I hate hate hate packing

[jgenie]

Packing list- Clothes			Dress shirt
Shirts			Dress pants
Bottoms			Belt
Pants or shorts			Tie
Long sleeves/ sweatshir or t-shirt			Socks
Underwear			Shoes
Socks
PJs
Rain or winter jacket			Sleepover
Bathing suit			add sleeping bag
Goggles
Sandals
Shoes
			Packing List- Electronics and extras
Packing List- Toiletries			Any electronics
Toothbrush			Appropriate chargers
Toothpaste			Book
Soap			Games
Deoderant			Sunglasses
Sunscreen			Glasses
Allergy Meds			Pillow and blanket

It's really basic but I scratch unnecessary things off when I print and can add if I think of anything. We usually road trip hence the pillows and blankets. My camping one is in a different file and a work in progress.

I pack all of the main medicine stuff (stomach, ibuprofen...) and first aid stuff but if they were solo I would add it. eta- that came through weird. Looked good when I posted it.

Thank you for sharing!

[ett]

I can sympathize! I used to even pack for DH but now I tell him to do it himself, which he always leaves until the last minute. I can never get my boys to pack anything either on their own. I have to ask them to bring me this and this, at which point I'll just grab them myself!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I do have a list with everything we would need for a beach vacation, ski vacation, camping/hiking, etc. (and I’d be happy to share it if anyone wants it. It’s got some personal stuff on it so I won’t post here). But my kids all think I’m crazy and that I overpack. They are all Boy Scouts and used to making do with less. They don’t care at all what they look like. I’m just a little more picky about them not going out to dinner at a nice restaurant in the same clothes they have worn all week.

So the hair-pulling continues…

Yep, I have all of those lists too.
Luckily mine still listen to me about what to pack. Phew!! I do sub in some clothes sometimes when they aren't looking because they don't attempt to put together outfits. If I see that one of them packed a shirt I hate or doesn't fit well, out it goes. They don't care either way.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I wrote notecards and stuck them in their nightstands. They say:

3 short or long outfits
2 pairs of pajamas
3 unders
3 socks
1 swimsuit
1 hoodie
1 sleeping toy
kindle
toiletry bag (should be a list in there!)

Can you type one up and print it 4x?

HOWEVER: We still go out of town and someone is missing stuff every single time. It burns me up. Why oh WHY can't packing be something we can hire out for? If someone started up a business called a Packing Fairy, they would be instant millionaires!

[gatorsmom]

I wrote notecards and stuck them in their nightstands. They say:

3 short or long outfits
2 pairs of pajamas
3 unders
3 socks
1 swimsuit
1 hoodie
1 sleeping toy
kindle
toiletry bag (should be a list in there!)

Can you type one up and print it 4x?

If only. They all have opinions now. They know better than me. ds2 doesn’t thing he needs pajamas. (Um houseguests! Yes you do!). And ds1 thinks his welding pants would be great for the airplane because he gets cold and they are thick. (Yuck- stains! And how do you sleep in those?? His reply- It’s fine mom. I can sleep in anything.). And DD’s bff’s family is joining us and her and her mom are serious about fashion so dd thinks she needs 5 dresses, 8 pairs of shorts with matching tops, 3 skirts, 5 pairs of shoes….. She doesn’t need a quarter of that. This isn’t Paris, it’s the countryside. So she will be surprised her luggage doesn’t include everything she wanted and pulled out to pack because I’m the one actually packing the duffle bags this time. If I didn’t do it, we’d never fit all the luggage in those little European rental cars. And we often get vans! But even European vans are smaller! But if the kids see me culling their piles of clothes they add things to the bags after I’m done and say, “it’ll be fine mom.” So now I have to stealth pack!

And here I am pouring shampoo in little bottles while ds2 is tossing the entire bottle of Zyrtec in his pile, a large bottle of hand sanitizer, etc. All I get is a nice little pat on the shoulder and a “it’ll be fine mom. We are taking 5-6 big duffle bags. It will all fit.” Sigh.

I’m procrastinating. :

[WatchingThemGrow]

It sounds like a great trip you're going on! I went back and added to my post above. How can we encourage someone to take my business idea and franchise it?

Maybe it was one of you who encouraged me to have a glass of wine before attempting to pack our family for a trip. I always forget (and I believe you don't drink) but ugh....packing for kids is the worst!

