As a mom to three boys who each play multiple sports, I have adapted over the years to being the family pack mule. Each sport season requires a suitcase size bag full of different items so you can essentially be a walking general store and prepared for any situation. Remember when they were babies and you packed up the diaper bag with all things baby/toddler? Same concept here except you just adjust for age and sport. Chances are if one mom does not have whatever you need at least one will.
I just cleaned out the football bag to make way for wrestling! I packed away the hot hands and cowbells for next fall and have started collecting things for wrestling. First of all you need the actual bag. I have so many! For football I used a bright pink under armour bag I got for Christmas last year but I also have a stash of random totes, large purses, the big bags you can get at Bath and Body works for Christmas specials, picnic baskets, insulated coolers; you name it, I’m sure its stashed around here somewhere. What seems to be most popular in Thirty One Bags! They are super cute and come in so many shapes, styles, & purposes. Plus you can be super stylin and have them customized with your kids name or team name! Here is a link to my sweet friend Heather (fellow wrestling mom so she knows her stuff!) I really think I probably need one of these this year! www.mythirtyone.com/1944160
This particular bag full of goodies is just the one that I cram between the bleacher seats to hold as needed things. If you are part of feeding the team, spending the night for a multiple day tournament, or contributing to the hospitality room at a home tournament you will get the pleasure of packing more things!
Let’s think tournaments……. Between my two that are still wrestling and the one coaching we have approximately 10 tournaments before HS districts. For each occasion I will make sure the bag is restocked and ready to roll so I only have to grab it out of the car and head to the gym. Here is a list of things I take or have seen other moms take:
- Medications: Any prescription medication your child or you may need like inhalers, allergy medications, epi pen, Insulin or glucose tabs.
- Water bottle for you.You can also take some flavor packs if you like those.
- Healthy snacksfor you, your wrestler and your family in attendance. Concession stand are typically some sort of fundraiser but if you attend a dozen tournaments in a few months you will be tired of hot dogs and nachos. Plus your wrestler needs quality fuel- not junk food.
- Phone Charger/Battery Pack: If you follow trackwrestling on your phone and take videos you may run out of juice by the time the day is over. If you play games or post on social media it will drain even faster. Consider how much usage you are going to put on your device and plan accordingly because you do not want your kiddo on the podium and you have a dead device. We take a tablet just for video and pictures, in addition to phones.
- Entertainment: such as a book or knitting. Personally, this doesn’t work for me and just takes up space. I have had the best of intentions before but I find my crocheting just sits in the bag under my feet.
- First aid kit: The nurse in me cannot avoid this. Our team carries a large bag of first aid supplies but it is mostly 10 year old gauze pads and no Band-aids. I carry a kit with: Gauze pads and rolled gauze, tape (paper and silk), cling wrap (sports wrap or CoBan), band-aids, antibiotic ointment, Rolaids (for parents), super glue, nail clippers, scissors, hair ties, ace wrap, feminine hygiene products, cough drops, Ibuprofen, hand sanitizer, tissues, powder, and contact solution. This is what I use the most out of my bag.
- Blanket: Personal preference and depends on how much room you have in the bag. I typically take a blanket in the car and wait to see if we will need it. Most gyms are a million degrees but sometimes you need it just to sit on or if the baby brother or girlfriend needs a nap.
- Cash: Small bills for concessions or vending machine
- Copy of Insurance cards: Sometimes injuries happen and my luck is that they happen at away tournaments. When they do, I don’t want to waste time finding my purse that I have hidden in the car. I suppose if you want you can put your purse in the bag!
- Pen/Pencil
- Extra Headgear, mouthpiece, singlet: Especially for youth. (We keep extra shoes in the car)
You will learn with some time what your wrestler needs throughout the course of a tournament or what your teammates tend to need or ask for. I’d love to know what you keep in your Mom Bag! Happy Wrestling Season!!!!
Thank you so much! This is VERY helpful!
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing.
My kids are still young, and in their first and second year of wrestling. We carry 2 bags; one “wrestling bag” and a game bag. The game bag has toys, games, tablets, and chargers to occupy a 7 and 4 year old in between matches (the 4 year old used to play games until it was big brother’s turn to wrestle, and would drop everything to watch and cheer him on).
The wrestling bag carries extra water and snacks, extra clothes (full set, including underwear), charging bricks, and a small first aid kit. I’m a paramedic so my full kit is in the car. The inside kit includes Band-Aids of various sizes, 4×4’s and 2×2 gauze pads, roller gauze, vet wrap (the stuff that sticks to itself), medical tape, sports tape with underwrap, small scissors, nail clippers, super glue, and saline bullets.
We don’t carry extra singlets or headgear yet, because they’re still young enough that they wear their singlets to the meet, and we double check the bag anyway.
Good advice for younger ones!
Thank you for the articles. Us wrestling moms are a tight knit group:) Don’t forget the icy hot or deep blue for hurting muscles and a foam roller for those tight, cramped muscles.
That’s a good idea! We keep Bio-freeze at home but I should add that to my bag too!
My high school freshman is wrestling for the first time ever. As a basketball mom since kindergarten I have shed my share of tears. Your post was interesting….and I hope accurate. I have not yet seen my 6’0 “baby” on the mat and to be honest I’m extremely nervous about it. Hopefully what you’ve experienced is true. Thank you for the positive thought….#notexcitedaboutbeingawrestlingmom
But I will support my son no matter what!
First years are always hard for mom no matter how old or how big they are when they start but it is a sport like no other and I think it’s great that you are both giving it a try. If you haven’t heard this I talk to Jeff from Raising Wrestlers about all the reasons we love wrestling.
http://raisingwrestlers.libsyn.com/website/raising-wrestlers-episode-006?fbclid=IwAR0nzX1GLLDGcr_EGk1oS_qvj3xBdvQsc-sdMyiby29J2_vfCf1iGZLKE9I
My boys love arnica cream. Takes away bruising and is great for sore muscles. We take honey packs and peanut butter and carrots. We also bought a cooler backpack because they don’t let coolers in to a lot of tournaments but never question the backpack 😉 good luck to your wrestlers! This sport will grow on you, don’t do it alone. Find a “Squeeze Squad” or AKA “mat moms” and enjoy the journey.
Nail clippers ! I don’t know how many times over last 5 yrs we have gotten to tournaments and other kids in my son’s team need to have there nails trimmed. Nail clippers are a must in the mom bag.
Oh absolutely a must have!!!!!
Very helpful! Just starting out with my wrestler and excited to get in the groove! 🤩♥️