Hi everyone!
Today is going to be a short post. I want to talk about what you need to do ton prepare for an outing with your little ones. I am going to use Valerie and Bailey as an example for this, since I am taking them both to the Columbus Zoo this Saturday.
To refresh everyone's memory, Valerie, is my daughter, she's two years old, and still very much rambunctious, active toddler. Bailey, is Valerie's new friend. She's eight years old. Not to state the obvious, but the biggest difference between Valerie and Bailey is that Valerie is still in diapers, and Bailey, according to her mommy, has been potty trained since she was three. With that in mind, let's start with packing Valerie's diaper bag.
The first thing in the diaper bag should be diapers, obviously. My caveat to that is that since I am bringing two girls to the zoo, even though one of them has been potty trained for years, I would still want to bring enough diapers for both of them, in case of accidents. Accidents can happen to a child at any age, so it's best to be prepared. If we were going somewhere where there would be a lot of waiting in line, I would suggest putting a child like Bailey into diapers preemptively, but since its just the zoo, we'll just keep them as a backup for now. As a side note, if it was going to be more than an hour drive, I would also suggest diapers for an older child, but since its about 50 minutes from Marion, I don't think that would be needed either. It goes without saying that a changing pad, and wipes would also be required.
I would bring a sippy cup for each child, which can be refilled at the drinking fountains, to keep the little ones hydrated. One pacifier and pacifier clip for each child, in case they get fussy. I know its controversial to give an older kid a pacifier, but I feel that immature behavior requires an appropriate response. If Bailey acts like a fussy toddler, then I have no problem treating her like one, not that I expect her to be a problem, she's a sweet girl. Finally, I would bring a fresh set of clothes for each girl. I prefer a sundress, since it's simple, and it's just one item to pack, as opposed to a top and bottoms. I will make sure to have a back up dress for each girl. I also still like to put a bib on Valerie whenever she eats to protect her clothes, so I would bring an extra for Bailey too. I would also throw some snacks in there for the two of them, as well as some distractions. Finally I would also bring sunscreen. Sunburns are no fun.
Itemized list:
-Diapers (At least 4 per child)
-Wipes (Both Baby wipes and sanitizing wipes)
-Changing pad
-Bibs (One per child)
-Pacifiers and Pacifier clips (One per child)
-Sippy Cup (One per child, plus one spare)
-Extra Dresses/Clothes (one for each girl)
-Snacks
-Distractions (toy, or coloring book/crayons)
-Sunscreen
Other considerations
I am used to entertaining Valerie's friends, both at home, and on outings. We have a double wide stroller that we use for when we go on outings with Valerie's friends, as well as two carseats installed in my car. I am going to bring the double stroller, just incase both girls get tired of walking. Bailey should have no problem fitting into either the carseat or stroller.
I know this, because my Niece, Beth, who is now sixteen, fit into both when she was fifteen, and was throwing a tantrum before we went to the mall. Like I said earlier, I am a firm believer that kids should be treated how they act. Since Beth was acting like a toddler, I treated her like one. I popped a pacifier into her mouth, and clipped it to her shirt, before I strapped her into the carseat for the car ride to the mall, before strapping her into stroller once we got there. I told her that if she was going to throw tantrums like that, she could suck on her binkie quietly while the grownups do their shopping. I have to admit that theres a little part of me that likes to embarrass her. At one point, Valerie made a stinky, and I could smell it. I pushed the stroller to a family restroom, and waited in line behind a couple other mothers. I walked to front of the stroller and pinched my nose, looking right at Beth, saying "Did somebody make me a present?" I unstrapped her and leaned her forward, pulling out the back of her shorts and panties, and peeing inside, before announcing, "Nope, no stinkies back here!" I strapped Beth back in before checking Valerie the same way, announcing to the other mothers around, "I found the stinky butt!" I got a few chuckles out of it. Figuring Beth learned her lesson, I let her out of the stroller, and took her pacifier back. She was well behaved for the rest of the shopping trip.
Sorry for the tangent. The stroller can also double as Sun protection for the little ones. Just strap them in and pull the cover down! Its pretty easy.
Well, I hope that helps anyone who is taking care of two little ones, at different stages. I will let everyone know next week how things went with the trip to the zoo!
See y'all tomorrow!
-Veronica
No comments:
Post a Comment