How to pack car for family road trip
Packing for a FAMILY ROAD TRIP with FOUR KIDS 🚙 Packing and Car Organization HACKS
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hey guys and welcome to the family fudge
today I'm getting ready for our huge
cross-country family road trip with four
kids so that takes a lot of packing a
lot of planning but I actually really
enjoy it so come along with me today and
I'll share all my tips with you now
first things first you guys this car is
a mess so I'm actually going to do
something I've never done before I'm
going to take it to an auto cleaning
place and let them detail clean it I'm
super excited here's the before and then
here's the after they did such a good
job it looks almost like a brand new car
now in fact it actually looks better
than when I bought it so we're gonna be
driving from California to Florida and
we think it's gonna take at least six or
seven days but we're not really on a
tight schedule so it could be up to ten
days we'll just have to wait and see
so when it comes to packing clothes
that's definitely one of the biggest
jobs that I have to take care of and
I've learned over the years that it's
better to pack fewer clothes and just
plan on washing them along the way so I
decided to only pack four outfits for
the kids
that way it'll take up a lot less space
and I'm still only having to do laundry
maybe once or twice on our trip now
beside their regular four outfits and
also packing one nicer set of clothes
just in case you want to visit a church
and I'm also packing one set of warmer
clothes just in case now since we travel
pretty often last year I did go ahead
and buy each child their own suitcase
and their own set of packing cubes
packing cubes are so helpful and they
really help keep everything organized
when we're traveling Kenzie has the pink
set lilies are the purple ones Griffin
has the green ones and Jackson has the
blue set I find all of these on Amazon
and they're surprisingly not that
expensive but buyer beware you guys this
brand is the travel wise brand and
they're they're not the greatest quality
so I wouldn't recommend those there are
definitely better ones on Amazon for a
similar price now if you can find an
IKEA brand packing cube those ones are
really good probably my favorite but
then I also have some of these hops you
can brand they're also from Amazon and
they're much better quality I think
they're more durable and they'll
probably last a lot longer
and then as you can see here I still
have a lot of space left in these
packing cubes so what I'm gonna do is
use that space to add in all of the
underwear and the socks and the
undershirts and things like that they
might need to go along with their outfit
for that day so now I have all the kids
clothes separated and pack and then in
this last packing cube which is a little
bit smaller I have all of their girls
hair accessories so I have headbands and
hair clips bows a brush some hair spray
gel rubber bands and detangler so
basically I have everything I need to do
my girls hair and my boys hair all in
one place this seriously comes in so
handy when we're traveling now I just
have a few more steps before I'm all
done packing the clothes now I have to
be honest with you guys sometimes I do
all the packing it's often late at night
and then we get to wherever we're going
and I can't remember where I put each
item so I went ahead and picked up some
of these key tags from the Dollar Tree
and then on each one of these little
tags I'm going to write basically what
is in each bag and I'm going to use
these as labels for each bag so I'm just
going to go ahead and write it in there
I have one tag for day one and two
clothes day three and for clothes you
get the idea and then because these are
on rings they're really easy to loop
through the zipper directly onto the bag
just like this that way I can just open
up the suitcase I can easily see what
bag I need I don't have to actually open
up the packing cube to tell what's
inside and it's really great too if my
husband wants to help get the kids ready
he'll know what bag he needs to grab and
if next time I want to pack something
else in that bag these key tags are
really easy to replace they're not stuck
on there forever so now it's time to put
these into the suitcases and as you can
see I could fit one two three packing
cubes in each suitcase but here's my tip
you guys before I close the suitcase
I'll snap a quick picture of each
individual suitcase so that I can
remember exactly which suitcase has
which packing cube in it the kids
suitcases came with a matching carry-on
bag that I'm going to use to hold all
the bathroom items during our trip so as
you can see here I have some hair care
items deodorant shampoo and other
essentials we might need on the road I
also try to make sure to pack these
inside of a larger ziploc bag just in
case any of the bottles leak next up I
have my new walking pharmacy my diaper
bag and my mom bag and I'm keeping them
all together in this laundry basket so
they don't roll around in the car like
in my mom bag I like to store all the
essentials that I personally like to
have when traveling and I actually have
a separate video on that I'll go ahead
and link it in the description box below
