I love the pool. I’ve always been a swimmer, and my happy place is the pool. We prioritize room in our budget to join a gym with niiiiice pools, and we’re there year-round all the time. Either to play as a family in one of the indoor or outdoor pools, or for me to swim laps in one of the indoor or outdoor pools. So I have it down to a science what I bring.
If I’m swimming laps for fitness, I bring:
silicone long hair swim cap because I don’t have long hair, but I have a lot of hair, and this cap holds it all muchhhh better
one of my prefilled waters - aka my trick to drinking 80-120 oz of water a day
I love this water bottle
and a gym bag if I plan on showering there
change of clothes
and a towel wrap because even though my gym provides towels, I am neither tiny enough nor coordinated enough to deal with them
If I’m walking laps in the water while wearing Joey, I bring:
this water friendly mesh sling for wearing Joey in the water
this is one of my favorite ways to both workout and bond with Joey, and Joey loves it. I also did a lot of water walking while pregnant with him, so this feels like the loveliest full circle.
If I’m playing in the pool with my family, I bring:
either our wagon or our stroller
our packed pool bag + our outdoor adventure bag with all our pool must-haves
one of my prefilled waters (and food, most likely)
here’s our favorite things for bringing food/lunch/snacks to the pool!
the reusable grocery bag with our travel potty we keep in the back of the car
do not judge, but the pool chairs are situated against a fence in a way that we could totally get KK to use this potty discreetly in an emergent situation, and it gives me peace of mind knowing it’s there just in case
this water friendly mesh sling for wearing Joey in the water and/or this infant float we loved using with KK
and I wear one of my favorite swimsuits, cover-ups, shoes, etc
If Joey needs to nap while we’re at our gym’s pool:
Ideally I put him in the shade in our wagon in the nap system accessory with the canopy
or I put him in the shade in our stroller
I put a fan (or two) on him, I turn on his travel white noise. And - if needed - I use this breathable cover full of holes to block any distractions - not to cover him completely, just to block his line of vision. We usually have these cooling towels with us if I need, too. (And someone is always next to him and checking on him often - he is never left.)
(And sometimes - especially when it’s super hot - we’ll use the indoor family pool at our gym, just so Joey can take a comfortable, temperature-controlled nap.)
And he’ll take a goooood nap. The pool wears him out.
Check out:
What We Bring to the River, the Lake, the Park, and other Summer Adventures
Our Packed Pool Bag + Our Outdoor Adventure Bag for splash pads, pools, parks, playgrounds, breweries, and more!
My Summer Essentials: My 10 Favorite Warm-Weather Clothes and Swimsuits
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