The summer heat brings a perfect opportunity to visit water parks for family fun. Whether it’s a park close to home or a planned stop during a family vacation, packing a bag full of all your essentials is critical to a successful day. In Arizona our temperatures reach in the 120’s during July so we want to spend as much time as possible in the water while we are outside. This summer we have a newborn baby but don’t want our older daughter to miss out on our normal summer routine. We recently visited Sunsplash, a local water park, with both the baby and our older daughter. We had all the water park essentials for infants to avoid unnecessary challenges.
The entire family had so much fun and surprisingly, it felt easy bringing a new baby along. She is too young to enjoy the water but didn’t mind hanging out in the shaded cabana while my husband and I took turns riding down slides with our older daughter.
Water park essential for infants
This list is for infants too young for water park play. We had no intention of exposing our baby to the water park water.
Bottles
We knew spending an entire day at the water park meant our formula fed baby would need quite a few bottles. Instead of making them ahead of time because we were unsure how much she would actually consume during the day, we brought five empty bottles.
Bottled water
Most water parks do not allow your own food and beverages to enter to the park, but they do permit sealed bottled water. We left the bottled water out of a cooler so it would be warm to prepare the bottles during the day.
Formula
We packed a small can of formula to make sure we would have plenty for bottles throughout the day.
Diapers
We brought along plenty of diapers.
Wipes
Running out of wipes is potentially as dangerous as running out of diapers. I always make sure my bag is stocked with a full container of wipes when I know we will be out of the house for more than a few hours.
Diaper changing mat
Having your own diaper changing mat makes diaper changes easy. You never know how frequently changing tables are cleaned and what kind of germs are left behind. Additionally, you can use the changing mat if your baby will be laying down outside of his or her carrier or stroller.
Pacifier
Obviously if your infant uses a pacifier, one or two should be added to your bag or water park essentials for infants.
Pacifier holder
Use a pacifier case to keep that very important pacifier clean and in a safe place to avoid losing it for the day. The Ju-Ju-Be pacifier holder (affiliate link) is a perfect way to make sure babies favorite accessory isn’t misplaced.
Pacifier & Bottle wipes
If you accidentally drop the pacifier or big sister’s sticky fingers touch it, use Dr. Brown’s pacifier & bottle wipes (affiliate link) to clean it.
Shade
Sunsplash water park cabana rental
Because we knew we would be at the park for most of the day with very warm temperatures, we rented a cabana. Sun exposure is not safe for young infants so securing a seat with shade is necessary.
The Sunsplash water park cabana rentals include chairs & table, electric fan, and safe with wristlet key. The shaded area offered plenty of room for us to be comfortable out of the sun with our baby.
In addition to all the water park essentials for infants, we also had to pack the perfect water park bag for our six year old daughter too. Water park bag essentials for kids will help you avoid forgetting the necessary items for a great day in the sun.
We used our Pogo Passes to visit the Sunsplash water park. In addition to the water park, the passes include tickets and free admission to many other venues in the Phoenix area. Our summer has been busy and full of activities because of our family Pogo Passes. With a discount, the pass itself cost just about the price we would have paid for our family admission to Sunsplash. Great savings for family fun!
Use promo code “BLOOM” to purchase your Pogo Passes for only $39.98 each!
We have a few favorite water parks in Arizona but can’t wait to visit SeaWorld’s Aquatica San Diego during our upcoming California vacation! Do you have plans to visit a water park with your children this summer?