Oh no. Am I becoming a "Sports Mom"?

Restocked in-between seasons by Rose

Like most kids growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, my parents had my brothers and I participating in AYSO, park district t-ball and grade school Basketball. As my own children transitioned from toddlers to school-aged kids, I was met with the sudden reality that sports had taken an extreme turn since my childhood and I was NOT prepared.

While there are still plenty of wonderful community sports programs, we realized early that Club Sports had taken on a much more aggressive approach at attracting families since our own childhoods. Perhaps they know how to play on the feelings of adults who **wished** they had been able to play club sports earlier (or at all!). Or -hot take- these “Non-Profits” are trying to make a bunch of money with fear mongering parents into believing their kids will never make it into the Olympics if they don’t play club <insert sport here> from the time they are 2-years old.

But I digress.

Maybe you have just signed your child for their first sport. Or maybe you’re trying to figure out how to juggle four sports schedules for your kids. No matter what, there are things you can do to feel ready and prepared.

First step? Acceptance. You have to accept that sports will be a significant portion of your life. Then you prepare. And the biggest thing to prepare? Unfortunately on game day, you have to abandon your beautiful handbag or stylish belt bag for your Sports Mom Bag. This was a reality I finally embraced when my daughter took a soccer ball to the face and had a bloody nose. Neither team coach, nor anyone else on the sideline, had paper towels or a First Aid Kit.

If you’ve dared to scroll down, you may have noticed I’ve got LOTS of items for you to consider packing into your Sports Mom Bag. First and foremost, you do not need to purchase all these items. Get the mix of items that is right for you. Second, if you DID purchase everything on this list you would probably need to buy the largest duffle bag on the market.

Rose, just help me get what I’m looking for.

Scrolled down and realized I can get real chatty on this topic? It’s cool. I get it. Here are some quick links to get you to what you were looking for.

The Bag – First comes the bag. Then comes the stuff you put in it.

Something to Sit On – Okay, it doesn’t fit in the bag. But if you can’t sit happy, are you really happy?

Things to Stay Warm – Is there anything worse than being cold?

Things to Stay Dry- Oh wait, wet. Wet might just be worse than cold.

Things for Sunny Days – For those of us that are translucent, sunny days bring their own list of complications.

Stuff for Your Athlete – This isn’t all about you. #sorry

Stuff for the other kids-in-tow – Yup, you’re a mom. You have to think about them too.

Extra Credit – If you really want to look like the #SuperMom you know you are.

The Bag

I’ve used a great bag from Thirty One that I purchased, #nojoke, 15 years ago. Here are the things that work about it for me:

Hard Bottom: It has a hard, flat bottom (Like me. Just kidding.) I can sit it on the

ground or in the back of my car and it doesn’t fall over. Durable, comfortable Straps: I really do have a lot of things inside the bag. So I need a bag with wide, long straps that can easily slide up and down my arm even if I’m wearing my parka.

External Pockets: I hate dragging my purse to the game, so I like external pockets that I can drop my wallet, keys and phone into easily as we’re getting out of the car.

Waterproof: This one is a no brainer. We #sportsmoms sit through all weather, and our bag has to be able to withstand it all.

Water Bottle Holders: The bag can hold two water bottles – including our giant Yeti Ramblers. Keeping those upright is critical when lugging a lot of stuff around.

Big open compartment: The mix of items that I need can vary from sport to sport, and season to season. I like having one big open bag that I can fill easily with what I need.

Zippered Top: This goes hand-in-hand with Waterproof. The bag is pointless if I can’t zip it up and protect our stuff from the elements.

A great surface for the sports buttons: In addition to these Club Sports programs being a total racket, so are the sports photographers. I just don’t see the point of buying tons of pictures of my kids in their sports uniforms for EVERY SPORT and EVERY SEASON for the prints to just end up in a pile somewhere. Instead, I only buy their buttons and I pin them on my bag. Its been a fun collection to start – and is an excellent point of embarrassment for my middle schooler.

Something to Sit On

When attending your outside sports, you’ll need to have your own chairs. While several sports – like Baseball and Softball – conjure images of bleachers, its shocking how many times fields don’t actually have a place for you to sit. Even for indoor sports, like Hockey, the bleachers are built for efficiency and not comfort. This means you’ll want to invest in comfortable camp chairs or stadium seats, as you’ll be spending a great amount of time in them. But purchasing cheap chairs from your local box store may not be your best bet. Some things to consider are:

Size: We enjoy our comfort in our household, so a short or narrow chair just won’t do. We look for oversized chairs that accommodate my wide hips and my husband’s broad shoulders.

Back Style: Especially for your outdoor camp chairs, you need to know how you handle weather. If you get overheated, you probably want a vented back. If you hate wind, you’ll want a sold back (that you can sink down into on those days with gale-force winds).

