Five ways to make adventuring with children easy

(I received this bag compliments of Mominside, however, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone)

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I love going on adventures, and I especially love going on adventures with my children. It's a wonderful way for us to spend time with them, and I love watching them learn and explore. 

That said, it's not always super easy to go on adventures with children, especially when they are small. It's taken me a few years (and two children) to prefect our outings so that they work for everyone, and we all have fun. 

I'm going to share a few of my tips for having a successful adventure with small kiddos in hopes that it might help you while you go exploring with your own small ones. 

Five ways to successfully adventure with children:

1. Make sure that everyone is well-rested. If the kiddos are tired, or I'm tired, nobody has fun. I always make sure that we go out early (we are morning people) or after Piper naps. The more well-rested the kiddos are, the more fun they (and I!) have. 

2. Keep low expectations. This a key to making exploring work. Except to have fun, but not relax. If I want to relax, I stay at home with my kids. Going out is an adventure, and we have a blast, but it's a lot of work for me and is not relaxing. 

3. Bring snacks and drinks. The worst time is if we have hangry little people.  I always, always have water and snacks on hand when we go out. That way, everyone is always well-fed and happy.

4. Dress for the weather. If it's raining, we wear boots; if it's cold, we are bundled up. If I'm cold, or Adam, or the kids, it makes us much more likely to call it quits and leave. I always have a spare change of clothes on hand for each of the kids, too, in case of an accident. 

5. Keep your hands free. I'm a BIG fan of using a backpack to store all your stuff. Nobody with small kiddos has time to be holding a bag in their hand, am I right? This diaper bag that Mominside sent me is just perfect for our adventures. It fits a ton, and I mean a TON of stuff. My wallet, changes of clothes, snacks, water bottles and more. It's also really comfy, so even when it's packed full, it's not uncomfortable to wear! 

Other tips that I have include not having an agenda, keeping things super simple and asking the children what THEY want to do. If you are planning on doing something that is in a busy location or a touristy area I recommend picking a weekday or going off-season so that it's not crowded with people.