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I recently returned from a month-long journey with my two kids. We stayed in three cities in two states. I’m no stranger to packing up my little clan to go on the road. Both Hubby’s and my parents live in different states so we’ve made a lots of trips like this. I wrote about one trip to Louisiana last year. I’ll plan to write more about tips for plane and car rides in the future, but today’s post focuses on packing tips for kids.
1. Pack light. This is what you hear when anyone gives advice about traveling, but it’s especially true with small kids. I’d recommend one outfit per day with up to 3 extras depending on their propensity for becoming a mess. Remember you can always wash clothes if you must. If you’re without a washing machine, their clothes are small so spot cleaning something in the sink usually isn’t a big deal. If you are visiting family, people may give hand me downs or gifts that you might even want to use anyway.
2. Pack by outfit into slider bags. I tried this on my trip and it helped me stay organized. I packed an outfit along with accessories like a bib, socks, bows, or legwarmers in each bag. This keeps everything together and prevents you from digging through a suitcase full of tiny clothes for what you want. It will make things go quickly in the mornings so you can spend your time enjoying your destination and not fretting over finding a matching pair of baby pants.
3. And hang bags at your destination. I really struggle with living out of a messy suitcase. Perhaps it’s my strong dislike for folding. I discovered that the slider bags will easily hang from a clip hanger. Not only does this make finding what you’re looking for even easier, it also helps keep the bags up and away from babies who may be inclined to play with them.
4. Share your suitcase. If you’re traveling by air and bringing more than one suitcase, distribute everyone’s clothes evenly across bags. This is a little trick to make sure that if a bag gets lost, one person isn’t stuck without anything to wear. If you’re checking just one, try slipping one spare outfit (or at least a change of underwear) in your carry-on bag.
5. Inventory small toys. My three-year-old is a nut for small toys that can be easily lost. To prevent disasters like a forgotten toy frog under the airplane seat, inventory what you’re bringing so you know what to look for when it’s time to go. Use those slider bags to make small groups of toys and write what your are bringing on the outside. Of course, pack light on toys. And you might want to save dearly loved toys the trouble of travel altogether.
6. Take some non-toy toys. My son can be entertained by a balloon for longer than most of his actual toys. I love to carry a few balloons to whip out if boredom sets in. They are especially useful at a hotel or a home that’s not used to kids and might have breakable items. Post-it notes are a mess-free alternative to stickers and can be used for drawing, making easy DIY lift-the-flap books, or games for all ages. (As with everything, just make sure small babies are supervised if they are near balloons or other choking hazards!)
7. Pack your own storage. These IKEA drawer organizer boxes are one of my favorite things to slip into my suitcase. They zip flat so they are super-easy to bring. When you get to your destination, just unzip and you have useful storage for small items, It could also be used as a Treasure Basket!
8. Ship your sposies (and anything else you can). If you’re tight on space, why not order your diapers (or other baby products that take up a lot of space) and have them delivered to your destination! Remember, Sweetbottoms always does free shipping to any U.S. address. It is feasible to bring your cloth diapers when traveling, but you just have to weigh the pros and cons of your situation. On this particular trip, I did regular disposables for my son and my covers with disposable inserts for the baby girl.
9. Pack your favorite hand/surface cleaner. I’ll admit, I’m not much a germaphobe. I typically don’t hand sanitize and I’m somewhat permissive about germ sharing. Whatever your personal preference is, I recommend upping your clean game when you’re on the road. That’s because your really, really, really don’t want your kids sick while you’re not at home. It’s the worst. So bring something to wipe down the airplane seat and make sure Uncle Sneezy washes his hands. (Try All-Natural CleanWell! I forgot it on the way down there and so I had the SBB ladies send me some for the trip back. I love it!)
10. Pack a dirty clothes bag. I actually use my Planet Wise wet bags as dirty laundry bags even at home. It’s nice to contain small, dirty items in portable bag that contains odors and won’t get moldy. So bringing them on the road makes sense for the same reasons. And, yes, I have actually had wet, dirty baby clothes grow mold in a laundry basket–the humidity in South Louisiana is no joke.
Hopefully a few of these packing tips will help you out on your next trip. Please share more ideas in the comments below!
