How to Let Your Nanny Take Over Packing Baby’s Things When Traveling

A quick way to destroy a perfectly planned (and much deserved vacation) is discovering you’ve forgotten something. But it’s easy for grown-ups to replace or shrug it off and move on. It’s a bit more complicated if it belongs to your child.

It’s easy to turn the reigns over to the nanny. But the very first trip needs careful supervision and explanation.

1. Bottle Sterilizer

Call ahead. Most resorts or hotels provide guests with bottle sterilizers or perform the service in their kitchens, but you need to be absolutely sure. If your getaway does not have the facilities to sterilize bottles, you’re going to have to bring the necessity with you. If you travel often with your baby, invest in a microwave sterilizer. Most resorts or hotels have microwaves and many hotels have them in-room. Or buy a small, compact microwave sterilizer. But majority on the market today are too big for in-room microwaves. If a microwave sterilizer is too pricey, a stove-top sterilizer that’s compact is the way to go. Or better yet, borrow one.

2. Bottles/Cutlery

Bring enough bottles to fill your sterilizer, plus one. If you’re not bringing a sterilizer, bring the average number of bottles used per day.

3. Milk/Food

Compute the amount consumed each day, multiply by number of days, then add 25%. Even if your destination has a supply of potable drinking water, it’s always a good idea to bring several bottles of drinking water, just in case. Bottled water can’t be wasted – if you don’t drink or use it for the trip, you definitely will, later on.

4. Clothes

Bring the right clothes to wear. Cold or hot climate? Pack appropriately for cold or wet weather; don’t forget to bring hooded jackets. The number of outfits used per day at home, multiplied by the number of vacation days. Add an entire day’s supply of outfits to the total. A great idea is to bring a sachet or two of laundry soap. If you run out of clothes, you can always wash and wear. Beach? Swimwear and beach towel, plus robe.

5. Diapers

For packing the diapers, determine the average per day, multiplied by number of days, then add 10%.

6. Medicine

Bring a basic medicine kit, not just for grown-ups, but for the babies too. Cough medicine, decongestant. Buy the smallest bottles, or better yet, ask your pediatrician for freebies. Does your child require special medicine or equipment, like a nebulizer or an inhaler? This must go to the top of your list.

7. Toys/Entertainment

Most parents complain about how they can’t figure out which toys to bring and leave behind. Choose a bag with the appropriate size for toys, fill it and stick to what you can’t fit inside. Observe which toys your child focuses on most, and confer with the nanny on this one. If within budget, buy a new toy and bring it with you. Until her or she tires of the other toys, give him the new toy.