Must-Haves for a Day Out

by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on April 5, 2009



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As the weather gets warmer, and we spend more time at the park, there are some items that I make sure are always ready to run out the door with us. I have already told you about some of the items we don’t leave home without, but here are some more…

These days I don’t carry a large diaper bag, instead the Diaper Change Travel Kit by Munchkin is packed and waiting in the car. It’s perfect for holding everything we need for quick diaper changes on the go.

Noah has a couple of favorite blankets… One with which he sleeps and two he likes to carry around the house with him when he’s tired. Too many times have I left the house, too close to nap-time, without one of Noah’s fave blankies. Just recently, however, I decided that I would keep one of Ambajam’s Mini Cuddles in the car for those just-in-case moments. These little blankies are soft, cuddly, and just the right size with which to snuggle in the car or in his stroller.

As the kiddos run around, playing in the sun, I am always careful to be sure they stay hydrated. CamelBak’s BPA-Free Better Bottles are perfect for all of us. They come in plenty of colors and sizes, and we don’t have to worry about spills in the car on the way to the park.

For growing kids, packing snacks is essential, no matter where we go. Our medium premium lunch tote by Spring Los Angeles is perfect for carrying just the right amount to last us a few hours. These fun totes are made in bold colors and modern designs and come in two convenient sizes.

retro-rebornI would love to hear about what you are sure to take along for a day at the park. Share your must-haves for a day out for a chance to win a Premium Lunch Tote from Spring Los Angeles!

Here’s what you need to do to enter:
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  • Leave me a comment on this post, by 9pm on April 17th, telling me all about those must-have items.

  • For additional entries feel free to grab my button and place it on your sidebar, send a tweet, or leave the link to this giveaway on your blog or Facebook page. Be sure to leave me a separate comment with a link to your blog, tweet, blog or Facebook page.

  • You may also subscribe to my blog feed for yet another entry, and leave me a comment saying you did so. You must remain a subscriber during the entire duration of this giveaway.

One lucky winner will be chosen at random and will be notified via email, so make sure you leave a valid email address in your comments.

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{ 72 comments… read them below or add one }

Michelle April 5, 2009 at 9:10 am

My must have item is a first aid kit! I’ve got one in the house, one in the car, a very small travel one in the diaper bag, and one in my backpack for when we go hiking.

I think the lunch tote would be great! It’ll just be me and my youngest after school starts in the fall, and this will be just the right size for our adventures!

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Linda B April 5, 2009 at 9:26 am

I take my grandchildren to the park daily, weather permitting. We carry juice, snacks such as raisins, granola bars, or fruit. A blanket so we can have a “picnic”. Also don’t forget the sunscreen.

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Heather N April 5, 2009 at 9:36 am

Since we live in Wisconsin and we have long cold winters, we cannot wait for spring to arrive! When we get to play at the park, we pack our cooler with veggies, dip and water for a healthy snack. We cant forget our hats and sunscreen since our skin hasnt seen the sun since last September! We also love to bring our buckets, shovels and balls for more fun in the sand and soccer field!

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Sara April 5, 2009 at 10:04 am

I have a 2 year old, and I still tend to take the diaper bag along with us just because it’s a nice big bag that I can jam a lot of stuff into! We also do cloth diapers, which require a few more supplies so it’s nice to have the bag. When we head to the park, I pack the bag with:

-Diapers
-An extra diaper cover
-Wipes
-Wipe solution
-wetbag for dirty diapers
-LOTS OF ANTIBACTERIAL HAND WIPES!!!
-Juice boxes (they’re a treat for when we’re out of the house and they’ll calm any tantrum! I like the Apple and Eve Sesame Street ones because they are smaller and at 2 my daughter doesn’t need a whole ton of juice)
-Munchkin snack catcher filled with cheerios, raisins, whole grain goldfish, or Annies Whole Wheat Bunnies. The Munchkin brand is the best snack catcher we’ve tried. My daughter still makes a mess, but a slightly smaller mess :-)
-Munchkin Mighty Grip flip top bottle full of water. This is the most leak-proof and sturdy cup we’ve tried.
-If we’ll be out for lunch, I pack my daughter’s Lunchbox from Laptop Lunches. She LOVES it! It lets me pack 4 different “courses” without having a bunch of separate containers rattling around in the diaper bag getting lost, and she loves when I open it and all her choices are laid out for her. It definitely gets her to try new things too, because it presents the food in a fun way.
-Our Peter and the Wolf CD for the car…we can’t go anywhere without that.
-Dash, my daughter’s stuffed giraffe rattle and best friend ever.

