DisneyWife2015
scmom08
- Joined
- May 3, 2016
- Messages
- 175
We just got back from a 10 day trip to WDW. It was our third year but our first as a family of 5. I knew from past experience that something needed to change with our packing system. We spent way too much time looking for things in the mornings and digging through too many suitcases/bags. I did some research and found out about packing cubes. I had never heard of them before and read many reviews before making the purchase. I started by making a list of everything we needed to pack. Then I measured my suitcases to see which bags would fit best. Since this would be my first try at them, I decided not to go too expensive and yet not too cheap either. I settled on the AmazonBasics 4-piece sets. To make it even more organized, I bought three different colors (blue for me and DH, black for DDs, and green for DS). I also bought different sizes based on what we needed. The blue and black sets consist of 2 large and 2 medium cubes. The green set is 4 medium cubes.
I watched a few YouTube videos on the best way to pack the cubes and determined that rolling the items was going to give me the most space. For my kids, I put a rubber band around their outfits. We chose to only take 4 different shorts, 1 pant/jean, 10 tops, and 2 sets of pjs each. We specifically scheduled in a resort day 1/2 way through our vacation so we knew we'd have time to do a load of laundry. (We actually did two: one darks and one lights). Instead of having to fold it all, I just rolled it back up into the cube. It's so much faster!
Here's how I broke down what went into each cube:
1 large black: shirts
1 large black: shorts/pants
1 medium black: pjs/socks/under garments
1 medium black: toiletries
1 large blue: oldest DD shirts/shorts/pjs
1 large blue: youngest DD shirts/shorts/pjs
1 medium blue: DDs socks/under garments
1 medium blue: All swimwear
1 medium green: DS clothing
1 medium green: diapers/wipes
1 medium green: DS blankets/burp clothes/bibs
1 medium green: DS baby food/spoons
In my large suitcase, I was able to fit all 4 large cubes plus 4 medium cubes. In the smaller suitcase, I packed the other 2 medium cubes, magic bands, hair accessories, and basically anything else we forgot last minute and needed to throw in. I kept the cubes with diapers/wipes and baby food out so we could keep it in our van for easy access. I slid it in front of his car seat. Add the pack n play and stroller and we were all set!
So how did this help us at Disney? SUCH A TIME SAVER! Seriously. When we arrived at the resort, I just threw the entire cube into each drawer for my kids, my DH and mine went on the bottom shelf in the bathroom, the diapers/wipes & food cubes went on the shelf by the mini-fridge, and the toiletries cube went in the bathroom on top of the shelf. Unpacking done in less than 2 minutes. Then in the mornings, everyone knew exactly where everything was and we were able to get ready much faster than years passed - even with a baby added into the mix!
At the end of the week, we used one of the laundry bags from the room to throw in any dirty laundry. So when we got home, everyone was given a packing cube or two to unpack and then I threw the dirty laundry in the washer.
My DH was very skeptical of my plan at first but after we came home, he expressed his gratitude for the packing cubes. It was a game changer for us so I wanted to share in case anyone else is looking to improve their packing process. Hope this helps! Feel free to share any of your tips too or ask any questions you may have.
I watched a few YouTube videos on the best way to pack the cubes and determined that rolling the items was going to give me the most space. For my kids, I put a rubber band around their outfits. We chose to only take 4 different shorts, 1 pant/jean, 10 tops, and 2 sets of pjs each. We specifically scheduled in a resort day 1/2 way through our vacation so we knew we'd have time to do a load of laundry. (We actually did two: one darks and one lights). Instead of having to fold it all, I just rolled it back up into the cube. It's so much faster!
Here's how I broke down what went into each cube:
1 large black: shirts
1 large black: shorts/pants
1 medium black: pjs/socks/under garments
1 medium black: toiletries
1 large blue: oldest DD shirts/shorts/pjs
1 large blue: youngest DD shirts/shorts/pjs
1 medium blue: DDs socks/under garments
1 medium blue: All swimwear
1 medium green: DS clothing
1 medium green: diapers/wipes
1 medium green: DS blankets/burp clothes/bibs
1 medium green: DS baby food/spoons
In my large suitcase, I was able to fit all 4 large cubes plus 4 medium cubes. In the smaller suitcase, I packed the other 2 medium cubes, magic bands, hair accessories, and basically anything else we forgot last minute and needed to throw in. I kept the cubes with diapers/wipes and baby food out so we could keep it in our van for easy access. I slid it in front of his car seat. Add the pack n play and stroller and we were all set!
So how did this help us at Disney? SUCH A TIME SAVER! Seriously. When we arrived at the resort, I just threw the entire cube into each drawer for my kids, my DH and mine went on the bottom shelf in the bathroom, the diapers/wipes & food cubes went on the shelf by the mini-fridge, and the toiletries cube went in the bathroom on top of the shelf. Unpacking done in less than 2 minutes. Then in the mornings, everyone knew exactly where everything was and we were able to get ready much faster than years passed - even with a baby added into the mix!
At the end of the week, we used one of the laundry bags from the room to throw in any dirty laundry. So when we got home, everyone was given a packing cube or two to unpack and then I threw the dirty laundry in the washer.
My DH was very skeptical of my plan at first but after we came home, he expressed his gratitude for the packing cubes. It was a game changer for us so I wanted to share in case anyone else is looking to improve their packing process. Hope this helps! Feel free to share any of your tips too or ask any questions you may have.
