Me: Safety kit?
Hugo: Packed.
Me: Chopping board?
Hugo: Skip that. Let's just use our plates.
Me: No. We need a chopping board. If you're worried about space, we have one that's thinner than a place mat...Barf bag?
Hugo: I can't find it. Let's just use the garbage bag.
Me: Garbage ba&*#%. Well...give me one so I can put it in the easy-access pouch.
Hugo: I already packed it in the big bag.
Silence.
Me: Anyway...next on the list. Gunther? (Sput's inflatable duck)
Hugo gave me an "I'm thinking, stop talking" look. Then, we started searching for Gunther which lasted for about 30 minutes.
Packing for a trip with a kid is ten times more time-consuming and headache-inducing than packing for a solo travel. I anticipated that it's not going to be easy but I never expected it to be this strenuous. The kid in the equation makes all the difference. But seeing our little girl's face light up when she saw the backpacks ready made it all worthwhile.
So, without further ado and hopefully without sounding like a know-it-all, here are the lessons I've learned from our first family packing experience:
Start packing at least three days in advance. Especially if it's your first time and if you're busy days before the trip. We did it in one day but that's almost eight hours of hardcore packing, not including the time we spent buying the groceries and other essentials.
Let the kids help. Don't just let them watch TV while you do all the packing or else you'd lose a great opportunity for teaching them valuable lessons. I let Sput pack her small backpack. I told her to put in it everything she needs. I checked her bag after a few minutes and my heart melted when I saw her toothbrush, panties, toothpaste and her favorite teddy bear. I called her and assisted her all the way making sure she feels like it is her responsibility to pack her stuff. If you have a toddler, let her decide which clothes,books and toys to pack. If the toy is too big, then gently tell her to pick a smaller one...and so on.
It's okay to argue a little. Packing is a test of compatibility and patience. If you're a nit-picking type like me, you'd want to know why he packed certain things and why he didn't pack certain things (which you firmly believe are important, i.e. the chopping board). If you keep quiet and silently dwell on it, you'd start to think about how this reflects your relationship. So before you ruin the trip that hasn't even started, simply ask him why. As in "Why don't you want to pack the chopping board when it's obviously more useful than the snorkeling gear?" Then respect his answer. Just learn how to "argue" nicely.
A checklist is a MUST. I was never really fond of checklists when it comes to packing. Since college, I like to do last-minute packing because it gives me the rush and I become more excited of the trip. But now that I have a four-year-old, spontaneous packing is simply not possible. Well, it is but I don't want to risk it when a little person depends on me. Make a list of your essentials as a family and make a separate list of your kids' essentials to make sure you'd pack everything that you need.
I don't want to make a checklist of things to pack when camping with baby because it would be a looong list. But here's a list of essentials if you're camping with a kid:
Mosquito repellent
Milk
Distilled water
Sunscreen
Diapers (for long travels)
Wet tissue
Floaters
alcohol
Beach toys
Her favorite things (favorite pillow, teddy bear or nack).
A book
Sweater/ warmers
No comments:
Post a Comment