if you'd like to see exactly what I like
to bring for myself next up is our
actual diaper bag and normally I would
put a ton of stuff in here but for this
trip it's just gonna hold diapers
oh yes and wipes of course thankfully
Griffin is the only one who's currently
in diapers
but he's almost
ready for potty training but I
definitely didn't want to start that
until after this big road trip
finally my dude walking pharmacy now I
actually got this bag on Amazon and I
think it is so cute I love the flowers
but it's actually a diaper bag but
because it has so many different pockets
perfect for holding all kinds of things
in this front section I just have some
sunscreen some essential oil based
insect repellent and some body wipes
then I also got a brand new first aid
kit off of Amazon and this has all the
real first-aid essentials and then
thankfully my kids don't get sick very
often but just in case they do I have
things for allergies colds sore throats
I have things for bug bites and I have
eyedrops now hopefully we won't leave
any of these things that I feel a lot of
peace of mind knowing that we have them
just in case we do moving on to the food
and lunch supply storage system you guys
know I can't go anywhere without my
lunch supplies and for this I'm using
one of these plastic three drawer units
I found this at Walmart now as you can
see all three drawers are very full but
pretty organized in this first tour I
have an assortment of reusable bags so
I'm not using a ton of Ziploc bags I
also have several of these little mio
energy water flavorings I love to add
these to my sparkling water over here I
have a few measuring cups right now I'm
actually on the Weight Watchers program
so measuring out my food is something
I'm gonna try my best to do while we're
traveling I'm also bringing a few of
these little bag clips so I can close up
any bags that we open along the way and
then over here I have some reusable
straws over here I do have a few paper
bowls and paper plates and then
underneath those I have some disposable
utensils and I also have reusable ones
as well have both and that last but not
least I also have a few little food
picks some dip containers and some
silicone liners that way I can continue
to make cute lunches while we're
traveling in this middle drawer I'm
storing all of our ami boxes I decided
to bring these because they have a
built-in thermos these will definitely
come in handy while traveling I also
have a few of these Rubbermaid
take-along can
which are great little reusable
containers they're perfect for snacks or
even leftovers and then something that
definitely comes in handy on road trips
with kids a roll of paper towels
now this copter is kind of dedicated to
fruit storage these are things that
don't necessarily need to stay in the
ice chest so they're perfect in here I
have lots of freeze-dried fruit packets
I have several different flavors of
applesauce pouches and I also have one
of my kids favorites the unsweetened
apple berry sauce and then there's just
enough room for a few apples and little
oranges and as we're traveling if we run
out of any of these things I know I can
just stop at a Target or grocery store
and restock them in this plastic bin is
where I'm holding all the other snacks
and food items that were taking on the
trip and if you're curious to find out
exactly what kind of food and snacks
that we bring I do have a separate video
on that I will link it down below our
ice chests will have plenty of other
drinks but I also want to make sure to
have lots of water so for this I'm using
this collapsible tote that I got on
Amazon and it can hold eight pounds of
water they fit perfectly in there and
we're also bringing all of these
insulated cups and water bottles
everyone and the family has their own so
we'll be able to refill them with the
water as we need it now for my suitcase
I'm actually using my small pink roller
bag which has definitely seen better
days in here I have my packing cubes
just like the kids I'm only taking four
outfits over here is my travel makeup
storage container I love this thing I
found it on it I found it on Amazon as
well this fits all of my makeup and my
brushes perfectly and in this other bag
I have more personal items and skincare
products now for my husband he's
actually gonna be using my larger pink
suitcase he totally doesn't mind and
when it comes to his stuff he packs his
own bags I'm not in charge of what he
brings that part is totally up to him
but because he's using the larger
suitcase we'll also have a lot of room
in there to put any odds and ends or you
can even put some souvenirs that we
might buy along the way so now that
all of my containers pack it's time to
get it in the car first I'll go ahead
and put in the water on top of that I'm
adding our food bin next I'm going to
add my three drawer unit and that's
going to sit right in front so I can
have easy access to it when we open up
the back of the car on the left side I'm
going to put my ice chest like I said
I'm gonna be putting all of our drinks
in there also milk for cereal some pre
hard-boiled eggs
lots of watermelon there'll be string
cheese yogurt and things like that on
top of the ice chest I'm gonna go ahead
and add the basket of bags this just
