Maybe it’s the inundation of ads I’ve been seeing constantly since the weekend, or maybe it’s the lengthy text I just sent to a friend offering some (solicited) packing tips for an upcoming holiday trip… but travel GEAR is on my mind. The holiday season is upon us and if you’re traveling with kids this season then you know that you probably won’t be traveling light. We’ve just returned from several trips with the kids and as I unpack and prepare to re-pack for our next flight I thought I’d share some of our favorite gear for travel with multiple kids (and how to lighten your load). [We ALWAYS try to pack light. Before we were married, my husband once packed an electric pencil sharpener (like the large ones used in classrooms) for a trip to Panama. So… he’s really down-sized since having kids.] If you’re traveling with an infant, you may also want to check out this checklist of important items.
So, this is where I went wrong: I ordered two different colors of blue for my kids… I really like blue, obviously. File this one under “good ideas that I’ve executed poorly”
★Packing Cubes
I used to think packing cubes were a waste of money but now, with two kids, I’m pretty much sold on anything that can make my life more efficient/organized since I can barely remember my own name. Each of our kids have different color cubes to make for easy retrieval of items on the go and to try to organize clothes at our destination. Artos Collections recently sent us a hanging cube to review and we’re sold (they’re packing cubes that hang up at the destination, preventing toddlers from “reorganizing” all the clothes).
★Collapsible Wagon
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: best purchase for travel with kids. It’s airplane friendly, collapses with the pull of one hand, and can be gate-checked. The Radio-Flyer model that we have has a detachable sun canopy, which is #goals for protecting your kids’ skin on adventures! I’ll also add that we have, on multiple occasions, carried one of our daughters in her car seat inside of the wagon- something that I’ve never seen a normal stroller capable of doing with a toddler-sized car seat. (**This is definitely a DO AT YOUR OWN RISK maneuver; we always walk slowly with the other parent right behind).
If I’m not bringing the wagon I’ll opt for a cheap ($15-20) umbrella stroller, sometimes purchased at my destination and then donated before I leave.
Some misc. items that we never travel without (and we’ve traveled without them in the past and quickly realized our mistake):
★Noise machines. There are portable noise machines and apps for the phone, but we travel with two Marpac Dohm Classic machines and they’re not small. We know the importance of keeping to routine while traveling and our kids notice the difference if it’s not the white noise they’re familiar with. Most other things can be modified to mimic their home sleep environment (like this method for make-shift blackout curtains) but lost sleep on top of the challenges of travel with kids can be a nightmare so we try to avoid it.
★Kids’ body wash and my daughter’s electric toothbrush. My kids have sensitive skin, so rather than use random products offered from the accommodations I bring a little bit of their soap. I use empty prescription pill bottles (you know, the little orange ones) and fill it with their soap. This also works well for lotion. It’s never leaked. I also fill one with the dish washing liquid I use for bottles. Obviously, this is for shorter trips– if we’ll be in one spot for several weeks then I’ll just wait and buy it at the destination (unless we’re traveling abroad because they might not sell the same brand there). My toddler now uses an electric toothbrush at home and we use it on trips just to stick to routine.
★I never skimp on SNACKS. Often I think I’m being crazy by packing too many but we almost always go through them. Kids Eat in Color once suggested that you fill each compartment of a weekly pill organizer with snacks (and she notes specific snacks that are good for air travel). I’ve used this with my toddler and it’s fun for her and is a small, portable way to bring a variety of foods.
★We travel with baby monitors, unless we’re staying in a hotel and know that the kids won’t be in the room unsupervised. At home we use video monitors, but when we travel we use cheap, portable ones.
★Luggage scale. Most airlines make you pay for everything these days, which makes space in checked bags a hot commodity. We travel with a small luggage scale so that we can weigh our luggage in order to transfer items between bags so that we don’t end up paying an exorbitant overage fee for baggage.
★Car seat backpacks. This is another thing that was initially a hard sell for me but has proven invaluable, especially when I’m flying with the kids but without my husband. When I’m solo-parenting, I carry one carseat on my back and put the other on the collapsible wagon until I can check them ASAP.
★External battery pack. You’ll likely have some sort of tablet with you if traveling with kids (**highly advised), and you’ll have your phones of course, so bringing an external battery pack for charging on the go is always a good idea.
