Following a disastrous family day out last weekend which led to us abandoning ship after just 2 hours, I learned a good few lessons on how to make things go a bit smoother next time. I thought I’d share my top tips for surviving a family day out with you here.
- Do your research. Check opening times and see if you need to pre-book tickets before you go. I once drove the whole family all the way to Legoland for Cody’s birthday in May only to find it was closed that day for scheduled maintenance. If only I’d checked the website first…..
- Have a decent breakfast before you leave. It drives me nuts when we get somewhere and the kids immediately start pestering for food before we’ve even got out of the car. Have a hearty breakfast to keep them going until lunchtime.
- Take plenty of drinks and snacks with you. It can be quite costly eating out, especially at theme parks or larger venues. Even a drink can cost 2 or 3 times what it normally would in a supermarket. My kids eat constantly so I always take plenty with us to keep them going.
- Pack the wet wipes. They have so many uses that I never go out without them. From cleaning mucky hands and faces to wiping dog poo off of shoes, wet wipes can be a life saver! We love the Aldi own brand Mamia wipes. They are strong and good quality but cheap and aren’t covered in a soapy substance like some other brands.
- Invest in a decent backpack. If you have a pushchair to dump everything on then great, but once they are big enough not to need one it means carrying everything yourself. I have a backpack with a lower compartment which is padded for protecting my camera and lenses (keen photographer here!). The upper compartment has plenty of space for snacks, cartons of drink and my purse. There is also a smaller pocket for my phone and car keys. The straps are well padded so it is really comfortable to wear and isn’t too big or too small. Previously we’ve also had a picnic cool bag one which I highly recommend.
- Dress for the weather and activity. If its outdoors you may need welly boots, coats, hats and gloves. For indoors, particularly soft play centres, you may need socks and trousers to protect from friction burns.
- Use a map to plan your visit. Check the website and decide what you want to do and what order you want to do it in. That way you can plan on the venue map your best route and save little legs from walking backwards and forwards too much.
- Take a pushchair or trailer if you are going to be doing a lot of walking. Our children are too old for a pushchair now so instead we have our fantastic Yippie Yo Crossbuggy which we absolutely love! It has been brilliant for us as Cody still gets tired when we are out for a full day and even Lois who is 7 sometimes jumps on board too. The added bonus is we can pile our picnic bag, etc on it too.
