Avoiding (Dad’s) and kid’s meltdowns
Whenever we go on a larger family outing, like visiting the Zoo or an amusement park, we’ve developed a list of our 5 family travel essentials to bring. It’s an unofficial list that has changed over time, especially as we have grown and ages change. This is obviously not including typical necessities such as sunscreen, water, etc. I won’t bore you, let’s just get right to it.
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- Portable fan, optionally with a mister.
Our vacations are typically in the summer, like our trip to Universal that you can read about here, so going anywhere that you will be outside most of the day can be HOT! We used to avoid buying the fans with the sprayers attached that you would see at the little vendor stations, but we gave in one year and it was worth it! We have since purchased a couple more. In addition we also bought fans with bendable arms that can wrap around a handle, perfect for the stroller! You can find a great one here: Portable stroller fan. This one comes in a variety of colors and is easy on the wallet. - Solar Charger/Power Bank
Kids might run the battery down. Or, perhaps we forget to charge our phones, or we do but the charger isn’t working. All of the above has happened. The best thing we have bought is a solar portable charger. It fits in the backpack and you can plug your phone in and keep it charged. We honestly got our first one from Temu and It was awesome, until it got stolen. However, I found a top rated one on Amazon. Not only does this one have USB and USBC ports, but it also has wireless charging. Check it out here. - Dad’s Secret Sweets Stash
I’m not a big snacker, but thank the heavens my husband is! He always jam packs the backpack with granola bars, fruit snacks, maybe some crackers, and random candy. Kids can get hangry, so having snacks on hand can avoid potential catastrophes. Although, I would advise avoiding crushable snacks. We keep packing crackers and they always get crushed! - AirTags
We only did this very recently on our trip to Universal Studios in Hollywood. Taylor was anxious about how busy it may be and if something were to happen, so he had me sew an AirTag into our 3 years old’s shoe. Don’t worry, we didn’t lose him. But this was peace of mind just in case. AirTags are relatively cost friendly, you can find them at any large retailer, or order them through Amazon. Find them on Amazon here. - Fold up shade tent
This one we don’t use for amusement parks, but it is very handy for lake days, or soccer practices. It folds up within seconds and is lightweight, making it easy to carry. When you pull it out it instantly pops up, so you don’t have to do any building! It’s a nice little shade provider. When our babies were still napping it gave us a great spot to set them. We bought ours on a whim at an Ikea years ago. There’s quite a few you can find if you shop around, but I thought I would include a link to this one that is similar to ours: Pop Up Tent
Bonus Essential
I mentioned above the ‘backpack’ a couple of times. When we had our last baby I bought my husband a Tactical diaper bag. It was supposed to be a fun diaper bag more for him, since we had cutesy ones for our other babies. However, it is incredibly well made, it has a fold out diaper changing part that can easily wipe down. Pockets upon pockets for storage, and more. We still use this backpack for any outing. There’s virtually no wear and tear on it aft 3 and a half years. I highly recommend it. Now, it is pricey but like I said I think we will use this for years to come.
The one we purchased is listed as their ‘Mini Diaper Bag’ backpack but it is a full size backpack, at least I would consider it that way. They have another one that offers a bit more, but this one still checks all the boxes. I’m not even an affiliate with them, I just really wanted to share it. If you want to check it out you can find it here: Tactical Baby Gear Diaper Bag
