Tips on packing light for 14 month old

hi

my partner and i will be taking a 5 month trip in june (uk,USA, KL)with our boy who will be 14 months when we leave and almost 19 months on our return.

We plan to take two backpacks, one for our gear and one for his. We wont actually be "roughing" it but i still want to pack as lightly as possible

Any ideas on essential items? What material is best for kids clothing, as in quick drying and the likes. DO you think he will grow alot in 5 months? should i pack bigger clothes or just buy new stuff as we need it???

how many items of each clothing are recommended? I dont want to be finding a laundromat everyday.

thanks in advance

Hi

He'll probably grow at least a size during five months. We did a long trip with our son at age two (where the growing has slowed down - a little....), and found it easier to buy as we went along. Usually you can find kid's clothes pretty cheaply anywhere. If you're on a tight budget, scan local notice boards etc. for sales of used kids' clothes - you'll often find something.

We went to Austria with our son when he was 14 months too. One lesson that we learned was to bring extra underwear. At that age kids are going to go through the odd bout of, ahhmmmenn, "loose bowel movement"? (well, I guess we're all parents here, so you can imagine the details for yourself :-) There is little difference spacewise between packing 5 or 8 sets of underwear, but you may end up very happy to have a clean set to spare.

A warm fleece sweater or zippered fleece jacket is great. Weighs next to nothing, is dry 5 minutes after being washed, and extremly versatile - as a jacket on its own, as a warm layer under a raincoat, or even for sleeping in cold weather. Ditto for a pair of fleece pants. Or, if you go camping, consider a one-piece fleece suit.

As when you are packing for yourself, go for things that are multi-use and can be layered. If you bring a fleece jacket and a raincoat, you have three sets of overclothes in two items. That sort of thing.

And, bring less that you would expect. Remember, it is entirely possible to wear the same pair of trousers and Tshirt two days in a row - though any kid will look a bit scruffy at the end of day two (hell - they'll do that 10 minutes after getting a clean set on anyway)

I just looked at our list for a four-month backpacking/camping trip through Australia with a two-year old, and it looked like this: 5 changes of T-shirt, socks and underwear, fleece jacket and ditto pants, three pairs of trousers (thin - at least on pair large enough to wear the fleece pants beneath), a nightsuit/pajamas, two thin long-sleeved shirts, one longsleeved thin sweater, raingear (trousers and jacket), sandals, one pair of shoes and one pair of boots. Two extra sets of underpants! Swimsuit (long-sleeved), Sun hat. One warm wollen cap. That's it, and it really takes up no space in a backpack. Plus, of course, one set of clothes to travel in.

That would basically give us about 8 - 10 days between washing stops (though we'd generally wash whenever the chance appeared, for that warm fuzzy "hey - we've got a packback full of clean clothes for the kid"-feeling).

Remember if you are flying to pack one change of clothes for your son (plus a spare set of underwear.....) in your carry-on luggage. Don't let it all go in the cargo-hold! And, while your at it, pack a clean Tshirt for yourselves as well. Kids have been known to get sick during flights, and affect their parents clothes in the process :-)

(damn, writing this makes me wanna go again, sooooo bad)

Enjoy your trip.

Bo Brunsgaard
Denmark

Hi,
I agree with Bo. Underwear is number one and definitely remember spare cloths for you and the child on planes, trains etc. I would also suggest a towel and face cloth while travelling. My husband daughter and I have done ALOT of travel. Her first trip OS was at 5 weeks old. She has only been plane sick once, we have had the nappy (pooey) explosion on a plane and in my lap. Car sick has occurred on a few occassions. As far as cloths are concerned, if travelling accross seasons packing will be more difficult but the locations you have mentioned should all have appropriate shops for kids. I know my daughter spent most of a three week trip in Thailand while two in a tank type womens top bought at the Bangkok weekend market. Kids at 5 months don't tend to care what they wear. As far as size is concerned I would even buy two sizes larger and roll up sleaves etc. With two backpacks go little and light and I have always had the motto that is you don't have it buy it on the go. Most locations around the world (even 3rd world) have nappies etc. Rule number one is remember it's supposed to be fun and don't stress.

I agree that you don't need to take too much stuff for your child at that age. it's getting less than it would be at the age of 2-3 mths.
Maybe wise idea to buy things on the road when you really missing something. Toys aren't necessary, they play with anything and have a lot of new things to see anyway. One essential for me was a multi-purpose fleece-blanket, for use in the stroller, in the airplane, in hotels, to put on the floor when playing etc. Also these little baby clothes can be washed easily by yourself in the hotel room, they dry quickly, so you don't have to wait for going to a laundry. I doubt it you will need a full backpack for his stuff.
I am a single mother and traveled always with one (big!) backpack for the to of us, from the age of 12 mths.