Packing clothes for toddlers/young kids?

[ehough]

I learned the hard way on our first cruise (pre-kids) that I didn't need to pack a different outfit for dinner every night- I could easily get away with wearing a couple of outfits multiple times since I only wore them for a couple of hours at a time. I definitely overpacked by bringing 2 outfits per day!

 

But my head is spinning when I think about what to pack this time around, with a 2 year old and an almost 4 year old. Last time we largely stayed away from the MDR, so it wasn't too hard to plan. We want to hit the MDR more often this time. But there's no way my 2 year old can wear a shirt more than once, especially if he's going to be eating in it- or at least, he wouldn't look presentable that second night! I'm not even sure my own clothes will make it more than one night with spaghetti covered hands coming at me. They don't mean to be messy, and sure sometimes they make it out just fine, but I can't guarantee that their clothes will be presentable enough to wear again. They could come out no worse for the wear and they could drop chocolate cake in their lap- there's no way to predict.

 

And then you factor in excursions and the fact that the kids, rightfully so, will be coming back dirty, sandy, and wet. They'll definitely need 2 outfits a day for shore days (though one outfit could just be rash guard + swim trunks or a sun dress over a bathing suit).

 

So what is your packing philosophy when you have little kids/toddlers? Do you pack an outfit for day and an outfit for night? Do they re-wear things? I'm interested to hear what other people do. :)

[cb at sea]

If they are dirty, sandy and wet....it should be a bathing suit...easily rinsed and reworn!

 

I would do 1 outfit for days per day, and a couple of things to wear to dinner in the MDR...you can alway send a few things to the laundry, if they should "run out" of clothes....a couple of items won't break the bank!

[Megnolia]

Will be cruising with a 1 year old in December, and having the same thoughts as you! We will bring some of those purex laundry sheets (all in one) to do laundry on board, because I can't imagine taking enough clothes for the whole week!

 

I will be taking a couple fancy dresses, because we got them as gifts when she was born, they should fit at that point, and it's a great opportunity to dress up :) if the dresses stay clean, she can wear them more than once, if not, I'm sure no one will mind a baby in jeans in the dining room.

 

I don't think we will own enough clothes to go a whole week without washing if she wears more than one outfit each day, so knowing we can wash will be a big relief. On shore excursions I'll want to take at least two changes of clothes, just in case of spills and unexpected messes. Luckily, toddler clothes are nice and small and fit easily into a backpack!

[ehough]

That's right- we had self service laundry last time on the Victory. I forgot about that, that made it a little easier to plan! We may end up paying for laundry this time (there's no self service)- it might be worth it with 2 little ones!

[Mom2B&Z]

My advice, bring more bathing suits than clothes lol!

For my two boys (aged 3 and 5 on our last trip) I packed 3 swim suits with rash guard shirts, plus a shorts/t-shirt outfit for every day. For evening they had 2-3 pairs of pants (little ones can always get away with shorts if the pants wear out) and a shirt for every night. My logic was that the shirts are more likely to get dirty, and dark pants are easy to spot clean. Myself I brought lots of patterened dresses, so the sticky hand prints wouldn't be as visible ;) The boys shared an average sized suitcase for all their clothes and toys.

[Backstage Traveler]

We have been cruising with our kids since they were 1yo. Packing their clothes takes me the MOST time of everything! My youngest is now 5 but I still need multiple outfits a day, since anything he eats ends up on his shirt. I pack double the shirts and pants for him that I do for my daughter, who is 9 and a lot neater! The best is when we had access to a laundromat on board (Carnival Triumph), or when we had unlimited laundry (suite on HAL). Otherwise, on NCL there are laundry specials during the week where you can get a whole bag washed for about $20.

Luckily, the kids clothes take up a lot less space than the equivalent adult-sized item, so you can afford to pack double for them!

[Essiesmom]

Since you are sailing on HAL, start early stuffing the dirty things in the cloth laundry bag and sending it out. It will be returned the next evening, washed and folded. The bag costs $20, and you can get an incredible amount in it. EM

[B_Mc]

I think you're on to something with the swim suit during the day plan. Even if they do have to wear cotton shorts/t-shirts it will probably be for a short time, right? So reusable? We brought giant smock bibs for our DS last trip, don't know if they'd fit your 2 year old but that might be something to look into for keeping MDR clothes a little tidier. Found those at Ikea. I wouldn't hesitate to send clothes out for cleaning. It is pricey but when suit case space is at a premium it is helpful! GL!

