Every year, I am always so interested in seeing what is on all my friend’s bucket lists for their children! Summer is always a magic time for kids, and I know that when Clara is on summer break once she’s school-aged, we will have an over-the-top list of things to accomplish.

I decided to get started this year and make a fun, little SUMMER bucket list for babies. Clara is a sweet, adventure-loving little lady. We know she enjoys trying new things, figuring life out, and always has fun in anything she does.

I’m sharing Clara’s summer bucket list for you below. Hopefully these are some good thought-starters for your baby’s own list!

TRY ICE CREAM

I put this one at the top, because I am pretty sure it has been Clara’s favorite thing. She’s a tiny foodie, and man….she’s a huge fan of ice cream. If you’re not into giving your child ice cream, you can make a popsicle out of fruit and formula or breast milk. They will still be please, but I let Clara try an ice cream cone and she LOVED it.

SUMMER = ICE CREAM. No one can argue that point!

TAKE SWIM LESSONS

We are biased toward this one, because we have an awesome working relationship with Goldfish Swim School, but we have LOVED swim lessons. I wrote a whole post about why swim lessons can be beneficial for babies.

We find them especially helpful in the summer, because it’s when children are more likely to randomly come in contact with water. You can find a swim lesson or jump start clinic with Goldfish near you here.

GO ON A ROAD TRIP

We tend to take our yearly vacation time in smaller portions and do weekend trips or staycations since we are working on paying off debt. This year, we took our first (for fun) road trip with Clara to Chicago. We had SUCH a blast, and our 9 month old was such a little trooper. She’s been traveling 1-5 hours pretty regularly since she was just a few months old.

We found it to be such a fun experience to travel as a family, let Clara soak in all the sights of the city, and try some new things as a trio. Sometimes people assume ANY travel with baby is bad, and I am here to tell you that if you set yourself and the baby up well for the trip- it can be a super enjoyable trip all-around!

VISIT A BEACH

See, the swim lessons are already coming in handy! We had our first beach trip (to Michigan) this past week. Our friends have older kids and they decided they would take their vacation there (second summer and they LOVE doing it.) We went up for the day with the baby to hang out with them and Clara wasn’t too sure of the sand or water at first, but she loved it after a while!

Be sure to bring plenty of shade for the baby, a small fan, and patience for whatever mood your baby might be in on the trip! Clara ended up getting cranky, had a nap on the beach, and then woke up in SUCH a good mood. She was ready to try anything from then on!

TAKE A TRIP TO THE MUSEUM

A baby in a museum?! You bet your sweet ass! The different lights, pieces of art, mediums, and the quiet & soothing atmosphere are all things babies LOVE! Don’t be afraid to take your baby to a museum just because you may think they are going to be loud or get cranky! You can set your child up for success to make the trip go really well. If you want tips, see my post all about going to the museum with a baby!

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SWING AT THE PARK

Sometimes the simple pleasures are the best. Just watching Clara swing and laugh at the park was worth putting on the bucket list because it just makes her so dang happy! It’s also a free activities that bigger kids will enjoy too!

VISIT A ZOO

My child at around 10 months has started to get REALLY interested in animals. She is SO happy to see our cats whenever they happen to grace her with their presence. I am still not 100% sure that under 1 year old is the BEST time to go if the zoos around you are expensive, however- you can always look for a small petting zoo with little to no entrance fee!

We like to visit the free petting zoo at our local park! It’s free, it’s close to home, and it’s small enough to enjoy for just a short time instead of taking all day in the summer heat!

I hope these fun summer ideas are perfect thought starters for your baby’s summer bucket list. My favorites have been swim lessons, road trips and the beach! What are some of your baby bucket list items?