So many people ask me how I pack so quickly for trips and comment on how efficiently I pack! I'm no expert at packing, but I do have a system for our family of SIX. Ever since Emma was small we took her with us wherever we went, and when the others came along we did the same. Since I am an organizational freak, I pack everything for everyone-except Jody more recently. So, here are my tips on traveling with 4 kiddos, a husband and occasionally our dogs...
1. Call ahead to where you are going and see what they already have for you to use for bedding-whether it be family, friends, hotels, etc. Until recently we had to bring a pack-n-play for Jack, if wherever we were staying had one, great I didn't have to lug one with us. Also all our kiddos have blow up airbeds with bedding & a pillow so we only have to grab those if they are needing to sleep on the floor.
2. Never pack too much stuff-so contrary to everything I've ever heard or did with Emma (just one). I pack ONE outfit for everyday, pajamas for every two days and enough panties & socks for ONE day each too. I'm always able to do laundry while we're gone if I want to, so why bring so much stuff!
3. I always dress my kiddos in comfy or sweatsuit kinda clothes for the trip-they wear them on the way to and on the way back from our destination. A pair of pants, t-shirt or long sleeve shirt and a sweatshirt lately.
4. I pack a snack bag with not just snacks, but water & fruit, occassionally candy, but my kiddos go crazy with any sugar so we keep it at a minimum in the car. We've gotten stuck many times on the interstate and kiddos always wake up and get hungry! Plus it keeps us drivers awake and alert!
5. I pack 2 pairs of shoes for each kiddo, one for them to wear in the car and one for them to wear once we are there. I gave up a long time ago trying to match shoes with every outfit, who has the time to do that anyway and the room you will save! This past trip we took we went to the mountains to Jody's familys' cabin, so I packed the kiddos rubber boots and ONE pair of tennis shoes and it worked out great!
6. I made all my kiddos a travel pillow to take with us on trips, they are small and light-weight, they also each bring a blanket in case they get cold in the car (I also do this for me :-).
7. I allow my kiddos to bring ONE stuffed animal/toy with them on trips-less to keep us with and less to lug around :)
8. I have paper/coloring books & colored pencils (crayons will melt and ruin car seats) for them to use while driving. We also have 2 dvd players for the car that we use on long trips to keep them occupied.
9. I have a car bag that I always keep in the car, but I re-check and re-stock it before we go on trips. I have a few of EVERYTHING in there for a long trip-band-aids, antiseptic spray, Tylenol, Ibuprofen (I use the chewable so you don't have to worry about spilling the meds while driving), wipes, antibacterial bottle, Pepto for kiddos, extra napkins, allergy medicine, Benadryl, etc. I try to find the smallest or travel size and keep them in a bag in the center console of the car. I even keep extra diapers just in case!
10. We like to drive at night, kiddos sleep, less traffic and you don't have to worry about spending a lot of money eating out on the road!
11. This is my favorite tip: I wash everything before we leave-the only dirty clothes are the clothes we have on. I also clean our house from top to bottom...no mess to come home to!
12. I always re-pack everything for the way home...I use the kiddos backpacks and designate them dirty or clean clothes (including mine & Jody's), that way when we get home I put the "dirty" clothes bags in the laundry room and the "clean" clothes bags straight upstairs and the kiddos put their clothes away while we finish unpacking the car.
13. Each kiddo has their own bag, usually a bookbag-all their stuff goes in it!
14. I pack a sippy cup or Nalgene cup for every kiddo, for in the car and to use while we are there and usually a small cooler (Jody's lunch cooler) to keep things cold.
15. No matter what time we get home, we ALWAYS unpack the car as soon as we get home. I try to throw a load in the washer and get the clothes going too. I find it easier to do it then, rather than starting off with a huge mess to deal with later!
16. While we are away from home I have a dirty clothes pile and try to keep our stuff somewhat organized. So much easier to re-pack for the trip home!
17. We don't tell our kiddos about any trip usually until the day of or maybe a few days before, it's becoming more difficult with Emma to hide things, but that way they aren't bugging us every second!
These are all tips that work for our family, sometimes I can't use all my tips (deviate), but it works for us!
What are some of your packing/traveling with kiddos tips?
September 2nd Lizzy turned the big FIVE years old! She had asked me a few months ago to make her a birthday outfit (she has confidence in me!)...she was very specific. She wanted a long skirt, I thought it was too long, but it's what the "birthday girl" wanted! She wanted a shirt to match with the number "5" on it so everyone would know she was 5, and she wanted her hair up in a "ball" like a princess! Here she is the day before her birthday in her "birthday outfit"...she doesn't have school on Fridays so we wore it a day early to celebrate at school), she made it clear to everyone that it wasn't her birthday that day that it was "tomorrow, September 2nd"! We decided not to have a birthday party this year because she was able to have one last year and Anna was not (this year is Anna's turn). But I was able to bring cupcakes & balloons to her preschool so we could celebrate there and she was beyond excited!!!