fits perfectly in there I can still
easily grab out anything that I need so
in the space between I'm going to go
ahead and add these soft car trays these
are perfect for traveling I found them
on Amazon they have a bag on either side
where the kids can store their items and
there is even a little belt to help keep
it in place and finally we have just
enough room for an umbrella stroller now
when it comes to this suitcase is we
don't actually put any of them inside
the car we have this nice big a rooftop
carrier that will fit all of them so
that's where they go okay guys so now
that I've shown you the suitcases and
what I put in the very back of the car I
can show you what I put in here for the
kids and then I can show you the adult
area now as you can see I don't have the
kids car seats in here right now because
I just got this card back from the
cleaner and it's not that with their car
seats back and overall my number one
goal for this trip is to not be
overloaded with too many things we've
gone on road trips before where it the
car which it's jam-packed full of stuff
and it's not very comfortable so we just
have the essentials in here and of
course if the kids run out of activities
and things to do then we can always stop
at a Dollar Tree or a Walmart maybe pick
up a few things along the way so we are
changing the seat configuration just a
bit for this trip this one is actually
usually Kenzie seat we're gonna go ahead
and put Griffon here so that I can still
reach and help him and then Mackenzie is
actually going to be here so she can
help Griffin and she can also run the
DVD system as well and then back here
the seating is gonna be pretty much the
same this is Jackson spot over here and
Lillie spot over there now normally when
we travel we let the kids bring their
own backpacks to put their own stuff in
I decided to get all the kids their own
little back seat organizers instead so
they can keep their stuff in there
so each of the kids will have their own
in the seat in front of them and they
can put whatever they want inside so
there's lots of different compartments
in here lots of pockets a lot of storage
in here but in this one I actually added
something of my own something that I'm
hoping will work out really well for a
trip and it's an incentive program so
this is a little whiteboard that I got
from a Dollar Tree I also got some
stickers from the Dollar Tree too and I
put each of the kids little nicknames on
there and they're gonna start with five
tallies a day and they can gain more
tallies for good behavior and lose
tallies for a bad behavior and each
tally equals one dollar so they're gonna
be able to use that money to buy
souvenirs or things at the grocery store
as we're traveling but of course this is
right behind my seat so if I need to I
can complete it to grab it out use my
little dry erase marker to either add or
take away hopefully not take away be a
little tallies now along the bottom here
I still have to put back the car mats
they just got cleaned as well but I
thought I would show you this area this
is a container I got from the Dollar
Tree and there's actually a Velcro on
the bottom so that can actually stick to
the bottom of the car here it won't
shift or move around as you're driving
down the road so it's nice and secure
and safe but in here I have all the kids
DVDs and movies and they also have their
own set of bluetooth headphones so they
can listen to their movie but the adults
you don't have to listen to that movie
we have the remote in here and then
right here we have the drink holders for
Mackenzie and Griffin so on this side I
wanted to make sure to keep the floor
pretty clear but this is going to be
Grif inside and he doesn't his feet
don't reach all the way to the floor so
and taking advantage of some extra space
and where I decided to store the little
car vacuum here
so this is kind of like a Dustbuster
type situation it has its own little bag
it fits perfectly under there and then
this actually will plug in right here so
all we have to do is plug it in and we
can quickly just vacuum up any crumbs or
spills and hopefully keep the car clean
now like I said all the kids have these
little organizers and it went ahead and
left most of it empty so they can decide
what should go in here all by themselves
they can have whatever I think they'll
like to have that independence I have
their little writing toys in there so
far and I also have one pair of
sunglasses for each kid as well now as
far as up here goes I did let the kids
decide what stuffed animal they wanted
to bring so this one is Griffin's
McKenzie has a little rainbow corn
really picked a vamp arena Jackson has a
little puppy dog
so between Jackson and Lilly seats and
between Kenzie and Griffon seat I have a
little basket absolutely full of
different activities I'm hoping will
last a long time these bins are from the
Dollar Tree and they're really cool
because I can actually use the seat belt
to seat bump this into place I don't
have to worry about it flying around in
the car as we're driving so then way in
the back here as you can see on this
side I have room for two blankets and
Jackson's water bottle and on this side
we have two more blankets in Lily's
water bottle with this little side area
here and that little side area there is
