Long Vacation with/without Baby: What to Pack

We’re heading on our first family vacation and will be visiting 3 different countries for 2 weeks! Packing for baby, yourself, AND making sure your partner and house is together, is a lot. Lol! I am the biggest procrastinator when it comes to packing but this time, I decided to get my stuff together early! I put this blog post together to share how I packed our belongings and tips to minimize clothes while making sure you don’t forget the things you absolutely need.

PACKING CUBES:

First off, I ordered all of us packing cubes for the first time. Literally one of the best ideas ever! I feel super organized and I’m hoping it’ll help to stay that way while traveling and staying in different Airbnb’s. I used each cube for different things. This is how I separated them.

1. Outfits

2. Chill/Night clothes

3. Underwear and bras

4. Makeup and hair

5. Shoes

The cubes I purchased were from Amazon and they were super affordable and helped my organized my suitcase really well. I purchased the Packing Cubes VAGREEZ 7 Pcs Travel Luggage Packing Organizers for myself and the Lightweight 6 Pcs Packing Cubes System for Ryann and my husband.

BABY MUST HAVES:

When packing Ryann’s clothes, I packed the same way. (Obviously no makeup for her) I also made sure I didn’t forget these item:

Tylenol

Vitamin D

Saline Drops

Thermometer

Pampers

Wipes

Baby detergent

Sunscreen (if you’re visiting someone hot)

PACKING TIPS:

First off let me just saying that having a baby really change your life. LOL! I never cared so much about packing early, organizing my suitcase, or even getting to the airport at a decent time. It gets real. But, here are a few tips I used that I think made packing easy and allowed me to stay under the weight limit for my checked bag:

• Pack by the outfits: If you have an idea of where you’re visiting, think of colors/weather and plan your outfits out. Only pack those things. If you have to think about it or don’t know for sure you’ll be wearing it, save room and TAKE IT OUT!

• Bring 2 to 3 pair of shoes ONLY: Including the pair your wear to the airport! When planning out your outfits, plan out your shoes too. Pack shoes that you can wear with just about anything. TIP: Solid black and/or white shoes are ideal because they go with just about everything! Additionally, pack a cute pair of heels or loafers to go with your dressier outfits.

• Minimize your outfits: If possibly, create outfits by using the same pieces. Especially if you’re traveling for a longer period of time. EXAMPLE: If you have a slip dress or jumpsuit, create two outfits by wearing a T-shirt under of over it another day.

• Make a list!: Use your notes in your phone or write down things you can’t forget or want to pack as you think of them. Once it’s time to pack, take a look at your notes and make sure you have those things. *I usually check each of them off when I know they’re in my suitcase. I went over the list a million times before leaving.

PARENTS:

• Use an easy travel stroller: Find a stroller that allows you to get through and around easier. Something that breaks down easily and can be carried on the plane is super convenient. I ended up buying The Clutch Stroller by Delta’s Children. It had great reviews and breaks down into the size of a grocery bag so prayerfully it’s exactly what I need. *I’ll review this when I get back*

• Use diaper bag as your carry on: If you’re traveling with baby, try to pack everything you need in a checked bag so that you don’t have to walk around the airport with baby AND a bunch of other bags, stroller, etc etc. I ended up packing my personal items that I needed into Ryann’s diaper.

• Snacks:  Bring baby (and yourself) some snacks for the plane because it may be hard AND expensive to find something at the airport and on the plane.

DON’T FORGET TO PACK THESE ITEMS:

Sometimes we remember all the super important things that we forget about the little things that we would actually appreciate.

• PASSPORT AND IDENTIFICATION – this is actually important and should be put somewhere you know you wouldn’t leave the house without seeing it

• Corkscrew – for those awkward moments when you just bought a bottle of wine and can’t find one in the Airbnb or hotel and now you’re stuck trying to stick a knife (or anything) in there to get the bottle open

• Sanitary Wipes

• Books, laptop, tablet – something to stay busy during the flight

• Small blanket – if you can because airplanes can get pretty chilly and if you’re on a long flight having a blanket may make things a bit more comfortable

• Ladies: Feminine products, hair bonnet/scarf – because, self-explanatory!

Hopefully this was helpful! As always, share, comment, like, and subscribe!

Until next time,

Kenniqua