baby bunching it at the pool: what to bring

Nope - the title of this post is neither a mistake nor a joke - it IS possible to take your Bunch to the pool by yourself.  All you need is a little organization and a lot of courage.  With swim season upon us, we thought we'd share some tips on braving a trip to the pool with your Bunch.

There are many things to consider when making your journey (and it really is a journey) to the pool. In this post, we're going to focus on what to bring to the pool.  After all, you should never go to battle without the appropriate weapons in your arsenal.

There is so much you COULD bring to the pool like water guns, toys, diving sticks, rafts, extra change of clothes for everyone, picnic lunch, popsicles, wallet, etc. The list starts to look like a kindergarten school supply list.  Please realize that because you have your Bunch with you, you will probably only actually BE at the pool for less than two hours (in fact, it will likely take you longer to get ready than it will to experience the outing).  Also, you will be lugging two babies plus whatever you decide to pack, PLUS you will have to haul it all back home, so be diligent about what you DO actually bring.  

First things first.   Get yourself a HUGE waterproof pool bag like the Scout bag we're giving away from Pine & Ivy. If you didn't win it, buy one (Linda has three).  It really streamlines pool packing if you have a dedicated pool bag that has your pool stuff in it at all times so you don't have to go hunting for gear every time you want to go swimming.

So here the official list of what you SHOULD bring.

If your kids are under the age of THREE. Make this easy on yourself by limiting your gear to the necessities (which is still a pretty long list).

1) Diaper bag contents, which translates to swim diaper, a regular diaper for babies to go home in, dry change of clothes for children who are likely to fall asleep on the way home (makes transferring to the crib easier), wipes, wallet, keys, pool pass, etc. (Get a small makeup bag to keep all the tiny essentials in one place so you don't have to dig).

2) Plastic bag for wet clothes is nice to have, but you can always wrap wet clothes in the towel.

3) Towels....one for EACH of you.

4) Snacks. Something easy to transport and enough for everyone because pool snacks always seem to become a community affair.  Linda likes to bring fruit so you can avoid allergy issues and nothing is grosser than wet Goldfish by the pool. If your kids are very small, don't risk "mealtime" at the pool. Kids love to eat snacks and if you're not with a gaggle of girlfriends to help manage food issues, just keep it to easy snacks and water. Seriously.

5) Water for everyone and/or bottle.

6) Sunscreen. Linda brings just one bottle because kid sunscreen works for you too.  Cara actually has a sunscreen collection of extra-strength sport for her and the active boys, sticks for faces, enviro-unfriendly aerosol for fast-moving toddlers, and baby-specific for babies.  Overkill, probably, but she is paranoid about the sun's oh-so-fun but damaging rays.  Cara keeps all sunscreen types in a single large Ziploc bag (along with hand sanitizer) for easy grab-and-go, no matter the outing.

7) Sun hats for anyone who will keep them on, but especially young babies.

8) Linda recommends a SMALL assortment of water toys. If you're going to a pool with other kids, the fun is to share your toys so as long as you have some to share, you'll have enough. Make sure you have at least one toy for each of your kids.  Cara recommends skipping the toys altogether - they are too hard to keep up with and there are always extras lying around the pool.  If you must take them, take cheapies that you don't care about and use a sharpie marker to label them with your last name.

9) Any floatation device that you're allowed to use that will HELP you...not entertain the kids. Leave the balls at home as well as the big blow up dinosaur, unless your kid is strapped into it and it helps you manage everyone. Think minimal here.

10)  Water-friendly stroller (Cara uses her umbrella stroller).  You'll need a place to park baby in the shade and strap him in when he gets tired of the water or when his big sis suddenly bolts for the deep end.

If any of your kids are over the age of three, this list will look a bit differently. With these older kids, come more crap.  Add these items on to the above items.

10) Underwear, if you want to change them into dry clothes before you leave.  To keep things simple, Cara does not change anyone except people who might fall asleep on the way home at the pool, but this is up to you.

11) Goggles (labeled with your name)

12) Toys that are small. Once your kids are really enjoying the idea of splashing, around leave the bigger toys at home. Noodles are great and many pools already have these. So keep it to dive sticks or a few little toys.

13) Antibacterial gel. The nastiest thing in the world is outdoor pool bathrooms. Many don't have soap. And there is nothing worse than your kids saying they have to poo at the pool.....only to have the TP stick to their butts and then not have soap. Bring something to de-gross this situation. Never mind the fact that your toddler will try to touch everything or even lick the stall while you wait for him to poo.

14)  Lunch.  Because even though the last thing you want to do after reading #13 is eat lunch, the older the kids are, the easier the pool gets, and the more time it kills.  We hear that someday we may even be lounging poolside reading People magazine while our kids play.

We can all dream, right?

Comments

[Jess]

Please have the next column be how to handle two (or more) kids at the pool with only two hands. I have a one year old and a three year old and I just can't figure out how to be at the pool with both of them at the same time. One kid in a floatie thing? Both? I know it can be done...right?

[beth]

We've been going to the pool twice a week for the last 3 weeks. It's exhausting. I have my 2 nephews for most of the week and they go but it makes the time even more chaotic than normal. The 4 year old and almost 3 year old keep running for the big pool while the 1 year old just runs all over the place. Its pure and utter chaos but I spent $200 for a pool membership...crap for me aye?! :)

[Alisha]

I echo the top comment! HELP!

[Natasha]

I have absolutely no idea how I would take my 3 & 4 year old to the pool with just me. One likes to swim alone but requires constant supervision, the other requires constant holding, helping, etc and they never want to be in the same place at the same time, doing the same thing. Just taking them anywhere is a struggle as they like to zip off in different directions; I just wouldn't feel safe doing it at the pool by myself. It's one of those baby bunching things where I ensure there's another adult there to help me or I avoid altogether (I find it much much easier with just me taking them to Church than to the pool mind you!!!)

[Lindsey Oliver]

This post is so timely for me! I just planned a pool play date for my bunch (they're 2 months old & 14 months old) for next week. I appreciate the check list. I expect for the baby to sleep and for me to be running around after my toddler. Right? I echo the request for what to actually do to keep your bunch safe during the pool outing.

[shayla]

We bought our girls life vests and they are truly a life saver! My girls won't go near a pool without them now.

Also, I'd add bug repellent to the sunscreen bag. Get one of the new clip ons for the infants and either the spray on or wipe on kind for older kids.

[Amy S]

I have 3 kids (5 1/2, almost 4 and 8 mo,) It's been a challenge for me this year since the older two are used to me being very active in the pool. I grew up around pools/did swim team/lifeguarded so I LOVE the pool. For my 8 mo, old, I use the baby bjorn in the water...it dries easily in the sun or drier and leaves my hands free.

I would also add cheap activity books/kids catalogs, or in my case, a lego catalog for the older kids to the bag.I lovingly sometimes call me 5 1/2 year old, the "anti-pool guy" since he sometimes doesn't want to get in the water (he's a great swimmer, he's just the type that if he doesn't want to do something, he's not going to do it--very headstrong and have learned to pick my battles!) I am fine with that...as long as he is safe and not bothering anyone/getting into mischief, he can sit on a lounge chair and just chill. Needless to say, lego catalogs are a godsend in our house!! (Linda, knows this after trips to the pool with us last year...:))