Taking a 17 Month Old Toddler to Lake Powell in July

Spending a week and a half on a houseboat in Lake Powell is a summer tradition I happily married into. This is our second year taking our baby-turned-toddler with us on the vacation. As a bonus, I’m pregnant this year, so I’ll throw in a few tips for that as well. Here’s all of my tips and tricks for surviving such a hot, fun adventure!

Welcome to this year’s post on going to Lake Powell and spending ten days on a houseboat with a young child! In case you missed it, I wrote the first version of this post last year after returning from vacation with our baby and you can find it below. That baby is now a full-blown toddler so preparation and execution of our trip this year was wildly different. Read on for a full explanation of everything I did to prep and make sure we could actually enjoy ourselves on our annual boating trip!

HOW LONG WE WENT FOR

Our annual Lake Powell trip is typically Monday thru Wednesday of the following week (roughly ten days). This year we arrived at the marina on Monday, loaded the houseboat, and departed for Rock Creek. We traveled on the houseboat, towing the speed boats behind until dark when we anchored the house boat for the night. The next morning we traveled for an additional 45 minutes and anchored the houseboat where it would stay for the remainder of the trip.

Our plan was to to leave our little beach on Tuesday afternoon and head back to the marina. Then we would anchor to a buoy at the marina for the night, unload the houseboat Wednesday morning, and head home. The air conditioning unit went out on the houseboat on Monday evening, so we drove back to the marina Tuesday morning to allow for repairs and drove home Tuesday afternoon to evening. So this year we were gone from Sunday to the Tuesday of the following week.

PACKING

Every year I go to Lake Powell, I bring less stuff than I did the year before and I still end up bring things that I never end up using. I like to pack very light (one bag, if at all possible) so I try to only bring the essentials, but when you travel with a toddler, there are definitely more “just in case” items that you bring than when you travel without.

Here’s a list of what I brought and used for Calvin for this week and a half long trip to Lake Powell:

