5 Things You're Forgetting to Pack as a Parent
- Ellen Quicksell
- Jul 30
- 2 min read
Traveling with toddlers? Here is a list of my must pack items
Seven years into my motherhood journey and I’ve traveled with babies, toddlers and now elementary school aged children. We’ve traveled with ear infections, newly diagnosed asthma (now as asthma pros), I’ve battled stomach bugs, driven 15 hours in one shot and so much more. Here are the things that I’ve found make traveling so much easier
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My youngest loves to fall out of bed when we’re staying at a hotel and these inflatable bedrails are a game changer! They blow up so quickly, slide right under the fitted sheet, and bam you have peace of mind that your little one won’t roll out of bed. They fold up near flat so they’re easy to throw into any bag. There are other variations, but I personally had the Shrunks brand, and they lasted me well over 5 years.
There are a million versions of these but again, I can personally vouch for this one. If your kiddo is afraid of the dark, still in diapers, or you just don’t want them navigating a new space at night to find the bathroom, you need one of these. Again, any will do but the features I personally look for are; easily rechargeable, throws a good amount of light, and adjustable dimness.
If you haven’t tried a Solar Buddy, you’re missing out! This makes applying sunscreen on wiggly kids so much easier. Personally, I loathe trying to chase my kids down with the spray version of sunscreen, and I always miss spots. I also hate trying to fit sunscreen into my carry on bag when that’s all I’m flying with. I throw one of these in my bag empty and just grab a bottle of sunscreen in the hotel gift shop.
Here’s the hack, I don’t use these for packing my clothes. I find that packing everything in compression cubes throws off my ability to judge the weight of the bag, and I wind up over packing. I love compression packing cubes for my park bag/diaper bag. They’re a great way to fit more diapers, an extra change of clothes for everyone, and more into your bag that you carry. I highly recommend making sure whatever ones you get are waterproof or water resistant, at least to protect from spills and those soaking Florida rainstorms.
Sometimes we don’t know if our kids get motion sick until they have the opportunity to get motion sick. Whether it’s a longer than usual car ride, the first time on a roller coaster, or a really rough cruise, these are great to throw into your luggage “just in case”. Personally, I prefer acupressure relief over medicinal because Dramamine makes me so sleepy. I love the quality of these bands, and they’re neutral enough to match any outfit!
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