We don’t do a ton of traveling (I’m more of a homebody, shocking I know). But when we do travel, I have found a few things that make our lives easier – especially when traveling with 2 small kids. I wish I was more of a minimalist when it comes to packing for a trip, but I’m too much of a planner and I usually end up overpacking in an effort to be prepared for any possible scenario.

With that being said, I wanted to share my favorite items for traveling with kids! I narrowed it down to my top 8 things. We personally own and use all of these and I highly recommend each of them!

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1. Inflatable Toddler Air Mattress – We used this for our 4 year old for a week at the beach recently and loved it! It has a slightly smaller footprint than a twin air mattress and the inflatable sides are similar to the foam bumpers we have on his bed at home. The inset mattress is the size of a crib or toddler mattress. It only comes with a hand pump, so I do recommend buying a cheap electric pump to save your arms!
   
2. Foldable Travel Potty Seat – I wish I had purchased one of these sooner! So convenient if you’re traveling with a potty-trained toddler. It folds up a little larger than my hand and has its own bag to put it in. I keep this Thieves spray in my bag, so I can liberally spray it down if we use it in a public bathroom.
   
3. Travel White Noise Machine – We have had this travel white noise machine since my second son was born. It is chargeable and has a loop so you can attach it to a carseat. Love having it in the car or anytime we are traveling somewhere during a nap time.
   
4. Packing Cube Set – I finally jumped on the bandwagon for packing cubes and I’m never turning back! These are especially great if you are packing small baby/kids clothes. Helps keep them all together and organized. It also makes packing/unpacking a suitcase super quick and easy because you just drop the bags in! I love how many bags are included in this set – multiple clothing bags, shoe bag, cosmetic bag, and drawstring bag for dirty clothes.
   
5. Foldable Kiddie Pool – This is technically a dog pool, but it works great for babies and toddlers too! We use it in our backyard but we’ve also carried it to the beach. It’s nice that you don’t have to inflate anything – makes it easier to travel with because it folds up pretty small. Since it’s made for dogs, it’s also tough and lasts a while.
   
6. Car Roof Bag – I’m so glad I convinced my husband to try this for our vacation this year – he loved it. Works on all kinds of cars/suvs – you can use it with or without racks on your car. Our highlander does not have racks – we ran the straps through the doors and it was very solid. This link comes with the anti-slip mat that you put under the bag to keep it from sliding. Ours is the 13 cubic ft one and it was plenty big. You want to make sure it’s full to keep it from flapping or making noise – highly recommend if you have a car full of little humans and need more room for their stuff.
   
7. Quick Dry, Sand Free Beach Towel – I love telling people about these towels! They are lightweight, quick drying, and a quick shake will remove all the sand. But my favorite part is how small they fold up for travel. They fold to be about 1/8th the size of our old, fluffy beach towels, which is great for saving space while packing. Ours are 2 years old and look brand new still. Lots of fun colors and prints too!
   
8. Beautycounter Mineral Sunscreen – My new favorite! Clean sunscreen that works and doesn’t leave a white haze on your skin – yes, please! I use the lotion all the time, but this sunscreen stick is the real winner! I love it for my face, but especially for my kids’ faces. If you’ve ever tried putting sunscreen on a child, you know it’s like wrestling an alligator! This stick made it super easy to apply to my 4 year old and 1 year old with minimal complaints/squirming.
   

Wishing you the best summer and save traveling if you’re headed anywhere!