• 2 Esembly Outers – we used these as our swim diapers and they worked exactly as we needed them to. Calvin wasn’t in a swim diaper often because he wasn’t a fan of swimming, but I plan to use our outers for this purpose forever.
• 2 rash guards – these were vital to protecting Calvin from the sun. He wore one anytime he was outside so that I didn’t have to constantly rub sunscreen on his entire body. I bought Calvin the 1-2T size and they were definitely too big, but I rolled up the sleeves and they worked fine. He may even be able to wear them next summer.
• 2 pairs of swim trunks – these were the other half of Calvin’s sun protection clothing. They have a liner in them for potty trained kids, which made getting them on Calvin a bit of a hassle sometimes, but the drawstring waist meant that even though they were way too big, they stayed up.
• 2 t-shirts – thought he was usually just in a diaper while inside, t-shirts were nice to have for evenings and the car rides to and from Page.
• Water Shoes – I bought these water shoes after seeing them advertised on social media, and I really love them. They run true to size, they’re so easy to put on Calvin’s feet, they drain water well, and they are easy to wash. I highly recommend them.
• Baseball Cap – Calvin has an 85th percentile head, so a baseball cap that will fit him now and for the next few years was a sweet find on Amazon. I started having him wear his hat whenever we went outside months before we went on vacation, so he was really good about leaving his hat on when out in the sun or on the boat.
• Sunglasses – we’ve had these infant/toddler sunglasses since last summer and they still look brand new. They’re so sturdy and they’ll fit Cal for a long time. As with the baseball cap, I’ve had Calvin practicing wearing the glasses for months, so he’s now great at leaving them on when he’s out in the sun.
• KidCo Peapod – we initially purchased this tent to use when we went tent camping to keep Cal separate from us. A few weeks before we left for Powell, I started having Calvin nap in the Peapod in his nursery to see if he would sleep well in it. Lucky for me, he absolutely loves it and it has completely replaced the Pack N’ Play as our travel bed for our toddler. It packs down so much smaller and is so much less of a hassle than the play yard is.
• Denim Blanket – I made a flannel-backed denim blanket for Calvin a few weeks before we left. I made it specifically to fit in the bottom of his Peapod tent. It added an extra layer of cushion for him and the flannel was more comfortable for him to lay on than the nylon bottom of the tent.
• White Noise Machine – this is one of Cal’s sleep cues and I love our travel white noise machine. It holds a charge for a decent amount of time and is loud enough to drown out the other noise on the boat.
• External battery – sometimes the outlets on the houseboat were powered and sometimes they weren’t. I needed to keep a few things like my watch, phone, and the white noise machine charged up, so a powerful external battery was very helpful.
• Tubby Todd Mineral Sunscreen – this is hands-down my favorite mineral sunscreen for me and for my babies.
• Tubby Todd All Over Ointment – being out in the sun and the heat can dry your skin out, no matter how much sunscreen you use. This ointment keep us all moisturized and comfortable, without needing to reapply too often or feeling greasy.
• Burt’s Bees Baby Wash – gotta get that sweat, sunscreen, and grime off. This soap is gentle and smells really nice. It’s also 97% naturally sourced.
• Nose Frida – you never know when a toddler’s nose will start to run. The Nose Frida makes handling Calvin’s snot much easier.
• Baby Tylenol/Thermometer – I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, never go on vacation without a thermometer and a fever reducer on hand. Calvin suddenly and unexpectedly came down with a 48-hour fever in the middle of our trip (he caught a common virus from one of the cousins and is perfectly fine). We were in the middle of a lake, had no cell phone service, and were more than an hour away from the nearest marina. Because I had the proper tools, we were able to handle the fever ourselves without any medical intervention or needing to head into civilization.
• Pop-Up High Chair – this high chair was perfect for feeding Calvin his meals. Everyone ate sitting at the bar, on the couch, and on the floor. This chair let us put Calvin wherever there was room and wasn’t a hassle.
• Towel – this is a given when on a water trip. Calvin’s towel had embroidery on it that made it distinct which was helpful.
• Life Jacket – a must-have for any boating trip. I had to try a few different options on Calvin before I found one that fit him well and was the right size for his weight. Before going on any water trip, make sure everyone in your party tries their life jackets on to check for fit as well as wear and tear.
• Bubbles – This is such a simple and cheap activity that works like magic on kids of all ages.
• Diapers and Wipes – if you don’t bring these you are going to be in some serious trouble. Or you’ll be doing a crash-course in potty training.
• Milk Bottle – Calvin has always used these bottles and still does for his three servings of milk throughout the day. East to wash and very distinct colors.
• Thermos Foogo Insulated Water Bottle – I found this water bottle at Target and it works great. Keeps water cold, lid is secure, straw functions well, and it’s very easy to clean.
• Slumberkin Lovey – the non-pacifier comfort item that Calvin uses to sleep. He slept with it every night, most naps, and kept it with him or close by in the car during our road trip as well.
• BIBS Pacifiers – Calvin’s pacifier of choice, one of his top comfort items, and an absolute essential when he is going to sleep. We’ll wean him off of it at the end of the summer, but for now we take full advantage.
• Snacks and Straws – see below for an explanation of my snack bin that I will likely recreate every year that I have young kids on this trip. I also bought a 100-pack of disposable straws because Cal can drink expertly from a straw, but not from an open cup. Carrying a bunch of straws let me share my drinks (in bottles and cups) with him without making a mess. For other trips when I have a diaper bag, I’ll keep a reusable straw with me for this same purpose.

THE DRIVE

I made the drive to Lake Powell with Calvin by myself, because Colter and our friend Markus went down a day early to help with boat prep. On the drive home, Colter, Markus, Calvin, and myself were all together. We were driving from the Ogden area of Utah to Page, Arizona, which Google Maps estimates to take about seven hours (taking at least one stop for gas and to stretch your legs).

DRIVING TO LAKE POWELL

For the drive to Lake Powell, I knew that Calvin sleeping a lot was going to make the drive much easier and smoother for me. I left home on Sunday afternoon shortly after Calvin woke up from his nap and drove a couple of hours south to my grandparents house in Orem. We had dinner with them and stayed the night.

I woke up at 4:30 am, packed up our overnight stuff, loaded a half-awake Calvin into the car, and I was on the road by 5 o’clock Monday morning. I made sure he had his binky and lovey in his carseat and continued playing his portable white noise machine from the seat next to him to help him to sleep for longer. We drove the three hours from Orem to Panguitch with very little awake time from Cal.

At around 8 o’clock we stopped in Panguitch at a gas station to fill up, use the restroom, and grab a bottle of whole milk. When we drove over to a park and parked the car under the shade of a tree. I fed Calvin and myself the bananas and oranges I had packed, as well as the milk from the gas station and let Cal run around on the grass until 9 o’clock. I think taking such a long and distinct break, with lots of running and playing helped him cope with all the driving much better. I also took the opportunity to change his diaper, put his day clothes on him, and to stretch my own feet, legs, and back.

