With a 5 year old and a new baby, the thought of taking a Family Vacation To The Beach seemed both thrilling and challenging at the same time. As it is, I'm one of those "extreme over planners" and "Extreme Over packers" - Otherwise known to my family as the one with OCD :-)
For this particular trip I actually started my "Packing List For The Beach" (and yes, my word document, check off list had a title!) about two weeks in advance. I wanted to make sure that we wouldn't have to run out and pick up an item we forgot, when it would probably cost twice as much and we would need only a little.
In addition to the "Packing List For The Beach" (Which I will include at the bottom) I also remember seeing an idea online somewhere (pintrest most likely) about packing individual outfits into gallon size Ziploc bags.
This. Is. Genius.
We were going to be going for 5 days so I allotted 1 outfit per day (including socks and undies) for my 5 year old, and packed one additional Ziploc with an extra 2 bottoms and 2 tops (just in case). For my baby, I packed 2 whole outfits per day and a separate bag with onsies and sleepers.
The great thing about this idea is that by pre-planning and packing the clothes, I would not have to do the "dump and search" when trying to get them dressed in the morning. Not only that, but my daughter could pick from her bags and then dress herself. It was a win win as far as I was concerned. But, the GREATEST thing about this idea, is at the end of the day, the dirty clothes go right back into a Ziploc!!! No smelly clothes or food stains transferring to other clothes.
And I really did have fun planning all the outfits for the kiddies!
Here is a bad picture of what my packed suitcase looked like:
In addition to the kids clothes, mine fit in with theirs, meaning that I did not have to tote around 3 different suitcases with us. My husband packs light and only needed his small overnight bag.
I also packed separate bags for shower/bathroom stuff, and a small bag for meds, sunscreen, aloe etc.
Anyway, I am pleased to say, that we did not need to buy one additional item while on our trip. I obviously contribute this to my genius list writing skills, but my husband just thinks its because I had too much time on my hands :-)
Packing List For The Beach
Older Children - Clothing
q 5 full outfits, undies, socks,
sweater
q 2 pairs shoes
q Bathing suit, cover up
q 2 pairs PJs
q Color book/crayons/Markers (other car travel items or rainy day items)
Younger Children/Babies - Clothing and Accessories
q 10 outfits, onsies, bathing
suit, sweater
q Diapers, wipes, Baby shampoo,
washcloths
q Bottles, tops, caps
q Formula, baby food, spoons
q Highchair, pack & play,
swing, playmat
q Stroller
q Pacifiers, blankets, bibs
Dad:
q 5 outfits, boxers, socks etc
q 1 nice shirt/bottom for night
out
q flip flops
q Bathing suit
q sweater/hoodie
Mom :
q 5 outfits, socks, undies, etc
q 1 nice outfit/dress for night
out
q flip flops
q bathing suit, wrap
q sweater/hoodie
Beach Items
q Chairs
q Beach toys
q Blanket/ Towels
q Baby Powder (BTW, this is AMAZING at removing sand after leaving the beach! Just puff it on, rub in and off falls the sand!)
q Sunscreen
q Life Jackets
q Sunglasses
Personal
Care
q Makeup, tweezers, Q-tips,
perfume
q Thermometer, Aloe Vera Gel
q Body wash/ pouf,
Shampoo/conditioner, face scrub
q Razor, deodorant, shaving
cream,
q Hairbrush, hair ties, Hairspray
q Motrin/Tylenol/sleeping aid/
decongestant, indigestion med
q Contact lenses/solution/glasses
q Mouthwash, toothbrush,
toothpaste
Electronics:
q Kinect Game system
q Hard drive/movie drive
q Laptop/Charger
q Kindle/ Charger
q IPad/ charger
q Camera / Charger
q Ipod, earphones
Beach
House accessories: (If you are renting a house and need linens)
q 2 sets Queen Sheets
q Extra Pillows
q Playing Cards/Phase 10 Cards
