The Ultimate Summer Vacation Packing List (for Families with Little Ones)

Do you have little ones or need a list to get you ready for your next Summer vacation? If so, download my Free Ultimate Summer Vacation Packing List below to be prepared! If you have ever taken a family trip with little ones, then you already know how important it is to be prepared and organized. Meltdowns can happen at any moment if you forgot the special blanket or teddy bear (or that thing they haven’t used in 2 years but suddenly remembered that they wanted and needed it or they would die!!).

On our past vacations, I’ve prepared a checklist of items to pack so we don’t forget anything. Some of the items on the list get a “shaking head” response from my husband or him saying “No, we are not bringing that with us)… but I’ve still included a few of those items on the list for those that want to be fully prepared this summer 😉

In my opinion, traveling with babies or young children is not really a vacation. I love experiencing something new and fun as a family, but after 7 days of around-the-clock parenting, I end up needing a vacation from the vacation! In an effort to make your family vacation more enjoyable and stress-free, I made an Ultimate Summer Vacation Packing List perfect for families with little ones.

One of the must-have items that we brought with us on vacation when the kids were much younger was our baby monitor. If your kids are still at the napping age, bring your baby monitor so you can have some alone time with your spouse. This works well if you are staying at a house or hotel with separate rooms or a hotel room with a balcony/terrace.

We stayed in a resort with a tiny room once but it had an amazing outdoor area where we could sit, have a cocktail and enjoy the view while the kids napped. That’s a nice 2-hour vacation with no kids, right? If you are sharing a vacation home with others, the baby monitor allows you to leave the kids so you can socialize with the rest of the house. Don’t suffer the entire vacation trapped in a dark room with napping babies, just bring the monitor 🙂

  list includes a space for notes and fill-in-the-blank to specify how many items you might need (depending on if you are taking a 3-day trip or 7-day trip, etc.

The packing list includes a space for notes and fill-in-the-blank to specify how many items you might need (depending on if you are taking a 3-day trip or 7-day trip, etc.

Some of the items on our list may not pertain to your particular family/child situation or the type of vacation you are taking. For example, you are flying or taking a cruise and don’t plan to bring beach chairs, coolers, etc. Also, this list is for Summer vacations – assuming you are going somewhere warm and not skiing. Just cross the items off the list that don’t pertain to your situation.  or all others, I’ve included as many items that I could possibly think of that we have needed or used on our past vacations, including trips where one (or everyone) was sick!

Have you ever had a vacation with someone under-the-weather?

Ah, vacations where everyone is sick – don’t you love those? I included standard medicines on the packing list but if you are coming down with something right as you pack your things, you may want to include additional medicines to suit your needs.

Two years ago we took the kids to Disney World (they were 1 and 3 at the time) and the day before our vacation started, I came down with strep throat. I got antibiotics before we left but traveling with strep was probably not the best idea, but we spent a lot of $$ for that trip and I wasn’t going to cancel. Needless to say, my strep ended up getting worse and both kids came down with similar symptoms. We were all in and out of urgent care every day during our vacation. It. Was. Awful. Although, that was not the first time someone was sick while on vacation -it seems rare that no one gets sick on our family vacations so I like to be prepared. Use my list so you’re prepared too 🙂

Be prepared for your next family Summer vacation with our handy Summer Vacation Packing list.  This list will give you the basics that you need with space to add your notes or other items.  Have a great vacation!

Grab the Free Printable Vacation Packing List!

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