Packing For A Toddler
Our cruise vacation is getting closer every day. Being a Type A personality as I am I like to be very prepared for our vacations. This means I have an all purpose packing list saved on my computer and a play-by-play in my head of how the packing (and vacation) timeline will go. Now it usually doesn’t go as planned, and I end up staying up late the night before we go getting everything ready, but I try. I have vacations almost down to a science, but I’m finding that adding Nick into the plans keeps sending me for a loop.
First was the realization that there was no way I was lugging a diaper bag with us. As of today Nick is 17 months, and we don’t even use half of what is in the bag anymore. Still there are things that need to always be on hand (diapers, wipes, Epi-pens, etc.). Normally when we travel I use my purse on the trip down, an then for sightseeing I carry a small camera bag that has a pocket where I keep my necessary items (credit card, room key, eye drops, etc.). I realized that while I didn’t want the diaper bag I did need something bigger than what I usually carry. Knowing this was going to be an issue for years to come I decided to invest in a backpack that could double as purse and diaper bag, but it had to be small enough to easily tote around. I ended up getting a Vera Bradley backpack. It has a pull close top, and it’s so cute! The size seems perfect. I can’t wait to try it out.
The next problem that I realized we had was luggage. Normally Jason and I both lug as much as we can, and we make it in a few trips from the car to the hotel room. I was thinking things would really go smoothly since you drop your bags off at the cruise terminal and they take them to your room. Then I remembered that we have to lug all of the luggage through customs and out to our car by ourselves at the end of the trip(the rest of our party is flying, so no help there). We don’t have room in the car for Nick’s big travel system stroller, so we bought a nice umbrella one. It works really well, but since it’s so light it moves very easily, so you really need to use both hands with it. I’m still trying to figure out how we’re going to do it. Mom lent us a small suitcase that has a long pull handle. My next task is to see if I can pull it while pushing the stroller.
Finally, there is so much stuff that you need to bring for a toddler! I can’t imagine how bad it would be if he was still an infant. Luckily we’re using a service called Babies Travel Lite. You can order items through them to be shipped to your stateroom, so we ordered diapers. Now we only have to bring a few extra ones with us for the drive down. We have enough to pack without even thinking about diapers.
Hopefully everything goes smoothly. Now I just have everything crossed that Nick doesn’t grow much more until after the trip. He’s showing signs of growing, but he’s already getting to long for a lot of his 12 month clothes. He’s too skinny for most of his 12 month shorts though, so there’s no way he’ll be able to wear 18 month ones.
Do you have any tips for traveling with a toddler?