Traveling with Little Ones

It has been a long time since I’ve posted on TherapeuticMiles. Life has gotten so busy!! BUT I wanted to put this out here just in time for the holidays and busy travel season for most families. Traveling with kids is no easy feat, and when you have a preschooler, toddler and an infant…it can be overwhelming. I put together a guide of mom hacks and products that have made traveling easier for us as a family of three adults and three little ones. Some applies to general travel/packing, some just if you’re driving to/from your destination. Again, if you want to see my IG videos of everything mentioned above, my instagram account, @therapeuticmiles, and click on the highlight “Mom Hacks and Tricks”. Hope it helps this holiday season while you’re away from home!

Last August we took a family road trip up to Cape Cod and stayed at a rented house with a few other families for the week.  It took a lot of planning and coordination to get all of our ducks in a row and packing strategically. I grouped the packing into “big kids” (my 3.5 yr old and 2 year old), baby (5 months at the time) and adult. Included are some links to amazon for quick reference. **Therapeutic Miles does participate in Amazon affiliate program, so if purchased with my links I may receive a small percentage, with no extra cost to the customer!

Packing for the (older) little ones

My mom had this great idea to have Chase and Carter’s clothes separated for easy access and to avoid mix-ups. There was a sale at Land’s End for monogramed duffle bags, so I snagged one in blue and one in grey. I can see the boys using this for sleepovers and gym bags when they get older. In the duffle bags I packed all of their clothes, socks, shoes, toiletries, pull-ups and wipes.

For traveling in the car, I packed two smaller totes to keep them occupied in the car. This included their stuffed animal for nap, books and toys. I also put a change of clothes in there in case we had any accidents on the trip.

Since we were staying at a house that had a full washer/dryer available, I brought a hamper with us to collect dirty clothes during the week. It doubled as a toy storage bin while traveling.

Packing for the Baby

If you have a baby you know they require more luggage than anyone else. I packed his separate bag with all clothes and diapers (for most of the week). Babies always require different blankets/towels, which can get bulky. This is where the compression bags came in handy. Stuff them, roll them up to let out the air and see how much space is saved! I got these from Target.

For Camden’s sleeping, we brought his Dockatot for the bed. We also brought our favorite travel crib/playpen by Guava Family. We’ve had it since Chase was a baby and love it for everyday use and travel. It’s easier to assemble than a regular pack-n-play and has a zippered opening for easy in/out. We even used it at the beach!

For travel high chair options, we LOVE our Inglesina travel high chair. We use it everyday and it’s great to bring for travel or even restaurants…as long as there is a table to clamp it to! Check my IG highlights (Fave Products) for the in-depth review

Don’t forget the baby monitor! Since we were going to be with 11 other kids and 13 adults, we brought our Alexa for entertaining.

Transporting the kids

We have so many different strollers, six to be exact. When choosing the right ones to bring, space efficiency was the top priority. Chase and Carter have loved using the utility wagon as their person chariot both at home and when we travel. It folds up nicely and relatively lightweight. We recently purchased the Mountain Buggy Nano for everyday use and travel, since it folds to a very compact size. Best part is that it accommodates any kind of infant carrier without any extra attachments!!

Packing for Mom

I brought two bags for myself, including my go-to carryon by Longchamp. It is the typical weekender bag size but also can un-zip to expand beyond the traditional size. Even before kids I’ve loved this bag whenever we travel because I would always come back with more than what I left with! Totally worth the investment.

I’m a huge believer in compression bags and packing cubes for travel to save space. I found a company that designed BOTH in one product. These were perfect for organizing different outfits, bathing suits, accessories etc.

Prepping the Car for Road Trip

We have an SUV that accommodates 7 passengers, including three carseats/boosters. Therefore, space was limited and we had to be strategic about how we packed the car. The rooftop bag made it possible to fit it all, and we put all of our soft luggage with clothes on top.

I always keep a Mommy Poppins bag in the car with extra diapers and first-aid kit. I added a few more for the trip: medicine, thermometer, nail clips, sunscreen, bug spray etc. The Land’s End extra large tote doubled as a beach bag. I love that is has a zippered top closure and six pockets inside for organizing! (Right now it’s on sale for $25!)

A container with easy-grab snacks keeps hangry toddlers at bay. This includes dry snacks and a cooler of fresh fruit/water bottles/juice boxes.

For messes, always keep some disinfectant wipes and a mini trashcan. This also comes in handy for on-the-road diaper blowouts!! Sanitizer and extra diaper wipes and diapers are always kept in the backseat organizer.

Well that’s all I have for now for traveling with little ones! Again, if you want to see my IG videos of everything mentioned above, my instagram account, @therapeuticmiles, and click on the highlight “Mom Hacks and Tricks”.