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angelica09 April 5, 2009 at 10:44 am

Beside taking bottles, extra clothes, and snacks. I always make sure I take sun block for the little one and antibacterial wipes. I want her to enjoy being outdoors minus the germs..

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kim litchford April 5, 2009 at 11:07 am

I love this cute and stylish tote. I would fill my Lunch Tote by Spring Los Angeles with chips, sandwiches, dried fruit, and juice boxes. Along with my an icepack. I would include handwipes to clean off dirty faces and hands. I would feel stylish when carrying this tote.
http://www.twitter.com/kimlitchford
kimlitchford@yahoo.com

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kim litchford April 5, 2009 at 11:08 am

I tweeted the Lunch Tote by Sring Los Angeles giveaway on twitter.
http://www.twitter.com/kimlitchford
Thanks

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Julie Miller April 5, 2009 at 11:13 am

Lets see, my must have’s for a day at the park….. Camera, snacks, whipes, diapers, water, oh yeah and the kids :)

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Kelly Strei April 5, 2009 at 12:37 pm

All my kids seem to eventually hurt themselves when we are out at the park. For that reason, we have a 1st Aid kit in the car. It’s just a plastic storage box with a lid which we have filled with bandaids, antiseptic cream, ice pack, bottle of water (in case we need to wash off a wound), etc. We created it ourselves and used to contain an “emergency” diaper too.

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Jessica April 5, 2009 at 1:26 pm

Must haves for the park include, lunch, change of clothes just in case, a cousin to play with and hand sanitizer.

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Kim D. April 5, 2009 at 1:32 pm

Must haves: sunscreen, and sometimes bug spray, a hat or sunglasses, something to keep the kids hydrated, a blanket, first-aid kit, changes of clothes. And ALWAYS a camera, I love to catch those candid moments!

This may sound like a lot, but I have four children and three of them are triplets, so this is a good list!

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CC April 5, 2009 at 2:56 pm

We must have hand sanitizer, wet wipes, and sunscreen. Hats are a plus too!

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Candace April 5, 2009 at 4:24 pm

My list for an afternoon at the park
wipes
water
snacks
camera
and maybe our dog

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Jaimee April 5, 2009 at 4:39 pm

my must haves include sunscreen, hats, snacks, & sippys.

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Jaimee April 5, 2009 at 4:40 pm

I subscribe via feedburner too.

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Rebecca April 5, 2009 at 5:57 pm

Must haves are sunscreen, snacks and drinks, wipes, camera, extra diaper.

Thanks for the giveaway!
5langfordatcomcastdotnet

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Jennifer Longo April 5, 2009 at 6:30 pm

my must haves for a day at the park would be a softball and gloves, a book/magazine for some relaxing time, some bread for duck feeding, and snacks like fruit! (something simple and not too heavy).

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Jill April 5, 2009 at 6:42 pm

I just purchased some first aid supplies on my last shopping trip. My 17th month old is already showing I probably need more bandaids and antiseptic.

I also never go anywhere without the camera, extra hand wipes, and enough snacks for sharing.

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Jill April 5, 2009 at 6:43 pm

I have your button, mccormackspot.blogspot.com

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Kelly April 5, 2009 at 6:50 pm

Our must haves for a day out are bottles of water, sunblock, blankets to sit on, snacks and of course a camera.
Can’t go anywhere without them all!

:)

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kelly April 6, 2009 at 4:34 am

Must have, snacks,wipes,sanitizer, and a small ball to toss around.

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Dana April 6, 2009 at 4:40 am

For an afternoon at the park, we always have sunscreen, a hat, hand sanitizing wipes, water, and lots of snacks. My daughter has an unbelievably large appetite, so we practically carry around a pantry whenever we go out.

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Jana April 6, 2009 at 8:09 am

I would take sandwiches, chips, drinks, desserts, cell phone, bug spray, blanket, spray water bottle, and a blow up ball.

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Jennifer Middleton April 6, 2009 at 8:37 am

Snacks are a must…and BAND-AIDS!!!!! Plus wipes or hand sanitizer.

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Heather April 6, 2009 at 8:53 am

My camera, water bottle (s), first aid kit, and baby wipes and a spare diaper.

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Sara Rose April 6, 2009 at 9:26 am

I always bring along to the park a ton of things. Probably way too much! My camera for sure, I rarely leave home without that! Of course a diaper bag full of diapers, lots of wipes, a change of clothes for both the boys (now that Alex is no longer in diapers I have to be prepared for those accidents), lots of snacks (non of us can go long without a snack), water, and a blanket so that we can sprawl on the grass, and the waterproof Neat Sheet for under the blanket to avoid the dampness going through our blanket.
So I think that about covers it!
Oh, and I never go to the park without the boys, can’t forget them!!
Sara

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* TONYA * April 6, 2009 at 12:09 pm

Of course I’m a subscriber :)

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* TONYA * April 6, 2009 at 12:13 pm

I wonder if my 3rd time will be a charm trying to post this list? Camera, water, sippy cups, snacks, sunscreen, picnic blanket, bubbles, sand toys, magazine, cell phone, diapers & wipes, tissues.

