{Packing Ahead: A new reinforced habit}

One of the things I try to avoid as a mom is cramming. I know it may sound a little school-y but there are moments too that I cram especially when it comes to packing Inno’s stuff. All the times that I’ve been unprepared for a short day trip or a long vacation, I always missed bringing an essential thing or two. So I promised myself to change that bad habit by always packing ahead whether it’s just a trip to the church or mall, or a two-day out-of-town trip.

I am given the opportunity to practice or rather, reinforce this new habit. We will be spending the weekend out-of-town; a trip to Manaoag to have the new family car blessed then we’ll be heading to Baguio for an overnight stay in Camp John Hay Forest Lounge. It’s just Thursday yesterday but I already packed Inno’s stuff just to make sure I won’t forget anything. Here’s how I did it:

1. A mental list of all the essentials. I know writing down a list would work more but I saved that for the stuff that I can’t still pack ahead (i.e. snacks, diaper rash cream, water jug and the like). Usually, these things include clothes and diapers. For the clothes, the mommy standard travel rule applies. I packed two of each type. For example, for an overnight, I stuffed two sets of jammies in the bag just in case he decides to mess up before hitting the sack and would require a change. For the diapers, I just counted how many times he changes in a day and bring an extra for special cases.        

Even if the trip is just short, I make sure to always bring a first aid kit. Better be  prepared for unfortunate cases (if God permits) than to rush on pharmacies or convenience stores in the wee hours.

Of course, another thing I shall never forget to bring are his travel toys. Since it’ll be a 3-4 hour-long trip going to our first destination, we’ll need something to entertain him and will stop him from wanting to go out of the car. I only packed small toys and some books and placed them in a drawstring pouch so it won’t be scattered in his bag.

2. A pouch for each kind. Perhaps, this is the part where I always fail: organizing the bag. No matter how I try and leave the house with an organized closed bag, it ends up like a pile of sorts at the end of the day. However, part of the reinforcement I wish to practice and will practice is to keep a tidy bag.  How will I manage that? I got a pouch for each kind. I don’t care if they don’t match at all. For the clothes, I used a zipped travel bag organizer that was gifted to me by a dear friend. It comes in three varying sizes and used the medium one to place all of Inno’s change of clothes. There was also this small Kindermusik pouch from Teacher Suzette where I placed his first aid needs. As for the toys, I repurposed a wetbag from one of his dappy bags. For his snacks, I finally decided to buy him his own lunch box just so his food won’t get mixed up with all his other things. I got him a Skip Hop Doggie Lunch box at Mothercare.

3. The Stickie Rule. I still have a few things yet to stuff in the bag and I could only prepare them the night or even an hour before leaving for the trip. Being the forgetful person that I am, I want to make sure that I won’t miss bringing a single important thing, so I wrote down in a stickie all these little stuff and post it beside the door just above the light switch so I could see it before stepping out of the room. I’ve already tried this the night before Inno’s party and it was effective for me. I crossed out all the things listed as I put them in the bag. Surely, I never forgot a thing!

It’s a good thing to be prepared ahead. I am able to save myself from the hassle of pulling and stuffing things an our or so before the trip which I've always done for our past travels. I don’t have to worry so much about forgetting things and I still have extra time preparing my own bag. I’ve learned so much from past traveling experiences and I don’t think I’ll ever want to go through all those bad stuff again. Besides, it feels good to be all geared up!

How about you? What’s your secret to effective packing for your little one?