Traveling Light with a kid: What not to bring?

[alj1208]

I got lots of good advice from the recent post about necessary items when traveling with a child. My question is the opposite, what did you bring but wish you hadn't? We want to travel as light as possible for our upcoming cruise. We're flying to Miami to catch the boat. DS will be 4.5 (no diapers or special equipment except for a stroller in case he gets tired in transit). Think less is more. How would you do it? What's essential, and what can be left behind for a child of this age?

[jam82]

We're going on a cruise soon and have decided not to bring anything extra like toys, books or snacks for our soon to be 4 year old. We are going to bring the DVD player with movies and are still debating on the stroller. Other than that, we're just bring him, his clothes and medicine kit.

[cantw8togo]

We have (finally) learned how to travel light on our last couple of trips with our 2 DS's, now age 7 & 10. We have to fly to the cruise ports and are able to pack enough for a week's cruise into two carryons per person and for the most part, everyone pulls their own luggage. For a one week cruise with our kids, we take the following packed into the largest allowable carry on suitcase; check with your airline for the latest size guidelines.

 

Per child:

enough t shirts for each day

5 shorts

2 bathing suits (shorts and spf sunshirts)

2 collared shirts (usually one plaid or more casual shirt and one dress shirt that can be dressed up with a tie for formal nights)

2 long dark pants (dark hides any stains better)

1 patterned tie (patterns hide stains better than a solid one)

1 long sleeve shirt for the ride home

1 pr of jeans for the ride home if there is room otherwise wear the same pair home

underwear for each day plus a couple of extras

3 prs of socks plus a couple of dark pairs for the dining room/formal night

1 pr of sandals

1 pr of dark dressier shoes

1 or 2 pairs pj's

sunglasses and sun hat

 

Worn on the plane from a cold climate:

1 long sleeve shirt

1 pr jeans

runners and socks

1 fleece jacket layered under a rain jacket

1 pr of thin mitts or gloves

 

We usually use Park and Fly and the kids wait in the car until a shuttle comes along. They wear their coat and boots in the car on the way to the airport which are then left in the car until we get back. We also keep a snuggly blanket in the car for when we get back since everything is so cold sitting in the car.

 

In the smaller carry on bag we pack activity books such as dot to dot and mazes, some soft cover story books (Robert Munsch stories come in a 3" x 3" size which are great for travelling), a couple of Hot Wheel cars or other small toys, a favourite well travelled stuffie, some snacks such as crackers and fruit leathers and a couple of little surprise toys to unwrap when boredom sets in. If it doesn't fit in the bag, it doesn't go.

 

We too bring a medicine kit, but it doesn't neccessarily get packed in their suitcases. I usually take a spot removal pen just in case and will spot clean stains so that things can be worn more than once. If there is some kind of disasterous stain or laundry emergency, then there is always the onboard laundry service. If your son is still prone to accidents, then pack a few extra clothes if you have room. Also pack a couple of ziplocks incase you need to seal up something stinky while travelling.

 

It is possible to bring toys and snacks while packing light, you just need to select smaller and lighter weight versions of their favourites. Having a few favourite toys and snacks from home can make the trip more enjoyable for everyone, especially if there is a delay.

 

Hope this helps,

N.

[RoadTripFanatic]

To me the essentials would be what do I need to occupy my child on the filght. Cruises are very easy to entertain your child. I would take a few books, color wonder markers w/ two color wonder books, a notebook to "scribble" in and the portable DVD player. DD loved to travel with little Disney figurines they sell in the stores. They were easy to transport and took up little space. Our rule is if you want to take it, then it must fit in your carry-on.

[rjm11]

this time I'm taking an entire ream of blank paper. We went to Alaska, and the kids got really into drawing all the stuff they saw, and we ran out of paper... was really hard to find any plain paper to draw on (room steward finally found some for us)....

 

paper and a box of crayons seemed to keep them busy forever. On the plane too!

[sunrise&set]

DS will be nearly 4 on our next cruise. I've been pretty good on packing for his last 2 cruises. I don't plan to bring a stroller this time, and any toys must fit in a small back pack that he can carry. Toys are mostly for the plane and to occupy him while getting ready for dinner. Books are essential because he must have a story at bedtime, but I have a few books with several stories in them so will only bring a few. I definitely overpack clothes but plan to limit it to mix and match with a few extra changes of underwear. He'll likely be in a swimsuit most of the day so I always pack 2 or 3 of those. We fly Southwest so luggage isn't much of a problem. Snacks for plane ride only.