Packing for holidays and our big trip around Australia. Here is what made the cut.

Now that we are over a week into our trip I can finally breathe and reflect on the process. Packing the house up and packing the van was absolutely insane with lots of 5am starts and 10pm finishes for the last five days before we left. I definitely over packed the van and we have spent the first week culling items that I packed that are no longer making the cut. Here is a few things that I packed that our family can’t live without and are definitely here to stay.

5 things we couldn't live without when packing for our holidays

Bigi Nagala Play Mat:

When it came to packing up our house we realised we had six TPU play mats in active use in the house. One in each of our three children’s bedrooms, one in front of the couch, behind the couch and in the play room. The truth is that we have got so used to sitting, reading, playing, snack time on our mats we couldn’t imagine travelling without one. It is usually the first thing we unpack at a new campsite. That way the kids have somewhere soft to sit and eat or play while we are setting up. Turns out it also makes a great stage for the kids dance parties haha.

Drawstring play mat / toy storage bag:

This has become our go to beach bag. When we are heading to the beach I throw towels, water bottles, sunscreen and togs in. Gather up the sides, pull the string and off we go. It’s so easy to pack up this way when we leave the beach and acts as a picnic rug while we are there. Plus, it has become the swimming gear storage while we are at the caravan park. As soon as towels and swimwear are dry I pop them straight back in the bag so everything stays together and I’m not packing/unpacking into the kids drawers.

Silicone bibs and plates:

We have a couple of bibs (because I don’t want to wash several shirts for Ruby a day) and the bibs are so easy to clean. Just rinse and hang up! They dry so quickly, unlike fabric bibs which can go mouldy if left with dirty food on them in the heat for a few days. We also have a feeding set and two koala plates. The boys are old enough now not to need the plates but they seriously love them. I don’t know what it is about our koala plates (maybe they just feel like home) but Freddy, 6 and PJ, 4 still love to use them. For Ruby at a wobbly camp table the suction silicone plates are the best.

Swaddles both muslin and jersey:

Turns out these are actually super practical when travelling with young kids. They have so many uses and aren’t just newborns, which I must admit I used to think too. The boys love to have the swaddles as light blankets in the car. I’ve been using them as both a blanket and as a shade cloth for Ruby when she is asleep in the pram. Guess I’m keeping the swaddles handy for the rest of the year.

Hooded koala towel:

We’ve actually been using these for years now. I think Freddy was about 2 and PJ only a few months old when we started using these. They are bamboo and so super soft. Large in size so even at six years Freddy tries to squeeze into it. I packed three for the beach but I hate that I don't have them for the bath too. 

So there you have it! If you didn’t already know, we are a family business that lives and breathes our products and couldn’t live without them.