10 Tips For Packing Light (With Kids)

We don't take long trips unless we are camping. We prefer one or two nights away at a time. We can take more trips and we aren't away from the animals very long. With kids, even one night away can mean a lot of packing. I used to be a big over packer, but over the years, I've really toned this down. I'm going to share some things I have learned over the years. 

By the way, I know that with an infant, and even toddler, the packing is hard, but maybe these tips can help a little. 

1. Decide on an amount of luggage and stick with it. For example, we have one bag per person. If we stay one night, the kids have to put their clothes in their backpacks. More than that, we will have a bag just for clothing and toiletries. 

This one bag will include clothing, personal items (makeup/ toiletries) and entertainment. One night doesn't require a lot, but two nights with kids might require a little more entertainment. 

2. Be careful with "just in case items." These items make it easy to over pack. Depending on your child, an extra outfit might be a must, but just one, not one per day. 

The last time we traveled, I didn't take an extra outfit. My daughter has stomach issues and did need one. What did I do? she wore her pajamas home. Was it the end of the world? No. From now on, their pajamas will be loungewear when traveling. Solves that problem!

Keep in mind- if you don't use it at home, you probably won't need it away from home. 

3. What do you keep in your car? Emergency items, first aid kit, extra blanket? Do you really need to add those to your packing list? You have those items already, so you don't need more. 

4. Think about the ammenities the hotel offers. Do you need to take soap, shampoo (we do because our hair requires it), hair dryer, iron, etc? Leave those items at home. 

5. Consider simpler and easier styles while traveling. Wear your hair in a ponytail the next day. Wear the same jewelry, shoes, hoodie, etc multiple times. Take only your daily makeup. 

There is a lot of things we include in our packing list that we don't actually use, which brings me to number 6.  

6. Keep a general packing list that can be edited for the length of the trip. Mine is in a pocket so I can use a dry erase marker, but still edit it as needed. 

The key to this list is to continually edit it. Also, by keeping it small, I have limited space tolist things, which keeps the items we pack in check. This is my list for the whole family. I just write in the number of each clothing item we need based on how many days we will be gone.

Behind that, I have things to by that go in the family bag like lysol, coffee, snacks, etc. 

After each trip, as part of my unpacking routine, I go over this list and mark things off that we did not need because the kids are growing and do not need as much. I also add things that I wish we had. 

This list is my biggest tool for keeping us packing light. 

7. We never take full size toiletries unless we are going for a week or longer. I always keep travel size everything on hand in the kids pouches (also great for sleepovers, emergency trips, and even when Tbomb was in the hospital.)

These pouches have travel brushes, toothbrushes, shampoo/body wash, deoderant, toothpaste, a container for a night's medicine, floss, hair ties, Snapper's leave in conditioner, and other things that each kid needs at night (muscle cream for Snapper and essential oil for Tbomb). It's time to add some body spray for each. 

I have actually bought sample/ travel size items just because the container was the perfect size and I could refill them- like the spray bottle the leave in is in. 

However, most of the time, we share basic toiletries, so there is no need for the kids to have anything but their personal items. 

8. Be careful of the toys, they sure do take up a lot of time. Each of my kids get one lovey, the art stuff that stays in the backpacks, small toy like legos, and electronics. That's it. They usually get something to play with while we are exploring anyway. 

9. If there are things you just cannot be without, check into travel size and apps to solve that problem. Curling iron? Amazon has great travel options. Do your kids sleep with a noise machine? There are a ton of apps available, even free.

I purchased a travel power strip that has usb ports because there are never plugins where I need one and it has been so very handy. 

When we travel, I even use a Kindle Bible instead of taking mine and do not let the kids take books. They are heavy and they have kindles, so I update them before we travel. 

10. Don't stress about forgetting something. Almost everything can be bought. Just enjoy your family.