Out of Town Trip with the Kids

I think most moms would agree that tagging along your kids for travel be such a challenge. This is especially true when you have a baby who is still bottle-feeding. Then you’ll have to bring sterilized water, feeding bottles and milk. If it’s going to be more than an overnight trip, you may even need to bring the sterilizer with you. Because I have weaned my son from breastfeeding relatively early, I have experienced having to pack all those. Now with Rianna who still breastfeeds at a year old, it is so much easier. All I need to bring is my versatile baby pouch that also serves as a shield when I breastfeed.

For a hassle-free vacation, it is very important to plan ahead and to prepare for the unexpected. Planning helps you pack light. Plan your kids’ wardrobe based on the scheduled activities you intend to do. For example, for a weekend in Subic, you may need swimwear, a set of clothes to the safari, sleepwear and an extra set of clothes for changing (maybe it’s necessary to bring two in anticipation of the inevitable). Plus a light jacket in case the weather doesn’t turn out to be sunny as expected. For footwear, one pair should do. Just choose one that’s comfortable and something that matches most of your child’s clothes.

Same process goes for packing the milk and baby food. Count the number of bottles your baby usually consumes in a 24-hour period. Then just add a few extra in the case baby gets a bit more hungry. (One of the interesting finds I have discovered recently is the portable sterilizer from – which accommodates two feeding bottles and accessories at a time.) For baby food, though it is still best if they are freshly prepared at home, this is one of those instances that baby food in jars and cereals come in handy.

Now what if one of the kids sick during the trip? Even a simple fever can ruin a vacation. When my son Wico was about two years old, we went to Baguio for a weekend getaway. In the middle of the night,he developed a fever. I didn’t have anything with me, so I asked the concierge if they had a thermometer and some paracetamol. Maybe it was hotel policy that they had to bring in the doctor on call (even if I insisted that all I needed was some paracetamol). Of course I appreciated that. But it certainly would have been much less of a hassle if I only had a small first aid kit with me.

To make your own kit, a small cosmetic bag or box will do. Put some ready-to-use sterile bandage, cotton, cotton swabs , a small bottle of antiseptic, a thermometer (preferably a digital one), a bottle of paracetamol and a packet of oral rehydration solution. If your kids are prone to allergies, it may be prudent to always have an antihistamine at hand. If you’re going to be away just for the weekend, no need to bring along your big bottles of multivitamins and supplements. You can give them their vitamins before you leave, then when you get back the following day or so. It is important to bring only small bottles of each medicine, otherwise, your small first aid kit cannot carry all your stuff and you will end up with one as big as your medicine cabinet!