Packing For Short Day Trips
You know those days where you’re heading out with your little one for a few hours but you don’t really want to carry around a big changing bag the whole time but there are definitely necessities you need to bring. Well, that’s the kind of day I’m talking about.
[Ad] I was very kindly gifted this cork bag from Primaberry recently. The benefits of Portuguese cork are that it’s sustainable and biodegradable, naturally waterproof, animal-cruelty free, and it looks great too! I’m used to carrying around a backpack or changing bag full of Leo’s things but I often find now that he’s a toddler we really don’t need as many nappies or changes of clothes anymore. We can getaway with a much smaller bag. The other benefit of a crossbody bag - something I discovered while using it - is that it’s so much easier to wear a baby carrier with one of these bags on because it’s over your shoulder and out the way and still easily accessible while the baby carrier is on.
The kind of trips I’m talking about packing for here are day trips to places like Bourton-on-the-Water (as in this video) or - more locally to us in Suffolk - Jimmy’s Farm, Baylham Rare Breeds, Yaya’s House etc. Day trips to attractions where there are facilities. If we’re packing for day hikes off the beaten track we’d pack a bit differently, including first aid kit and more. One for another post perhaps.
So here’s a list of what to pack for short day trips with a toddler and what I’ve found we can comfortably get into a crossbody bag of this size.
Wipes - we use biodegradable Mum & Me. Muslin cloths are also handy.
Nappies - I sometimes pack 2 x reusable, or 2 x Eco by Naty pull up pants, depending how long we’re likely to be out.
Nappy bags - Again, usually use the Eco by Naty biodegradable bags. I like to pack a few because they come in handy for so many things, including poopy reusable nappies.
Barrier cream - I usually pop in a tiny tub of coconut oil or if there’s some irritation I’ll throw in a travel pot of Sudocrem.
Change of clothes - for day trips I usually pack a pair of trousers and a long sleeve bodysuit. We don’t usually need them unless Leo gets super messy or soaked.
Kids rain poncho - You can get tiny fold ones and I love these on days where it’s not meant to be rainy.
Bib - I love the silicone bibs as they fold up so small.
Snacks - A couple of small snacks. Sometimes fresh things like cucumber and easy peelers,, sometimes things like oat bars and raisins.
Drink - this is packable but then I usually carry Leo’s drink bottle separately or in the baby carrier bag. Sometimes I just get drinks from wherever we’re going too rather than carry the bottle around.
Hairbrush - My hair gets insanely knotty very quickly, especially if it’s windy so I like to have a hairbrush to de-scarecrow every now and then. Not necessary if your hair is up.
Lipbalm/lippy - For a freshen up throughout the day - me not Leo!
Optional - hat. Wooly hat or sun hat - could be packed if you need to. We didn’t on this occasion.
On sunny days - suncream - We didn’t pack this as it wasn’t that sunny but you could easily pack a small bottle of kids suncream in here.
Optional - Spoon/fork - We actually didn’t pack cutlery as often these days because Leo doesn’t really use it much and he’ll usually just use the cafe cutlery if needed but we sometimes pop these in.
Optional - toys - Typically, we don’t carry many toys with us if any because Leo will find plenty of other things to play with when we’re out - usually sticks, stones, mud, etc. BUT the toys we’ve found fantastic to carry with us if we out for lunch or things like that are flashcards (Leo’s absolutely loved these since around the age of 1), mushie cups, and the little toy animals. Leo has a Schleich giraffe, elephant and lion that he often takes out with him. I do recommend them for quality - despite being thrown around, chewed and all sorts, they still look brand new.
So there you have it. Our typical day trip packing list with a toddler.
Here’s a handy checklist you’re welcome to save. I find having a checklist helps me to make sure I’ve got everything when I’m in a rush to get out the door (which we often are!)
And that’s what we pack. How do you pack for short day trips?
