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If you’re trying to make pool or beach days easier with kids, start with these:

👉 Bogg Bag we use
👉 Snack box system
👉 Labeled bag organizers

This is the system I wish I had from the start. These are the exact items that made getting out of the house faster, easier, and way less stressful for me.

I only share products we actually use and love. I linked everything here so you can recreate this system without trial and error.

One major teacher perk is summer “off” (aka we have no paychecks, but we can be home!). As the school year winds down, I cannot wait to be home with my kids for the summer.

True confession, though: The summer before last was exhausting. Getting out of the house with two toddlers was hard enough–having to pack and prep constantly was a nightmare. My husband works a lot of overtime during the summer, so I am basically a single parent with occasional help. I needed to make  sure I had what I needed to have a good summer when I only have 2 hands and 2 kids in tow. 

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I didn’t have systems in place to get ready the night before events. I couldn’t find anything. We were late for swim lessons and pool trips were cut short because I didn’t always pack everything we needed– or I was so drained from trying to get everyone up and out that I couldn’t wait to go home. 

Last April break, I took a solo trip to Marshalls with zero expectations and left with a cart full of summer essentials (read the full post here). 

After 10 months of teaching, I needed low-effort systems so I could actually enjoy summer. Last summer was so much less stressful for me and my kids because I had what we needed and I put systems in place to make being on the go happen. My daughter said on repeat, “This is the best summer ever!” 

Copy My Exact Pool Setup (Skip the Trial & Error)

If you want this to feel easy from day one, start with these 3 things:

👉👉 The snack system that saved us money + meltdowns

👉👉 The bag I rely on for everything

👉 The organizers that keep everything in its place

If I had to start over, these are the only things I’d buy first. These 3 things are honestly 90% of what makes this system work. You don’t need anything else to get started.

Here are the exact systems that turned our chaotic pool days into easy ones: 

Food and Fuel Prep

1. Snackle Boxes

When my kids dug into the cooler and took out their snackle boxes, all of the caretakers at the pool wanted to know where we got them! I bought two right away, which at first felt like excess, but actually worked out for the best. 

Each child could pack their own snackle box for the day. No fighting! 

But most times, we used one box for the fruits, vegetables, cheese, yogurt pouches, and anything else that needed to be kept cold. I kept that box covered in ice packs in the cooler. Then the other box kept the dry food from getting crushed in the pool bag or cooler. 

This is a huge budget saving tip. Yes, prepping the snackle boxes either the night before or morning required time. BUT when we were at the pool, beach, park, or other activity, we had everything we needed.

Pool snack bar = $20–30/day

Our lunch and snacks = $10/day

Saved ≈ $200–300 per summer (and that’s a conservative estimate!)

This year, my girls will be 3 and 5 years old. They will be encouraged to pack their snackle boxes with my help to not only help them gain independence but also learn at a young age the importance of balanced meals and snacks that give us energy. 

Free, not linkable pro tip: If you know you will be meeting up with friends, bring an entire bag of your favorite snacks. Don’t even worry about prepping individual sized baggies. Pack a few small plastic cups that you may have at your house that you can either toss at the pool or bring home to wash and reuse– and hand out snacks to your kids and friends that way. So much less fuss. 

Packing Systems That Saved My Sanity

2. Soft Cooler

Added bonus: We live in a small house and storage is always a concern. Right now, the soft cooler is folded up inside the giant summer tote bag for easy access next summer.  

3. Giant Tote Bag 

My kids’ babysitter had a huge Bogg bag that she wasn’t using anymore and she asked me if I wanted to try it out. Honestly, I didn’t see the appeal of these giant bags everyone was carrying. Why would people spend so much money for a bag that looked like a giant crock?

I get the hype now, and would buy one over and over again. I would absolutely give it as a gift to people with small children. For beach and pool days, the giant bag is awesome. I can fit 3 towels, change of clothes, shower essentials, a book to read, activities– you name it. This bag has the Mary Poppins effect. You just keep filling it! 

4. Labeled Bag Organizers

An awesome gift for moms-to-be–or a gift for your future self!– and worth every penny.

The Setup

5. Large Water Resistant Blanket for the Beach, Pool, Park & Beyond!

I don’t have the link to our exact beach/pool blanket because I bought it over 5 years ago at TJMaxx.

The key takeaways: find something large, easy to carry, and machine washable.

I washed ours multiple times a week and it has held up great.

A link for something similar will be here soon!

6. Beach Tent & Kid Chairs

On super sunny days, whether we were at the beach or in our backyard, we popped up a portable tent that gave some shelter from the rays. A link for something similar will be here soon!

Cheap Fun That Saved the Day

7. Dry-Time Fun

When the girls needed a break from the water, I always had a bag of drying time things to do. We would build a beach-towel fort using the pool’s chairs and towels.

This one hack extended our pool time–sometimes by double! They just needed a place to hang out and take a break. The go-to’s were coloring books, crayons, and drawing pads.

8. Cheap Buys, Hours of Fun

Adding a few cheap pool toys to the bag was worth every penny. The girls have played with the treasure chest and jewel set year-round even though I tried to put them away for the season. They use them constantly for imaginative play. I bought 2 sets, one for each child. Here is exactly what I bought:

The BEST imaginitive play pool toys-

paint brushes and foam shapes (Kids can “paint” with pool water on the cement! cheap fun, hours of entertainment.)

treasure chest of gems

this cheap gem set that keeps them busy for HOURS

these little mermaid toys my kids play with nonstop

9. Towel Clips

Towel clips are great for making forts with towels when kids need a break- but if you don’t have these, then you can use your cooler or whatever else you have with you to hold down the towels.

Kids aren’t fussy and a towel tent creates priceless memories without extra cost.

Successful Pool & Beach Shower Routine 

10. Shower Bag Essentials

One of the best systems we learned last summer was giving the kids a quick shower at the pool before heading home. After 4–6 hours in the sun, the rinse signaled that pool time was over, and the girls climbed into the stroller or car clean, calm, and ready for nap or bedtime. No sand in the car, no bedtime chaos, and no extra work when we got home.

I packed one small “pool shower bag” that lived in our beach bag all summer with duplicates of our everyday essentials—clarifying shampoo, detangler, brush, towels, and clean pajamas. It was life-changing. If the girls fell asleep on the ride home, they were already clean and ready for nap or bed.

Here’s exactly what I bought:

Clarifying shampoo & conditioner– The only thing that actually got chlorine out of my girls’ hair without tangles. This bundle includes after sun spray, which I will be restocking immediately for our summer bag.

Body soap– Just enough to rinse off chlorine and sunscreen so the girls could climb into their car seats clean and comfortable.

Nourishing hair cream – Non-negotiable with long summer hair that needs extra TLC after a day of swimming. This stopped the bedtime tangles and tears.

If pool days feel chaotic, start with these 3 things:

These are the only things I consistently use — and the reason getting out the door feels easy now.

👉 Bogg Bag we use
👉 Snack box system
👉 Labeled bag organizers

You don’t need anything else — just start with these.

Or save this post and come back to it before your next pool day.

👉 See my full Teacher Mom Pool-to-Bedtime Routine post for our complete shower bag checklist and tips.

👉 See my full The $200 Shopping Trip That Saved My Teacher- Mom-Summer: Pool & Beach Essentials That Actually Worked post for a roundup of the best beach and pool essentials you will use all summer.