This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I don’t know how traveling with kids is for YOU guys, but for us, the packing equation has totally changed… because my toddler gets the majority of the space! We bring: all of his outfits (I like to travel with at least 3-4 complete outfits, no matter how short the trip, in case of messy eating/play, or of course, bathroom accidents) … his teddy… his blanket… it’s kind of ridiculous. These packing cubes look like they would at LEAST help us keep our stuff separate and well defined. I like the variety of colors offered, and the deep discount: they were $89, but are now marked to $25 (and eligible for Prime). Evatex Packing Cubes Psst — I’ve mentioned that I draw what I want to pack before, but I swear by it now that I’m usually the one packing for the entire family.Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
Click here to see our top posts!
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
balletgirl1980 says
I have the Rick Steves version as well as one from ebags. I mix and match them. These things are lifesavers when traveling with my kids (they’re 5). This is how I organize my packing.
RR says
I swear by ziplocs when packing the kids clothes. Put each outfit, with all its accessories, into a ziploc, push out as much air as possible, put in suitcase. Then I can just toss a ziploc to the kids in the morning, and the big ones can dress themselves. Eliminates digging through bags for small socks and accessories. I can throw an extra ziploc per child in our backpack/stroller/whatever we are going through the day with, and we are good to go. And we also have ziplocs available for all the dirty clothes, crap my kids want to drag home from the beach, etc.
I do use packing cubes for my stuff, and I could see the packing cubes being useful to corral and further compress my ziplocs.
"Then I can just toss a ziploc to the kids" says
Lady you are a genius!!!
ANP says
+1000. Amazing!
RR says
I wish I could take credit, but I stole it from someone else–can’t even remember who at this point. But yes, it is genius.
mascot says
My friend’s mom growing up swore by this method. She sent a whole trunk to summer camp filled with ziplocked outfits.
Nonny says
I have used Ziplocks for my own packing for decades, but not on an outfit-by-outfit basis. Instead, for instance, I pack all my underwear in one, tops in another, “extras” like flashlight, pocket knife, notebook, cards in a third, etc. The big stuff that doesn’t roll well I end up not putting in Ziplocks but I find it really helps me organize my packing. Same concept really as packing cubes but way cheaper. I have Ziplocks that I’ve repeatedly used for packing for many years.
I do like the idea of packing them on an outfit-by-outfit basis for children, though. This sounds like it would be a good solution for summer camps. “Take out the Thursday bag on Thursday…”
hoola hoopa says
I do this, too.
I write the day/event for the outfit on the bag with sharpie, too, particularly for trips where I have specific outfits in mind for specific gatherings. That way DH can help get the kids dressed without messing up my plan and leaving us with only mis-matched jammies for Christmas dinner, etc.
Gets harder with bigger kids with bigger clothes, so I wrap the outfits in the shirt, etc, and just put the event outfits in bags.
ANP says
I am roughly 7.5 weeks pregnant. Today is casual day at work and I had no jeans that fit — mostly due to belly bloat (this is kid #3). Even my jeans a few sizes up were no good. So I’m wearing maternity jeans and just feel totally down in the dumps about it! It seems way too early for that. Also, they’re not suuuuper secure so that’s stressing me out too.
/end vent/
Carrie M says
Will it make you feel better to know that I’m 8 months postpartum and wore maternity pants to work yesterday? So bad, I know. I could imagine Stacy and Clinton chastising me if What Not to Wear was still on air. So….at least you’re pregnant and wearing maternity clothes:)
(In my defense, they’re otherwise nice looking J Crew pants, and it was cold, and I’ve bought new work dresses and skirts but haven’t found pants yet that I like…)
Anonyc says
Totally wore mat jeans for many, many months after #3, and totally had to bust out maternity wear early in that pregnancy (8-10weeks?). No shame.
AEK says
With your third kid, your body is probably just ready to assume the position! I just don’t think “too early” exists; every pregnancy is so different. You might not put on another pound this trimester— and you might, and that’s fine too.
But I am totally sympathetic. Pregnancy is SO long that I understand wanting to be “normal” as long as possible. I am pregnant for the first time, and I was silly early on, *wanting* to be in maternity clothes and showing. Now, I would really love to be comfortable in my old clothes!
And, in the spirit of down-in-the dumps commiseration, today at my OB appointment I weighed in NINE pounds heavier than my last visit 3 weeks ago. (I’m almost 33 weeks now). I didn’t even think that rate of gain was possible. My doc wasn’t concerned b/c the overall trend has been OK, but that was a really tough bit of news. At this rate I will llook like the post-gum Violet Beauregarde when I deliver (sans blueness, one hopes).
ECR says
What do people do with the car seat when they aren’t taking it on the plane (because they didn’t get an extra seat for baby)? We’re planning to check our convertible with our luggage, but I’m worried that it will get damaged. Any recommendations for a car seat travel bag? Or is it better just to rent a car seat from the rental car company?
Pest says
I don’t yet have experience with this, but I understand many people gate check them and use heavy duty construction trash bags for car seats and strollers.
ELL says
We just rented a car seat recently. It was perfectly clean–looked unused. But the car rental people said they couldn’t install it for liability reasons. So we spent the first hour of our vacation fussing with a poorly designed car seat–and never did get it installed as securely as I would have preferred.
ECR says
This is what I’m worried about. The last thing I want to deal with after a long flight is figuring out how to install a different car seat than the one I’m used to. Thanks for sharing!
Spirograph says
Every time we’ve needed to check the car seat the baggage check person put it in a heavy-duty clear plastic bag for us. We didn’t supply any extra packaging. I’ve watched baggage handlers throw things around, so I don’t love the idea that my car seat could have been in a “crash” that I don’t know about, making it less safe, but it is what it is.
ECR says
That’s interesting. I didn’t know that baggage check would give you a plastic bag. We’re not planning to gate check the convertible because we have no need for it in the airport. Plus, I’m not convinced that gate checking leads to gentler handling (doesn’t it all end up being thrown in the cargo hold?), but I’d be interested to know if people think gate checking is better in this regard than baggage checking.
Nonny says
It may all end up in the same place, but who knows what happens in the bowels of the airport. At least if you gate check, all that you have to worry about is the guy walking it from the gate to the airplane.
FVNC says
We have checked our car seat several times with this bag:
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009RNXNA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It’s huge, but it can accommodate our infant carrier + base, or a convertible car seat. The bag has held up very well after ~4 uses.
Spirograph says
I don’t know about protecting from baggage handlers, but this is genius for carrying a car seat you DO intend to take on the plane through the airport. I didn’t know such things existed, but now I want one.
MomAnon4This says
I usually just rent a carseat with the car rental. Then a mom said, but I bet people have been in accidents with those carseats and just not reported them.
And I was like, that never occurred to me.
But I still just rent the carseat with the car rental.
ELL says
I think the car rental place would notice the car has been in an accident. :) But maybe there’s a worry about unscrupulous car rental employees… I wouldn’t worry about this.
EB0220 says
I used to use Ziplocs, but I had trouble getting them well-compressed and sometimes the zipper closure would break. So I bought some lightweight packing cubes and they are great. On a recent trip, I used one for cold weather gear for me and kids (hats/gloves/etc.), one for kid underwear & socks, one for my underwear and socks. They are also fantastic for compressing winter coats so they fit in a carry-on. My husband thinks I’m crazy but it really helps me find things more quickly. Great recommendation!