Sponsored by Del Monte®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
We signed Hayes up for baseball 45 minutes away from home this season. Why Emily, why?! The season was only supposed to be 6 weeks and I thought it would be fun to have him play with his best friend, so we went for it. I can handle that drive for 6 weeks, right? Turns out, a 6-week season can actually go for 4 months if the team ends up being surprisingly good—ha! We’ve gotten really good at packing the essentials for a day at the ballpark and teamed up with Del Monte® to share our ball park must-haves! Which are also the perfect snacks for back-to-school planning!
SIPS + SNACKS: We always pack at least a gallon of ice water in an insulated tumbler or two so it stays cold all day! Then, lots of shelf-stable snacks to pack along that sit well for Hayes while he’s playing his games in the heat AND appeal to his brothers in the stands and the parents, too! Our favorite are nuts, jerky, and these peaches from Del Monte® 100% Juice Diced Peaches Plastic Fruit Cup® snacks! They are packed in 100% juice with 25% less sugar than the leading National brand,* perfect for my kids’ back-to-school needs!
Don’t forget the sunflower seeds and chewing gum, either! We’re dill pickle people, what about you?
HEAT + SUN
His games are typically midday in 90+ degrees, and we all end up pretty hot and sweaty. Lots of hats, sunglasses, tent shades, and SPF! Either sticks or brush-on for easy retouching, and we love this mister. Hayes keeps one in the dugout for his teammates, too! 
FUN + GAMES
His brothers are so good at sitting and cheering for Hayes, but I always keep some fun things on hand for them too. The ballparks typically have lots of cement (and a playground if we’re extra lucky), so their scooters and sidewalk chalk seem to keep them entertained. The chalk is ideal because they can draw, color, or create more games like a course to ride their scooters through or games to play with other kids at the park like tic-tac-toe or hopscotch.
Heaven forbid we have games back to back; there always seems to be a weird gap in between. So, we grab a more substantial meal or treat. If we have a shorter break and need to eat in the park, a Del Monte® Fruit & Oats™ cup is super easy! I keep the NEW Strawberry Apple flavor on hand for me, but they play doubles at the park with our family.
This season just ended in mid-July after their team made it all the way to the State Semi-Finals! They played some really talented teams and did so well. There were lots of real nail-biter games where my voice went hoarse from cheering.
Yep, definitely one of those moms. If you aren’t schlepping mad gear, is it even summer? 😉 But really, we try and bring a wagon along for all of this—which is another must have. Anything I missed?
Head to Del Monte’s site to see all of their products and coupons—perfect for the summer hustle and getting the kids’ back-to-school routines down, too!
*Contains 13g of sugar per serving compared to 18f of sugar per serving in the National leading brand.