What You Need to Make a Weekend at the Ball Field More Enjoyable

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Last Updated on March 22, 2024 by The Smetz Files

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Read to see some of the things that make a weekend at the ball field more enjoyable.

Alright experienced, Sports Moms, weigh in on this! What are your must haves for a weekend tournament?! Check out my list below and let me know what else you would add!

Disclosure: I am speaking from a baseball/softball mom perspective, but feel free to sub in your favorite sport. These items transcend outdoor sporting events in general. So, regardless of what sport your kid plays, I think you’ll find these useful.

Youth Sports

If you’re here, you’ve likely read my post Are Youth Sports Worth the Hype? and agree they, in fact are!

This post builds on a previous list I curated last fall, a Sports Mom starter pack of essentials you need to survive sports season with your favorite young athlete. Of course, you’ll need the tent, wagon, and comfy chair to get you started (find those in this post!).

And you’ll need relevant equipment to get your kiddo started! Read more about that here.

As we embark on another spring season on the diamond, here are the things I have to make my weekend tournaments at the ball field more enjoyable.

Cute Graphic Tees

First and foremost, I love a quippy graphic tee to don at the ball field. You can find some of my favorites at Sportz Moms. She offers options for more sports than I can imagine (of course my go to choices are baseball and softball!), so every Sports Mom can find something. Beyond cute graphic tees, her shop has jewelry, hats, and sweatshirts. Like I said, something for every spectator! Use my code SMETZ20 for 20% off sitewide, so go ahead, ADD TO CART!!!

If you’re a Swiftie Sports Mom, these are pretty cute to mix your passions!

Perfect, now that you look cute, let’s think about how to face the elements. Because, on any given weekend you could experience the range of weather. In North Carolina we can wake up to a mini winter in the morning, experience a brief summer in the afternoon, and return to chilly rain by evening. Yep, all in one day! 🙂

Needless to say you need options to prepare for any variety of elements you might face. Here are some of my must haves – yes, the wagon gets full! 🙂

Sun Protection

I’m hyper vigilant about lathering on sunscreen and avoiding too much sun exposure because of a history of skin cancer. So, perhaps I go overboard. But, avoiding sun completely is out of the question because I want to cheer on my favorite players.

My family uses a lot of Sun Bum and Neutrogena products, so I start with these as a base. I keep several options of sunscreen available for reapplication between games.

I start with this Sun Bum option under my make up before we leave the house. Throughout the day, I like to add this mineral powder as an additional barrier to my face.

If you prefer lotions to sprays and don’t want messy, sticky hands, try one of these applicators to protect your skin.

Don’t Forget a Hat

Messy hair, don’t care! Am I right?! A hat is the perfect antidote to those super early morning games when you just want to throw something on and go. And naturally, a hat shields your face from the sun.

I love this neutral cap option from Lilly Pulitzer. They have bright patterns if you’re looking to stand out in the crowd!

If you’re really sun conscious, I’ve sported these SPF 50 pullovers to keep the chill, and UV rays at bay. They’re lightweight and easy to tie around my shoulders or waist if I get too warm.

Now that you’re prepared for games in the heat of the day, let’s look at options to keep you comfy when the sun goes down.

Playing Under the Lights

Whether it’s a mid week practice, or your game goes to extra innings, be prepared for the chill of night games. Late fall and early spring games in North Carolina are notorious for temps to drop into the 40s…which means this Sports Mom gets cold! To avoid turning into a mom-sicle, add these to your overflowing wagon of sports gear.

One of my recent indulgent purchases is a heated vest. Hear me out, it. is. worth. it!!! I bought this one during flag football for the winter months.

I quickly convinced Jay we needed them because of their utility. We can wear them to sporting events. He can wear his under a sweatshirt when he’s throwing batting practice or catching bullpens for the kids. We can wear them when we walk Bronx on chilly mornings. We’ve used them a lot, and I think you’ll appreciate them during those seemingly never ending games.

If you’re feeling ehhh, when it comes to the vest, try a heated blanket. Several sports moms on our team wear them and swear by them. Just like the heated vest, you can recharge them using USB and get hours of warmth out of a charge.

But if a vest or blanket feel too bulky for you, hand warmers will do the job. These are small and keep your hands toasty in your pockets.

In this post I outlined some of my favorite items that make my weekends at the ball field more enjoyable. From cute graphic tees to protection from the elements, I got you covered!

What list would like to see next? Let me know in the comments!