Packing For the Weekend

Before kids, when we would go away for the weekend, all we had were one maybe two suitcases, a few hanging clothes, and occasionally the dog kennels. After the twins packing the car has become somewhat of a nightmare... so here is my “how to pack for a trip without losing your mind” tutorial. 

First things first, identify which person in your house is the most efficient at packing the car? I love my husband and he was gifted with many abilities but packing a car is not one of them. He also is pretty terrible at tetris, go figure. Once you have decided that, it is time to divide and conquer. The non packer is obviously in charge of keeping the children alive while the other packs the car. If you are packing while the other person is at work or otherwise occupied  which is usually the case for us, I would suggest you invest in something that will immobilize your children - play pen, baby gates, exersaucers... Really those are just a good investment in general - especially if you ever want to shower or cook dinner or you know just need 15 minutes of peace.

I find it makes packing easier when I have a list of what we need to pack, and I usually start my list the the week before and add to it as I think of things. Mom brain has left me pretty foggy some days so if I start the list early the less likely I am to forget something last minute. 

The night before we leave I try to gather all essentials that we won't need the next morning. For example, I get together all the clothes for the weekend, I always bring double what they will actually wear in case you know they decide to blow out a diaper or vomit the entire contents of their stomach onto their shirt. Next I lay out everything we will need for that morning - clothes, diapers, a few toys to entertain them while I load the car. If I’m doing really good and have all of my stuff packed (never) I will start loading the car after they are in bed, but who is really THAT organized?

So the morning of the trip - I will start gathering everything together - I will list below WHAT I pack but for now I’ll focus on the HOW of the packing. As I am gathering things, I will start stacking bags and all of the other for lack of a better word, stuff by the front door. I do this for two reasons, so it is out of the way and so that I can start playing Tetris in my brain and get an idea of how it’s all going to fit in the back of the car. 

Once I have everything together and stacked by the front door I will start loading the car. We have a Tahoe with the third row removed so luckily we have a lot of space to work with. I start by taking the big heavy things out to the car first and the essentials (the things that I can’t leave at home if they don’t fit). Then I start putting everything in. I usually load the heavy and large items first and then stack around them. The buckets of toys and things for the boys I try to put behind our seats or in between their car seats - that way if we need anything out of them during the trip I don't have to unload the back to get to them. I also try to pack with “what will we need as soon as we get there” in mind and put those towards the the front of the pile. 

To give you and idea of time... the time between when I start packing the car and when we pull out of the driveway can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour - depending on how much I got done the week leading up to the trip or the day of while Ben is at work. Then again, just getting out of the house on a normal day takes up to 30 minutes sometimes.

So what do we take when we travel? A lot. Some of it we need, some of it we don't but for the most part I try to keep it to essential items only. 

Kid Essentials 

Breast Pump 

MAKE SURE to double check that you have all the parts... you don't want to have to run to the local walmart in search of those little white rubber pieces at midnight... trust me

Kid's Bag 

We have this one from Land’s End and it fits almost everything - inside we put clothes, books, blankets, baby monitor, sound machine, overnight diapers, regular diapers and a few toys in case the bucket doesn’t fit in the car

Food Bag 

I like to pack bottles, baby food, spoons, formula, extra pacifiers, baby meds if needed separate from everything else so they are easily accessible and can be left in the kitchen

Diaper Bag 

We have this JuJuBe and I’m slightly obsessed with it - I keep this packed and in the car most days. I usually only take it out when I need to refill it with a change of clothes or diapers/wipes. I plan on doing a whole post on how I pack my diaper bag for twins but that is for another day.

Pack N’ Play 

Sometimes we bring 2 - if where we are traveling does not have an extra.

Non Essentials

Stroller 

We currently only have a double bob so it takes up A TON of space, I’m currently taking suggestions on a better double stroller for traveling... But for now, unless we are going somewhere for an extended amount of time this usually stays at home. For those of you who use the same stroller, if you didn’t already know the bottom wheels come off the bob making it easier to fit into a trunk.

Bucket of Toys 

We have two of these from target that I keep in our living room and it makes it easy to just throw one into the car whenever we go somewhere - even if we are going for just a couple of days - I try to bring a variety of things to keep the boys entertained but really they just want to play with each other or whoever we are visiting so these aren't totally necessary.

Baby Quilt

 I like to take a quilt wherever we go so that I can lay it down for the boys to play on - now that they are mobile it really just serves as a spot in a common area where I can keep their toys organized, change diapers etc. We have two AMAZING quilts that a dear friend made us and I keep one in the car and one in our living room. I also prefer to bring our own quilt so I don't feel as bad when my kid pees or spits up on it. 

Dog Kennel 

This is obviously essential if we are bringing Daphne, but it can also be folded down to save space in the car and then she can just ride freely in the car - which she loves, I do not…

Twin Z Pillow or Boppy pillows

If we are going to be leaving the boys with someone at our destination I like to bring these to help them with feeding - otherwise I leave them out.

Double Brest Friend

I don't always take this or the twin z pillow because they are so bulky, but if there is room it doesn't hurt to have them. 

To sum things up... 

If it is a convenience to have I pack it last. 

If it is a necessity I pack it first. 

If it is something that can be purchased when we arrive at our destination I will sometimes leave it out to save space (i.e.: formula, diapers, wipes...) this is especially if we are going for more than a few days.