Ack! How do you keep from overpacking!

[dijid]

We leave tomorrow (ok, deep breath, don't panic) and I have just made the darned largest pile of stuff on my bed and have to get it into suitcases. I've kept the clothes to a minimum, but it's the stuff that's killing me. With a 2 and 4yo it's hard to minimize stuff (diapers, wipes, sippies, etc). We drove last time and brought whatever we darn well wanted. This time we're flying and renting a car and staying off site, but still don't want to be wasting time going to grocery stores, etc.

Any tips for minimizing stuff? We're only there for 3 full days, so I don't want to be running around buying stuff. I swear I'd actually pack less if we were there a week because I'd plan on at least one big grocery stop.

 

[fraggle]

Good Luck. I was like you just before our trip last Oct. I was up until 1:00 a.m. the morning before our trip repacking because I couldn't fit everything. One piece of advice-don't take extra things that won't fit in the suitcase with you as a carry-on. We ended up with some heavy carry on bags which was not fun with security checks and a 1 and 3 year old. Take another suitcase if you can. Also, think if you really need all the diapers and clothes you are bringing. I way overpacked thinking my girls would go through 6 diapers a day each-and 2-3 outfits a day each. Some days we never even made it back to the hotel until night time. If there is an emergency you can always get something cleaned or buy a new one.
Have Fun at Disney-wish we were going, too!

 

[NotUrsula]

Here are a few things to consider in terms of minimizing the volume of kids' stuff:

1: Diapers are full of AIR. Even if you don't want to pack the rest of your stuff in freezer ziplocs, make sure you do it w/ diapers. Sit on those little suckers to squash em' flat before you seal the bag.

2: You won't need a full box of wipes for 3 days. Use a quart freezer ziploc to carry about an inch of them, and use the thinner ones unless your child is really sensitive.

3: One sippy and an extra valve should do for each kid who uses one. If you lose one, then you buy a replacement. Carry a tiny travel shampoo bottle full of dish liquid, and a small piece of sponge (cut off w/ scissors), so that you can wash them out in a bathroom sink. Carry a few bendy straws for the older child if he can use a straw properly.

If you are bringing extra outfits for the kids, try to make sure that they mix and match as much as possible, so that the entire outfit will not have to be changed if there is a bad spill. I pack a couple of loose plain white t-shirts for disaster backups; they work with anything, and they can sleep in them. If you have boys who wear swim trunks, just dress them in them; then they can get wet without a problem. Bring no-tears shampoo in a small replacement bottle, and skip body soap; for 3 days you can just bathe them in shampoo.

If you're like us, you always let the kids have a new toy on the trip. If that's the case, stick to some very small toy items for the flight down, like a deck of flash cards, a roll of scotch tape, and a couple of coloring pages w/ crayons in a zipper bag. Stuffed animals are to be avoided if at all possible, unless they are beanie-baby size.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

Originally posted by NotUrsula
Stuffed animals are to be avoided if at all possible, unless they are beanie-baby size.

Had to laugh at this ... my granddaughter is a stuffed animal nut ... she esp. loves dogs ... she about flipped out when I limited her to her "Refuses" when we flew to WDW this past summer ... 2 are identical Ty beanie baby dogs called Refus and the third is a larger version Refus.

 

[TiggerInNY]

The stuffed animals....my ds, 3 (almost 4) sleeps with 4 stuffed animals...Barney, a giraffe, a frog with arms and legs that velcro together, and a beanie baby polar bear.

I think I may have to tell him that they cannot make the trip. They will take up his whole duffle bag. We're staying at a timeshare and have a washer/dryer, so maybe I could limit the clothing. We'll have to see. I only have 13 days left......wwwwaaaahhhoooo!!!!!

TTFN,
Maria

 

[ducklite]

Make a ten minute grocery stop. It won't kill you, in fact it will probably make your life easier.

Exit Orlando Intl onto the Greenway (Route 417 south). Get off the Landstar Blvd exit. At the stop sign turn left and go under 417. Kash N Karry will be just ahead on your right. It couldn't be any easier getting on and off, they have a great selection in a new, clean, well lit store with good prices.

Anne

 

[dijid]

Thanks for the tips. I got a few of them before we left. What I ended up doing was just pulling out our two suitcases (not large ones, either) and prioritizing what we took. Once the suitcases were filled - that was it. I left the toys/books for the kids at home. They each got a souvenier early in the trip and we had planned on buying a storybook treasury, and that was enough. As it was - I could have left all our swimming stuff at home. It rained so much the first couple days that we had NO desire to get into a swimming pool and get wet some more LOL!

 

[spr0m]

remember if the bags are over 50 lbs you'll pay extra. I calibrated my bathroom scale with a 50 lbs weight and then checked all my bags for a 4 day weekend trip the week after labor day. we 4 people (two kids under 3) two bags total of 40 lbs that's pretty light traveling 2.5 lbs per person per day. we knew the weather would be warm so all clothing was light weight.

 

[frannn]

I tried placing each bag on my bathroom scale, but the scale is a small square, and the bag covers the number display (we have your every day average non digital bathroom scale). I can't read the weight unless the move the bag over a bit, but that most likely affects the actual weight. How do I weigh the bag properly? I am a really bad judge of what things weigh because I am a real weakling! TIA!

 

[pamluvsdisney]

Try weighing like this:

Weigh yourself. Then pick up the bag and record that weight.
Then subtract your weight from the weight of you and the bag.
That is the weight of the bag.
HTH.

 

[NotUrsula]

When you pick up the bag, be sure to hold it high, in both arms, so that it is more or less centered over the scale. If you are holding it out at your side it will probably not be registering the bag's weight properly.

Also, if you don't feel confident about relying on that measure, try a shipping store, like the UPS Store or similar. As long as they are not busy, they usually will not mind checking weight for you.

 

[spr0m]

I used my kids plastic bathroom stool upside down on the scale to hold the bag and I know the stool is 1.3 lbs. You can balance the bag on it's corner just to get a rough idea as well. if you do this and are reading 45lbs or over you may want to readjust the contents. Jeans are heavier than chinos so if I'm taking a pair of Jeans I wear them on the flight. I also pack my heavy sweater or Jacket in my carry on. Check to see if the hotel has irons & blow dryers these add up as well.

 

[frannn]

This was one of my major stresses. Now I have two things I can try! What bugs me is my bag is so neatly packed & organized using space bags & ziplocs, so I have extra room, but it is at the weight limit.

 

[spr0m]

you are allowed two bags per person at 50 lbs max each so you could always bring another one. We used to do one huge bag which was about 75-80 lbs on two week trips now that bag is for train & car travel. It's an OHSA reg if the bag is over 50lbs two people need to lift it costing the airline more money in help.