The promise of spending a hot summer day at the water park is sure to put a grin on any kid’s face. Not so much the case with parents. Experienced moms know that water park safety is only one of their concerns—others include keeping expensive electronics out of the water, finding a way to feed everyone, and generally managing to stay sane in the midst of all that splashing.

In other words, it’s going to take some planning.

To help you pull it off, we turned to a few real-life moms for their advice. We’ve even managed to boil it down to five go-to tips to get you through a full day of splashing around with the kiddos. For some extra insight, we checked out the offerings at some of the country’s best and biggest water parks. But don’t thank us now—thank us when it’s over.

1. Apply Sunscreen Early and Often.

This one might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s easy to remember the initial application and then forget all about it until you have some little tomatoes on your hands. As Micaela, the mother of a 7-year-old, says, “Sunscreen is number one. Just reapply often, because it washes off and wipes off from toweling off.” As for the spray-on vs. lotion debate, Micaela seems to have settled  it in the simplest way possible: “I use both types.” Hard to argue with that.

Another mom, Rachel Z., follows her own mother’s example. “When we were kids, my mom always had us check-in with her at certain times,” she remembers, “like when the lifeguards had their break.”

2. Invest in Good Swim Goggles.

After a burst blood vessel and a few minutes of panic this summer, Eileen (mother to a 3½-year-old and a 6-year-old) learned a valuable lesson: if her kids are swimming or playing with water toys, they should wear swim goggles. Her friend and fellow mom, Abi, is also an optometrist who’s seen bad results from kids getting hit in the eye in the water, so goggles are a must on her list. “Goggles also help keep the chlorine out,” Eileen notes, and it doesn’t hurt that they take your Instagram photos to a new level of adorable. Speaking of social media…

3. Save the Instagram and Facebook Posts for Later.

While it’s tempting to want to document every minute of the fun on social media, it’s also not worth it. Eileen recalls a moment last summer, when her entire family was sitting right by the pool and her daughter still managed to slip silently into the water. They got her out immediately, but she uses it as a reminder that, when you’re with your kids around water, you should always “be intentional.” In other words, play with them and stay off the phone!

Thankfully, most outdoor water parks are well-equipped to help, with lifeguards on duty and lifevest requirements for children under a certain height. Parks such as Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, OH, even provide complimentary vests.

4. Arrive Later to Avoid the Smallest Kids.

Rachel K., who has a 3-year-old son and an infant, knows that they aren’t everyone’s favorite company in the splash pool. Her advice? “Most young kids nap in the afternoon. If you want to avoid them, go after 1 p.m.” It’s safe to say Rachel and her boys would have already had a full day in by that time.

Of course, bigger water parks such as the Water Park of America in Bloomington, MN, offer plenty of opportunities for bigger kids to avoid the little ones, and vice versa. While younger guests have fun splashing in the zero-depth activity pool, for instance, older kids will be busy trekking up the 136 steps to take turns on the 10th-floor body slide, the tallest indoor water slide in the country.

5. Investigate the Concessions Options Ahead of Time.

Again, bigger water parks will generally have many, many food options to chose from. But it’s still worth looking into beforehand, whether to plot out your plan of attack or see if you’ll be able to save money by bringing in your own food and water. In any case, it pays to be prepared. Eileen puts it best: “Kids at the pool get hangry.”