Let’s face it getting out of the house when you’ve got multiple little ones under the age of 3 can be a daunting task. Throw a set of multiples in the mix and suddenly you are consumed by the thought of not having enough eyes or limbs to keep everyone in check and safe. When you decide it’s finally time to get bold enough to get out of the house, and everyone is no longer easily contained in a stroller it’s time to think about investing in some great gear to make your time out worth it! It admittedly has taken me a bit to find my groove but here are the top gear items I couldn’t live without for a successful park day outing with my squad.
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- The Regalo 8 Panel Portable Playpen: this playpen fits into what looks like a folding chair sized bag and opens up quicker then you can snap your fingers. It’s lightweight for carrying on your back or shoulder when you’ve got littles in tow. I pop this open anytime we are going to be spending some time at a park or outdoors. It gives my 1 year old twins a safe place to explore and play, and a place I know I can confidently place them in so I can wrangle thier older brother or rescue him from ladders and monkey bars if needed.
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- The caio! Baby portable highchair: For any momma who has attempted a picnic at the park with small children you know the struggle. Food everywhere, non food objects making their way into the food, and food fights over who is get to eat what because if your brother has it, it must be better than what you have. These have become another great resource for me to wrangle my twins and keep mealtimes and snack times running smoothly. While allowing me to relax and enjoy our picnics. Not to mention avoiding 3 year old meltdowns over tiny food thieves. They fold up into small portable chair bags and again are so lightweight for carrying on your back or shoulder. Bonus: they can be wiped clean in a cinch!
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- Lifewit Large Cooler Bag: I have come to realize that any outing becomes a basic excuse to pretty much sit in the outdoors and enjoy twice the snacks and food items normally consumed at home. Picnics are our favorite, and whether it’s all the running around that increases toddlers appetites 10 folds or its just the novelty of eating at the park you are going to need a trusted cooling bag to keep all those food items, and drinks cool! Its truly amazing the amount of water, snacks, and meal items I have stuffed this thing with for mornings, afternoons, or evenings at the park picnicking.
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- Quilted Monkey Mat: A trusted picnic blanket for easy clean up at the end of your play time. Something you can lay out that visually marks your play zone, eating zone, and rest area. The Monkey Mat is my favorite because not only does it fold up small into an easy to carry package but the quilted one has loops built into the center for attaching toys, or keys so they don’t get lost. When my twins were in the tummy time phase and my then 2 year old was running around playing it was a great way to keep their toys near them while I practiced balancing my attention between all kiddos. I love that I can just shake it out and throw it in the wash when things get icky.
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- The Mommy Hook: When you are packing multiple babes, and gear items as a momma on the go this tiny invention has saved my back, and stress when I have needed to cart multiple handled items or bags with me. Its also one of my grocery store musts but we will get into that another time. Just hook one or two (I’ve done it) to your stroller, load it up and off you go! Just make sure when you are unloading to remove the bags and gear off the hooks before the babies, trust me on that one.
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Enjoy the fresh air Mommas!