Pumpkin Patch Time – A Guide to Visiting a Pumpkin Patch with Kids

It’s Pumpkin Patch season and that means lots of fall festivals and pumpkin picking time. We went this past week to the pumpkin patch and had such a great time! In typical Florida fashion, it was like 90 degrees so while we looked all cute in our Fall decor, we were sweating like crazy. That didn’t stop us from enjoying all the things that Club Lake Plantation in Apopka had to offer for their fall festival. Here’s some tips that I have picked up along the years of visiting pumpkin patches with kids as way to give you a guide to heading to one if you are planning to go for the first time with kids or if you need to change up your routine!

First off, if you have little ones then you definitely don’t want to skip on the stroller. Yes, it’s a lot to push around because more than likely they are going to want to walk but if they are anything like my kids, they get tired pretty easy. Half way through the corn maze, Giovanni and Gracelyn switched and he ended up in the stroller while she pushed. We then realized that we need to make a serious investment to get a double because it was constant switching the entire afternoon.

Two: Pumpkin picking first then play! If you pick the pumpkins first that gives you plenty of opportunity to take all the photo ops you want before the kids run off and get sweaty and dirty. Living in Florida has really taught me that because one minute you can look great and the next, you’re a sweaty mess so getting out all the photo ops prior to running and playing is really the best solution. That way, mom can get all the cute pics and the kids aren’t exhausted from playing and over it before you can even snap a family photo.

Third: bring water/cups! You know how everyone complains about how expensive it is for a bottle of water at Disney? Yeah, pumpkin patches are no different! Most also offer food and sometimes you can find a small one that doesn’t charge an arm, leg and a kidney but usually it’s pretty standard for everything to be overpriced. But, that’s the fun of it right?!? However, if you’re on a budget then definitely bring in some snacks and water bottles/cups for kids. Being that it was so hot, everyone instantly started sweating two minutes into pumpkin picking (we cut that short because of it) and playing only made it worse for the kids so we purchased a few water bottles so that they could cool down as much as possible. It’s definitely needed even in color weather states as well because, playing just makes kids hot and sweaty so this way they aren’t dehydrating and can keep on having fun! Snacks are always a must for my kids because they love food like their Momma and Daddy some always make sure to have a few gummy pouches as well as Z Bars or granola bars in the diaper bag.

Fourth: final tip, let them run as wild as they can! Of course, within your limitations but letting them get every single wiggle out ensures that either you will have a quiet ride home full of naps or it’ll be an easy bed time that night. We got a small amount of both when we went as the kids didn’t nap but they definitely ate their dinner without arguing with each other and went down pretty quick and easy. I’m talking, Giovanni slept 14 hours!! Gracelyn has horrible sleeping habits and patterns so anything that helps her get out her energy and makes it simple to get down to sleep, I am all for. Adylee is just like her Momma and always wants to be in the know so she tends to make sure she can keep her eyes open as long as she can before crashing so, this definitely helped her go to sleep early which meant no fighting to get up the next day for school. Getting out those wiggles is seriously SO important especially now with having to stay home more than usual. Whenever we get the chance to let them run, we do.

Just four simple tips for making your pumpkin patch experience easier, less tantrum filled, and also you’ll be able to snag that perfect family fall shot! We didn’t get to catch one for our family since we went solo this year but we did get some super cute photos of the kids and mainly one of either myself or my husband with them. Fall is my favorite time of year so my husband knows to snap all the pics possible and also to let me do my thing before we let the kids go and Adylee is now old enough that she knows that pictures come first too. Now, Gracelyn my little sassy pants, tells me and no walks off…she’s gonna run a company one day is what I keep telling myself because that girl has some serious sass!

Hope you all enjoy your local pumpkin patch this year! Enjoy some photos of us from this past week visiting ours!