Perhaps you saw the recent news (no, revelation) of a formula statisticians had alighted on to figure out the likelihood of a backseat tantrum on a long car journey with the little ones?
Indeed, T = 70 + 0.5E + 15F – 10S aims to offer both predictions and solutions for those inevitable breakdowns that happen when ”are we there yet?” has been exhausted and the road trip has lost its novelty value.
But if you’re not much of a mathematician and words are more your medium, then might we interest you in the below?
When you’re getting ready to travel with kids, it’s only natural that you’re itching to get out of the house and start your vacation. However, in the rush to get out, important items can get left behind.
Foresight is key, here, if you want to ensure that everything goes smoothly during your trip. Trying to squeeze everything but the kitchen sink into a kid’s size suitcase while having young children following around can, quite frankly, be exhausting.
It’s essential to remember a certain Spanish proverb when sorting out your packing; ‘’on a long journey, even a straw weighs heavy’’. And in the wrong hands, if that straw is attached to a sippy cup, things can get very weighty indeed. That’s before you’ve deployed these; our 8 packing hacks for parents travelling with young children.
HAVE A STROLLER ORGANIZER BAG
Stroller organizer bags are hugely convenient for parents on the go. You can pack diapers, snacks, toys, and battles in the bag, with the simple stroller organization system helping you keep everyday essentials in one place, easily to hand, but also separate.
Designed to hang neatly off the stroller’s handles, you can access all your young child’s must-have items at the flick of a wrist. The best thing is that stroller organizer bags often double up both as a crossbody bag and as a micro changing bag.
With regards to the stroller, be sure to check that yours is suitable for wherever you are traveling to. For instance, consider if it will need to pack up small for stowing on a plane or a train, or perhaps it will need to cope well on rough terrain if you are going to be off-roading. You can check out blog articles such as this nunababy article to get ideas for a versatile stroller if needed.
PACKING CUBES TO PACK YOUR CLOTHES
Are you tired of packing your suitcase and worrying about creases in your little one’s clothes? If so, then try using packing cubes to pack your clothes. Packing cubes are great because they allow you to separate all the items you will take with you during your trip into different compartments. This way, everything is organised, and cleanliness won’t be an issue when it comes time to use them again; pop them out of their cube.
TAKE BLANKETS AND CUDDLY TOYS AS EXTRA PROTECTION FOR YOUR KIDS
If you have a child who is afraid of flying, taking a blanket and a cuddly toy along is a sensible idea. The blanket will keep them calm, while the toy will be there to comfort them when they get scared. Since planes are usually pretty cold, the blanket will be a very welcome, snuggly relief for your little one.
On that note, we all know how much kids love to kick off their shoes once seated on a bus, train or plane. Packing warm socks is a good idea, then, so their tootsies don’t freeze!
Read: 7 IDEAL tips for sleeping on the plane
PACK MULTIPLE SILICONE BOTTLES FOR BABY’S MILK
The last thing that you want to happen when travelling with children is to have them get hungry or thirsty and you find that you’re a long way from a shop.
A simple hack for parents who are travelling with young children is to make sure you travel with baby bottles filled with breast milk, water, juice, formula, or any other drink your child enjoys. You should probably bring multiple silicone bottles for their milk. They are BPA-free, lightweight, break-resistant, non-t, odourless, and transparent. Additionally, silicone bottles are easy to assemble and disassemble, making them a great travel companion for those looking for their suitcases to be compact.
PORTABLE, PACKABLE SNACKS
Bringing portable baby food is important; however, it can take too much space in your bag. Try to avoid anything with lots of sugar or salt, the former leading to a massive high then a crushing, crashing low, the latter causing headaches and dehydration. You don’t want either.
Instead of packing sauce containers and baby food jars, try bringing GoGo SqueeZ or Ella’s Kitchen fruit pouches. These leak-proof, easy-to-carry snacks come in individually sealed 100% BPA-free packages. The package has holes on each side for airflow, making them perfect for road trips, plane rides, or any other trip that might take you far away from home.
To ensure the safety of the food you packed, double-bag it tightly in Ziploc bags and put it inside an insulated lunch box. This way, the microwaved, pureed food will stay warm.
If that sounds like a bit of a faff, consider packing something light but nourishing, that’s tightly compacted, doesn’t take up too much room and won’t perish on the road, such as organic rice cereals, low-sugar granola bars, crackers, or healthy versions of popcorn.
BRING THEIR FAVORITE PILLOW
We get used to particular pillows when we sleep, with their size and softness bringing the comfort of familiarity. We all know how vital having a comfortable place to sleep is while travelling or on road trips. If your little ones are not fond of sleeping on hotel pillows, then bring their favourite pillow with you on vacation.
Bringing inflatable pillows can help, too, if you’re really short on space, as they take up less space and can be deflated easily.
BRING YOUR CHILD’S FAVOURITE TOY
Saving the most obvious advice for last; sometimes, kids get bored when you take them on vacation. To prevent this from happening, make sure you bring their favourite toys. In the case of young children, try bringing ones that stimulate their senses because these toys are designed in such a way that they attract children’s attention and keep them occupied and entertained on long journeys.
NOMINATE A PACKER
Since you’re here with us, going over these hacks, we think it’s safe to assume that you’ve been allocated the noble role of taking care of the kid’s packing. In case you haven’t, it’s always a good idea when travelling with young children to nominate one packer in the family, to ensure that stuff doesn’t get double packed or forgotten. Make it one parent’s responsibility, and stick to it.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Kids need stuff. And so much of it. But your trip will be vastly improved by packing light and only bringing with you what you absolutely need. Of course, medical necessities, snacks, and entertainment are essential, but does the little one really need his lightsaber, superman cape and doll’s house in the back of the car?
A final word on timing; if you’re like us, and you like to take your packing right down to the wire (sometimes still finessing it on the way to the airport), then you’ll know that this last minute approach does you no favours in terms of space saving, particularly when you’re going on holiday with the whole family.
Better in the long term, we think, to pack methodically and with time to spare, allowing plenty of time to squeeze in those vital, extras and sieve out the unnecessaries. Speaking of which, here are 5 IDEAL tips on packing perfectly for your next trip.