by Brooke Forry

For the first time as a family, we took a big plunge this year: we joined a swim club! (See what I did there? Plunge?) My first thoughts, of course, were: Sun! Fun! Friends! YAY! Especially after doing very little venturing out and seeing very few friends last summer, we are so ready for some fun and safe socializing.

My second thoughts were: Oh. Yikes. I forgot the sheer volume of stuff that is required when you bring two young (and seemingly always hungry) kids to the pool for a few hours, several times a week.

I have now made it my mission to make pool days as stress-free as possible, and that means being prepared and organized. A little preparation goes a long way to feeling like I, too, can enjoy a day at the pool, and getting ready to walk out the door doesn’t need to feel like an endless scavenger hunt. (“Where are my goggles?” “Who took the sunscreen?” “Do you have your towel?”)

Below are some tips to prepare like a pro and streamline your getting-ready process so you can maximize your fun and be ready for anything (with or without kids).

Get yourself a big ol’ (lightweight) bag

Years ago when we were in the phase of lugging lots of things back and forth to daycare, I bought one of these nylon, Lightweight Everyday Bags in size Large on sale at L.L. Bean. It has proven to be an incredible purchase that I still use on the regular. Now that summer is here, it has become my trusty pool bag, and aside from it being big enough to fit a ton of stuff, it is also super lightweight and easy to wash. (I know the L.L. Bean Boat & Totes have somewhat of a cult following, but I think they are just too thick and heavy for regular trips to the pool. Plus, they take too long to dry if they get wet.) Any large, lightweight bag with sturdy shoulder straps will do.

Stock up on clear cosmetic pouches (and throw in all the essentials)

My friend Amanda from Indigo Organizing tipped me off to organizing my purse with clear pouches years ago, and I’m now incredibly devoted to this method of keeping any bag in order (and any item easy to find). I most recently bought a set of these cosmetic bags from Amazon. The largest bag with handles is reserved for snacks (more on that below), and a second large bag holds:

• A few bottles of sunscreen

• Lip balm

• Three pairs of goggles

• Squirt toys

• Earplugs

• Mini tissue pack

• Cash

You can also keep a spare clear pouch (or simply a large Ziploc bag) on-hand for any wet swimsuits that need to be taken home later without getting everything else in your bag wet.

Pre-pack plenty of non-perishable snacks

In the largest clear pouch of the set linked above, I pack lots of non-perishable snacks that my kids like. The goal is twofold: have snacks on-hand that they like when they get hangry, and avoid trips to the ($$$$) swim club snack bar as much as possible. Currently our stash includes:

• Granola bars

• Apple sauce pouches

• Potato chips

• Pretzel snaps

• Dried peas

• Rice cakes

• Goldfish crackers

• Cheese crackers

Pack extra swimsuits/swim diapers

This one doesn’t apply to me anymore since my kids are 5 and 8, but if you have babies or toddlers who are prone to messes and accidents, keep some spare swimsuits, rash guards, swim diapers, and regular diapers in your bag.

say hello to quick-drying, lightweight towels

I’m slowly building a supply of these quick drying towels from Dock & Bay. They’re thin and lightweight, which means they take up SO much less space in my bag, and the quick drying feature is helpful for those who get in and out of the water a lot. They’re not inexpensive, so I’ll continue shopping around and keeping an eye on sales to add more to my stash. (Their Classic towels are the least expensive, and the large size is perfect for our needs.)

Take towels from the dryer directly to your car

In addition to keeping my bag packed and ready to go with all of the above items, I keep a bunch of clean, dry towels in the trunk of my car. If the towels I’ve packed in our bag get soaked or we find ourselves needing an extra after a day of swimming, I can grab one in a jiffy. (I roll my towels and stand them up in a trunk organizer like this one to keep them tucked away, but any sort of box that keeps them contained will do.)

bring a chair with a built-in strap

Our pool provides chairs for guests, but if it’s a particularly crowded day, I grab the camp chair that lives in the trunk of my car. We have one similar to this, which has a built-in sun shade that acts as a case for the chair (no separate bag to wrestle on and off of the chair), and it also has a strap attached for easy over-the-shoulder carrying.

Keep hats and other essentials at-the-ready

Two more things I keep in—you guessed it—the trunk of my car: my hat and my daughter’s Puddle Jumper (aka swimmies). Let’s be real: I’m not getting any younger, and my skin has gotten more sensitive with age, so I’m pretty serious about sun protection these days. Keeping my hat in the car means I’ll never find myself stuck without this important piece of sun protection when I arrive at the pool.

As my daughter is still learning how to master swimming, we also want to be sure we always have her Puddle Jumper, and there’s no reason for me to bring it back and forth inside our house. So, in my car it stays, and I clip it onto my bag for one less thing to carry as we head into the swim club.

Consider a cart

If you’re walking to a pool or beach and have a particularly large amount of items to bring with you, having a wheeled cart could be the right move for you. There are some larger carts that are ideal for transporting a slew of heavy chairs and supplies to the beach, or smaller utility carts for the pool that take up a smaller footprint when not in use.

Take 5 minutes when you get home to help “future you”

As soon as you walk in the door from a day at the pool or beach, spend a few minutes reorganizing things so you’re ready to walk out the door without a lot of fanfare on the next sunny day. Hang up wet towels to dry, or throw them right in the washing machine if needed. Put a few clean and dry towels in your bag or in your car. Refill any depleted snack supplies and reusable water bottles. Take note of sunscreen bottles that are almost empty and add more to your shopping list.

• • •

While I usually still spend a few minutes packing fruit and sandwiches for a day at the pool, a little advance preparation for everything else is already paying off big time. We are able to get out the door faster since we’re not scrambling to find everything we need, and we are all a lot less grumpy and frazzled in the process.

Now the only thing my kids can complain about is reapplying sunscreen every hour ;) (I told you… I’m a stickler for sun protection!)

What are your favorite prep tips so you have everything you need, and can maximize your pool or beach time? Please share with us in the comments!