We left quiet Panguitch around 9 o’clock and got back on the road. Calvin fell back to sleep about ten minutes after we left Panguitch and stayed asleep until we got to Kanab about 65 miles away. Once we got to Kanab I was starting to feel pretty drowsy. We pulled off to the side of the road, parked in the shade of a tree, and I handed Calvin my phone with Color Crew playing on it so I could take a fifteen-minute nap before we drove the last hour and a half leg of the trip.

Before I left home, I made sure to download some of Calvin’s favorite movies to my phone on Disney+ so that he could watch them without service or internet connection if needed. This was a life saver for the Kanab to Page leg of the journey. Calvin watched Soul, I listened to it through the car speakers, and we were both happy, quiet, and content for the rest of the drive.

Once we hit Page at about 11:30 am, we stopped at the Walmart for diapers, wipes, snacks, and to stretch our legs and enjoy the air conditioning and change of scenery for a while. We grabbed lunch from the McDonald’s drive thru and headed to Wahweap Marina to meet up with Colter and load all of our stuff onto the houseboat for the week. All in all, it was a painless and enjoyable road trip.

DRIVING HOME

After the air conditioner changed our docking plans, we ended up driving home Tuesday afternoon and evening instead of Wednesday morning. We loaded up the car (with two additional adults this time) just before 3 o’clock on Tuesday afternoon. We stopped at a gas station in Page for cold water and gas, then we were on our way. I rode in the backseat next to Calvin, Colter drove, and Markus rode shotgun.

Calvin slept for the first two hours of the drive and woke up cranky. We got a snack and some water into him, and with the help of Disney+, we made it to Beaver for dinner and another gas up. We spent roughly 45 minutes eating dinner at Dairy Queen and letting Calvin blow off some steam. Then we hit the road again (with Markus driving and Colter shotgun).

Calvin slept off and on from Beaver to Orem. I entertained him with movies, snacks, and a couple new Melissa & Doug Poke-a-Dot! books that I bought for the trip. I also let him have his binky as much as he wanted on the drive (whereas he only gets it for naps and nighttime sleep while at home). I think having the binky and the new books helped him not feel quite as restless as he could have been.

We dropped Markus off at his apartment in Orem and the last hour and a half of the drive weren’t too bad. Calvin slept off and on and only fussed for the last half hour or so. We arrived home around 10 o’clock at night and Calvin went down to bed in his crib like an angel once he had his bottle of milk.

SUN PROTECTION

This year was significantly easier than last year when it came to sun protection. This year, I could use sunscreen on Calvin and so I did, religiously. My favorite infant and toddler sunscreen is Tubby Todd Mineral Sunscreen. It comes in a lotion or stick form. It rubs in fairly quickly on my fair-skinned boy, and it doesn’t leave either of us feeling oily or greasy. Whenever Cal was out in the sun, he was wearing a long-sleeved rash guard and swim trunks that were both UV protectant, a baseball cap, sunglasses, and had sunscreen on his exposed skin (tops of feet, lower legs, forearms, neck, face, and ears).

Calvin tolerates having sunscreen put on pretty well. I often applied the sunscreen before we put his rash guard and swim trunks on him because I found it easier. I also used my smartwatch to set a two-hour timer to remind me to reapply sunscreen often enough. I also usually put sunscreen on both of us whenever my timer went off, just to make things easier on myself. My methods worked well, because neither Calvin or I got a sunburn despite the long days and hours in the hot sun.

KEEPING COOL AND HYDRATED

Four things greatly impacted Calvin’s mood while on our vacation: being hungry, being tired, being thirsty, and being too hot. His snack box solved the hunger issue most times and when he got tired, he napped.

At home, Calvin really only drinks milk or plain water. While in Lake Powell, he got to drink flavored water or Gatorade fairly often because I figured that any way I could get him to drink more fluid was a good thing. I brought him his own insulated water bottle (the Thermos Foogo) which he often drank from, but I also let him drink from my HydroFlask whenever he wanted. I don’t know why, but he thinks everything tastes better when it comes out of my water bottle instead of his. Letting him drink this way, in addition to sometimes using flavoring packets really helped keep him hydrated.

