My two sisters and I took our families to stay at a hotel for three nights, and after conversing about what we were packing for the stay, they encouraged me to write this post for other families who might be staying at a hotel with small children. Most of the ideas come from my mother-in-law who is a master, and as she put it during our stay at Adventureland last weekend, “This ain’t my first rodeo.” Ha!
The last two weekends we have stayed at Adventureland Inn and the Staybridge Suites in Des Moines. Both hotels had a pool, but only the Staybridge had free breakfast in the morning.
What to Pack
Here is a quick graphic I made that I refer to every time we take the kids somewhere. It’s a great list of bare minimum things you’ll likely need and can be added onto or taken off of as needed depending on your trip. I have this list on an Excel spreadsheet and cross it off as I pack. This helps for those last minute items you can’t pack until, well, the last minute.
-Clothing/Accessories:
- When it comes to packing for your kids, I cannot recommend packing cubes enough. When I packed for Grace, who is two, I put her clothes, swim suit, and pajamas in the largest cube. This took up almost one side of her rollaway suitcase and then I was able to roll her blanket in to fill the rest of the space on that side.
- In a medium sized cube, I packed electronics like monitors, sound machines, night lights, as well as their little pouch that carries tooth brushes, toothpaste, lotion, body wash, conditioner, pony tails, and a comb. This pouch always stays packed so it’s easy to grab-n-go.
- In the smallest cube I packed wipes and diapers for the entire trip.
- Want to hear another way packing cubes are amazing? Each day I set the kids’ dirty clothes in a pile. When it was time to leave, I moved the couple clean items they had left into the medium sized cube, and then used Grace’s large cube to house all their dirty clothes. Then when we got home there was no sorting and I just quickly unzipped the cube and threw all their laundry in the hamper. So slick! I did the same thing with my own clothes, too.
–Food/Drinks:
- Breakfast options- if your kids get up early like ours, they may require something to eat before the continental breakfast is open.
- Snacks- if they swim, they’ll be hungry afterwards! Pack a few snacks to help get them to the next meal. We threw in Veggie Straw packs, cheese and cracker packs, applesauce pouches, fruit snacks, and cuties.
- Beverages- for the kids I brought a box of juice boxes, for myself I brought a box of wine, and Tate threw in his favorite beverages. Bottled water is always a good idea as well.
- Paper plates, napkins, silverware, and plastic cups- all essential and will come in handy for if you order in or need a toddy before bed.
-Swim Gear:
- I brought a separate swim bag full of swim diapers, life jackets, diving sticks, goggles, and cups for Grace to play with and it was easy to just grab the bag as we went out the door. Don’t forget flip flops for everyone to easily slip on!
-Toys/Games
- We brought a few toys for the kids to play with during down time, as well as their tablets. I think their favorite was lounging in a hotel bed and watching a show, though!
One last hotel hack I got from Living with Landyn is for that pesky sunlight that creeps in too early in the morning or for nap time when you need the room dark. If you take pants hangers from the hotel closet and clip the curtains together, this blocks out so much more light than without. I used all three hangers the hotel had and it worked great.
I hope this was helpful! Any great hotel hacks or essentials you have? Please share in the comments!
twss,
Kelsey
My dad always said the only things you always need to take with you on a vacation is glasses, prescription medication and a credit card! If you think about it, you will never stress about leaving home without something!
ps Grandpa Dale never packed a suitcase in his life!