perfect for storing little blankets that
are perfect for the car and then up here
of course we have the DVD system so the
kids can watch movies they also will
have their little laptops that they use
for schoolwork and we have a hotspot so
we can actually use internet or the Roku
stick we can stream movies while we're
traveling and the very last thing for
this area is that under this seat I have
a few reusable shopping bags that I can
use to collect garbage or to use when
they actually go grocery shopping along
the way or if we need a sick bag we can
just pull it out and use that now on to
the adult section of the vehicle I try
to keep it really simple in here to just
what we need I hate feeling cramped on a
long car trip so I'm going to show you
what I have on my side door I've got
these really cute tissue packs I got
these on Amazon
and I really like these because they
clip right on to here so they're always
handy and of course I love that Mickey's
on there so you just open this up you
can easily drive your tissues in a hurry
and then down over here just a few more
essentials I have my favorite lotion so
I can do that as we're going down the
road have some body spray antibacterial
wipes and then did a little powder to
have some feminine products and then
also on my side I'm keeping this little
binder between here it just fits
perfectly and this is where I can put
all of our travel documents or anything
I need to print out and keep I can just
put right in there and pull it out when
I need it and now for my husband side
who is definitely gonna be the main
driver for this trip I kind of helped
the kids and he does the driving it
works out nicely that way on his side I
also have a pack of tissues so he can
help himself when he needs to I have a
backup bottle of sunscreen I have a
bottle of mosquito repellent this comes
in handy and I really like this one
because it doesn't smell so bad its
plant-based I also have a full size
umbrella in here and then a nice
full-sized flashlight in case of
emergencies and now as far as the center
console goes if you guys have seen my
previous cart organization video you'll
know I love to have this area stocked
full of lots of things and to keep
things organized in here I've used lots
of different bins from the Dollar Tree I
also have a stack of plastic cups it
just kind of keeps everything in its own
area now in this little compartment
I have sticky notes tape stapler paper
clips toothpicks things like that I
don't anticipate needing any of these
but it's nice to have distinct case and
then in this little cup area I have pens
and pencils and a pair of scissors I
can't tell you how many times I've
actually ended up needing scissors on
our journey so these come in handy for
sure and then in this compartment I have
this container now this looks like a
dump container because it used to be but
I've actually used all the gum and
filled it with quarters instead so if we
end up stopping in a place where we need
to you know pay a parking meter we have
plenty of quarters for that for
and if you need to go to a laundromat we
can do that as well lots of quarters in
there I also have an extra set of
sunglasses as I lose mine all the time I
have some hand sanitizer and then I also
have some car essential oils these
aren't really like fancy essential oils
just the basics but I really like to use
these in the car so it smells good and
each essential oil does something a
little bit different
the orange essential oil definitely is
like a cheery bright scent that
peppermint really helps if you're
getting sleepy and you're trying to stay
awake
that helps invigorate the lavenders are
really good one to use if I really want
the kids to kind of calm down it's
almost bedtime
and then these to me I don't quite use
as much but I actually use these in the
car
with this little clip it goes right into
the air vent
I found this on Amazon so with this
little clip you actually can open it up
like this and inside there's a little
round of felt you just drop your little
essential oil whatever kind you want to
use right in there you can close it up
and then clip it on to and as the air is
blowing through it really helps to
distribute the essential oil smell in
this little bag to have a few more of my
favorite essential oils that are in
rollerballs
and then I also have this little pouch
in here is where I have all my extra
felt pads for the essential oil diffuser
I can change them out so I don't have to
cross contaminated soils and then I also
have a second little vent clip now I
found these on Amazon in fact most of my
car organizing supplies I found on
Amazon I couldn't stick that back in
there and then there is still some room
in here and my husband usually has
headphones that he'll store in there
extra cords and phone chargers batteries
will also put in there and that's pretty
much it for that now I'm super excited
my husband and I got new cups for this
road trip they hold 40 ounces of liquid
they are nice and insulated so you can
fill them up with ice in the morning as
we're traveling and have cold drinks all
day don't forget to give this video a
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you next time
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