Kid Packing Tips

Packing for kids on trips can be challenging. After trial and error, I found this packing strategy has worked really well for our kids from toddler to teenage years. Once our children were old enough to carry their own luggage, their luggage consisted of one suitcase/backpack combination and a day backpack that they carry on the plane and wear everyday. From a trip for a week to a month, this combination has been plenty of room for their clothes and souvenirs. Here are some additional tips that I have found useful:

  • Use suitcase/backpack combination luggage for kids when they can carry their own luggage. Buy size appropropriate for their age and ability. Especially useful on cobblestone streets, stairs or getting in and out of trains/subways etc and rolling a suitcase is difficult.
  • Pack efficiently. If it doesn’t fit in their specific luggage then it doesn’t go.
  • Pack bright clothes so it is easy to spot your kids on playgrounds or in crowds.
  • Pack clothes that all color coordinate. Any shirt can be worn with any bottom.
  • Pack fast drying clothes. Quick dry pants and shorts found at sporting good stores are great.
  • Zip-off pants are great especially for those spontaneous water stops.
  • Pack extra shirts since kids go through at least one per day.
  • Plane backpack packing. Each kid is different and has individual needs but here are some general tips:
    • Pack a ziplock bag full snacks. I pack durable snacks that cannot be squashed easily or melt. Ideas include: Fruit snacks/bars, trail mix, granola bars, raisins, suckers, werther’s/lifesavers, and favorite treat.
    • Reusable water bottle that they fill up after security.
    • Activities- little lego sets in ziplock bags, game books, coloring book & crayons/colored pencils, travel games and favorite small toy.
    • Comfortable headphones to watch in-flight entertainment. My son does not like ear buds because they hurt the inside of his ears after a while so I always pack him over the ear headphones.
    • Ipad or game console with charging cords & adapter.
    • Light jacket
    • Head pillow, earplugs and eye shades
  • Everyday backpack packing. My kid’s needs have evolved as they have gotten older and it depends on what we have planned for the day, but here are some items we have and do pack daily.
    • Snack bags. My kids empty these everyday- so helpful when standing in line or during those in-between meal times.
    • Reusable water bottle (we use collapsible water bottles) filled with water and flavor packets. Often when you travel to other places the tap water can be safe to drink but does not taste good or familiar to kids. I find that filling their water bottles with tap water (when safe) then adding flavor packets makes drinking local water no issue. It saves you money and helps the environment.
    • Small notebook and pencil. These notebooks can be their travel journals from the trip and can be used in so many situations. Drawing/writing/coloring are great activities when you are out and about anywhere. I take my kids to museums which they can only tolerate for so long. Often, I have them sit on a bench and tell them to get out their notebooks and draw one of the paintings while I look around that room. This keeps them occupied until we move to the next room and it is a fun keepsake of the trip.
    • Small games/toys/activities
    • Disposable camera or kid camera. I love seeing what my kids take pictures of throughout our trips. Their choices and perspective of things is so interesting. I include these photos in our digital trip books and they love to see their photos featured.
    • Their own wallet/change purse. I ration out their own money daily and let them carry it in their backpacks. This way they can gain confidence buying things on their own and it teaches them money management. In many countries change is used a lot so a wallet with a zip change pocket or a change purse is really useful.

Please comment below with any other tips you have found useful.