What’s in My Sports Bag? Player and Parent Edition

Whether your child’s in Little League baseball, on a competitive sports team, or you're preparing your own bag for a weekend tournament, packing a sports bag is essential to making game day as smooth and stress-free as possible! Here are our favorite must-haves for a sports bag, regardless of whether you’re a player or a parent.

Player Sports Bag Essentials

• Uniform: Your kid can’t play in the game if they don’t have their uniform! This includes the correct shoes and any warm-up/outerwear that might accompany it. If they have multiple uniforms, make sure they're all packed – you never know when the jersey might be changed at the last minute!
• Sports Equipment: Make sure your kid includes all the necessary sports equipment in their sports bag. This will vary depending on the sport.
• Reusable Water Bottle: Staying hydrated is the most important thing for your kids when they play sports! Grab a reusable water bottle with a secure lid (you don't want a spill in the entire bag) and label it with a decal so no one else accidentally takes it.
• Healthy Snacks: Anything that’s easy to eat on the go is great to include in a sports bag for your little one. Think granola bars, bananas, oranges, and other snacks that will fuel them throughout the day and be healthy options.
• Change of Clothing: If your kid is at a tournament or there is a lot of downtime when they don't need to be in uniform, make sure to pack a comfy change of clothes. Accidents can always happen, so it's smart to always have another pair of essentials. 
• Toiletries: Depending on where you’re playing, toiletries include anything your kids might need for the shower, deodorant (essential!), sunscreen, hair ties, and anything else that they may grab for throughout the day.
• Towel: Whether they’re wiping off their sweat, wiping down the bench, or showering, include a microfiber towel in your kids’ sports bag for easy use.
• Notebook: As kids get older, they should have a travel–sized notebook to write down important schedule information, dates and times of games and practices, play information, or anything else important related to their team and sport.
• Decals & Bag Tags: Best way to make sure you don’t lose your sports bag and various sporting equipment? Grab a pack of our decals and one of our sport-specific bag tags to label all the items in your sports bag and your sports bag itself.
• Portable Phone Charger: With everyone so reliant on their devices, including a portable phone charger in your kids' sports bag is never a bad idea. You never know when outlets may (or may not!) be available, and you always want your kids to be able to get ahold of you. 

Parent Sports Bag Essentials

• Reusable Water Bottle: Like your child, it’s important that you as a parent stay hydrated on the sidelines using a reusable water bottle!
• Snacks: While concession food is delicious, you can only eat so much of it until you crave something lighter. Plus, concession stands usually aren’t open the entire game/tournament. Include a few easy grab-and-go snacks in your bag for when you’re munchy.
• Book to Read: Supporting your kids is great…but it can also get boring sometimes (#dontjudge). Include a book, magazine, Sudoku puzzle, etc. for the downtime.
• Portable Phone Charger: Like the kids section above, you never know when an outlet will be available. A portable phone charger alleviates a lot of the stress when it comes to charging your phone and staying in contact with your kids. 
• Bag Tag: Show support for your kid’s team and make sure no one accidentally grabs your bag with a personalized bag tag!
• Sunglasses, Hat, Portable Fan, Sunscreen, and Rain Gear: If your kid plays an outdoor sport like football, baseball, or soccer, you know that the weather can always change! Be prepared for various weather extremes, including scorching heat or a downpour.
• First Aid Kit (including wipes): You never know when a Band-Aid or bit of Neosporin will come in handy! Accidents are bound to happen between your kids playing sports and your other kids watching the games, and it's better to be overly prepared. Plus, the wipes clean up all messes!
• Entertainment for Other Kids: Whether your kids are into activity books, coloring books, playdough, or just want to use your tablet, throw in a few things to entertain them.
• Folding Chair and/or Blanket: If you're going to be sitting outside and unsure of the seating situation, bring a folding chair (much more comfortable for you!) and a blanket for your kids to sit on.
• Towel: A microfiber, portable towel is so handy for cleaning up messes, spills, or wet benches/bleachers. 

Packing a Sports Bag

Even if you have all the sports bag essentials for yourself as a parent or your player, here are a few more tips to make the process seamless and stress-free for the entire sports family!

1. Check All Lids: Before throwing any bottles or anything else with a top in the sports bag, make sure all the lids are secure! If you're unsure, putting it in a reusable ziploc bag never hurts. You don’t want a giant mess to happen in the bag.
2. Utilize Pockets and Organizers: Pockets and organizers are your friends! You can label them with some of our decals so it’s easy for you and your player to find what they need. Our suggestion? Separate organizers for uniforms, a change of clothing, toiletries, and any electronics.
3. Choose a Bright-Colored Bag (if possible): While your kid probably will have a team-issued sports bag, if you can choose the color of it (or when selecting the color of your bag), choose something bright so it doesn’t accidentally get lost in a sea of bags or picked up by someone else. This is where our customizable bag tags also come in handy!
4. Throw in an Extra (Smaller) Bag: These smaller bags (which should fit inside the sports bag) are perfect for collecting laundry, trash, and other items you don’t want to mix with the rest of the stuff in your bag. Try to find one that has a zipper or tie so it closes properly!
5. Unpack When You Get Home: Unpack your bag and have your kids unpack their bags right when they get home. Anything that needs to be washed goes directly into the washer. This avoids unnecessary stress the night before a game or tournament when you need last-minute items cleaned or didn't realize you ran out of other things. 
6. Repack the Night Before: Pack your bag and have your kids pack their bags the night before so there's no last-minute rushing around the house to find everything they need to bring with them. Trust us: if you pack the day of, you'll inevitably forget something!
7. Label Everything: There’s nothing worse than figuring out which item belongs to your kid! Label everything with a permanent marker or one of our handy decals when possible.

Whether you're packing a sports bag for yourself or your child, staying organized and preparing ahead of time is key to making game day run smoothly. By ensuring that you have all the essentials in your sports bag, you can focus on what really matters: supporting your child, cheering them on, and enjoying the experience! The list above helps you plan and be prepared for every situation so game day is as stress-free as possible. Go team!