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Summer Bag Essentials with a 15 Swim Suit Bag Tutorial

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Summer is finally here for us. This week marks the last week of school and then we are looking forward to long days at the water park and splash pad. During a typical summer, we spent 2-3 days a week in the water, some of them impromptu trips.
I have started carrying around a bag packed with the things we need to have a full day of fun without having to constantly run home.
These are my summer bag musts haves:
1. A large tote. I love this tote because it is airy, has lots of room and is light weight. It is my dream summer bag.
2. A towel. I always carry a towel with us everywhere we go in the summer. If we head to the splash pad my daughter uses it after the water. If we head to the park it makes a perfect picnic blanket and I am not worried about it getting dirty.
3. Hats. Sun protection is essential when you spend so much time in it. I carry hats for me and both of my girls.
4. Healthy snacks. Nothing is worse than eating junk food during a day in the sun. Healthy snacks will keep you going longer and with more energy. I pack applesauce, nuts and granola bars.
5. A notebook and pen. I bring this for my daughter to draw in if we get stuck out and about, or I also use it to make lists while I watch my girls at the splash pad.
6. Tissues. I always make sure to carry tissues and wet wipes. You never know when you are going to need to clean up a spill.
7. A bite stick. One of the hazards of summer fun is mosquitoes. My girls can never leave the itchy bites alone, so I always carry one of these with me.
8. Sunscreen. I carry two types of sunscreen with me all the time: a tube of the cream and a sunscreen stick. I use the cream for all over and the stick for our faces. It allows us sun protection without worrying about sunscreen in baby eyes.
9. Hand Sanitizer. Nothing is more messy than playing at the park. I make sure to carry this with me for before snacks.
10. Headphones. As fun as the splash pad is, it can be noisy. Really noisy. Streaming some music can make for a relaxing afternoon for you as you watch your kids have a blast.
11. Stain Remover Wipes. Our favorite summer treat is to stop at the snow cone stand for some Tiger’s Blood. While it is yummy, it can also stain. I keep these on hand just in case.
12. Headache medicine. I don’t know about you, but summer sun can bring on headaches for me. It’s best to knock it out early on than let it develop until you get home later.
13. Small first aid kit. I carry around bandages, ointment and tweezers for those park-time ouchies.
14.  Hair brush, hair ties and bobby pins. Inevitably, at some point during the day, I will get sick of my hair being on my neck. I love having what I need to sweep it up.
15. A wet bag for wet clothes. Check out the tutorial below.
16. A deck of cards. My daughter and I love to sit next to the pool and play cards. War is a great game to teach greater than and less than.
17. Swimsuits. I pretty much always carry the littles’ swimsuits with me. That way we can make impromptu splash pad stops.
18. Filtered Water Bottle. This is my go-to water bottle for staying hydrated on the go. It has an easy sip straw that even my one year old can use, so it is the perfect water bottle choice for our whole family. I love the hard-sided design so that I am not worry that it is going to get squished open in my bag. The best part of the water bottle? It has the clean, filtered taste of bottled water without having to buy a new bottle every time. The water bottle has a filter that your water is run through to make sure it tastes clean and free from chlorine and other taste-changing minerals found in tap water. I actually found my water bottle in the home improvement section of Walmart with the other water filters.
Wet Swimsuit Bag Tutorial

Nothing can put a bigger damper on your summer bag than a wet swimsuit. I don’t want to throw it in my bag because then everything else will end up soaked, but if I don’t put it in my bag it can easily get left behind in the hustle of trying to get home from the splash pad or water park.

This easy-to-make wet bag can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes and is perfect for bringing home that wet swim suit, or anything else that is wet, like a blown-out baby outfit. I even love to use mine for travel. It is handy for carrying shampoo and other toiletries that could open and make a mess.

 You will need:

  • fabric
  • waterproof material (I like using a shower curtain or bed cover)
  • pins
  • ribbon

I didn’t give exact dimensions for the bag because you can really make this any size. I just made sure my fabric was rectangular to give me the shape I wanted in a finished bag. Cut the waterproof material to be the same size as your fabric. Lay the waterproof material on top of the wrong side of the material. Fold your fabric over about 1/4 of an inch and then fold it over again about 3/4 of an inch. Pin. Repeat for the opposite side.

Sew the tops down, making sure to leave plenty of room to thread a ribbon through. Then fold the bag in half, wrong sides together and pin. Sew up the sides, but make sure to not sew all way to the top, so there is room in the casing for the ribbon to go through.

Turn the bag right side out.

Using a safety pin, thread a piece of ribbon through the bag. When you reach the hole of the other side, thread it into the other side of the bag. Tie the ribbon together. Repeat on the other side.

Simply pull both sides of ribbon to cinch the bag closed and your wet bag is finished! I love mine and we use it all the time!

I can’t wait to spend our entire summer outside and in the water. All our summer bag essentials make it so we can be outside as much as possible without having to run home. I love that this bag helps keep us not only on the go but healthy while doing it.

What is essential in your summer bag?
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  3. says

    I tend to drink a lot of liquids in the summer. I did not realize Brita came out with one that is a take along–I definitely need one of these!

    Reply

  7. says

    Cute idea! You might want to check out PUL (polyurethane laminate) fabric. It's an all-in-one fabric that is waterproof. It's what I made our wet bags from when my kids were in cloth diapers. They sell it at Joann's in the baby section, even in smaller cuts. And, they have such cute prints on it now.

    Reply

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