Essential Tips For Hockey Moms

Here are ten rational rules for the rink to help you make it through hockey season.

Keep The Hockey Bag Fresh
If you think your wee one is too young to smell, think again. I have a husband who plays hockey, a son who plays hockey, another son who speed skates and I speed skate. We all work up a sweat and we all smell—even the little ones (sorry, it’s true). The smell from sweaty jerseys, jocks and skates then gets transferred to everything else in the hockey bag. To help combat sport stink, here are three tips.

(1) Wash jerseys every week.

(2) Remove the bag from your vehicle and open it up to air it out (we do it either in our basement or the garage).

Handling Their Own Hockey Bag
Our house rule is if you’re old enough to play hockey, you’re old enough to drag your hockey bag from the vehicle to the arena and back again.

Teach Your Children To Put On And Take Off Their Own Equipment
This is a two-fold tip (1) it teaches your child independence and (2) it takes the onus off you. Even if you have a little one who is just starting hockey, you can start the process of teaching him how to put on his own equipment by making a game of it. Start by having him choose each piece of equipment he is to put on next. Then as he gets older, have him find the piece of equipment and put it on himself (correcting any mistakes along the way—the equipment needs to be worn properly to help keep him safe).

The one caveat to this tip is tying hockey skates. Little hands don’t have the strength to pull the laces tight enough. Get used to the fact that you’ll be tying laces for a few years.

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