We live in Florida where Travel Baseball season never ends. Our team usually takes a hiatus during Christmas break and starts back up again in the middle of January.
I thought it would be helpful to post the essentials for travel baseball families and what to pack in your cooler for double headers, local tournaments and out of town tournaments.
First, be prepared to pay the gate fee. Usually it's $5 per person for adults and most of the time kids get in free. Be prepared to pay a higher gate fee for bigger tournaments, especially tournaments held at Disney. Usually you can find the gate fee under the tournament information web page.
Let's talk about coolers & food...most parks that you play in will have a concession stand. Hotdogs and burgers from the concession stand get old QUICK. And by quick, I mean after the first bite. Buying lunch (and sometimes dinner) at the concession stand can drain your wallet faster than a kid with your iTunes password.
I think the best cooler on the market for travel sports is the Igloo Max Cold Fusion 36 can and costs about $50. It has the features of the soft side with a hard top and pockets. You can never have too many pockets (what to put in those pockets soon!). It also is not as big as some of the other coolers, which is perfect when your also packing a bat bag and the other baseball necessities. My only negative is that it is not very good at holding ice.
Now to the good stuff...food. The time your team plays will determine what you pack. Pool play can often start as early as 9:00 AM and as late as 8:00 PM. Pool play can be back to back or with a few hours in between. For early morning games, I usually pack muffins and yogurt. I make the muffins the night before and put them in a large Glad container so that they do not get crumbled into tiny pieces. I also pack sandwiches. To help break the monotony of sandwiches, I make them on Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. I buy big the big pack of sweet rolls at Costco, they are much less expensive there. Or I make them on hoagie rolls, flat bread, anything other than sandwich bread. If you don't have time to make lunch, but don't want to eat at the concession stand, look up a nearby grocery store. I've been known to drop Cole off for warm ups and head to the grocery store for subs and popcorn chicken.
Another good thing to pack is pasta salad. I like this Tortellini Pasta Salad from Our Best Bites. Make the day before, put in Glad container and you're done.
My other favorite salad is this Chicken Caesar Bowtie Salad from The Girl Who Ate Everything. I put everything in a large Glad container (except for the dressing), put a paper towel on top and turn it over to store. When I'm ready to eat, I pour on the dressing and let the good times roll. I use the almond clusters found at Wal-Mart near the produce. I can't find them anywhere, but there and they are spicy and full of flavor. Trust me on this one & also on buying Brianna's Caesar dressing.
Be sure to pack snacks...for you, your player and for siblings. Favorite of mine...jalapeno hummus and carrots. I also bring individual pack of chips (so that a whole bag does not become crumbs), snack packs of cookies, and I always bring some candy with me. The concession stands are always full of candy and if someone's sibling on the team gets a treat, it's always nice to have something to give your child too.
Often times games run late, so I pack something for my kids to eat after the game until we can make it to dinner. Or most often that not, we stop at Beef's on the way home...if I'm being honest here.
Be sure to pack Gatorade/Powerade, water, juice boxes and something for yourself. I take LaCroix lime and grapefruit and sometimes a gallon of tea. Keep yourself hydrated!! Also, don't forget to pack forks, napkins and an extra Glad container. I use the extra Glad containers for bowls and sandwich holders.
Best suggestion is to really think about your game times and make a food plan. What is your must have a the ball park. Next in the Travel Baseball series: What to pack in your baseball bag.
I thought it would be helpful to post the essentials for travel baseball families and what to pack in your cooler for double headers, local tournaments and out of town tournaments.
First, be prepared to pay the gate fee. Usually it's $5 per person for adults and most of the time kids get in free. Be prepared to pay a higher gate fee for bigger tournaments, especially tournaments held at Disney. Usually you can find the gate fee under the tournament information web page.
Let's talk about coolers & food...most parks that you play in will have a concession stand. Hotdogs and burgers from the concession stand get old QUICK. And by quick, I mean after the first bite. Buying lunch (and sometimes dinner) at the concession stand can drain your wallet faster than a kid with your iTunes password.
I think the best cooler on the market for travel sports is the Igloo Max Cold Fusion 36 can and costs about $50. It has the features of the soft side with a hard top and pockets. You can never have too many pockets (what to put in those pockets soon!). It also is not as big as some of the other coolers, which is perfect when your also packing a bat bag and the other baseball necessities. My only negative is that it is not very good at holding ice.
Another good thing to pack is pasta salad. I like this Tortellini Pasta Salad from Our Best Bites. Make the day before, put in Glad container and you're done.
My other favorite salad is this Chicken Caesar Bowtie Salad from The Girl Who Ate Everything. I put everything in a large Glad container (except for the dressing), put a paper towel on top and turn it over to store. When I'm ready to eat, I pour on the dressing and let the good times roll. I use the almond clusters found at Wal-Mart near the produce. I can't find them anywhere, but there and they are spicy and full of flavor. Trust me on this one & also on buying Brianna's Caesar dressing.
Be sure to pack snacks...for you, your player and for siblings. Favorite of mine...jalapeno hummus and carrots. I also bring individual pack of chips (so that a whole bag does not become crumbs), snack packs of cookies, and I always bring some candy with me. The concession stands are always full of candy and if someone's sibling on the team gets a treat, it's always nice to have something to give your child too.
Often times games run late, so I pack something for my kids to eat after the game until we can make it to dinner. Or most often that not, we stop at Beef's on the way home...if I'm being honest here.
Be sure to pack Gatorade/Powerade, water, juice boxes and something for yourself. I take LaCroix lime and grapefruit and sometimes a gallon of tea. Keep yourself hydrated!! Also, don't forget to pack forks, napkins and an extra Glad container. I use the extra Glad containers for bowls and sandwich holders.
Best suggestion is to really think about your game times and make a food plan. What is your must have a the ball park. Next in the Travel Baseball series: What to pack in your baseball bag.
This blog is very informative the stuff you provide I really enjoyed reading.
ReplyDeletebaseball player bags
Great ideas! Packing my cooler tonight 😆
ReplyDeleteWipes!! I always have them at the games. Quick for hand washing, face washing, etc or how many times have you gone to the bathroom and there was no toilet paper? Fruit is also great to take. Apples, oranges, grapes
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this information know how to clean a moldy cooler
ReplyDeleteAmazing blog about baseball coaches!! thanks for sharing it, if you looking for the best baseball coach then ISA provides the best coaching programs throughout the world. We have ex-pro coaches for pitching, catching, infield, outfield & best travel baseball
ReplyDelete