Cupholders: More likely than not, you’ll be bringing some sort of beverage to this event. (Hopefully it’s a cocktail. Its cool, we won’t tell anyone what’s in that cup.) On hot days we love to bring our Yeti Ramblers. The downside to these? THEY DON’T FIT IN ANY CUPHOLDER. I can deal with it and set it on the ground next to my chair. But that can really frustrate the others in my household. Make sure you understand (1) if there is a cupholder, and (2) what size of cup it fits.

Cooler: Many chairs have built in coolers which seems like a great idea. But you need to know if you will actually use it. I often use the one in my chair just to store my oversized items – like my phone, or Yeti.

For the Littles: If you have littles to bring to the game as well, you may want to have a chair for them that is their size. Will it get much use? #questionable But maybe your kids are more well-behaved than mine. Otherwise, a picnic blanket is a great option. Just be aware of where you sit and what balls/bats/objects could come flying your way.

For the Little-Littles: One item I swore by when my youngest was a baby was my portable Pop-Up Activity Chair. His arms and legs were free, I could attach toys for him to play with, and there were pockets for snacks and sippy cups. (I’m pretty sure I have purchased one for every baby shower I’ve attended in the past 7 years.)

Carrying Bag/Back-Pack: Finally, you have to know how you’ll be carrying the chair. While I’ll give you some hauling options below, note that you’ll want to have a bag to collapse the chair into or back-pack straps on the chairs. With either, be sure to check the durability of the bag or straps. We’ve found far too often that our camp chairs outlast the bags because of poor durability.

Things to Stay Warm

Inevitably, we all must sit through a game that is at a temperature far below our preference. When those days arrive, it’s important to have some extra items on hand. Here are my top suggestions:

Hat and gloves for everyone in your family. This includes your athlete on the field. Over the years I’ve upgraded my options to make sure they are also waterproof.

Hand Warmers: I actually carry two styles of hand warmers. First, I have the disposable packs. As a #goaliemom, I have to make sure my daughter’s hands are warm on cold days so that she can grip the ball as it comes flying her way. These come in very handy for that. And at this point, I just go ahead and buy in bulk so she can share with her teammates as needed. For myself, I’ve invested in rechargeable hand warmers. They charge by plugging in with a USB plug, making it easy to recharge on the way to a game or when I’m camping out as long as possible in the car before a game starts.

Stadium Blanket: This item also falls into the “Things to Stay Dry” category. I’ve invested in Stadium Blankets that are water repellent and wind resistant. They roll or fold up so they can be conveniently stored in the back of the car. All it takes is one time of feeling a below freezing wind chill whip through you on the sidelines, or an Ice House with no heat in the middle of February, to recognize how important the right blanket can be. So check and see what the cold rating is on the blanket before purchase. Oh, and hot tip: If there is no cold rating then its not going to keep you warm enough.

Insulated Coffee Cup: At best, the concession stand will have cheap Styrofoam cups with coffee in them on a cold day. Not only will this not stay warm, there is a 100% chance it will spill all over you. I’ve been a huge fan of Contigo coffee cups from my days of an hour-long commute in the office for two reasons: (1) Your coffee or tea stays piping hot for several hours, and (2) the lid has a self-closing features to keep you from spilling on yourself. And a big plus: these almost always fit in the cupholder of your chair.

Things to Stay Dry

Oh do I long for the days that my kids were Toddlers in Rec Leagues. In those days, if it was too rainy we simply didn’t play. Now, rain stops nothing. And lightning is merely a pause button. While you can easily plan to run to the car if it starts raining, that can sometimes mean you get no view of the game. When you’re ready to tough it out, it’s time to invest in your rain gear.

Stadium Blanket: We already covered the Stadium Blanket above for its warmth purposes, but its ability to keep you dry is so important. The final straw for me was when a fleece blanket was completely saturated during a fall soccer tournament in central Wisconsin. It was so heavy with water and caked with mud after two consecutive games, we threw it in the garbage at the field. In addition to checking the cold rating on the blanket, be sure to read the reviews about just how well it stands up to a heavy rain.

Umbrella: This umbrella can serve dual purpose on very sunny games as well when you’re in desperate need of shade. However, the real thing to pay attention to is how much wind the umbrella can withstand. Because these sports fields are often in broad, open expanses, you usually get little to no protection from the wind. Making sure the umbrella can withstand high wind is paramount.

Rain Jacket or Poncho: Rain storms also have a tendency to just “pop up” during games. Having a rain jacket or poncho in your #SportsMomBag for you and any littles will be important. I’ve found that waterproof windbreakers are the best things to have on hand. You can have them rolled up in the bottom of the bag for emergency use. Ponchos are great for consolidation purposes, but sometimes rip easily.

Things for Sunny Days

Finally, there are those days when it is sunny out and you have no shade in sight. Watching your kiddo on the field is easier when you’re not squinting through the midday sun. So don’t forget a few of these essentials:

Hats for the whole family: Usually I think ahead and have a hat that coordinates with my outfit. But if not, in the bag I have a baseball cap I can pull on. And my kids each have one, too. This is a great place for all the free, cheap hats you bring you home as a “gift” from various work and community events.

