Off Season Prep for Baseball Moms

As a Baseball Mom, you know how critical organization is to keeping your baseball family running. The off season is the best time to implement changes and prep your family for a busy Spring season.

The Spring baseball season requires us Moms to:

• Juggle work and school schedules…
• Manage sports and practice schedules…
• Make sure everyone is where they need to be, when they need to be there…
• Make sure everyone is fed, watered, and wearing clean uniforms.

For us, the first week or two of spring practice and games usually throws us into a bit of a disorganization loop.

We underestimate how much time we really need to make it from work, to home, to the ball field.

One of us forgets one kid’s bat bag is in the other parent’s car (this has happened more times than I care to admit).

We scramble at the last minute to place a rush order because we find out too late that someone’s pair of cleats no longer fit.

Yeah, it’s a little chaotic. Inevitably I scream a few times in frustration.

So, how can we prepare in the ‘off season’ to help make our family more organized this spring?

The key is to create simple routines and processes now that set your family up for success when the spring sports season begins.

Here are 5 quick ideas for Off Season prep that are simple to implement:

Use a Family Calendar to manage your Household

If you haven’t already, create a shared family calendar that can be referenced immediately on everyone’s smart phone. I use a paper calendar as a visual reminders in my kitchen and office, but the electronic calendar is the ‘one source of truth.’ Subscribe to your league’s calendar or Team Snap (if your league uses it) for instant updates.

If you also like to use paper to back up your ‘tech, here is a free printable calendar that I use to keep track of practice schedules. Download the There’s No Place Like Home Plate 2022 Baseball Family Calendar here.

Create one shared family email address

Such a simple fix, that I can’t believe I didn’t do this years ago.

I don’t know about you, but my personal email is overflowing with promotions and newsletters. No matter how much I unsubscribe, there are always another 10 emails showing up in my inbox within an hour.

I can’t tell you how many important emails I’ve missed because of my overflowing inbox.

Creating one shared family email that is used only for school and sports has been a game changer for our family. Google makes it super easy to set up your new email address in minutes.

Establish simple morning, afternoon, and evening routines

Our family routines basically went out the window when the pandemic forced us to work, learn, and stay 24-7 in our home. My goal for this spring is to bring back the routines that keep our family organized. Set times for meals, sleep, homework, chores, and even video games should all be included in a daily routine.  Writing and posting daily routines keeps everyone on the same page. If you have an Alexa app, creating routines with reminders is extremely helpful.

Set up a simple dinner game plan for practice and game nights

Making sure my family is fed a *relatively* healthy dinner during the spring season is always a challenge. The solution is creating a game plan for nights when you know you’ll be rushed to get dinner on the table.

Nights where cooking is impossible means takeout. Load the apps for your favorite restaurants on your phone, with your favorite standard orders, along with credit card information. Our favorites for these busy nights are Moe’s, Jersey Mike’s, and Chipotle, which all have offer relatively healthy options. Now, when practice runs over and you have to pick up dinner on the way home, you can place an order in seconds!

If you’d rather cook dinner most nights, establishing a short list of a couple simple meals ensures that you always have on hand the ingredients for throw-together recipes that can be made quickly. If you need some ideas, you can get my Family’s Favorite 20 Minutes or Less Recipes for those nights when we’re short on time by following this link or the button below and signing up for our newsletter.

Evaluate equipment and uniform pieces for size, fit, wear and tear

Replace any worn or outgrown items now. This is loads better than finding out the night before first practice that your sons’ cleats no longer fit or his practice pants have a hole in the knee or his chest protector is mysteriously missing (true story – that’s all happened to me). Same goes for YOUR ‘equipment’. Make sure your cooler, chair, water bottles, outerwear and Baseball Mom Bag are ready to go for a new season!

As a baseball mom, there are simple things you can do in the off season to prep your household for Spring. Implementing ONE of these simple ideas can help your family be better prepared when practice and games finally start. The key is to simplify and create routines that everyone can follow with minimal effort.