throw one of those in, along with string cheese, single serve baggies of crackers, a couple of yogurt pouches, some blueberries and strawberries (those are mostly for me) and a couple of protein bars. I also like to throw a couple of Betty Lou’s Fruit Bars in the mix too – they are delicious! I feel like I have some great, easy to eat, healthier-for-you snacks that will keep us going on those days where we are running everywhere!
Straw Hat: I honestly need to get better about having this with me everywhere, but a straw hat is definitely a must have! Protects your sensitive face from the sun, hides pool hair like a boss, and makes laying by the pool look like a chic activity and not a break from the craziness of summer motherhood. I love my under $25 BP brand straw hat because it is 100% crushable and pops right back out into shape. So stuff it in a beach bag or a suitcase and you’re good to go!
Mosquito Repellant: You guys know I’m sweet, right? Mosquitos love to feast on me because of it and I’ve been battling them my whole life!! In any childhood photo of me, my legs are always covered in bites. I’m always looking for the most natural way that I can to repel mosquitos and I’ve tried a TON of different things. This year, my experiment is focusing on these mosquito repellant bands and this REPEL Lemon & Eucalyptus spray. They both have great reviews on them! I have tried some bands before that I grabbed at Walmart but these seem to be a little stronger overall, so I’m hoping they work better! I also love that they make it easy for kids to wear and I don’t have to hold Jett down to spray him down with something.
Quarters & Small Bills: My mom used to say “kid you are nickel and dimin’ me to death!” and now I know exactly how that feels. Every time we go to the pool (or anywhere with a vending machine to be honest!) Jett is always wanting to get a snack, get a drink, buy this, buy that. So we made a small budget for that and I have about $3 in quarters with me and a few dollar bills all the time. I keep them in our pool bag so we can get an ice cream sandwich or a $3 bag of Cheez-its.
Under $10 Beach Bag: I’ve had a version of this bag on my Amazon shopping list forever – it is a mesh bag that holds up to four towels (according to the amazing reviews), has a cooler in the bottom, and is under $10! You can carry it all, anywhere, with this bag!
A good book: There have been many times in my life where I’ve been stuck sitting in the car or in a lawn chair, waiting for practice or something similar to be over, that I’ve wished I had a good book with me. You can check out a great list of books to read this summer here! Grab one or two and keep them in your car so you can fill that spare time with something creative!
So, which items are you adding to your Amazon shopping cart? What else would you add to this list? If you loved this post, I would love it if you shared it on Pinterest using the image below!
NEVER MISS A THING
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Not a mom, but those glassees… I still need them lol!