Keeping him cool was another story. If Calvin had enjoying swimming and floating in the lake, it would have been a non-issue. Calvin, however, hated getting into the lake. By the end of the week we could swim and float a little bit without crying, but most of the time he was not a fan. Anytime he was in the houseboat (out of the sun) he wore nothing but a diaper. When out in the sun, we often dipped his hat and life jacket in the water before putting them on him to help keep him cool. He also didn’t mind sitting on the edge of the swim deck with me and dangling his feet in the water. If he was honestly just too hot (usually after waking up from his afternoon nap) we would just deal with the crying and have him float in the lake with Colter or me for a few minutes.

Calvin caught a common virus (Roseola) from one of the other kids on the boat and ran a decent fever for about 48 hours. During that period, we really focused on taking his temperature often, giving him acetaminophen regularly, pumping him full of fluids (and watching for enough wet diapers), letting him sleep as much as he wanted, and getting him in the water often to cool off. It wasn’t fun, but it was manageable.

FOOD AND EATING

I’ll start this section by noting that Calvin is a pretty good eater at home. I wouldn’t call him picky, but he does have a list of foods that he has spit out every single time he’s tried them. A few of those foods are: rice, most meat served by itself, scrambled eggs, watermelon, and beans (usually). This isn’t an issue at home because when I offer those foods, I can always offer foods he does like alongside them.

While on vacation, I had very little control over what food was offered at mealtime and available otherwise. When I glanced at the meal plan before we left, I noticed that several of our meals were rice-based and several had watermelon as one of the main side dishes. I also knew that there were going to be a lot of other kids on the trip and that kid-friendly snacks were likely to be the first ones to go.

Before we boarded the boat for the week, I stopped at the Walmart in town. In addition to diapers and wipes, I stocked up on snacks for Calvin and my pregnant self. I bought a bunch of bananas, a box of applesauce pouches, a box of Gerber purée pouches, a 12-pack of fruit cups, a 32 ounce tub of protein yogurt, and Cosmic Brownies (my absolutely uncompromisable craving this pregnancy). I kept all of our snacks in a plastic tote down in our family’s room so that no one else would eat them. This trip could have been a total disaster without that food. I had options that Calvin would eat at every meal. The fruit and pouches were easy mood boosters and the yogurt filled Calvin up.

I also brought our hiccapop Omniboost Travel Booster Seat to act as Calvin’s high chair. We mostly used it on the floor of the houseboat, but we also strapped it to a chair and pulled Cal up to the bar a couple of times. The cover is removable and machine washable. It also folds down easily and fairly compact. I chose this high chair over our usual Mountain Buggy Pod Clip-On High Chair, because I knew the bar would be the serving area and not be available as a toddler eating surface.

DIAPERS

There is a Walmart Supercenter in Page that I stopped at before loading the houseboat. I bought diapers and snacks for the week for Calvin. We just used our regular disposable diapers for the majority of the trip (and a diaper was honestly all he wore when he wasn’t in the sun) and he wore one of our Size 2 Esembly Outers as a swim diaper if he was ever swimming/floating (which was pretty rare considering he hated it).

We threw all of the disposable diapers away in the trash can outside on the deck and did have any issues with smell.

GOING OUT ON THE BOATS AND WAVERUNNERS

Calvin loved being out on the boats and was content out on the waverunners. The most important aspect of having a happy Calvin out on the toys was getting him used to his life jacket. You always want to make sure that your child’s life jacket is the right size and is tightened correctly. Have them wear it at home or at the swimming pool for short amounts of time to help them adjust. Exposure to the life jacket and to the boat are important. You also want to make sure that your child is always with a responsible adult while riding.

KEEPING A TODDLER SAFE AROUND WATER

For my child in particular, the key to keeping him safe was to keep eyes on him at all times. This was a pretty time and energy consuming task, but worth the peace of mind that it gave me. Calvin will follow some directions really well, but other times he tunes everything out entirely and listens to no one and nothing. Constant adult supervision was our method on the anchored houseboat, on the front and back decks, and while playing on the beach.

We also made sure to keep either the screen door or the sliding glass door at either end of the boat closed at all times. This isn’t likely to work as well next year when Calvin is older and more capable of opening said doors, but it was pretty toddler-proof this year.

Anytime Calvin was on a moving boat, he wore a zipped and buckled life jacket. This was for his safety and to stay legal.

SLEEP

I think that sleep and tantrums are the two most worried-about aspects of traveling with a toddler or young child. Anytime I change anything in Calvin’s routine, his sleep is the first thing I worry about going down the toilet. And if his sleep goes, I know his temperament and his appetite are going to be quick to follow. All of that said, Calvin’s sleep was pretty great on this vacation (even in spite of getting sick for a few days in the middle of our trip).

