My Bags Are Packed!

An exhaustive list of essentials for a two week holiday with two kids.

We’re leaving tomorrow for a two week trip to Costa Rica. The flight is less than 6 hours, not bad, but it’s our first as a family of four and we’re leaving the country…so no Amazon Prime. I’ve spent an egregious amount of time making sure that I have thought of everything that we might need, so I figured why not share!

Let’s start with snacks. I never, repeat never, go to the airport without food. I have a full on meal plan for travel travel days because there is nothing I hate more than being stuck with zero options. I want to save my indulgences for the actual holiday, not some crappy airport food. My husband (hi Jamie, are you reading?) is sometimes annoyed by the extra bag, but let’s be real: he benefits tremendously from all this.

For me (& Jamie, of course)
The game plan is always to eat on your *regular eating schedule.* Travel days can often become graze-fests where you are stuck in this purgatory of feeling unsatisfied but also slightly ill. I hate that, so I try to stick to my normal eating times. Our flight is around 11am, so I’ll have breakfast at home and will bring lunch and a snack. Lunch will be something from Erewhon. Maybe a custom wrap (IYKYK!) or the chop salad. I’ll also get some sides for Ozzie—thinking some sweet potato and chicken so he has some protein. Sweetgreen or Goop Kitchen would be my alternative to this. I wish they had a Sweetgreen in every airport, but I can’t imagine how long that line would be.

I like to munch on something while I watch a movie (who am I kidding, watching a movie with two kids, lol), but I don’t want to eat a full bag of popcorn, so I’m bringing some Ella’s Flats and a peanut butter slug (FYI, I buy these individually at Erewhon, but this brand is a little tricky to find in the US — here’s a great alternative that’s less $) to have a few hours after my lunch. Don’t judge me for this, but I’m bringing some Kroma bone broth packets (#wellness) a water bottle + electrolytes. And, I’ll also have a few Sakara bars with me because no one likes to be hungry when they’re traveling and you never if they’ll be a delay. I also hide extra snacks for the way home from Jamie (sorry buddy) because otherwise they will be eaten and we’ll have nothing for the ride back.

For Ozzie
As mentioned, I’ll bring something lunch-y for Oz, but this flight is really going to be a snack-fest for him and I’ll bring way more than we need because there’s nothing more terrifying than a hungry toddler. I’ll pack some sliced apples with cinnamon and veggies like carrots and cucumber for the actual flight. I also like to bring a lot of familiar snacks when we travel so he has some comforts of home. I’ll put some of these in my carry on and many, many more in our packed bags. Here are my go-tos:

• Lovebird cereal “trail mix” with raisins, popcorn, and other miscellaneous things in the pantry

• Space Balls (or another Lesser Evil snack)

• Grass-fed mini meat sticks

• BEAR Real Fruit Rolls

• Crunchy edamame

• YumEarth Lollipops (these have 4 grams of sugar each and I feel like they take longer to eat than other sweet treats, so I keep them for when I really feel like we need a morale boost)

I also bought some activities for the flight for Ozzie. He has an Amazon Fire (currently on sale!), which will likely occupy him for some of the flight, but I’d love for him to not stare at a screen for 6 hours. I’m not going to mention these activities until we’re in-flight, so hopefully there will be some enthusiasm for them, but you never know.

• Mess free activity book

• Wikki Stix

Things I don’t leave home without. Ozzie gets his comfort snacks, and I get my supplements, skin care, and an eye mask. Who is more high maintenance? It’s unclear, but here’s what I’m bringing for me (along with a few things for the kids, and Jamie ofc).

• Supplements. Magnesium, Probiotic, Multivitamin (I’m still taking a prenatal because I’m breastfeeding), Omega 3. Jamie takes a Dad multi, but we both take the rest.

• Sunscreen. Kari Gran for my face, Nécessaire for my body, Badger for the kids.

• Skincare & makeup. Cleanser, face oil, lip whip, slip tint, brow pomade, lip and cheek balm. That’s all.

• My eye mask. By now you probably know that I love this darn thing.

• Smooth body balm. This is my favorite product of all time and can be used for the entire family. Jamie likes it the most.

• Kids body wash. You gotta wash that sunscreen and chlorine off. Ooof.

• OxiClean On-The-Go Stain Remover. Forgive me for I have sinned. It’s my one toxic thing. I have to get the stain out.

Plus some tropical mom vibes. Looking for that perfect combo of form and function with a little extra-ness.

• New suits. I feel like my postpartum body is not quite ready for a bikini, so I got two of these one-piece suits, a leopard (!) and a classic. I’m 5”8 and got the medium.

• LESET Kyoto Carpenter Pants. I was moments away from returning these, but I’ve now worn them three days in a row and we haven’t even left yet.

• Plane slash pool slash diaper bag. I really really like this bag.

• Dôen lace skirt. Yes, I’m wearing no pants to dinner on a family holiday. This skirt is perfect. I got the black, but it also comes in yellow.

• Books. I bought two books that I plan to lug with me, but am not totally convinced that I’ll read. I chose A Little Life and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (which is hard cover, so I better read it!).

• Sun Hat. I don’t know where I got my version of this hat, but here’s a link to a similar one on Amazon. It’s a real effort to bring on the plane but offers maximum UV protection, which I’m all for.

Random kid stuff. There are some gadgets and gizmos that I think really make traveling with kids easier. Sharing in case it’s helpful.

• Doona Stroller: We actually didn’t have this with Ozzie and I regretted it. A friend gave us their old one and this will be our first time using it.

• WayB Pico Travel Car Seat: This thing is the best. It folds and fits in a backpack. So easy!

• Crib Tent: We’re not bringing the travel crib because the hotel has one, but I love this tent. It creates total blackout which is a game changer at nap time and also in the evenings if you are sharing a room and want to watch a movie or have the lights on while the baby sleeps.

• Baby carrier: I will bring this on the plane so Freya can nap on us and it’s also just generally great for walks and cruising around.

• Baby Sunglasses: I bought these for Freya, and I know it’s ridiculous. Just let me be a girl mom for 1 minute.

• Freeze-dried milk! So happy I can bring this with me. It will be so helpful if I’m not able to feed Freya myself.

Pura Vida!
xx Mia