Mom and Kids Packing Tips

Let’s be honest for a second. In most cases, moms have to pack not only for themselves but also for all of their kiddos.  I remember gearing up for a trip with Aaron and being so excited that I had already planned out my outfits and knew exactly what I needed to pack. Then I remembered… I still had to pack for my three kids who’d be staying at their grandparents’ house during my trip.  Womp womp. 

As I prepare for an upcoming trip, I have made lots of mental notes as well as physical notes and lists in order to best prepare myself for the trip.  I’m also trying out a few new things that will hopefully make the trip a little smoother.  We’ll be driving for a long length of time, then spending a few days away before journeying back home. With two out of three kiddos having medical issues, that adds in another element to packing.  Then having one non-potty trained kid also adds another loop to prepare for.

For the first time, I’m trying out some packing cubes.  I’ve read so much about these from other bloggers and I wasn’t really sure they made the cut for what was “mandatory” in packing.  And maybe they aren’t really mandatory, but I do feel like they will aid in packing organization which is sometimes worth its weight in gold.  I’m a planner and I like to know EXACTLY where my things are so that I can take mental inventory and know where something is.  When things are out of place, my mind feels unsettled until I find that item.  This sounds OCD and maybe you assume I live in a spotless house, but I don’t.  I have three kids, remember?  :)

I looked up the various versions of packing cubes and settled on my go-to: the cheaper option that gives me the most bags.  In this certain set, I got four packing cubes plus a small drawstring bag that could be for shoes or some dirty clothes.  It’s not that big, so it really probably won’t be for many dirty clothes, but maybe it’ll help me keep track of my kiddos’ dirty socks or something.  I usually prefer to pack spare shoes in gallon zip lock bags, so I don’t think I’ll be using the small fabric bag for shoes—I’m not even sure my shoes would actually fit in the bag.  However, overall this set was a great value because other sets (which cost as much as $10 to $20 more) only included three packing cubes.  Four is really ideal for me because it allows me to use one for my clothes, and one for the clothes of each of my kids.  The bags are all different sizes, which at this moment in my life, is convenient because my kids and myself are all different sizes.  The cube I’ll be using for Avery is quite small which is okay for now since her clothes are all very small.  I might have to make some adjustments (or buy more sets) as my kids grow, but I’m excited to use these for this timeframe we’re in where the cubes seem to match our sizes. 

My ultimate goal is to be able to get these cubes into one duffel bag since I’m a little short on suitcase space during the trip.  Whether I’m able to fit all four into one duffel bag or if I have to split them into two bags, it will still be so nice to have one bag designated for each of us and to know right away whose clothes pile is whose. 

I have made a written list of how many shirts and pants, etc. to pack for each of us to last us a couple days at which point we can do laundry and wear the same clothes for the second half of the trip.  I can’t actually pack for my kids until later because none of my kids have very many pairs of pants so right now they’re wearing their pants this week as we go about our daily routines, then I’ll wash and dry everything the night before we leave, after I’ve laid out their clothes for that next day.

A few trips ago, I discovered that it was helpful to group certain types of medicines together in gallon bags.  It was easier to bring whatever bag I needed on any specific trip, but I also choose to keep all of my children-medicine separated in these gallon bags in my medicine closet for easy inventory and easy grabbing when needed at home.  So far, I have three bags specific to medicines. 

One bag is for cough medicines.  Michael uses a diabetic version of cough syrup (without extra sugar), we have our standard Mucinex liquid, I have a Zarbee’s honey version which seems to help Noah, and I just bought a new type of cough suppressant called Mucinex Easy Melts and it’s like a Pixi-stick of medicine.  These have actually worked wonders on Noah over the last couple of days. 

In another bag, I have allergy medications.  We have liquid Benadryl, liquid Zyrtec (Noah takes this almost daily), we have Benadryl chewable tablets for Michael since those don’t spike his blood sugar as much as the liquid does.

In the third bag, I have the common collection of pain medications. We have liquid Tylenol, liquid Motrin, Motrin tablets (for the boys), ear pain drops, and a thermometer. I also include some oral syringes and liquid medicine dosage cups. 

I took inventory of all these medications this week and replaced any expired versions (which is when I found the cough Pixi-stick things, and I bought a cheap thermometer to take if I didn’t want to take our forehead scanner thermometer. 

I do have a fourth bag which is kind of what started me on this mindset of packing things in gallon bags.  This original bag is my diabetes and allergy medical supply bag.  I have Noah’s epi-pen and possibly a spare.  I have a few different insulin pump site changes for Michael and a spare continuous glucose monitor sensor.  Along with these things I have alcohol wipes, adhesive wipes, adhesive patches, insulin syringes, pen needle caps, AAA batteries, etc.  On the day we leave, I’ll pack a spare insulin vial and a certain type of insulin pen just in case his insulin pump fails.  These things will be in a cooler.

As we travel, all of the medical supplies will be kept with me.  I do not store them in a cartop carrier or in a suitcase buried underneath clothes.  They take up a separate tote bag that I keep within easy site and easy reach as I travel.  Being prepared with these medical supplies has really helped alleviate some stress on us as we travel.  We can begin to treat nearly any medical problem that comes along as long as we have these bags with us.

On a separate note, I am always looking for ways to make the trips more enjoyable (or at least more bearable) for my kids.  This can be as simple as packing some low-mess snacks for car rides and letting them each bring their favorite blanket and pillow from their bed.  Cozying up with a blanket that smells familiar and that they associate with comfort really can do wonders for them.  I’ve also started having them pack their own toys (I’ll still pack for Avery).  This puts some responsibility on them.  They each have a drawstring bag that I plan to have them use for their toys to take.  I do bring along some portable DVD players and headphones, and I pick out a wide variety of movies to bring.  I stack the movies in a small cardboard box—usually the box from Aaron’s coffee shipments is a perfect size to line up several DVD cases.  I choose movies (seasonal and non), and a few DVD series (PAW Patrol, Super Mario Brothers, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), and a few of my favorites just in case I get a chance to watch a movie after we arrive to our destination. 

This time around, I made it a point to order a few new toys and non-electronic entertainment for the ride.  I ordered a Captain Underpants version of a Find-It game.  Find-It games are so neat.  They’re a big plastic transparent cylinder full of beads and then lots of hidden items.  You can twirl the cylinder back and forth to find the items.  I randomly bought a generic version of one of these Find-It games at a consignment sale, and when I saw this Captain Underpants themed version, I knew Michael would love it.  I have not told him that I bought this, so I’m hoping it’s a good surprise.  Both boys like playing with the Melissa and Doug reusable sticker pads.  They’re huge sticker sets with cling-stickers and different scenes (like transportation and habitats) that kids can create scenery over and over.  I bought a set of these for a road trip a few years ago, and they still use them now.  So I stocked up a couple new sets (a town set which includes a school and a firehouse which Noah will flip over!) and a Make-a-Face, Make-a-Sweet, and Make-a-Meal sets.  I’m hoping these provide some hours of entertainment along our way.

I’ve also been very cautious with how much I’ve looked at my HGTV magazines and I plan to bring these with me to read once we arrive.  I also hope to get to the library to check out a couple books before I go.

I hope this has been helpful and maybe has given you a few new ideas on how to pack for a trip!  If you’ve got any packing tips or tricks for organization or for keeping kiddos entertained for long stretches, I’d love to hear them!

Until Next Time,

Love, Reba