Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Packing for a Baby

I was packing some of Chickster's things the other day for a short trip when I realized that probably not everyone in the world uses the same packing trick I do.

And they should.

Of course, that's just my opinion. And we all know those are like arm pits - everyone has a couple and they usually stink. But I think they're pretty good - my opinions, I mean. And my pits. But that's another post.

My favorite tool when it comes to packing for Chickster is the gallon size Ziploc (or in my case, Wal-Mart brand) baggie. It's the poor man's version of the Travel Space Bag. In one baggie I can place everything he needs in order to get dressed for the day.

As it is now summer, it's pretty simple. But the last time we went somewhere, it wasn't. And he had to have the under-onesie, shirt, pants, socks, bib...you see where I'm going with this.

With the baggie system, it's easy to be sure you have enough pieces for your outfits. And you don't have to dig through the bag later to find the matching socks or pants for the shirt you've chosen for the day. Everything is right there, already put together.

When you're getting the little booger ready in the morning all you have to do is grab the baggie with the outfit you want and have at it. Or better yet, you can toss it to Dad and let him dress the wiggly little boy. All the while, you're secure in knowing the cute outfit you've chosen will remain intact and you don't have to explain why you want him to wear the red shorts with that shirt even though the blue ones will go just fine too.

Plus, since you can squeeze every smidgen of air out of the baggie before zipping it shut, you can really compact a lot of stuff into a small space. I can usually get away with packing all of Chickster's clothes in a large diaper bag, even if we're going to be gone several days.

I do the same thing with the rest of his stuff, as much as I can. I group his bath stuff together in a quart-size baggie: Wash cloths (if I'm taking them), bath soap, lotion, etc. It makes it very easy to grab and go, knowing you've got everything you need to get him clean and you won't have to either carry a dripping baby across the room to get something or yell at someone else to bring something to you.

And having that many baggies comes in handy, too. Of course, I reuse most of them for other forays into the unknown (or an overnight stay, which is pretty much the same thing with a baby). But you always have a couple around on your trip in case something comes up that's stinkier than arm pits.

Head on over to Rocks In My Dryer for more Works-For-Me-Wednesday tips!