It’s summer and we are spending a lot of time at the water park. With my daughter being home for summer we have had quite a few days end up with impromptu visits to the water park. I prefer to get to the water park as soon as they open to guarantee getting a shaded seat. During the summer that means my five year old daughter is usually rushing to get ready as soon as she wakes up. It’s my job to make sure we have all the water park bag essentials for kids to make our day pleasant. A bag packed full of kid essentials for the water park is necessary.

Our local water parks do not permit food and drinks other than closed bottled water so our water park bag is always packed exactly the same. Our water park bag essentials for kids include items for the water, items to make it comfortable to be out of the water, and things we need to help us leave the park. 

Water park bag essentials for kids

Items for the water:

life jacket

Our local water parks require all guests under 48 inches tall wear a life vest. While they have them available for you, it’s so much easier to bring our own. We never have to go looking for a life vest or change the strap lengths to get ready for the wave pool.

goggles

Sometimes my daughter wants to wear her goggles and sometimes she doesn’t. We always bring them along for when my daughter says her eyes hurt in the water after a long day at the park.

lip balm

Being in the sun all day can cause chapped lips. My daughter uses lip balm multiple times during a visit to the water park.

sunscreen

We apply a high SPF sunscreen before we leave the house and then again several times during the day at the water park.

hair ties

Sometimes my daughter wants to wear her hair down to the park and then once she gets wet asks me to put her hair in a pony tail. Extra hair ties are also handy in case the one you’re already wearing breaks.

water shoes

Walking around water parks, standing in sunny lines, and playing in the pools can be hard on little feet. Keep the bottom of their feet and toes safe with water shoes.

Items for out of the water:

beach towel

Most water parks do not provide guests with towels. In Arizona we dry off minutes after stepping out of the water but a towel is necessary for a day at the water park. We put our towels down on hot chairs while sitting for lunch or lounging between park rides.

sun hat

Keep the sun off your child’s face when you’re out of the water with a hat.

sunglasses

Protect their eyes from the harmful rays of the sun.

water bottles

Our local water parks only allow closed manufacturer bottles of water in the park. Our water park bag essentials for kids includes several bottles of water.

Items for leaving the water park:

dry clothes

Undies and a change of clothes are important for when you leave the water park. My water park bag essentials for kids includes my daughter’s undies and a dress she can easily slip on after she’s taken off her wet bathing suit.

detangling spray and comb

Combing my daughter’s wet tangled hair is not fun if we forget detangling spray. A few sprays and my daughter happily lets me comb through her wet hair. Before leaving the park she usually uses her lip balm again.

 Other water park bag essentials:

small bag for personal items

I bring a small zippered bag for personal items like water park tickets, car keys, my ID, debit card, and cash. It makes it easy to access the items  instead of having to dig for them in our big water park bag full of kid essentials.

cash and quarters

It’s always a good idea to bring cash and quarters for locker rentals and vending machines.

All the water park bag essentials for kids fit into one beach bag (excluding the life jacket). We arrive at the water park and get a seat in the shade to leave our bag. Then I take the small bag with personal items to a locker for the day.

Being prepared means we don’t have to spend extra money on water park bag essentials for kids once we arrive at the park.

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!

If you’re bringing a baby with you, be sure to pack water park essentials for infants.

 

Do you have any water park bag essentials for kids I don’t already include in our bag?