Packing for two children

[bangingmyheadoffabrickwall]

What ad how much do you take with you for your kids when going on a family holiday?

We are going for 11 nights (Turkey) and for some reason I am stumped as to what to take and how much to take for my two kids. They are 6 and 3.

The 6 year old has toileting issues so we need plenty underwear (2 per day) as it is! Plus he is a messy eater and not unusual for him to spill half his dinner down his t shirt and shorts!

My 3 year old will live in her bikini no doubt.

Just wondering what and how much everyone else takes!

We have four excursions planned; jeep safari, horse riding and two boat trips. Interspace with a day out and then a day at the hotel. Days out, apart from one, will mainly be beachwear as it is.

Two pairs of knickers per child per day. An outfit each per day plus two extra. Two pairs of pjs each. Two swimming kits each. Dresses are best as they take up less space than shorts & t shirt.

I'd try and pack as few clothes as possible. I actually pack fewer outfits than the number of days because I recycle the outfits and make the DC wear items of clothing more than once. They're hardly going to be getting sweaty at that age and you can always quickly rinse them in your hotel room and hang them in the shower! As you've said, your DC will be mostly in their swimwear and flipflops, so they'll just need a few cover ups and sandals for mealtimes and a few more substantial clothes and trainers for your excursions.
I also don't take much suncream, insect repellent, shampoo, baby wipes etc... because we buy this on arrival at the resort. I do, however, take calpol, antiseptic wipes, plasters and travel sickness tablets. I also take a couple of boxes of Bear fruit rolls and little boxes of raisins as snacks for the DC to balance out all the ice cream!
What takes up a lot of space in our suitcase is stuff to keep the DC occupied. For example, sticker books, fuzzy felt and colouring books for when they wake up before me and my DH, or on the airport transfer etc,.. and a few good old fashioned story books for bedtimes.

You will not need PJ's in Turkey. I would bring 4 shorts and 6 t shirts plus clean underwear 1 tops for each day. They do have water there. Plus they will hardly be wearing clothes. Unless you are doing posh restaurants

I tend to pack older clothes for holidays. So if something gets hideous stain on it I just throw it out. Or things like socks that gave only got a wear or too left in them.

Will you have access to a laundry? As then I’d pack for half the amount of days.

I did a week with hand luggage for slightly older kids, but we did have a washing machine. Minimise shoes (sandals for beach plus one pair for travelling / if you do anything a bit sporty), one jumper / cardigan, then light tops / shorts / dresses which don't take much room. Our packable macs came in very useful (it poured with rain on the way home from the airport on public transport).

Then fill up with toys, games, books, stickers etc. And snacks.

Highly recommend using vacuum bags to reduce the room taken up by clothes. We did carry-on only for all four of us for our two-week summer hols last year, Inc books, games, even the pool inflatable they insist on bringing every sodding year

@JeanMichelBisquiat
How did you vacuum it all down when coming home?

You can get bags that you just squash/roll up, that don't need a hoover. Argos stocks them.

Going against the grain slightly I would take extra tops, 2 for your son per day. My ds1 is also a messy eater. Are you eating breakfast in a hotel every day or self catering? I do t shirt & shorts in the day, shirt and shorts on an evening. Evening shorts can usually be worn the next day. Take some handwash detergent and rinse stuff out. I pack outfits in bundles together so everything is to hand.
Primark is brilliant for t shirts, they cost about £1.25 and lovely cotton shirts for £3.50. Their chino shorts are good too, and swim shorts.

We’re just back from one week away, beach/pool holiday with 3 and 7yr old.

I packed 4 sets of swimwear for each child, 8 daytime basic tshirts, 4 evening outfits (shirts & smart shorts). I brought home a couple of clean tshirts for the eldest the rest was worn.

We got through 4 full bottles of sun cream spray between the four of us, nearly ran out.

A few of the tshirts have been ruined with suncream so don’t pack the best things for daytime.

We are AI but everyone has to be clothed for dinner!
I will be telling DS to strip to his swim shorts for lunch and I may ask MIL to make a couple of ‘bibs’ for him to wear at the table.

Luckily my aunt has rented an apartment with a washer for the summer and she has offered to do some washing if we need it. But with a 30 minute walk i’d only do it for emergencies.

Underwear will get ditched if soiled.

DD LIVES in her dresses. She isn’t a shorts fan anyways!

I have packed 7 pairs of shorts with 10 t’shirts. I figured he can wear the t shirt from the night before during the daytime the day after - tomato sauce down it or not!

Me and my kids can not sleep without PJs regardless of heat. 2 pairs each.
DD has five bikinis (she’s a bit obsessed with ‘fashion’ aged 3) but then again so do I! 😳
DS has five swimmingly shorts plus rash vest; DD has her rash vest outfit too.

Cannot believe the crap we are taking.

Just pack a bottle of travel wash

duckyfuzz clearly not had a child with a serious toileting issue not do you see the problematic issue of cleaning thick poo (not skid marks) from underwear and shorts judging by your snotty emoji.

Obviously I am taking travel wash as I always do.

I'm just back from two weeks in menorca and can tell you, from experience, with absolute certainty that each child does not need ten pairs of socks....!

Were in Ibiza at the moment for ten days. Neither child has worn a single pair of socks. They've spent 10-5 in their swimming costumes each day then a pair of knickers and a dress for the evening. Job done.