Take Me Out to the Ball Game

By Tammy of Musings of a Working Mom

Packing for the old ballgame

In our house, Baseball Season is the most wonderful time of the year.

My husband and I are both fans (although of different teams) and our girls learned to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” as soon as they could speak.

My husband is a sports writer, so we don’t always have a chance to go to games together as a family, but we sometimes make it work. Other times, I will try to get one of the girls out for a mommy-daughter date.

Recently, I took a day off work during my 5-year-old daughter Pumpkin’s spring break so she and I could see the Dodgers play during Spring Training. Any activity with kids requires supplies, so here is what we packed.

Snacks for Pumpkin – all packed inside a large Bumkins Batman snack bag (Batman seemed appropriate for baseball – get it! – but Pumpkin did choose a Superman shirt, she said it represented Super Dodgers!)

• Cheddar bunnies (in a small snack bag)
• Apple
• Granola bar

Snacks for Momma – all packed inside a large snack bag

• Almonds (in a small snack bag)
• Apple
• Kind Bar

Snack to share Cracker Jacks (of course!)

Sunscreen

Change of clothes for Pumpkin (packed inside a wet/dry bag to keep organized – bag comes in handy in case of soiled clothing)

Team blanket

Splat Mat (this goes under the blanket, in case of wet grass)

Baseball glove

This list is quite similar to what we pack for any outing – but certain elements are interchangeable. For instance, the splat mat, snacks, water, and sunscreen also come with us to watch Pumpkin play soccer. And soon, Peanut (my 3-year-old) and I will be going to a game at Chase Field, which has no lawn seats, so we will bring pretty much the same gear, minus the blanket and splat mat.

It was in the 90s the day Pumpkin and I watched the Dodgers, but we still had a great time! She snagged autographs from players before the game, and we cooled down halfway through with a frozen yogurt.

What are your must-haves for outings with your kids?