Weekend Packing

Disclaimer: I always over pack and still forget something.

Being from Quincy is such a special thing to me. I’m sure everyone else feels this way about where they grow up but I just think it’s so cool. We are on the water, less than two hours from cape cod and just a few hours to the mountains. We get to experience every season and weather type and just when you get sick of that season, a new one is starting. My whole life we spent headed to the white mountains to enjoy all these seasons and then I married a boy who loved cape cod. Now Amelia is lucky enough to experience them both! With lots of time spent going back and forth to these places, I think I have become pretty good with traveling (by car) with a child and I wanted to fill you in on some of my best tips!

Routine - try and keep it but always be flexible. We have always kept Amelia on a decent routine but have always been flexible as well. Her feeding schedule for when she was on formula was always 7/11/3/7 and I always kept to this, no matter where we were. It was her biggest constant of the day and usually kept everything else on track. I also try and drive during nap time, it makes the drive better for everyone involved. If I know we aren't going until later in the day I will either have her nap early or try and push it out until we go.

Noise machine - Amelia's feeding was always on schedule but it never meant we would be home right after her 7 pm feeding for bed time routine. If we know we are going to be out later in the evening, we always pack her pjs and a noise machine. Her travel stroller reclines and once’s she seems ready, we put her in the stroller, play the machine and it usually works like a charm. If it doesn't, we usually just let her enjoy the extra time awake wherever we are. Once again, not always sticking to routine.

Something familiar for sleep - Of course, the dockatot. you are probably sick of me and my love for the dockatot but travel is such a big reason for it. With Amelia not always being home, I needed her bed to always feel like it was. That’s why we loved the dockatot. Whether she was in her mini crib or a pack n play, she always had her dockatot which made her feel just like she was at home.

Packing Cubes - organization is key but that doesn’t mean I am organized. I do love using these cubes though, I separate them by category (pjs, swim, clothes) and find that I can fit so much more in my suitcase and am so organized when I arrive.

Favorite toy - bring some toys! This should be fun for you and them. Let them enjoy where they are and play. Amelia has a winter doll that I always pack when we head for the mountains and if you are going the beach, pack the sand toys! Also, a few fun toys for the car ride won’t hurt anyone. Here are some of my favorite toys to pack especially when she was a baby: Violet, cell phone, butterfly, and basically anything that can be held and make noise!

Portable chair - whether you are bringing an infant or a toddler, bring them their own chair. You may have a bouncer your infant loves or a portable high chair for your baby to eat their meals in which doubles as a play zone.This chair even has a sun canopy!

Cooler bag - This is something I have become an expert at, packing from my own fridge. If you have a good cooler bag, you can save yourself so much time and money. This is the one I use and it is amazing and keeps things cold for so long. I always pack up anything that I may not have when we get to our location that I would want immediately like milk or snacks for Amelia. I also will throw in anything that could go bad while gone and try to find a fun way to use it. Face it, when you have children and you are gong away for the weekend, the idea of eating out at every meal is not realistic anymore and this just makes the trip that much easier.

Low expectations & have fun - Do not expect to go away and have everything run smooth. If it does, it’s just a plus! Now, where is everyone headed to?

With Love,

Ashley

Scribi Styles