Works for Me: Road Trip Packing With Kids

We've traveled quite a bit lately, and I've come up with a system that works to make sure everyone has enough clothes, and the right clothes, for each day. I used to just pack "enough" clothes, and inevitably the kids would run out, or we'd end up with nothing that matched on the last day, or we lost socks and underwear, or we forgot hair accessories, or something else.

So here's what helped.

First, I lay out complete outfits for each day, plus pajamas. I mean complete outfits, from the skin all the way to frou-frou accessories. This is a picture of packing for the girls. The top row is Elizabeth's and the bottom row is Sarah's.




Then I put everything they'd need for that outfit in a baggie--socks, underwear, hair stuff, etc. I then labeled it according to day, and pinned it to the outfit. The outfit was all rolled together.

This helped because I could plan for each day. If we were meeting friends for supper, the clothes was appropriate. If we were going to the park or to wherever--same thing. No worries about having enough of the right clothes left over.




Don't forget, you want everything you'll need for that outfit!





Then stack neatly in the suitcase. I try to put clothes we'll need first on top, and clothes we'll need last on the bottom. Don' t forget to include a bag for dirty clothes.

What a relief to not have to worry about lost rubber bands or having to dress a child in socks that don't match the outfit. I think this is especially helpful with little girls, although it was great with my boy too. This took so much stress out of our trips!

Works for Me Wednesdays hosted by Shannon.