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Felicia April 6, 2009 at 12:37 pm

I just had my baby in August so now that the weather is clearing up we are just starting to go out. I really don’t know what I must have besides a diaper bag, with diapers, wipes, changing pad, extra outfit, bottles, and clorox wipes. I guess I’ll figure it out as we go out to the parks and things.

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Chrissy April 6, 2009 at 1:16 pm

My must-haves? Juice or water and snacks. Oh, and I keep baby wipes and anti-bacterial gel in the car at all times (my kids aren’t in diapers anymore but baby wipes are sooo convenient! Like for when we go in to get ice-cream, indoor playgrounds, etc.) Now that we are beginning to visit the parks more often, I also keep a towel in the back of the car to wipe down the slides, swings, etc. in case it is still wet (usually is here in Germany!).

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Sarah April 6, 2009 at 2:59 pm

Our must haves for a day out would be food for lunch (because we would have a picnic), wipes, water, a snack, sunscreen and the diaper bag for all the baby essentials for my youngest! Thanks for the chance!

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Mommyishome April 6, 2009 at 4:13 pm

We MUST always have a tube of zinc oxide, as that is what we use as sunscreen, and hats for everyone!

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Mommyishome April 6, 2009 at 4:13 pm

We MUST always have a tube of zinc oxide, as that is what we use as sunscreen, and hats for everyone!

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Jill April 6, 2009 at 7:23 pm

We never leave home without neosporin, band-aids, camera, GoGurt, Fishie Crackers, sunscreen, cell phone, wipes, and water bottles!

Thanks for a Great Giveaway :)

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Jessica April 7, 2009 at 9:16 am

Goodness, what DON’T we take to the park?! blanket, hats, drinks, snacks, wipes, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, travel size first aide kit… (I’m sure there are many others!) Thanks for the giveaway!

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Jessica April 7, 2009 at 9:17 am

I have your button on my blog: www(dot)thekynochs(dot)blogspot(dot)com

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Jaime April 7, 2009 at 1:47 pm

Inevitabley, I leave one or more of these items at home but in a perfect world this would be my “day at the park” list:
- Sunblock (we are not all blessed with olive toned kids!)
- Snacks (cut up fruit or dried fruit and crackers or cereal bars
- Spill proof cup with pop up straw (Nubby)filled with juice/water
- blanket
- sunglasses & iced coffee for mom
- diapers/wipes
- at least one soccer ball usually more

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Heather April 7, 2009 at 3:30 pm

My husband and I throw our beach cruisers on the back of the car and head to the local park. It has a bike path with one side being ocean the other side being all park. We fill up my bike basket with 2 bananas, 2 brownies, 2 waters, a blanket, and a frisbee. It’s a perfect day!

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Maureen April 7, 2009 at 5:24 pm

when I take my three yr old nephew out (which is usually about 2 times a week)–my sister has a 4 yr old and a 3 month old as well, I make sure that I bring along string cheese. He is a very picky eater but will eat string cheese and yogurt. I always want to make sure that if he doesn’t eat the lunch that we have brought with us at least he will have some sort of protein because he loves string cheese.

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Cindi April 8, 2009 at 5:49 pm

Hello! My children are no longer infants or toddlers, so it seems that my necessities are not so complicated! I bag up fresh fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and chips for a quick lunch. We each have our own reusable water bottles to refill at the park. Wet wipes for our faces and hands are an essential,also. Please enter me in your delightful giveaway drawing. Many thanks…..Cini

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Cindi April 8, 2009 at 5:51 pm

“Tweeted!” http://twitter.com/cmh512/status/1480391196.
Again, thanks a bunch!
Cindi

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Cindi April 8, 2009 at 5:53 pm

I am subscribed to your feed via my Google Reader Page!
Merci…..Cindi

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rachel0 April 9, 2009 at 10:15 am

Juice, snacks (preferably Goldfish!), wipes, sunblock, bug spray and we’re there all day!

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JFK April 10, 2009 at 4:35 pm

Must haves include: water or juice, pb&js, sunscreen & purell

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sito April 12, 2009 at 2:56 pm

My must-haves are water, snacks, extra socks, and birdseed, popcorn, or sunflower seeds to leave for birds, squirrels, etc.

