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I’ve talked before about how Kyle and I are big fans of traveling and taking trips together, even (and especially!) now that we have kids. Ever since we got married we’ve agreed that we would rather live in an older, smaller home if it meant that we could take family trips more often, and to more places. We both love to travel, and we want to experience the world — as a family. Of course, traveling with children creates it’s own challenges, but we’ve traveled enough that I have down to a science what you need to pack on a trip with kids. (PS, while I’m focusing on road trips, you can absolutely use this as a guide for flying, too!)

A Heavy Duty Bag

It’s super important to me to have a bag that will hold up to what I’ll pack inside of it when we go on trips, because we all know I’m going to be lugging that thing around all day, every day. I prefer leaving my stylish, cute, expensive bags at home (diaper bag or otherwise) and bringing along a sturdy backpack or canvas type bag. Bonus: one with lots of pockets!

Sippy Cup and/or Bottles

Keeping your kids fed and hydrated is always important, but even more so when you’re traveling! Eliza is still bottlefed, so I always make sure to have a couple of bottles on hand along with formula. And for Abe I pack a basic sippy cup, filled with wahter, to make sure he’s getting liquids in.

Snacks

Going along with the above, keep snacks on hand! To me, snacks have two purposes. One, to keep kids fed and not hangry, of course, but also to entertain them! I mean, eating a box of raisins is like an Olympic event over here 😉 Your kids might be messy at the end of a long road trip, but at least they won’t have too many melt-downs if you keep throwing food at them, ha!

Toys and Books

Whatever would we do without toys and books? You know your kids best, so pack whatever they like! Right now our magna doodle and Abe’s ABC “tablet” are perfect to keep him entertained. He also loves to look through books (board books in the car still, since there’s no telling what he’ll do to paperbacks when we can’t monitor him….) and run a car around his lap and carseat.

Electronics

I know there are mixed opinions when it comes to giving electronics to kids. For us, personally, our kids don’t have their own electronic devices. And honestly, we only have one old tablet that runs on Wi-Fi, so Abe can’t even use that in the car or on a plane, ha! But if you’re a parent that has an electronic device designated for your kids, but all means, pack it in! I know they can be especially helpful for children with learning and other disabilities, so I am all about that.

Mommy Items

If you’re traveling in the car, chances are you’ll have your own purse with you, but if you’re flying, I find it so helpful to have a little makeup bag full of my mommy items. Things like chapstick, hair ties, hand sanitizer, etc fit perfectly and it’s nice to have in their own little area so you’re not digging in your diaper bag/carry on trying to find what you need.

Diapers and Wipes

I mean, this one is pretty self-explanatory if you have kids in diapers, right? I hope no one forgets diapers and wipes if they’re headed on a trip with a baby or toddler. If you’re traveling in the car, I love that you can basically pack as many diapers as you’d like for at least the trip out. (I personally prefer to bring all the diapers I need for the whole trip with me, although some might prefer to pick up a package once they get to their destination.) Plus, wipes! Oh man, I will forever sing the praises of baby wipes. From changing bums, to wiping off faces and hands, to wiping down tabletops at restaurants… There are a million and one ways to use wipes. For real.

We like to pick up Huggies Little Movers Plus at Costco. As you know, I have two kiddos in diapers right now, so we LOVE buying our diapers in bulk so that we don’t have to worry about running out at an inconvenient time. These are Huggies most absorbent diapers (hence the “plus”!) and are only available at Costco. More absorbent, plus Huggies Leak Lock®, means less chance of leakage during long traveling hours, so I am all about that. And of course their Double Grip strips make sure they fit great on your active baby (and toddler!). Another reason I love buying Huggies Little Movers Plus at Costco? They often go on sale! Both Little Snugglers Plus (sizes 1 &2) and Little Movers Plus (size 3-6) are on sale from 9/1-9/25! You can grab them with a $6 discount plus free shipping, which makes Little Snugglers Plus $31.49 and Little Movers Plus $36.99. Both such awesome deals. And guess what? Starting this month, Little Snugglers Plus will be available in newborn sizing, for $29.99 (online and in select warehouses), so you are really covered when it comes to all of your diapering needs, no matter what size(s) you need!

 So there you go, what I pack for a road trip with a baby and a toddler. I hope you found these traveling tips useful! Traveling with kids is only scary if you let it be! 🙂