Rachael Ray

I was talking with my friend this morning who is traveling this week by plane with her husband, 5 year old daughter and twin one year old babies. She had some great packing tips for traveling with small kids. Summer travel season is here and with many of us choosing to travel by car where space is limited or by plane where chances are you will have to pay for checked baggage (what will the airlines charge for next?), it is more important than ever to keep suitcases to a minimum and stay organized while you are at it. When you have babies or toddlers, many of their necessities can be bulky (like the crib mobile I was sure my daughter couldn’t sleep without as a baby) and keeping clothing under control can get overwhelming. Here are some tips to keep packing edited and organized:

• Ship consumable necessities like diapers and formula ahead to avoid packing altogether. Try sites like diapers.com which has a wide assortment of popular brands and often offers free shipping and coupons for first time users. You can also buy at your local store and ship from home.
• Pack your children’s clothes by outfit to avoid over packing and pack each child’s clothing in plastic bags to keep them organized. Also, if you are flying, my friend swears airlines will tend to keep your bag in order if searched when your bag is organized this way.
• On the subject of plastic bags, embrace them! They are your best friend when it comes to packing toiletries in the event of the inevitable leak, toys to keep all components together, etc.  
• If you are vacationing at a place with laundry available, take advantage! Don’t pack seven outfits for seven days - pack 3 or 4 and plan on visiting the laundry facility.
• Once you have nailed your list of items you are packing, take inventory and make a check list to refer to each time you travel so you don’t have to recreate the wheel.
• Take a minute to remember any ailments your kids are prone to and bring the medication. If your son has had swimmer’s ear once, chances are he will get it while you are on vacation and you will kick yourself if you leave the ear drops at home. Same goes for any mystery rashes - bring the ointment!
• Dedicate one suitcase/bag to bulky items like shoes and toys for easier access and packing.

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Happy travels and share any tips we missed here!