7 Hacks for a Great Family Ski Day

Day trip skiing?
These 7 hacks can help simplify your trip! 

• The night before, let your kids sleep in their long underwear – your kiddos will probably think this is fun and then you don’t have to worry about making them change out of their PJ’s in the early morning. Just get them out of bed and put them in the car with a blanket to cover them up. Note: Put regular socks, not ski socks, on them for the car ride and change to ski socks once you get to the mountain so they don’t get wet before you are ready to hit the slopes.
  
  
• Pack an on-the-go breakfast – we have our kids help the night before, but we usually pack a super simple breakfast (think yogurt pouches, apples or oranges, dry cereal). We use snack cups to hold dry cereal or a toasted bagel and we use their water bottles for their drinks. You could also put juice or tea or hot cocoa in a cup with a lid if they would rather drink that.
  
  
• Make sure everyone goes to the bathroom before you leave the house – Even if your kids are still half asleep, take the extra few minutes to go to the bathroom before you leave the house. This doesn’t always work, but it often means that you can make it all the way there without a bathroom stop. 
  
  
• Don’t forget the shoes – the only downfall to just putting the kids in the car is we sometimes forget their regular shoes and realize we either have socks or ski boots. It is not fun to try to take a kid to a gas station bathroom in their socks. Remember to bring regular shoes (and go to the bathroom before you leave home). Crocs or easy to slip on shoes are great for this! 
  
  
• Blankets for the car ride – kids are much more comfortable if they can cuddle up with a blanket and it ensures that they start the day warm. Nobody likes a ski day where they start out cold. Make sure to properly buckle them into the car seat first and put the blankets on top for safety. 
  
  
• Have a car bag pre-packed  with entertainment items like a clipboard or  a notebook, drawing books, stickers, iPad, headphones, and books to read. Have your kids help pack it the night before, so their favorite activities are all in the bag. We keep ours packed for the whole season (check out this IG reel to see how we do it)  and just check and replenish paper etc. as needed. 

• Have extra snacks and water for the car ride home – Just last weekend we got stuck in the car (I’m talking no movement for 2+ hrs due to an accident) and I realized that we didn’t have a lot of extra food or water in the car. It’s a good idea to have lots of extra water and snacks, just in case. Luckily were close enough to the resort to walk back and buy some snacks, but now I’m going to pack a bin of non-perishable snacks and drinks in case it happens again.
  
  If you plan to spend time in the ski lodge with your baby, make sure you have a good place to put your baby where they can stretch out and play and don’t have to be on your lap the whole time. Our Lay and Play Adventure Mat is perfect for to keep your baby off the icky lodge floor, keep them entertained and give you some hands free time. AND it also doubles as a changing mat so you don’t have to bring both. 
  
  

  Learn more about the Lay and Play Adventure Mat

Need some help with packing?