Picnics on a family outing: Practical tips for outdoor feasting

Many trips with the family include it: a picnic . But a picnic trip is also a lot of fun as a standalone highlight, because the whole family is together and does something together. However, there are some traps that families with children can fall into. This article deals with these and gives tips on how to make the family trip with a picnic a great success that the little ones will also remember fondly.

Choose uncomplicated, insensitive and child-friendly dishes

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Every picnic revolves around one question: what should we eat? A number of dishes are not suitable because it would be too much work and transportation would be difficult. As delicious as fresh potato salad can be, if the time until the picnic is too long, the salad can turn sour in the heat. Nobody likes that, of course. But bread alone is also rather uninteresting. But which recipe ideas are suitable?

• Fruit salad - it is fresh, easy to transport and can be kept fresh quite well with cooling elements. If it is warmed up, nothing will happen in a short time. In addition, a fruit salad can be prepared in countless ways. The motto is: anything can go in the bowl as long as the family eats it. It is also perfect as a dessert.
  
• Cakes and snacks – eating cake is not healthy, but a slice of sand cake or chocolate cake always tastes good at a picnic. Waffles or other snacks also work. Cheese sticks are a good option for when you're hungry between meals or as a snack. They can be enhanced with the right dips.
  
• Grilling - cooling can sometimes be a problem, but if you plan a picnic where grilling is allowed, you can turn it into a barbecue picnic. Small disposable grills are available everywhere. In addition, most children like bratwurst, which is also available in a vegetarian version.

Of course, a real breakfast can be planned outside. The only question is how long it will take to get to the picnic spot. Sausage, cheese, butter and many other foods need to be well chilled in summer so that they don't go bad. Depending on the size of the family, there is also the question of transport, as cool bags or cool boxes for several people are quite bulky. Finally, drinks also need to be taken into account.

It is easier if the picnic takes place on a day that is not so hot. The question of cooling is less important, so lots of fresh salads or sandwiches are also suitable. In addition, extreme heat can be too much of a strain for even the little ones.

Choose a shady place with enough playing space

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But where can you have a picnic? Ultimately, this type of meal is incredibly easy, because you can eat anywhere where you can lay out a good blanket. The only problem is that adults choose locations based on different criteria. They may enjoy the view, but the children find the view less exciting. Since a picnic outdoors often lasts for several hours, there must be enough for the children:

• Play area - wide meadows or a playground are ideal. There the children can run around and keep themselves busy when they get bored between a few bites and want to have fun.
  
  
• Flat surface - flat surfaces that are easy to keep an eye on are good. Hilly landscapes, areas covered with bushes or trees can be a fiasco for parents. It should never be forgotten that sitting on the ground significantly limits your view. If there are objects or bushes in the way, it is difficult to keep an eye on your children.
  
  
• Not directly on the water - rivers or lakes are not the place to have a relaxed picnic. The danger of the water is simply too great. Parents must not make the mistake of relying on their children's swimming badges. Badges only prove that children can swim, not that they can be in the water. Lakes and rivers are incredibly dangerous and children should only go into the water with their parents.

If you don't want to picnic in the great outdoors, you should opt for fenced parks or facilities. Not only are there opportunities to play here, but it's also not so easy for the little ones to chase the ball out into the street.

In any case, shady spots are important. For the picnic area itself, parasols or sun sails are ideal. The latter option is easier to transport, but also provides sufficient shade. A sun tent also takes up hardly any space, but protects young and old from the sun.

Use multifunctional utensils and transport everything cleverly

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Parents know the dilemma. A trip with children is often reminiscent of a large transport. Everything has to go and in the end, it would be quite appropriate to buy several pack mules. Of course, a lot has to be taken to the picnic. It is important to act as cleverly as possible and rely on multifunctional utensils:

• More in one - there is a lot of garden and excursion crockery that can fulfil several functions. Bowl lids become plates, food can be transported separately in one utensil. Even the original Henkelmann can now experience a new heyday, as its design offers the possibility of separating bread from fruit and side dishes.
  
  
• Blanket with a twist - some picnic blankets have a lot going on between the seams. The underside of the blanket is coated anyway to keep out moisture. However, the coating can also be used as additional insulation against heat. This means that food stays cool and fresh for longer. Other picnic blankets already include recyclable plastic plates, forks and knives. The dishes are stored in practical pockets, the blanket is folded up and can then be carried like a backpack.
  
  
• Cooling - it is and will remain a problem, especially in summer. But there are definitely options : if you are travelling by bike or want to pull a small cart, you can use a real cool box. Otherwise, for shorter distances, insulated backpacks that can also be filled with ice packs are a good option. Alternatively, an army backpack can be lined with a cooler bag from the supermarket. The backpack already keeps things pretty cool (for shorter distances), and with the cooler bag and ice packs, the food stays fresh for longer. It also offers plenty of space for all other utensils.

The question is always how to get to the picnic location. Of course, it is easier to plan a picnic in the park or in the immediate area. However, if you want to go up the mountain and have a picnic there, you are generally more limited in your options. Especially since the age of the children plays a key role. Bike trailers are wonderful and practical, but with a small child, the space is already full.

By the way, there are more and more technical solutions that can help with picnics. From solar panels for backpacks that are connected to the cooler bag to solar panels on picnic blankets that can be used to charge smartphones and toys, everything is available.

Think of little blob and stain professionals

Even adults are not immune to looking a little shabby after a picnic. Eating while sitting down is not as easy as it always seems. Children are even more talented at removing stains. Sitting down is fine, but of course they don't have enough space to stand their plates on and things can easily spill. Spills are almost part of the experience. This is unfortunate, because the washing machine is waiting at home, but maybe a visit is planned. And not all stains need to be left to dry. But what can parents do? There are many ways to remove stains :

• Take action in advance - clear and concise: Dark clothing may get dirty, but at least the stains are not visible. Especially in the great outdoors, when you can expect that the blade of grass will win out against children's feet and trip them up, dirt-resistant clothing is the best way to remove stains.
  
