*I felt the magic of swiss herbs in Ricola® Herb & Throat drops as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars #swissherbs – All opinions remain honest and my own.
My son spent most of this Summer playing All-Star Baseball. The first feelings you get when your child makes any sort of All-Star or Tournament team for their chosen sport are along the lines of joy, pride, happiness of all kinds.. maybe you cry a bit because you’re so happy. After all of that dies down and you swallow the cost of it all you begin to prep for these tournament games. Which, even at this 8 year old level that we’re in, are no joke. It’s long, hot days in the sun. In fields and areas you’ve never been to before. My allergies and the allergies of those around me took on new life… which was something I should have expected, but didn’t. For real, we were back in wooded areas where we thought we’d find bodies before baseball fields… then out of no where, in a HUGE clearing, are beautiful brand-new baseball fields.
Over this last season, which was my first year as an All-Star Baseball Mom, I learned what I needed to have on hand during games and practices.
Water. Don’t say duh. Because I don’t mean one bottle. You’re at a tournament and sometimes that means 2-3 GAMES. All day. Bring a case. In a cooler so it’s cold. You’ll need it for your kid, yourself and likely several other kids. Usually coaches have the sports drinks covered in a huge vat in the dugout. If not, grab a few of those too. In addition to drinking water we also brought a cooler of spray bottles and towels buried in ice to cool them off even more. It seems excessive.. until you’re in that heat and humidity. Then everybody wants to get in on your ice towel.
Ice Packs. Before this year I had no idea that if you stick ice between your thighs it cools you off almost immediately. In between games these were great to cool the kids down and get them ready for the next game. We found that the plastic brick kind are better than the gel packs for this purpose.
Ricola® Revitalizing Herb & Throat drops. If I told you at least 5 tons of dirt and junk got kicked in my face over the last month from kids sliding into their bases it wouldn’t be an exaggeration. I don’t even want to think about what I was actually inhaling… germs y’all. My throat owes it’s moisture and life to Ricola® Revitalizing Herb & Throat drops. The Chrüterchraft in them has a top-secret blend of 10 natural herbs including Hyssop, which removes tough mucus from the bronchioles. Perfect for soothing relief at the fields!
Food. Protein food, hold off on the junk. They’ll get the junk, sure, but you don’t want a sugar high then in the 4th inning they’re all crashing. Beef Jerky, nuts… man food, I guess you could say.
SPF. Every single one of the kids on my son’s team (with the exception of one) says “I don’t burn, I tan”. I tell them I don’t care. Cancer, y’all. I always make sure my son has SPF and I offer it to the parents of the other kids in case they want it. It’s brutal out there lately.
First Aid Kit. Don’t assume the ballpark you’re playing at that week will have all the things and you need to also remember that their first aid supplies might be stationed around half a mile away. We found that out the hard way this year when my son slid into second and ripped his knee wide open. ABP (always be prepared).
Extra clothes. At the end of the day your kid will be smelly, dirty, sweaty and radiating heat. A quick change of clothes can make them feel better. And it’s a life saver for you because you don’t have to smell them the entire way home, which can take up to an hour in our case… without traffic =\
Are your kids in sports? What do you bring to their practices or games? Get me ready for next year!
*I felt the magic of swiss herbs in Ricola® Herb & Throat drops as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars #swissherbs – All opinions remain honest and my own. For more info on Ricola visit them on Facebook & Twitter.
Congrats to your son on making All Stars!
Kristin Bassett recently posted..July Favorites 2015
Thank you!!
This is a cute post. I wish I had at least one son but I was blessed with my two crazy girls. lol
Girls are high maintenance for sure! Mine does the competitive cheerleading. She wanted to try out softball too but we tell them ONE sport since it’s all so much running. She chose to cheer lol
These are some really great tips! Kids sports can be rough sometimes. I didn’t know that about the ice packs either, but I will definitely be trying that trick!
Kristina Vieweg recently posted..My Tips For a Comfortable Summer!
Ricola drops are definitely great when you’re not feeling well!
Jamie recently posted..A Month of Beautiful Giveaways: Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Peel
Yes to all of those things.s.. especially water. I also like to grab a bag of pretzels – the boys love them to snack on while watching. 😀
Honeygirlk recently posted..Affordable Clothing and Accessories – 599Fashion.com Haul & Review
All of this fun is most definitely worth getting a scratchy throat! Your son is such a cutie!
Lola recently posted..Clarins Eclat Minute Instant Light Natural Lip Protector in Nude Shimmer 03 | Review
Thank you!!!
Such a great post! I never think to pick up Ricola, but they would be great to have on hand.
Bailey recently posted..Mark. All Butter Now Lip Treats | New Shades!
You really covered every possibility! Cough drops would have never occurred to me but sound totally useful now that you mention it!
Babi recently posted..Travel-ready skincare with FEATHER AND BONE Face Gems
Wow mama! These are great lessons to pass on for sure – I would’ve never thought about bring ice packs and cold towels!
Jessica recently posted..Re-Swatch Wednesday: Darling Diva Persephone
Congratulations on your All-Star! My son played baseball from the age of 4-17 and we spent several Summer’s doing all-star games. They’re pretty crazy but so much fun too. The only thing I thought of was specifically for the catcher. I was team mom and when we were batting I’d take the catcher’s helmet and pour cold water in it. I’d also have towels so they could wipe off the sweat. It would help them to be more comfortable because, yes, it gets super hot. 🙂
Thank you! Mine played catcher a bit this time around and he always loved the cold water in his hat! Sweat towels are a good idea… dry off with the damp down!
I bet you are the most fabulous baseball mom there!
Kath TheFabZilla recently posted..SMOKY EMERALD Feat. Tom Ford, Urban Decay, Kat Von D and Clinique
Your son is lucky to have an ABP mom like you. You’ve got your bases covered.
MarciaF recently posted..The latest Influenster VoxBox – Sunshine!
When I watch football or any other sport on tv I yell so maybe I should keep these handy heheh I get into the NFL 🙂
Heather recently posted..New from Guerlain Fall 2015
Very cute post and pix! Definitely looks and sounds like a fun time in your family’s life. Worth the scratchy throat 😉
Allison recently posted..Giveaway: StriVectin Revitalizing Mask & Review
Great post! I love keeping Ricola with me at all times. Plus, their commercial STILL echos in my mind. RIiiiiiiiiIIIIIiiiCCCCCCcccccOOOOOOOooooOOOOOOOlllllLLLLLLLLLaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAa! <3
Shipra recently posted..butter London Ladybird & Toff Bloody Brilliant Lip Crayons and Brown Sugar & British Racing Green Matte Liquid Eyeliners Swatches and Review
You nailed it on this post! We just came off our final year of travel baseball (17u elite). It gets crazier when you spend 5 days/week on the road (airplane trips, 10hr car rides, hotels) and you still rely on everything you mentioned. You just have to find a way to fit it all in suitcases, lol… I wouldn’t change it for a thing though!
WOW! Elite must be amazing, though! Even the all star team was such a difference from regular season and my son is only 8. They playing level was so high at the games, some of these kids were hitting home runs even (one team asked to check our bats LMAO I was like REALLY NOW?! They’re freaking 8). My daughter does competitive cheerleading also and this last year we’ve been running non-stop lol it’s fun, though. I’ll miss it when they’re done!