We are not the type of family that starts packing weeks in advance of a vacation with our children. No, we’re the opposite – scrambling things together twenty-four hours before we need to be at the airport to enjoy a weeklong refresh, with sun on our skin and sand in our shoes.
Travelling with kids can come with surprise, and fever on vacation is one of those surprises where familiarity can help to alleviate the stress
Our packing staples for an all-inclusive vacation, include:
- Sun Protection. We stock up on sun protection for the whole family, before we leave. Not only does this help to save the budget while we’re there, like all the products that we choose to bring with us on vacation, we can ensure that we’re familiar with them. Choose lotion-based sunscreen, rather than aerosol products, to avoid any mishaps with your luggage.
- Fever relief. Junior Strength Advil Chewables to be exact. With three kids under nine, and daycare, school and new environments, you never know when a fever is going to pop-up. Having relief on hand means that we’re not going to have to try and translate dosing instructions, try to find a pharmacy or even find a product that’s suitable for our children. Children’s Advil provides up to 8-hours of fever relief so that kids can get back to being kids – and when you’re on vacation wanting to soak up every last minute of family memories, I think we can agree that’s more important than ever.
- Allergy relief. Pineapple, pumpkins, a specific brand of bandages – you never know when your child is going to experience allergy symptoms. On every vacation, we bring an oral antihistamine designed for children, because over the course of a dozen vacations, we’ve learned that you can’t always find what you’re searching for when you’re in another country.
- Freezer bags. We use freezer bags like packing capsules and pack one outfit per day in each of the bags. Then, when the clothes are worn and transferred into the dirty clothes basket for the trip home, the bags can be used for souvenirs, snacks, and shells from the beach. We don’t go on a vacation without a box of freezer zip bags, they’re one of our staples!
- Insulated Water Bottles. If you’ve been on an all-inclusive vacation with children, you know how quickly the hot sun can turn a slush drink, or cold water, into a literal warm puddle. Bringing along insulated water bottles helps to keep the kids hydrated and reduce waste while you’re lounging on the beach. Every resort that we’ve been to has been welcoming in us using reusable and insulated water bottles for the kids, to keep their drinks cool, and to keep the kids, hydrated.
- Anti-nausea medication. You never know when nausea is going to strike, especially if it’s been a few months since you’ve travelled with your kids. Don’t forget to pack this one – it’s nearly impossible to find for children at small resort towns.
When we’re packing for vacation, I don’t have to go far to find these items. We keep a consistent supply of Junior Advil Chewable tablets and Children’s Advil suspension on hand, and usually more than one flavour.
Mom hack: Having more than one flavour of Children’s Advil on hand makes for an easy dose when you’re managing a fever in children. I don’t know about you, but it’s much easier to start managing a fever when they can choose between chewable or suspension, or even blue raspberry or grape.
That’s one tip I learned from another Mom when our first child was just a toddler and we’ve been successfully using it to relieve pain and fevers, nine years later!
What are some of your must-pack items when you’re visiting an all-inclusive resort or visiting a destination far away for home with kids?
This post is brought to you by Children’s Advil but the opinions are our own. Always read and follow the label.