Packing Tips for Holidaying Abroad with Toddlers

On holiday in Menorca

Back in July this year, we took our girls on their first holiday. We went to Menorca, Spain and had a nice time. Before we went I wanted to be really organised. I didn’t want to forget to pack anything, so in addition to lists of what I need to buy, I also had a very long list of things that I need to pack. Taking your baby, toddler or older child on holiday for the first time is a really scary prospect. I worried about what our girls would be like on the plane and how they would cope with the heat. Everything turned out to be fine and we had a great time. 

Despite having my lists though there was one thing that I hadn’t taken into consideration and that was how much luggage we needed. I knew we would be bringing a lot with us, but I hadn’t thought about how we were going to pack it all until a week or two before we were due to fly out. It felt really strange having so much to bring with us. Before the twins were born, when Twin Daddy and I went on holiday we would bring one small suitcase each and bring it onto the plane as hand luggage, so we didn’t have lots of suitcases. That’s where I found this great range of cheap suitcases. You can visit www.directluggage.co.uk, as they have different types and sizes of cases.

Here are some of my top tips for packing a suitcase for a holiday abroad with toddlers:

• In your hand luggage make sure you pack enough nappies for the duration of time it will take you to get your destination. Think about how long any car, plane and/or coach trip will take. You don’t want to run out so it’s best to pack a little more than you need and don’t forget your wet wipes!
• I always find it’s handy to pack a portable or disposable changing mat. Airplane toilets aren’t always the cleanest places to change your baby so having one of these to hand will be a great help
• This tip may actually surprise you. It surprised  me, but it’s one that I didn’t learn until we returned from our holiday. You don’t actuallly need to pack in your hand luggage in terms of entertaining your child. The new surroundings of the plane and all the activity going on will be enough to keep them occupied. You may want to bring a favourite toy or comforter in case your child gets a little sleepy
• Bring some snacks with you for your child such as grapes, crisps, carott sticks, rice cakes and ensure you have enough water or milk
• Bring a blanket as planes can get cold
• Don’t worry too much about how many nappies you pack in your luggage as you can always more, this goes for wet wipes too