Kids Travel Packing Tips

We are just hours away from our first flight cross country with both kids, so of course I am scrambling at the last minute to get everyone packed and prepared for not only the long flight but to be gone from home for over a week.  Packing is a bitter enemy... I dread the thought of it and always seem to fail no matter how much time I take.  I always start out with good intentions, but after about five minutes of staring at my closet I just start throwing things in a bag and it never fails I end up with 7 shirts and one pair of pants and nothing to wear!!!  I seem to be a little better about planning the kids outfits, but after digging to the bottom of their bag the very first night searching for a set of pajamas the kids' bag always looks like a bomb went off and then for the rest of trip its contents are a wrinkled, unorganized wreck.

But not this trip, no way because I have found a secret weapon in my pantry.... ziplock bags!!!  I saw a post recently where a mom (of course it was a mom they think of the best stuff) used quart sized ziplock bags and organized baby clothes for a trip... genius I know! 

 So I decided to take that idea to the extreme (because that's how I roll) and do head to toe in a gallon sized bag for each kid.  First I set out each outfit for each day or 8 days worth of clothes.

Then in each gallon ziplock bag I filled with a complete head to toe outfit.. socks, underwear, clothes and even accessories, because we can't live without our obnoxious hairbows and dapper hats... well we COULD live without them but where's the fun in that???

So no more digging to the bottom of the bag and still not finding the right item.  All we have to do now is grab a bag and get dressed.

I even used a marker to remind myself which shoes or other items need to go with that bag.  This is another good idea if you are sending the kids to the grandparents for a weekend or if Dad has to get them ready for something.  No offense if you have a husband capable of coordinating outfits... mine has many talents but that is not one of them.  You could even let the kids pick the outfit, they feel like they are making decisions, but you already made sure it was appropriate.. perfect for a "spirited" child like my little diva!!!

Instead of a chaos hidden behind a zipper, I fit clothes, shoes, accessories, jackets and pajamas for two kids for 8 days in ONE bag!!!!  Everything is nice and neat and I have total confidence we will be able to, for the first time, keep it that way for the entire trip.

Hope this helps keep a lid on at least some of the chaos during your next trip!

Enjoy,