Hot springs with (not so little kiddos) in the winter

For Christmas Eve we decided to take the kids to a hot springs for a new holiday adventure. I believe this was their first and new hot springs for my boyfriend and I. We had to drive a little over an hour into Oregon; we decided to leave mid morning so the teenager had a proper sleep in. I did not want to deal with cranky kids even though they were looking forward to the trip. For reference, my kids are 15, 12, and 10 so a little older.

Here are my takeaways,

• Pack snacks/food for going and coming back. This was for the kids mostly. My kids don’t generally eat breakfast so I knew that they were going to get hungry and we didn’t want to stop and get food along the way. We set out snacks and they put their chosen items into a ziplock (gallon size in this case).

• And don’t forget the drinks! We are big on water for most activities and I have had way too many soft drinks spilled in my previous vehicles so I prefer no pop or juice in my truck. With our kids being older we have them get their own bottles ready.

• The kids each chose to bring a blanket to snuggle with on the way to the hot springs and as warmth on the way back.

• I went ahead and packed jackets for them just in case. And I do keep smaller emergency blankets in my truck during the winter.

• A couple of them chose to wear sandals but did bring other shoes just in case. The extra stuff depends on the amount of room you have. Sometimes we put tubs in the back with extra gear but I don't like leaving it out when we are away. And it can be a pain to move it back and forth from the bed to the cab and back. Over the years my children have gotten good at sticking extra shoes and things under the seats or behind the headrests in the truck.

• We like to wear beanies while in the hot springs to keep our heads nice and toasty.

• My head will cool down real fast from the steam frosting in my hair once I get out.

• We opted to wear clothes down to the hot springs and I took a big bag down with us to throw all the clothing, phones, towels, etc in. We were so warm after we got out that we were fine walking back up to the truck with just our towels wrapped around us. Definitely recommend wearing loose fitting clothing to the hot springs if you want to wear clothes down and back.

• Changing afterwards was a bit of a fiasco but worked out. My son, the youngest, opted to just change in the backseat of the car, my girls changed into dry clothes in a sports pop up tent I have from our dance days. I just changed next to the truck and my boyfriend opted to just throw his clothes on over his swimsuit. So just do you!

• A few of the hot springs we have been to have had rivers running by them and that water is COLD! A lot of people will go back and forth between the cold and hot. Just be mindful that this can shock your body and causes stress on your heart and affects breathing. I was a bit lightheaded after I got out of the hot springs this time so I stopped to regain myself before moving around again.

• Definitely listen to your body, one of my daughters did not handle the heat well so she spent a lot less time in the springs. She felt off and almost sick. I recommend keeping on eye out for this, for yourself and others that are with you.

• Watch out for slippery areas! The water in the shallow areas can be very hot and trying to get over rocks into the bigger pools can be tricky at certain hot springs. My kids made me a bit nervous hopping around but luckily we only had one fall and it was not into hot water.

• This may be a bit random but I recommend keeping a first aid kit in your vehicle. One of my girls cut her foot on a slab of ice (she and her brother were playing at the river’s edge) but it wasn’t a bad cut thankfully.

• In my experience with kids in hot tubs and now the hot springs, they don’t last long. So yes, we drove over an hour but I don’t know if we were even there an hour. I figured this would happen when we set out so it wasn’t a big surprise.

• Have a cool playlist for the drive if you have to travel like we did! We have family playlists that most of us can contribute to so it makes it fun. This particular trip we were listening to favorite Christmas songs, of course!

• And have so much fun! Going with kids was not as relaxing but it was a lot of fun to interact with them and share in the moment. They had a great time and it was a unique way to spend Christmas Eve. Most likely on the list for next year!

Anything you would add?