Packing Light with a Toddler

Michelle, I think I need more info. Are you alone with child. Are you bringing a stroller? Is someone meeting you at airport and helping you ?
Personally thats a lot for one person to handle, a tot, and three bags( big checked bag, one roll on, and diaper bag).

How long is trip,, can you just take one bag and diaper bag? I know its tough with little ones as they mess their clothes up,, but YOU could wear same clothes all the time and just bring fresh for tot! LOL

I personally believe that two pieces are much easier to handle than one large piece because the large piece can become quite heavy. However, you problem is that you are running out of hands. I think you need to look at a backpack style of carry-on which would hold the lighter items you need for yourself and 2 year assuming you can carry that on your back. And maybe a little large rolling bag -- 24" that you would check. Good luck.

I'm all for packing light. But you have to think about what you're going to be doing: chasing a 2-year-old around an airport for about 2 hours after you check in. And negotiating all of this and your daughter through security. What else are you going to be carrying? A car seat? A diaper bag? A stroller? Do you really want to add a 22" piece of luggage to that? And you'll want to carry things on the plane for her to do and snack on. And a change of clothes in case of accidents or if she spills anything, which will probably happen.

I don't think checking a bag is that bad of an idea. We've travelled overseas with my son when he was 2 and 3, and between my husband and I, we could barely keep up with all of the regular carry-on stuff (car seat, diaper bag, backpack full of books, toys, snacks, stroller).

I also suggest letting her run around the gate area as much as possible (while keeping her safe and not irritating the people there as much as you can) to wear her out so she'll sleep well on the plane!

Good luck! I feel for you doing that by yourself. Eat your Wheaties!

OP here. Sorry if I wasn't clear. I don't intend on carrying on our main piece of luggage -- that large piece I would definitely check. I was just saying that all I own are carry-on size luggage and I need to buy a larger piece to check. I guess the second part of my question is whether I should get something like the Rick Steve Avanti Rolling Tote instead of a 22" carry-on to carry all the snacks and games I need to bring on the plane for my Little One.

Thanks again!

I don't think you need a larger carry on. I have travelled with three kids, starting as babies. A 22 carry on is plenty big. If I am understanding you,, you would take a 22 inch carry on and maybe a tote size purse??

At 2 I still brought a diaper bag( although it was one that didn't look nursery,, and it doubled as my purse) , so that and a 22 in is more then enough for a few kids...

Sorry if I am misunderstanding you. As others pointed out, still think packing light as just keeping up with tot will be a handful.

I'd second the notion of not getting a bigger carry-on. The more stuff in there, the more you have to keep up with. The little ones throw a lot of stuff all over the place!

OP Here. I was thinking more of checking one large duffel (26" or 30") and carrying-on a rolling tote and my diaper bag. Thoughts?

We went to Ireland for 2 weeks this summer. My daughter was 15 months then. We took her carseat a umbrella stroller and a backpack to pack her around. I bought a large Land's End zip top canvas tote. It hung off of her stroller handles when we were moving luggage. I did check all my bags when we flew. We carried on the stroller and back pack and my diaper bag as carry on luggage. We rented a car the entire time we were in Ireland, so the carseat was a must. If you're just staying in the city I wouldn't bring the seat. We acutally packed too much. I packed too many snacks. I didn't seem to realize that there would be rasins and gronola bars in Ireland.
Oh a big hit with my daughter is the european drinkable yogurt. It is a good alternative to milk and it was easier to find than milk was in small towns.

Wow -- everyone has been so helpful! Thank you so much!

I will be traveling alone with my 2yo.

One thing I like about RS Avanti Rolling Tote is that it has a back panel that slides and snaps over any rolling bag handle, "so you can stack 'em and roll 'em together!"

Stroller and carseat are still up in the air. I have an Orbit system, so the carseat would work as the seat on the stroller base, which is very handy, and I can gate check it either or both parts. But I could also just rent a carseat in England.

Another option is to wear my daughter on my back.

So many options.

Thanks again for your suggestions!

I've travel to Europe alone with my kids quite often. Usually, I'd check-in a 25" rolling suitcase. Anything larger can easily get too heavy (airline restrictions!) and is more difficult to handle e.g. on a train. But I wouldn't have been able to fit what we needed into anything smaller. If I'm getting picked up, have both kids along and stay for 6 weeks in Europe I'd definitely check in several pieces of luggage. I usually try to vary the size of the luggage and make sure none is larger than 25" because otherwise they don't fit into the trunks of the smaller European cars.

On the plane I carried on a backpack (basically a large day-pack) that functions as diaper bag (glad those days are over), snack bag, emergency clothing bag. And it included one little surprise toy. I don't like taking two pieces of luggage onto a plane as I need a free hand for the child. That doesn't leave much room for persoal stuff beyond my small camera. But believe me, you don't need much personal entertainment when you're busy with a 2yo on the seat next to you!

A 2yo can carry her own tiny little back pack with a couple of toys. She'll be proud doing that and it does help you out! You can even encourage her to pack it herself before leaving. Just make sure she doesn't include her precious rock collection ;-)

Somebody mentioned they had too many snacks along. You can definitely find lots of interesting and yummy snacks in Europe. However, I do take lots on the flight because my kids usually get hungry when there's no food service in sigh, the plane is delayed, the airplane food looks yucky, the kids are bored and you can keep them busy with treat. My favourite treats for the latter case are candy blox. They are pure sugar ("healthy" is a minor concern in those situations) but look like Lego and can be played with like Lego before they are eaten.

That's a good suggestion, about having your daughter carry her own backpack. We did that with our son.

As far as the car seat goes -- my son is a very active kid and not much for sitting still and being quiet. For my sanity (and for those around me, too), I brought his car seat on the plane and strapped him in there. The only downside is that the tray table doesn't quite go down all the way. But the plus side is that he's in one place for a while!