As I enter my third summer with my kiddo, I thought it could be helpful to share my ‘Summer Survival Kit’ I’ve put together that help us get through the heat with a baby! Between super hot car seats to my the all black stroller (I obviously chose this for the look, versus practicality), here are my top 5 necessities to pack for baby:
- Spray bottle: you can fill this with cold water before you head out or just have it on hand so you could fill it with water whenever you need it! This was a life saver for us for 2 reasons, the first to cool down our son when he seemed to be getting a little too hot by providing a cool water mist. And second, it provided lots of entertainment! My son thinks the mist is hilarious to watch the mist fall on him!
- Chilled water: this is a pretty obvious one but between all the things that run through our mama brains when we pack for outings, it’s easy to forget. We personally always pack at least two bottles of cold water; one to drink and an extra to use for the spray bottle if needed!
- Ready-to-go swim set: you never know where the day could take you, maybe its an impromptu splash pad! Since moving to AZ, I learned reeeeal quick that besides the usual second outfit, it’s also helpful to have a ‘swim set’ readily available too. I have a large Ziploc bag that includes a swimsuit, mini sunscreen (a must), and a towel. The Ziploc or any plastic bag could be used for all the wet clothes!
- Noggle cold air extender for cars: there are a bunch of other brands out there too. You can even create your own if you’re a savvy DIY-er, which I am definitely not so we use the ‘Noggle’ brand from BuyBuyBaby. I didn’t think we needed this but after trying it out for two weeks, we were sold! Unless you have a car that has those cool vents near the doors of your back seats, you need this! Rather than trying to wait for the cold air to fill the car and finally get to your kid, who is probably sitting in an enclosed, very warm and very dark fabric (which attracts the sun) car seat, this air extender connects directly to a vent and blows air right to your little one.
- Mini cooler with frozen snacks: This may seem a little much, but boy is my kid a snacker!! So whenever we’re out and about, we’ll tend to feed him something small to keep him occupied. Yes, room-temperature packaged snacks work but I like to switch it up, especially this season! Frozen whole fruit like sliced strawberries or banana are great options- they’ll stay frozen for awhile, and are nutritious and a refreshing treat for your kiddos! Additional tip: You can keep the spray bottle and bottled waters in here too!
Seasoned-mamas, what are some of your “Summer Survival” items you pack for baby?!
Have a happy and healthy summer, everyone!
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