Sunglasses for everyone, too: For each kiddo, I keep a pair of cheap, bendable sunglasses in the bag for the days when even they can’t stand the sun. For me, I keep an old pair of Tory’s that got a little too scratched up in the bag. Then I can keep up my brand, without feeling bad when I scratch the lenses. Again.

Cooling Towels: These do require a little prep, but on 90+ degree days cooling towels are good for you and your little athlete. Follow the instructions to get these towels wet and ice cold, then use as necessary to cool you or your over-heated athlete down.

Insulated Water Bottle: Making sure you have ice cold water on hand is just as important for you as it is for your little athlete on hot days. Our family swears by our Yeti Ramblers. While they don’t fit well in our cup holders, we’re always confident that our drinks will be cold and refreshing.

Stuff for Your Athlete

Remember, the catalyst for this #SportsMomBag was the need for some bloody nose supplies. So don’t forget the things you’ll want to have for your little athlete too (all packaged up in a Gallon Ziplock Bag):

First Aid Kit: Hopefully your coaching staff has one handy, but having a little extra is always helpful. You can buy a formal kit, or put your own together to include things like: Band-Aids, tape, gauze, and Neosporin.

Paper Towels: Its amazing how quickly a bloody nose will use up all the spare tissue parents have on the sidelines. Having several sheets of extra absorbent paper towels can be a lifesaver.

Sunscreen and Bug Spray: Keep them prepared no matter the field and weather conditions.

Hair Ties, Comb or Hairbrush: Arriving to a field, court or rink with no way to pull back hair can cause a panicked run to the local Target. Keep some extras in the bag to prevent this from happening.

Extra Socks and Shoe Laces: Nothing will show up as missing more than a sock, so having a spare set in your bag can come in very handy. In addition, a broken shoe lace can get your player benched for the game (because who, other than you #supermom, has an extra set with them?).

Stuff for the other kids-in-tow

When your husband is on the course, then your other kids have no choice than to go with to their siblings sporting events. In addition to the devices you let them bring along (#nojudgement), it is helpful to have some other items for them in your #SportsMomBag as well.

Snacks: If you’re expecting to see suggestions for highly nutritious items here, you might be reading the wrong blog. I keep a Ziplock Bag full of fruit snacks, Teddy Grahams and Cheez-Its. The Ziplock bag keeps them dry for those wet days. They won’t melt in heat or freeze in cold. And they have a long shelf life Snacking Containers: For the little-littles (especially those sitting in an activity pod) its good to have little snack cups to transfer the snacks into. If you don’t purchase the individual packs of snacks, having a bowl for the bigger kids is helpful as well.

Activity Books: Whatever your kids are into, have some activity books for them. I’ve got one kiddo who loves mazes, and another that loves puzzles and riddles. And we always have a spare coloring book for others kids that may need a distraction.

Clipboard and Paper: If your kids who love to draw or play simple games like Tic-Tac-Toe (omg, I had to look up how to spell that!), having a clipboard and paper is a great option. My oldest has even been inspired to write a short story (versus watch her brother’s hockey game).

Pencil Box and Drawing Tools: You’ll want this to be weatherproof, so I tend towards color pencils. If your kiddos are trustworthy and won’t color themselves in an unattended moment, markers are great in here too. What we don’t include are scissors, glue and crayons. Glue and crayons will melt. And I’d hate for someone else’s little-little to accidentally get ahold of some scissors.

Portable Chargers: Holy cow, don’t forget this. We have a rule that the sibling has to watch half of the game before they can go on a device. And that can explode into mayhem if their device has lost its charge during the first half of the game.

Headphones: Because no one, NO ONE, wants to listen to your kid’s game or show.

Extra Credit

If you’ve made it this far, you must be a really dedicated #SportsMom. And there may be a few other items to invest in that definitely won’t fit in a bag.

Wagon: At any kind of tournament, you’re bound to encounter bad parking and very long walks to your kid’s games. Having a wagon to place your bag and chairs in to haul from remote parking makes life a lot easier. When evaluating options, definitely consider something with tires that can also make it through sand. Because then the wagon can serve double duty and be useful for that next family beach vacation.

Cooler: Having a good cooler is important for summer outdoor tournaments. It helps if your cooler can also fit inside your wagon conveniently. We’ve had luck with our Yeti. We feel confident that it will stay cold no matter the temperature, and it’s a good size to fit drinks, snacks and a picnic lunch.

Tent: So this one is a real commitment. Much like the wagon, we selected a tent that can also be used for our family beach vacations. But having a 10X10 or 12X12 tent can be used for the spectators on the sidelines, or for your kiddo’s team that needs shade. Selecting the right tent needs to be a mix of durability, ease of set up and overall weight. If you’re lugging this to a field by yourself (along with your bag and/or your wagon), then you may want to recruit someone else on the sidelines to purchase the team tent.

Links to the Goods