Tips for Packing Your Child’s Suitcase for a Vacation  

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Tips for Packing Your Child’s Suitcase for a Vacation  

With the New Year now here, you’re probably starting to think about the vacations you and your family can take in 2019. While it’s exciting planning out where you’ll go and what you’ll do, make sure you spend some time considering how to effectively pack your child’s suitcase when the time comes, too. This will ensure you have a more stress-free and economical trip away and concentrate on the fun times at hand. Read on for some packing tips you can follow.  

Research 

The first step to take is to do your research. With just a little time and effort searching on Google, reading books or speaking with a travel agent, you can find out the likely weather in your vacation destination, including if the temperature tends to change a lot in one day or not as well as any particular cultural or other customs you need to adhere to. Do this in advance, so there are no surprises or worries when you’re in the country. 

Part of your research, which you’ll no doubt be doing anyway, should be coming up with a list of activities you plan to do while you’re away. This helps with the packing situation because it means you can put in suitable clothing, shoes and other accessories which will be needed for various outings. For instance, you may need to pack good quality toddler sneakers for your child for long days out and about exploring cities or thermals for time spent in the snow on the slopes.  

Another thing to research is the luggage limit imposed by airlines or the size of rental car trunks. Know this information in advance, so you can keep your child’s luggage to a suitable size and weight and not be stuck having to pay extra fees or attempting to cram everything into a trunk.  

Get Kids Involved in the Process 

Consider getting your kids involved in the packing process. This doesn’t make the packing any easier, but it has other benefits. For example, children typically become more excited about trips away when they help to pack their gear for it.  

If they haven’t traveled much before and are feeling anxious about leaving home and being in a different environment, getting involved in the packing process can ease their fears. They will see that their familiar toys or favorite books and activities will be making the journey with them. Plus, encouraging them to think about which comfort items they want to take with them can give them a sense of control in a situation that may otherwise feel rather uncontrollable to them.  

Put Together a Packing List to Ensure You Don’t Forget Anything 

Next, most parents find getting ready for vacations easier if they create a packing list in advance that can be referred to, to ensure nothing important gets left behind. Make a note of everything you think your child will need on the trip, including during flights or car journeys. 

Don’t forget to factor in, in addition to clothing and toiletries, things like medicines (e.g. spare asthma inhalers), a first-aid kit and any documentation you could require, such as copies of passports or scripts for extra/replacement medicine.  

Concentrate on Versatility 

When deciding which clothes to pack for your young one, it’s always wise to concentrate on versatility. Put together combinations of mix-and-match clothes in neutral colors which can be worn in multiple combinations. Each piece should work with at least two to three other items.  

This means you don’t have to pack or carry as much and that when your children get clothes dirty, such as spilling ice cream on their tee, you only need to change out part of the outfit.  

Pack Different Outfit Pieces Together 

Another packing tip is to put whole outfits together in the suitcase. For example, put matching pieces together in individual see-through packing cubes or plastic bags, so when you or your child grab their clothing for the day, there’s no need to go hunting through and messing up the whole suitcase to look for articles of clothing that go together.  

Don’t Take What You Can Hire or Buy Cheaply While Away 

Lastly, keep in mind that there’s usually no point packing bulky and/or heavy gear for your children, such as strollers, fold-up cribs, car seats, heavy ski jackets or boots and other items. You’ll usually be able to hire what you need while you’re away (there are many gear rental services catering to tourists these days), or you could even buy some cheap gear secondhand if you’ll be traveling overseas for weeks or months at a time.