Parenting – Page 3

If you didn’t read my post on my traveling essentials you can CLICK HERE to view that post.

If you did read my traveling essentials post, you will remember I HIGHLY recommend this suitcase when it comes to packing for a baby/toddler, or even for a quick trip.

My family and I are planning a beach trip in November, in celebration and my husband and I’s 4th anniversary. Now, you might be thinking, the beach in November? But let me tell you, it’s perfect. You basically have the beach to yourself and where we go, pretty much the whole town. You don’t have to drive miles to find a spot not TOO close to someone else. I am not big about getting into the ocean to swim, but I love the sound, the view and the peace the beach brings, so November is perfect for us.

This will be my son’s first time going to the beach, but he has been on other trips with us. I used to go from majorly over packing, to still over packing, but not as bad. I have come up with a list of what I usually bring when I go on a trip with my son.

Clothes

Now, this is a very obvious answer. But I pack based on how long I will be gone, the activities we will be doing, etc. When we go to the beach in November, will we will be gone a total of 3 days, 2 nights. I will be going based off of this and you can adjust how you pack based on the days you will be gone.

Since it will be November when we go, I’ll have 3 long sleeves packed along with a short sleeve shirt just in case there’s a day that isn’t very cold. I will also pack 1 light jacket to either go on top of the short sleeve in case it gets a little chilly, or in case it’s too cold for just the long sleeve. You can’t go wrong with bringing a light jacket anyways, going into stores and restaurants is a great example of places that tend to be a bit colder than necessary. Having a nice rash guard is essential when it comes to the beach, weather it be for being protected from the sun or washing the sand off.

When it comes to pants, it can be a bit tricky. There’s going to be sand, which can be a pain to get out of clothes and everywhere else. Jeans and sweat pants are a type of pants that a highly recommend staying away from at the beach. I would back 1 pair of jeans just for going out to eat and having something nice to wear. At the beach, wind breaker type pants or active pants would be the best bet to bring as the sand can slide off easier and they’re easier to just wash off if sand does get on them.

My Clothing List would go as followed:

Long Sleeve Shirt (3)
Rash Guard (1)
Short Sleeve (1)
Dress Shirt (1)
Light Jacket (1)
Active Pants (2)
Jeans (1)
Training Underwear (6)
Swim Suit (2)
Pajamas (2)
Water Shoes (1)
Tennis Shoes/Dress Shoes (1)

This list also allows me to have an extra outfit for anything that may come up. With little one’s you know either something gets dirty, they might REFUSE to wear a certain shirt or the occasion doesn’t fit for a certain outfit you originally planned. ALWAYS. BE. PREPARED. All of these items fit easily into the main suitcase, with room to add in diapers/water diapers/pull ups, whatever it is that you use.

Toiletries/Extras

In the smaller bag that comes with the suitcase set, I have found it to be the perfect size for fitting diapers and wipes, toiletry items and anything extra I don’t want to fit in with my clothes.

This bag would be filled as followed:

Pull Up’s
Wipes
Sun Screen
Tooth Brush
Tooth Paste
Body Wash
Shampoo
Brush

A great tip to use when packing toiletry items such as shampoo, condition, etc is to use the travel sized items and put them in a zipbloc bag. If you have a travel in baby items, a bag for breast milk storage has come in handy for making sure these items don’t spill or leak.

As always, thank you for reading, I hope this comes in handy or you at least enjoyed reading. Comment below some of you must have items you pack. Don’t forget to hit the follow button on the right side of the screen so you can keep up with future posts.

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Every year in the fall, my husband, son and I go on a mini family vacation. This really started with my husband and I’s honeymoon and anniversaries through the years, but now with a little one, it has turned into our yearly family vacation. Now, we don’t go on mini trips, as I said we take one family vacation yearly, and then any trips I might go on with my mom and step dad, but what travels I have gone on, I have come up with a list of all my essentials that have made traveling with a little one a lot easier.

Suitcase

Obviously you need luggage of some sort when it comes to traveling. I absolutely hate having a lot of bags to take with us and having bulky luggage as well. Now, I am guilty of over-packing. I pack as if we’re going to be gone for weeks, but that’s probably because I do all the packing so I don’t know exactly what everyone is going to want to wear, so a lot of choices go into the bags.

In the past we have done that 10 bags, basically a bag for EVERYTHING. You would think we were moving out. But I have now narrowed it down to:

1 big suitcase for me and my husband.

1 small suitcase for my son

1 small tote for diapers and wipes

1 small bag for toiletries

For my son I have found the PERFECT bag combo that has worked really well for us and his items.

It comes in one size, but it is the perfect size for little one’s clothes, plus it comes with a small bag that you can fit diapers and wipes in. Or if you’re out of the diaper phase, you can use it as your toiletries bag. This suitcase comes in a variety of colors and patterns, ranging from many different solid colors to animal prints, you’re bound to find one you love! I will be writing a post of what I pack in the future, so keep an eye out for that.

Sound Machine

This one is a must for us, traveling or at home. From the day we brought my son home, we have used the white noise sound to get him to sleep and stay asleep. And the great thing is how small and portable it is. Staying somewhere new always makes it harder to get your little ones to sleep, unless you’re used to traveling regularly….or just have a great sleeper.

I have found that taking the sound machine with us helps with getting him to sleep in a new environment as the sound is familiar to being at home. This sound machine comes with 7 different sounds, you can adjust the volume, set a time, as well as having a port for charging your phone. (One less item to have to remember to pack and bring back home, a plus in my opinion)

Portable DVD Player + Mount

This is my newest addition to my must have list. We do all of our traveling by car so having movies to watch is important to making it smooth and melt down free. A Portable DVD player is the perfect travel addition. Just bring your child’s favorite movies, or shows, (you know the ones that they want to watch over and over, bring those.) and you’ll not only have a quiet trip, but they’ll enjoy it too.

The most important part of bringing a Portable DVD Player would be the mount to hold it up with in the car. I personally don’t want my son holding the DVD Player while we drive, as I know it’ll either be thrown down, fall, and just break in general. Nor do I want to hold it the whole ride. I have found this mount that works perfectly for this DVD Player style. It keeps everything hands free and perfect eye level for watching.

Portable Crib

This is a staple for staying in a hotel, tent, home, etc. I like to take a portable crib with me not only to ensure there’s a safe place for my child to sleep, but it’s perfect for allowing them to play in a space you know they can’t get into anything or get hurt. This one specifically comes with a mattress to make it better for your child to sleep better and more comfortable. Other pack n plays have to buy a mattress separate, making the cost much more expensive for a temporary sleeping space.

These are my top 5 must haves when it comes to traveling with a baby/toddler. I hope these can come as some use to you and make your travels as easy as I have found mine to become.

Don’t forget to check out my personal blog as well as fitness section on my page. Click the follow button on the right side of the page to keep up with future posts and as always, thank you for taking time to read along!