As we approach Disney’s Tower of Terror weekend, my day planner is filled with checklists and deadlines to help get us out the door! Our original goal was to get out of town by 8:00 a.m., but my pediatrician called and said little lady needs a flu shot – so, looks like we won’t be getting our “runcation” on for a few more hours.

So sad.

When we were a Party of Two, life was much easier to pack for. We could throw everything in 1 bag and get out the door as quickly as we could wake up!

Now that we are a family of 3, that’s not the case. Here are three tips I follow to get out our family out the door!

1) Make a plan!
As a type-a person, this isn’t difficult for me.  Planning is pretty much my life, and a good plan always helps me stay focused and calm. What do I “plan for” you ask? well, it typically starts with a spread sheet, or some type of written document with ALL the things we want to do each day. This includes reservations, check in times, recommended outfits and anything that I don’t want to forget.

Once I have a plan, I start a list.

2) Household duties to accomplish before leaving.
I always start a list of things I want to accomplish around the house before we leave. This includes, laundry, items to buy, dishes and cleaning. I usually share this with my husband so he knows what I want to accomplish and he’s always VERY helpful to get everything done.

3) Over pack.
Have you ever traveled with a baby? Seriously, I never in my life imagined how much stuff it would take to keep your baby happy on a trip. For this trip we will be running the Tower of Terror 10-Miler and my wonderful parents are going to come hang out with little lady in our hotel while my husband and I go play! So, my plan is to pack plenty of clothing, diapers and wipes. I will also pack her sheets from home, and the pack-and-play she’s used to sleeping in at her Abuela’s house and a few toys from home to help keep her occupied.

Along with over-packing, I always pack a baby first aid kit because you never know when your baby is going to start teething and run a fever, or get a runny nose etc. My biggest lesson learned is – just take it.

We live fairly local (about 5 hours away) so we can drive ourselves and “over packing” isn’t really a problem. If I had to fly, I think I’d still take the extra diapers, food, etc – but something large like the pack and play would probably have to stay home.

So, we are so excited about this vacation and I can’t WAIT to run the Tower of Terror 10-Miler with my love!

Question: What are your packing tips?