Tips For Vacationing on a Lake With Kids

We went to Lake Powell a lot growing up, it was hands down my favorite trip. dave and i took our girls down this weekend and spent a few days on a house boat. i knew it would be a lot of work- but i didn't know just how hard it would be. (don't get me wrong, we had an enjoyable time) with such young kids that need so much attention & can't swim, there was a lot to pay attention to.  I compiled a list of things that helped us, that can hopefully help you!

Keep a Life Jacket on at ALL times.  since olive is only two and has never taken swimming lessons- she obviously can't swim by herself. toddlers are so busy & FAST too, and although you have every intention of keeping an eye on them at all times, it can be tough.  from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed, keep a life jacket on them. which then leads to our next tip.

Bring Vaseline. life jackets will tend to rub against their little necks and arm pits giving them a rash that is no fun at all. bring some vaseline or we brought aquaphor- to put on those areas to help prevent the rash.  you can also bring a t-shirt to keep on your toddler to avoid the arm pit rash. if you have a chubby baby or kid ;) rub some on all their rolls!! scotti's neck, thighs and arm pits started to get rubbed a little raw from the heat + sweat, so we kept her lathered up.

Keep water in them.  powell is such a fun place, but it's also super hot.  all the kids want to do is play, play, play.  be sure to keep them hydrated!!

sun screen this is a no-brainer.  but an important tip!! we kept sun screen on both our girls frequently.  but by the end of the day we noticed a few places on olive that were burned that we didn't think to hit with the sun block.  we had her hair pulled up all day, and although we sun screened her ears we didn't hit BEHIND her ears and unfortunately they were sun burned.  Don't forget the bottom of their feet too!!

bring food & snacks you know they'll eat.  like i said before, all they care about is playing.  and yes, we like to try to get olive to get healthy meals and snacks but be sure to pack things you know they'll eat. now i'm not saying pack all junk, but definitely not something you have to fight them to eat.

bring easy, already prepped food.  nobody wants to spend a lot of time cooking while in powell. for many reasons. especially when you have littles to keep your eye on! so come with easy and already prepped meals! for example, we brought bagels and cream cheese, cereal and pancakes for breakfast, ham and cheese sliders, pasta salad, chicken salad wraps for lunch. fajeitas, steak, and chicken wings for dinner. all easy and/or already prepped!

enjoy yourself. yes it's a lot of work because you love those dang kids so much (you just wanna keep 'em safe) but just remember, you can keep them safe and have fun at the same time. so relax, enjoy your vacation!!

stay tuned for tons of pictures and a video of our lake powell trip 2015!!