The key for maintaining Calvin’s sleep while away is maintaining his routine and sleep environment as much as possible. For Cal this means: a designated/private sleep space, bottle of milk, white noise, dim/dark room, his lovey, and his binky. At home, he also uses always uses a sleepsack, but it was way too hot for that in Powell, so Calvin just slept in a diaper and didn’t seem to mind one bit.

NAPS

When at home, Calvin takes one nap in the early afternoon that lasts for two-and-a-half to three hours. He’s been on a one-nap schedule for about eight months.

On the vacation, I knew Calvin would likely need more sleep than usual due to the heat, activity, and lower quality level of the sleep he was going to be getting. Almost every day, Calvin went out for a ride on the speed boats for a couple of hours in the morning and took about an hour long nap out on the boat. He wore a wet life jacket and a wet baseball cap to keep him cool. Sunglasses protected his eyes and he usually slept really well on the boat with the roar of the water and engine and the motion of the boat.

Once they returned we would eat lunch and he would play and wander the boat until around one or two o’clock in the afternoon, when he would go to sleep for around three hours. He napped in the same place that he slept at night. We ran the generator and the air conditioning during his nap to keep the room cool and he slept beautifully.

NIGHTTIME SLEEP

When at home, Calvin sleeps from 8 o’clock at night until roughly 8:30 the next morning. Without blackout curtains and constant air conditioning, we had to wait until it was dark and cooler before we could put him down for the night. His houseboat sleep setup was his Kidco Peapod on the bed in a lower bedroom.

Sometime between 8:30 and 9:30 each evening (depending on Calvin’s mood), we would start his mini-bedtime routine. He drank a couple ounces of milk while I changed his diaper, then he crawled into his bed with his binky and lovey. I would turn on his portable white noise machine and the fan in front of the open window to keep him cool, zip up his tent, and close the door behind me. He slept amazingly. I was also really grateful for the white noise machine because the rest of the people on the boat never had to mind their noise levels, they were drowned out by the white noise.

BEING 4 1/2 MONTHS PREGNANT

Two years ago when I went to Lake Powell, I was also pregnant (with my toddler), but I was only 10-11 weeks along, so I dealt with more fatigue than any other symptom.

This year, I was 19-20 weeks along and it was a totally different ballgame. I have an obvious bump and I’m dealing with much more discomfort than I did last time. Here are a few things I did to try and make things easier on myself.

Extra Hydration I made sure to drink tons and tons of water every single day (usually between 110-140 ounces) to ward off any extra discomfort from dehydration. I also chose to take an electrolyte supplement every day to combat the sweating and help my body to use all of the water that I was drinking throughout the day.

Compression Socks This was a recommendation from my OB for the 7+ hour drive to and from the lake, but they ended up being super helpful on the houseboat as well. With the heat and all of the extra fluid intake, I noticed significant and uncomfortable swelling in my ankles and feet. To combat it, I either put the socks on or went and sat with my legs in the cool water. Both treatments worked well. These are the socks that I got.

Maternity Rash Guard None of my swim suits fit well, so I wore a bikini top and swim shorts for the entire trip. To avoid having to put so much sunscreen on but still protect my skin, I chose to wear a long-sleeved rash guard whenever I was in the sun. I brought two of these rash guards and loved them. I only had to worry about sunscreen on my legs, neck, and face.

Sleep I slept like crap at night on the houseboat. I was uncomfortable and hot and it just wasn’t great. So you better believe I took a nap almost every single time Calvin did. Normally I try not to nap excessively at home, but getting as much sleep as possible on the vacation was very helpful for me.

First in Line This tip may sound silly, but with all of the heat and activity of Lake Powell, I was hungry all the time, so I made sure that I was one of the first people in line for food at every single meal. I usually grabbed enough for Calvin and myself, fed him whatever he would eat, and then ate all of my own food plus his leftovers.

Evening Floats Every evening after Calvin had been put down to bed I would put my life jacket on and just go float off the back swim deck of the houseboat. I floated as long as I wanted and it really helped me to cool down, relax, and decompress. It also really helped my intense lower back pain. Having damp hair also helped me stay cooler while sleeping at night.

If you made it this far, I applaud you. This post was a long, information-dense one, but I hope that if you are planning a trip down to Lake Powell (or to any houseboat-friendly lake in the summer) that you found some nuggets of wisdom that you find helpful. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave them in the comments, send me an email, or send a message to me over on Instagram! I’d love to hear from you and I’ll do all I can to reply to your comments and answer your questions.