What’s in my Pool Bag + SwimZip Love

It’s like I blinked and suddenly summer was in full force! The kids and I are loving our lazy mornings with nowhere to be…just moseying down to the pool whenever we get around to it. I might add that having Nash on one nap, instead of two like last year, has made things SO much easier! No more lunchtime sprints to the pool between naps. In other words, it’s summer–and life is good.

With as much swimming as we’ve been doing lately, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to pack our pool bag with my eyes closed soon. Today I thought it’d be fun to share my pool bag essentials…the things that we don’t leave home without.

1. Floaties. We don’t leave home without Nash’s floaties or Arden’s bubble. I love the Body Glove floaties because they have a vest design, which makes them stay up so much better than the others that you’ll see at the store. They’re great!

2. Sunscreen. This is something we pale people take very seriously 😉 I recently found this stick for the kids’ faces, which is super easy to apply and works well. Another one of my favorite things is this powder, which I use on Arden’s parts and Nash’s hair. I mean, is there anything worse than having greasy sunscreen hair all day long??

3. Toys. This year I bought some bath toys and stacking cups…but all my kids want to play with are the water guns. These particular ones aren’t anything fancy, but I actually like them because they’re not too powerful. Nash can’t be trusted with anything more!

4. Towels. These PBK beach wraps are my favorite for the kiddos. Tip: look for huge discounts at the end of the season…then you’ll be all set when the pool opens again the next year. Oh and how CUTE are these towel clips from Target?!

5. Sunglasses. Shhh–don’t tell anyone, but I get my favorite aviator sunglasses from Amazon…for $12.99. You’re welcome 🙂

6. Goggles. Arden just started using goggles (she thinks she’s big stuff because she started swim lessons!) and I feel like I’m always readjusting them or pulling hairs to tighten them. Check out these awesome alternatives that my sister recently got for her kids. They’re on our wish list!

7. Snacks or a meal. I usually bring lunch with us to the pool because a. it’s fun to have a picnic, and b. that’s one less thing we have to do when we get home. It takes a little more prep work, but it’s definitely worth it.

8. So it can’t actually fit in your bag, but this sweet ride was the best pool purchase we’ve ever made. We load all of our gear into the trunk, Arden drives, Nash rides…and I walk behind them, occasionally yelling “keep it on the road!” I know we must be a sight to see cruising into the pool, but my goodness, it makes my life so much easier!

The last thing I’d recommend is good quality swimwear that’ll keep you and your kids safe in the sun. For me, I love places like Hermoza who have so much to choose from in terms of style, cut, color etc, and I make sure to have a few options in circulation each year so I am able to choose on the day what I want to wear. I definitely knew I wanted to invest in something for my girl too, as I want her to grow up loving the water and excited to go swimming. So, when I heard about SwimZip, I immediately knew it would be perfect for Arden. Little miss fair-skin (sorry girl!) needs all the help she can get in sun–and SwimZip makes UPF 50+ swimwear that can do just that. Oh and I should mention…it’s ADORABLE too!

I mean, I can’t even…

There are so many things that I love about this swimsuit…the darling design, the sun protection, the tagless neck, the zipper in the front that makes post-pool changes so much easier! All of it!

And I have to say, it made sunscreen application soooo much easier!

Thank you SwimZip for this adorable (and functional!) suit. It is definitely Arden-approved…

Happy Friday and happy swimming!