GUEST POST: Packing With A Toddler

Hey everyone! Today I'm happy to share with you our first guest post for the week! I asked some of my swaps if they'd like to guest post while I was on vacation and because I have awesome swaps, they wanted to :)

So today Kristy is going to share some tips she's learned on packing with a toddler! 

{Not gonna lie, I read this before we left and used some of her tips. Thanks Kristy}

Be sure to stop by and say hello to her!

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hi everyone! i'm kristy. mama to L, one adorable tot and wife to M, one amazing husband. i blog over at a little something and it's all about the things that make my heart happy.

when josephine asked me to write up a guest post for her while she is on vacation, i was SO excited. we have been on quite a few trips with L, including 2 big moves in one year, with our share of mishaps. i thought maybe i can share some lessons learned!

first off, grab a pen and a notebook. it helps if it's pretty! write down everything you think you may need. i can't tell you how many times having a list saved me from forgetting something important! once i flew to hawaii to visit my sister and i forgot my bathing suit. genius, i tell ya. so, a list is really important!

when traveling, i try to pack light to keep myself sane but kiddos come with a lot of stuff. i'm learning to live with it. i always pack enough clothes for the amount of days we'll be gone plus a few extras. i also keep lots of travel-sized items stored away from these occasions! i have two baskets full of mini shampoos, shower gels, cheap loofahs, small first-aid kits, and baby lotion. 

as for L, i pack her plenty of fun & easy toys for the trip. along with her portable DVD player and a few DVDS. right now, her favorites are pen/paper, a travel-sized magna doodle, her vtech bugsby with a couple of her favorite books and her babies.lately, she goes nowhere without her babies. i say always bring their favorite things too! special nightlights, blankets they won't sleep without, beloved stuffed animals. anything that keeps me comforted and reminded of home. be sure to pack batteries for electronics!

i pack a seperate bag of snacks, drinks & medicines and a change of clothes for the little one. i bring benadryl and tylenol/cough medicine. just in case! as for snacks, pack everything in ready-to-go bags or bowls. so when L is hungry, i can just pass back a snack without trying to open a bag, pour some out and get it to her without a mess.

and one more tip, bring an extra towel and/or some paper towels to keep in the car! on a 9-hour trip to new york once, i decided L could handle a juicebox. i was wrong. she squeezed the whole thing all over herself and her carseat. i had nothing but a few baby wipes to clean her with and no extra clothes in easy reach. my poor babe had to ride the last few hours in her diaper sitting on a plastic changing pad on her wet & sticky car seat.

we've learned quite a few things on all the car trips we have taken with a toddler & a dog. they weren't always fun but they get easier as i learn how to pack & plan more!

i hope you are having an awesome time on vacation, josephine!

i am so glad i could guest post! i hope these tips can help you on your next family adventure! i'd love to meet you all so stop by my blog and say hello sometime.