We are flying Frontier and paying for 1 bag when we go to my mom's and Orlando for a week. They lowered the weight in the suitcases to 40 lbs. So all 5 of us will pack for a week in a 40 lb bag and our elementary school sized backpacks. We can do it!!!

[lizzywednesday]

I gave DD a checklist last year and I'm dreading the "swipe from Mom" phase that my nieces & nephew (similar ages to your crew, OP) are going through.

[klwa]

Last year before our vacation, i handed my kids a list & had them lay out what they thought matched that list before it got packed so i could inspect. That went something like:

For each day, you will need 1 pair of shorts, 1 t shirt, underwear, & socks. You will also need 2 pairs of pajamas and 2 swimsuits as well as all needed toiletries (toothbrush, brush, toothpaste, face wash).

Saturday: Travel day 1. Only need underwear & pajamas.
Sunday: Arrive at ____ .
Monday: Activities expected blah blah.
Tuesday, etc.


All three kids read the list and got their stuff ready to be packed. One kid had way too many outfits. (That's how many days you said we'd be gone!) One kid was about 2 days shy on clothes. So, they had to go back in and re-determine what they needed. I DID do the final pack, but they got everything together for me, separated by days. (I still pack for the four of us usually by days instead of by person and let DH figure his own stuff out.)

[marinkitty]

These are the lists I give my individual people. Do not include things I bring for the whole family like first aid kit, vitamins, car charger/cord, etc.

My list for beach trip (assumes ability to do laundry at some point):

Shorts x 3
Tshirts/tanks x 5
Bathing suits x2+ (boys bring 2; girls usually more)
wetsuits (if needed to surf)
Rash guards x2
Beach cover ups (girls only)
Flip flops
Sundresses or skirt outfits x 2 (girls only)
Golf shirts x 2 (boys only)
Nicer shorts x 1 (boys only)
sweats
fleece/cardigan/warmer layer x 1
socks x 2
undies x 5
bras x 3 (girls)
baseball or sun hat
sunglasses
jewelry (girls)
glasses/contacts
sneakers
sandals/water shoes
beach bag tote
sunscreen
waterproof phone case
PJs (boys skip these)
workout clothes x 2 sets
Medications
Phone/ipad/ear buds/chargers
Book to read
Tolietries/hair care
Hydroflask
Glasses/contacts
ID/passports/any travel documents/Covid test kits


My list for ski trip (we do laundry every night):
Ski socks x 2
Base layer bottoms x 2
Base layer tops x 2
Mid layers - 1 light and 1 heavier
Ski coat
Ski pants
Ski gloves
Skis/boots/poles
Avy gear
Sunglasses
Goggles
Helmet
Buff
Winter hat
Handwarmers - 1 set per day
PJs (boys don't bring them)
Undies x 5
Bras x 3 (girls only, obviously)
Bathing suit
Non-ski socks x 2
Jeans
Sweater/nicer top x 2
Light puffer coat
Non-ski gloves
Sneakers
Snowboots
Workout clothes (1-2 sets)
Sweats x 1
Medications
Phone/ipad/ear buds/chargers
Book to read
Tolietries/hair care
Hydroflask
Glasses/contacts
ID/passports/any travel documents/Covid test kits

My list for camping trip (not including actual group camping/backpacking gear; assumes no laundry other than perhaps rinsing things out at camp depending on trip length):
Rain coat
Rain pants
Puffer (if likely to be below 60)
Fleece
sleepclothes
camp shoes
hiking shoes
2 tops (type depends on weather)
2 bottoms (type depends on weather)
2 pairs socks
2 undies
2 sports bras (girls)
hat
sunglasses
buff
bug spray
sunscreen
minimal tolietries
glasses/contacts
hat/gloves (if cold)
electronics and charging blocks/cords
waterbottle/hydration pack
headlamp and spare batteries
medications

[Kestrel]

Honestly, if they're old enough, let them do their own and have them deal with the results. You pack anything you can't deal with being without - like prescription meds, passports, ect - and let the chips fall. Very few things are deal-breakers.

I remember quite fondly when 12-year-old DS didn't pack enough shirts and got to sit by the washing machine at the RV park waiting for his clothes instead of watching a movie before bed. Lesson learned!