It’s always good to take your toddler outdoors. Doing so gives you both a change of scenery from staying at home, plus it helps to stimulate your child’s young mind by experiencing different sights, sounds, colors, and scents – especially during the summer months.

The trouble is, some parents find it hard to go out with their toddlers because what seemed like a great idea at the time turned into a nightmare trip outdoors! That’s why it’s always best to spend some time preparing before any day trip.

Take a look at the following tips, tricks, and ideas to help you lessen the risk of any outdoor disasters and create enjoyable, happy memories for you and your toddler:

 

Pack Plenty Of Snacks

You’ll likely know by now that children often get grumpy for a few simple reasons: hunger, tiredness, and boredom. The first thing to do is make sure that hunger isn’t the reason for your toddler feeling upset during your trip out together.

Packing plenty of snacks, either homemade or bought from your local grocery store, will ensure that your offspring will always have a full belly throughout the day. Consider doing an online search for snack ideas for toddlers if you’re not sure what’s best to take with you.

Bring Some Water And Drinks

Food will undoubtedly satisfy any child’s hunger cravings, but they’ll need something to wash that food down with during their snacking sessions. Thankfully, you can easily solve that problem by bringing some water and drinks with you.

It’s worth investing in some washable plastic flasks, as it means you can bring any of your child’s favorite drinks with you. Moreover, you’re helping the environment by avoiding the purchase of single-use drinks on your travels.

Play Some CDs With Your Child’s Favorite Songs

Your toddler will likely have some favorite songs they enjoy hearing at home and elsewhere. You can help keep them in good spirits by playing some CDs in your car that have their favorite songs on them.

Those songs could be ones by certain artists, or more likely, ones they’ve heard from children’s movies and TV shows. If you don’t have a CD player in your car, but you’ve got Bluetooth, you could instead stream the music from your smartphone.

Take A Bag Of Hygiene Essentials

Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a toddler who never gets dirty or makes a mess! You can guarantee that your child will be a messy eater when you’re both outdoors, so it’s important you take a bag of hygiene essentials with you.

You likely take something like that with you on your travels. It should include essentials like baby wipes, hand sanitizer, tissues, and other things like diapers and disposable plastic bags.

Don’t Forget Some Spare Clothing

One fact you’ve probably realized by now is how your child gets through a lot of clothing each day. You seem to spend a lot of time each day washing their clothing, changing their clothes, and putting clean and dried clothing away!

When you go out on a day trip with your toddler, make sure you arm yourself with a selection of spare clothing in case of any “accidents”. Don’t forget to pack a small carrier bag to store any soiled clothing until you both get back home.

Carry Some Sunscreen On Sunny Days

It goes without saying that you and your toddler should wear some sunscreen before heading outdoors on a sunny day. Even on a cloudy summer’s day, the sun’s rays can burn skin from prolonged exposure.

Thankfully, you can carry a travel-size bottle of sunscreen with you that you can both apply to your skin on your travels. Also, it pays to avoid being outside during the hottest periods, typically between 12 pm and 3 pm in the afternoon.

Make Sure Your Child Is Fed Before Going Out

Last but not least, you already know how important it is to keep your toddler well-fed throughout the day or risk dealing with a grumpy child!

While you’re already aware of the importance of taking snacks on your journey for your offspring, you should also make sure your child is fed before going out. Doing so means they will feel happier when you both go out and won’t need to eat so many snacks outdoors.

Top tip: always check your toddler has had a potty break before heading outside!

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, the above points will help you prepare for any day trip, whether it’s to your local park or a long journey in the car. Good luck!