How much to pack for the kids?

[brerrabbit70]

I confess, my kids are pretty messy!

To all the parents out there, how many times did your kids need to change clothes? I have a DS 12 and DD 9. I just know they'll be hitting the ice cream every chance they can. DD just seems to be a spill magnet!

I was thinking about 2 outfits per day, and another for dinner. Does that sound crazy? It's only a 3 days, so we won't have to pack their whole closet.


Everybody has a Laughing Place!

 

[wide awake]

Hi,
Have you thought of taking some extra white t-shirts along ? I always take at least 2-3 for my DS because they go with everything and I can't stand to see a child with dirty clothes. They're also easy to take in a carryon bag in case your kids get messy on the plane.

 

[dclwdwlover]

I always over pack. Even this time when I was absolutely sure I didn't - I still came home with a ton of unused clothing.

If you plan on buying any t-shirts that they can wear then you can subtract that from your number. I would imagine that they'll probably mostly stay in the same clothes and/or bathing suit all day & only change for dinner. Kids tend to wear the same shorts & pants over & over - especially boys - unless we tell them to change.

Just my opinion, but even with my messy ones I still was over packed with the number of items that you are listing.

 

[brerrabbit70]

Thanks for the advise. I didn't even think about the t-shirts we'll be buying. I guess I'll just bring some shout wipes and pray for the best.
I'm having to buy everything new because they have outgrown ALL of their stuff from last summer! And I bought everything bigger than needed. I think they're hitting the Miracle Grow when I'm not looking!

 

[MrsPete]

I brought a couple extra outfits for the kids because -- like yours -- they're stain magnets. We messed up one outfit before we'd even left port. How? It was incredibly windy, and we got chocolate ice cream at Scoops. That soft serve stuff melts quickly, and the two (wind and melting) were a bad, bad combination. We had to go to our room to clean up, and DH quickly banned ice cream for the rest of the trip.

 

[christinou]

My solution is that you can only eat ice cream when you are wearing a bathing suit......

 

[prymsu]

what i do is lay out all the short outfits with shirts together in piles. Then I add socks and underwear. I role the outfit up so it won't wrinkle. Then I place one outfit in a gallon size zip lock bag, so when my son needs a new set of clothes, then he can grab a sack and everything is all together and matching. It sure works well. Then I pack about four extra outfits for day time as extras for when he clothes get messy.

 

[CACruiser]

If you know your kids...you know what they are capable of...

I have a NEATNIK daughter and a MessMagnet Son.

For my daughter I can pack one outfit per day and often re-use the same outfit another day. Since we are going in the summer, she wears sandals most of the time. That means less socks to pack! She wears a sundress to dinner...very simple.

My messy son will need at least two outfits per day. BUT, on a trip like this I always take a few "shout" wipes. If we have a small spot or dirt, a wipe will get it out. I am also taking a small bottle of woolite, so I can wash out a shirt or larger spot if I need it.

I always pack two swimsuits for each. They swim ALL the time.

I plan on buying them at least two t-shirts on the trip..so that is two less to pack!!

I LOVE the idea of packing outfits in ziplock bags, so the kids just pick a bag out. I might do that this year. I would work for my daughter really well!

And I agree, icecream at Scoops on board is near the pool anyway. Have them eat it in their swimsuits or shirtless.

LisaCA