Kid-friendly travel essentials
By Nichole DeMario as seen in Mom to Mom
With the summer traveling season upon us, I got to thinking about traveling with kids. When I became a parent, I knew that I wanted to make travel and experiences a staple of our little family’s lives. Early on with my twins’ I tried to get as comfortable as possible with outings. I wanted them comfortable being on the go whenever possible and within reason. I’d pack our bag trying to think through incidentals and what was needed during that time of day and go. I borrowed ideas from other moms and parents with young children and multiples and tried and perfected as we went. That laid a great foundation for extensive travel.
I was really uncertain when to rip the band aid off and just go on a trip. My sister decided to have an East Coast destination wedding. My twins would be four-months-old. It seemed we had our bandaid moment and I’m so grateful for it. I couldn’t hem and haw. And this is where my advice comes in.
I start any trip with a notebook or pad of paper in a central place at least a week or more before a trip. Every time we use an item in our regular routine, I write it down. This helps to ensure the essentials are covered. I lay out outfits based on number of days and scheduled activities, plus backups if I know we won’t have access to a washer and dryer. I keep toys, etc. to a minimum. Now that my twins are older, I usually pack a few favorites, comfort items (i.e. blanket they sleep with) and books. I’m also a huge fan of having their bag out ahead of time and slowly adding list items over the course of several days. Then I repack it and check my list right before we leave.
Here are a few staple items that have served us well over the last couple years:
Breastmilk storage bags - for their obvious purpose, but also when your kids transition to regular milk! it’s a great way to measure out what they need and have it bag to cup ready. We never had to worry about if a restaurant had milk available or making a stop along the way.
Reusable microwave sterilizer bags - bottle parts, pump parts, sippy cup parts, pacifiers…these bags are so versatile. Whether you’re in a space with a proper sink or utilizing a hotel bathroom sink, these bags were/are tremendously useful.
Mesh beach bag - I know there are a few viral hard plastic bags, but I found a great mesh beach bag that has pockets galore that I’ll continue to rave over. Sand shakes right out, plus it’s machine washable. For non beach trips, it’s awesome for corralling selected toys and books. It’s lightweight and when not in use folds fairly flat. It was a no brainer for me.
Travel/packing organizers - Maybe this is a gimme, but I won’t travel without these. My kids are still young so right now they share an organizer. All their outfits (again folded by day) go in a bag together. Another bag keeps necessary accessories like bathing suits, sun hats, etc. tidy We don’t have to go digging through the entire suitcase to get what we need. So simple, yet so helpful.
Laundry bag - I’m one of those neurotic individuals who likes to empty my suitcase fairly quickly when I get home from a destination especially when it comes to laundry. I started packing a laundry bag or two separating clothing items so all I need to do is dump the bag in the washer and we’re good to go.
So if you’re on the fence if you should go or not, my two cents - go. You have to take care of your kids anyway, may as well be in a fun destination making memories. With a little extra planning and prep it’s sure to be a good time. Happy trails and safe travels.