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sito April 12, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Lauren April 12, 2009 at 4:48 pm

With my 2 boys, my must haves are sunscreen, drinks and snacks, diapers, and LOTS of wipes! I almost always have my camera with me as well.

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CC April 12, 2009 at 7:49 pm

I subscribe

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CC April 12, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Janet F April 12, 2009 at 9:45 pm

When I take my grandson to the park we take toys, juice, fruit usually a banana, sandwich or slice of pizza, a book, diet coke for me.

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

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Janet F April 12, 2009 at 9:47 pm

Button on sidebar:
http://luckygiveaways.blogspot.com/

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

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Janet Carpenter April 12, 2009 at 9:47 pm

Diapers Wipes Sunblock Umbrella Juice Boxes Cheerios Hand Sanitizer Quilt – for ground or on picnic table Toys Books Crayons Sunglasses
Extra Outfit Extra Shoes (sounds like we’re going away for a week, doesn’t it?)Bug repellant wipes Kleenex Band-aids Wallet Phone Camera
Pen and Paper Whew!

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Janet F April 12, 2009 at 9:48 pm

Subscribed.

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

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Janet Carpenter April 12, 2009 at 9:48 pm

Got your button!

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Janet Carpenter April 12, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Janet Carpenter April 12, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Janet Carpenter April 12, 2009 at 9:53 pm

I subscribed to your rss feed with google reader! Is there a way to subscribe by email? If there is please email me with instructions…thanks!

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Michelle April 13, 2009 at 7:46 am

We HAVE to bring coats, because it’s windy here in Chicago! Enter me!

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LeeAnn P. April 13, 2009 at 10:29 am

What don’t I take along lol? Water, snacks, change of clothes, first aid kit, drawing suppies, books, hand sanitizer, ball, frisbee, sand toys,sunglasses, hats and on and on!
murphykatt[at]yahoo[dot]com

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Katrina April 13, 2009 at 10:36 am

I never go anywhere without sunblock. Florida rays are very strong.

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Nadia April 13, 2009 at 1:58 pm

Our must haves:
- Wipes/diapers
- Sunblock
- Hand Sanitizer
- Hats/sunglasses
- Water bottles
- Snacks/fruits
- Change of clothes

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Nadia April 13, 2009 at 1:59 pm

I suscribed to your feed.

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Karla April 13, 2009 at 2:46 pm

I have a container in the car with: diapers, change of clothes, wipes, hand sanitizer, toys, bib, burp cloths, sunblock, blanket, first aid kit

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jacque April 14, 2009 at 8:42 pm

I would say sun block,camera,book,blanket,wipes,snacks-crackers,fruit rollups,oranges and fruit juice. thanks great giveaway!

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jacque April 14, 2009 at 8:43 pm

i subscribe.

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Tricia M. April 15, 2009 at 9:09 am

My baby is 13. But, I still carry wipes in my purse. I think diaper wipes are impossible to live without. Great for a quick hand wipe, etc.

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Whitney April 15, 2009 at 10:02 am

Our must haves right now include the basic baby stuff (wipes, diapers, formula) but also BabyBanz, sunscreen, and something to teeth on.

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Misty April 15, 2009 at 2:25 pm

I have a picnic basket I found last year at a garage sale that I keep a little bit of everything in. We have diapers, wipes, medicine, band-aids, cups, juice, water, snacks (for me too), a blanket, changing pad, plastic bags for wet clothes, paper towels, a change of clothes, some pediasure, I am sure there is more but can’t possibly think what. We also have a basket of toys for the park like our football and frisbee, and sunglasses. I think my little guy is a vampire :) he tell me “sun so bright, hurt my eyes” kids!

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ecky April 15, 2009 at 3:15 pm

must haves for me: lots of snacks and water. change of socks. sun hat and winter hat cause you never know what the weather will do.

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Rebecca April 17, 2009 at 10:08 am

Hmmm. I guess the one thing I ALWAYS make sure I have are antibacterial wipes for any outing. I have a 12 month old, so I still have to take diapers and a change of clothes and some snacks, too! We love to go to the park.

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Vicki Wurgler April 20, 2009 at 8:52 am

juice or water, snacks, sunscreen and wet wipes-thanks for your giveaway

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Ruth Ann April 21, 2009 at 6:46 am

Along with many of the items mentioned, I must have my little Leatherman Micro pocket tool. It’s so handy to have scissors, a small knife, tweezers, small screw driver (perfect for that little screw on glasses), larger screw driver (great for the screws on toys’ battery compartments). So much usefulness in such a small package.

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