  
• Take it with you - some stain removers are great to take with you. They take up hardly any space and some of them are already in your luggage anyway: tissues, baking powder, soap.

Together with water, these three little helpers form a good basis for removing some stains:

• Fat - if butter or margarine gets on your clothes as well as your bread, tissues are important. The tissue is a great way to soak up the fat from your clothes. Ordinary newspaper will also work in an emergency. Once the fat has been absorbed, the fabric is moistened a little and cleaned with soap.
  
  
• Ice cream/similar - here too, soap and water help. Baking powder works against stubborn chocolate. But be careful: the powder can have a bleaching effect.
  
  
• Grass stains - gall soap can help here too. Alternatively, vinegar essence works. Baking soda bleaches the stains out of light-colored clothing.

In addition to home remedies, the market offers a number of stain removers that can provide immediate help. However, you should always pay attention to what the pen does and what stains it is effective against. However, most pens can remove common food and play stains relatively easily. However, you must first check whether the fabric is colorfast.

Prepare fun games and exciting activities

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Adults love to spend a lot of time eating and spending time with each other. What is relaxing for parents is of course boring for younger children. They want to be kept busy, not just sit on the blanket for a long time watching their parents eat and talk. It's a good thing that there are games and fun for the whole family. How about incorporating a little exercise after eating?

• Frisbee - even parents know this disc from their childhood. The great thing is that it takes up hardly any space in your luggage, it is not heavy and playing it is anything but rocket science. What's more, you can always invent a new game involving the Frisbee.
  
• Ball games - smaller inflatable balls that are inflated on site are practical for transport. Again, no storage space is lost, but they are great for playing. If you take a string with you, you just need to find two trees or bushes and you can create a volleyball court in no time.

Card games are almost ideal for playing on the floor. They don't take up much space in your luggage, are often easy for children to play, and they involve the whole family. The same goes for dice games, such as Yahtzee.

What activities are required after the picnic always depends on the chosen location and the rest of the day's plans. In general, a trip to the zoo can be wonderful - and is often combined with a picnic area, as zoos usually have appropriate meadows. On the mountain, however, a visit to a farm could follow. If there is no special farm, many mountain farmers are usually willing to show the little ones around after prior consultation. And if you are already up on the mountain, you can try out the summer toboggan run down into the valley. That is much more pleasant than carrying all the luggage back down again.

Keep wasps away from food

A picnic outdoors is wonderful. Unfortunately, it is not only people who believe this; wasps and other flying creatures also rejoice at the treats that humans lay out especially for them. At least, this seems to be the way the insects think. Wasps in particular can not only be dangerous, they are also persistent and annoying. And although it is often said that you just have to keep quiet, who can manage that, especially when you are still a child? But how can you keep the pests away from your food?

• Diversionary tactics – sometimes it works if wasps are deliberately given a bit of food. To do this, a small bowl or plate is placed a little way away from the picnic blanket. If there are real treats on the plate, the wasps will usually pounce on them. Grapes are particularly popular.
  
  
• Smoking - there are some smoking products whose smoke keeps wasps away. However, such a product should be viewed with skepticism in the wild, as it is usually a candle flame that heats up the smoked goods. This solution is an absolute no-no, especially in dry weather.
  
  
• For the hard-boiled - if you are brave enough, you can try Tyrolean stone oil. The oil helps against practically all insects and, depending on your efforts, has the positive side effect that other people also keep a large distance. However, the oil is only tolerable if the whole family uses it. It is also not recommended to use it when traveling by car, bus or train.

Put together a small first aid kit and bring it with you

Things can happen so quickly outside. Parents cut the child's bread roll and the knife goes into their finger. Or the little feet stumble and the child ends up flat on the ground. A small first aid kit is therefore also useful for picnics. But what should go in it?

• Disinfectant - you should pack one of these for your hands. It is not always possible to wash your hands after going outside. A disinfectant stick for minor scratches is also recommended, and of course you can also use iodine-containing products. Wound and healing ointment is also useful.
  
  
• Plasters/Bandages - Plasters should always be in your luggage. If you have a large scrape on your knee, wound dressings are good for the journey home. Adhesive bandages are easier than wrapping a gauze bandage tightly. They are elastic and stick to themselves, so no knots are needed.
  
  
• Insect bites - an onion in your luggage is a good idea. But insect pens also help if you get stung. The pens work with heat and kill the insect venom, but they are only recommended to a limited extent for children as they are painful.
  
  
• Emergency - Many adults probably carry antihistamine preparations with them to combat any allergies. If you are unsure whether your child - or you yourself - is allergic to wasp stings, you could ask your family doctor whether a special emergency medication would be advisable. This approach can prove to be particularly useful if you are going high up in the mountains or for a picnic away from towns.

Under no circumstances should you be without sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 50. It is not enough to just rub it on yourself or your little ones at home. The sunscreen should be reapplied after splashing around, at the latest.

Conclusion – well packed for picnic fun

A picnic with children requires some preparation. Even the food needs to be planned, as many dishes are not suitable for a picnic on hot days. Since meals are usually eaten over a longer period of time, snack-like foods are almost ideal, as they can be eaten little by little. Fortunately, picnicking has picked up again in recent years and the old picnic blankets have become real wonders. The dishes are also multifunctional and often serve several purposes. The luggage must not be so full that a medicine cabinet no longer fits in the gaps. Especially outside, it does happen that you fall on the blackberries or step on a wasp.