[Fourkids4us]

I pack heavy for the kids. I dont like them to repeat clothes. On our 5 day cruise they all had a 20inch suitcase. We are now going on an 8 day and Im currently trying to figure out what the best approach is.

 

I figure if I put the girls in dresses everyday with suits under(port days), then I could use that outfit all day. I do have formal dresses and clothes for those two nights and a couple extra dresses and shorts/polos for the boys incase the day clothes were destroyed.

 

My kids are pretty young and I very rarely have to change them during the day.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thay always have washing machines

[Sunshine101]

Great post!

 

We are getting ready to start thinking about packing, and I am debating over the suitcase situation for my 7 and 4 year old daughter. Do you think its better to pack all their stuff in one suitcase, or put their stuff in separate, smaller cases?

 

Thoughts?

[Essiesmom]

Thay always have washing machines

 

The OP's ticker says she is sailing HAL Westerdam. The Vista and Signature class of ships on HAL do not have self service laundries. Thus, my suggestion of all you can stuff in a bag for $20. EM

[ehough]

Great post!

 

We are getting ready to start thinking about packing, and I am debating over the suitcase situation for my 7 and 4 year old daughter. Do you think its better to pack all their stuff in one suitcase, or put their stuff in separate, smaller cases?

 

Thoughts?

 

Well I think it depends on your situation...are you flying? My kids have little child sized suitcases but firstly, I don't think a week's worth of clothes would fit in them! And secondly, getting all the bags to and from the airport (with less than helpful children, at my kids' ages) will be a pain! So I think we will go with as few suitcases as possible since that means fewer suitcases to haul. :) If your kids will pull their own luggage then it might be convenient to have their stuff all in one place instead of in other suitcases!

[Mom2B&Z]

Well I think it depends on your situation...are you flying? My kids have little child sized suitcases but firstly, I don't think a week's worth of clothes would fit in them! And secondly, getting all the bags to and from the airport (with less than helpful children, at my kids' ages) will be a pain! So I think we will go with as few suitcases as possible since that means fewer suitcases to haul. :) If your kids will pull their own luggage then it might be convenient to have their stuff all in one place instead of in other suitcases!

Flying makes a huge difference IMHO. We too pack everything we can into as few suitcases as possible. Our current strategy with our boys (aged 4 and 6 at our next cruise...) is to use three rolling full sized suitcases, with two rolling carry ons and a back pack for each child. The kids can carry the back packs reliably (they are the ones they wear to school) and we can handle the rest of the stuff by ourselves. The boys clothes both go into the same suitcase, so it all works out. Hopefully by the time we need a suitcase each they can pull their own;)

Oh, and DH slings the car seat across his back...one more year then boosters here we come lol!

[CaribbeanH2OLover]

We have been on 4 cruises with our 4 year old. We typically pack a smaller suit case for her. We usually pack two swim suits and clothes pins. We will rinse out her bathing suit in the shower and hang it up to dry either on the balcony or in the shower. The clothes pins come in handy so it wont fly off the balcony. I always travel with Shout Wipes - they are amazing! She got chocolate ice cream all over a formal dress one time and those wipes took it right out. They sell travel size wipes at your big discount stores. We also pack a night light so it's easy to see at night and post it notes so you can leave notes for your steward. I would pack the least amount you can. We always end up packing way too much and only wear half of our clothes. You will spend most days in a bathing suit. We pack small sundresses that are easy to pack for dinners. Less is more!

 

Enjoy!

[Cruisin' Chick]

At some point when we started cruising with the three of us, my hubby declared that any ship we would go on will have a self-service laundry. Especially when we started going on longer cruises and/or combining a cruise with a land trip. And sending items to the ship's laundry isn't an option with us, at least when my child is concerned due to an allergy with regular detergent (not to mention the items that my daughter and I have that would need to be aired dry). I packed the unscented Purex 3-in-1 sheets for our December cruise on the Golden Princess and they worked wonderfully and without producing any rashes.

[Megnolia]

I had to come back to this thread, because I just discovered that my next ship will not have self serve laundrette! yikes! At least I'll be prepared ahead of time. Thanks for asking the question though, because otherwise I wouldn't have given it a second thought!