The Ultimate Dance Mom Must-Have List: Essentials Every Dance Parent Needs for Competition Season

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Are you gearing up for this years dance competition season.  It is fully of excitement, adventure and a little bit of chaos.  But as a mom of 4 competitive dancers I have learned over the past 10 years being prepared and having the right items can make or break your competition.

1. A Dance Costume Bag

When you get to a point where you have more than 3 costumes I would say a dance bag is a must!  It keeps them clean and gives you your own little closet to hang your costumes.  There is plenty of room to be able to throw shoes in it for inside.  We have lots of snow where we live and when you spend all day inside wearing winter boots is not comfortable.

I have tried a few brands but if you want to try when out you can check out this one https://amzn.to/3V4QsWz

2. Garment Bags

To go in your dance bag you need garment bags.  These keep your costumes clean and in order.  For younger kids I sometimes double up and put more than one costume in these bags but depending on the costume size you may need one bag per costume.  These ones are great because they have compartments for all of your hairpieces and even smaller shoes https://amzn.to/3KdZk9V.

3. Makeup Case

Whether you are ready for it or not- competitive dance comes with a lot of makeup.  I won’t go into detail of all of the makeup you might need because every studio usually has their own requirements for this.  Be sure to check on this before competition!

For a makeup case you want to make sure there is plenty of room for what you need and it should be hard sided to survive any accidental drops.

We have both of these cases https://amzn.to/4gj79Y0 and https://amzn.to/4m87XQO.  They are both great!  If you have the space go for the rolling one.  Sometimes table space can be limited in the change rooms so having one that doesn’t need to sit on the table is really helpful.

4. Makeup Brushes

Though each dance studio will likely be fairly individual on the type of makeup needed one thing you will for sure need is makeup brushes.  They will come in handy for so many parts of the makeup process!

These are good ones to try for all ages https://amzn.to/46bEZcF.

5. The Topsy Hair Tool

This little tool has come in handy for more than one of my dancers.  It will create a very smooth looking wrap around for the ponytails.  This is a must have in our dance tool box for sure!  https://amzn.to/4mRTaL7

6. Hair Wax

Yes hair wax!  One of the most frustrasting pieces of being a dance mom is after you spend all that time on getting the hair exactly as it should be- all of a sudden you see fly-aways!  So annoying!!  Hair wax is so helpful for this.  It works on all hair types and you apply it exactly as you would use a glue stick.  https://amzn.to/4nglSFs

7. Body Glue

Yes you did read that right.  As your dancer ages things start moving around more.  This glue is on the pricey side for such a small bottle but it truly works wonders and will keep your dancer moving confidently without their costume riding up or coming loose.  It works for any area just apply it to the skin and then place the costume on top.  My dancer has said when you take it off it feels like waxing your legs.  A lot of times these dancers have pretty quick changes so they might not have time to notice the pain.

It can leave a bit of a residue but I have found it comes right out in the gentle cycle of the wash.  This is the brand we have used for the last number of years. https://amzn.to/3IeZFsn

8. Makeup remover pads

My 4 dancers go through so many of these.  One year we went from red lipstick, to black and back to red.  So trust me when I say I have used a fair amount of these.  I find that these ones work best and are gentle on their skin and lips. https://amzn.to/47x6wrz

They will dry out so be sure to remind your dancer to put the lid back on!

9. Water!!

Make sure your kiddos are drinking enough throughout the day.  But dance moms!! Make sure you are drinking enough too.  Dance competitions are long and hard and it is easy to forget about yourself.  Maybe even pick yourself up a cute new cup!  https://amzn.to/3JWGggo

Be sure to check out our other posts about the dance mom life at Dance Mom Blog Archives – Together We Can Travel