This summer I developed a revolutionary way of how to pack kids clothes for vacation. It has streamlined everything from the packing process, to the daily routine while traveling, to the “uh-oh we need an emergency outfit” moments while away from home. I use the word “revolutionary” not as click-bait, but because it really has been a game changer for me. And I hope it can be helpful to others as well!

I am a creature of habit. I love routine. Once I find a way of doing something that works, I just want to always do it that way.

However, in recent years I have also seen the need to reevaluate those routines and methods. Because what worked well in one stage or season of life may not be the most efficient or effective way in the next season of life.

Obviously, having kids plays a big part in that. Traveling with kids is a whole different animal than traveling solo. Moreover, traveling with three kids (ages four and under) is yet another animal. And so, I found that my standards of packing had to change. For starters, I can’t be the epic overpacker I have always loved to be. But that’s a story for another day…

When it came to packing for my kids, I needed a method for organizing and packing their clothes so that: 1) it wouldn’t take me all morning to find outfits for each of them, and 2) it didn’t all end up in a muddled mess by Day 2 of the trip.

Our 4th of July trip to the mountains this year provided the perfect opportunity for me to crack this code.

My tendency is to pack all similar items together: all pants together, then all shirts together, then undershirts together, then underwear together, etc. etc. That was all well and good when, as stated above, I was single, had what now seems to be a gross amount of free time, and could leisurely rifle through my clothes and contemplate ten different outfits before finally settling on one.

Thankfully, the Lord showed me a better way: group the kids’ clothes by child, and then by day or activity.

Group kids’ clothes by child, and then by day or activity.

Our 4th of July trip was the perfect test of this system, because it was only three nights, and we had a set schedule of activities for each day.

More recently we went camping for three nights, so I was able to test and refine the method. Let me tell you, it worked amazingly. On this trip, we had more unexpected wardrobe changes due to weather and spur of the moment activities. So even though I didn’t use all the outfits exactly how I packed them, having everything orderly from the start made it SO much easier, because I knew where everything was and could quickly pull out what I needed.

Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

The Method

Everyone knows by now what a nerd I am, so it should not be surprising that this packing method starts with a chart. Here it is:

I had this chart in mind, and then laid it out on the floor, filling in each square with an outfit. Tailor make your grid based on your children, and the number of days or special activities you will do on your trip. For example, going to church or going to the beach may require a separate outfit from the rest of the day. Just make sure the columns are in chronological order.

Once you have the clothes laid out in a grid, pack up one child at a time. Starting with the last day or extra outfit, begin stacking the clothes, working in reverse order. This way, you have pajamas on top, ready to go for the first night. And the next morning, their Day 1 outfit is right on top.

Figure out the best way to divide the bag (or bags) so that each child’s clothes can be kept together, and in chronological order. Thankfully, my duffel bag perfectly fit three stacks of clothes, so the boys’ outfits were lined up right next to each other.

Space was not a serious issue for either of our trips. If you want to conserve space, you could consider rolling each outfit together, and then stacking them on top of or next to each other.

Also, I packed our swimwear in the bottom because, while we were going to be near water, it was at a high elevation, so I wasn’t sure if we would even use them. Obviously, if your vacation revolves around beach time you would want to change the “grid” accordingly.

Bonus

These pictures are from our camping trip. I purposely packed bright colors so they would be easy to see in the woods!

Bon voyage, and enjoy a more streamlined trip next time you travel with your tots!

Looking for more organizational ideas for kids stuff? Check out my post on organizing toddler puzzles!