What to pack for your child for a school trip?

With the start of the school year, the school trip season has begun. When children are not under our care, we want them to have the necessary equipment with them. How to properly pack them for a one- or several-day trip? What cannot be missing in the student's excursion backpack? We advise!

What to pack your baby in?

For a day trip, a small backpack will be sufficient - it is important that it is comfortable and has several compartments in which you can safely pack food and necessary small items. For longer trips, instead of a bag, we recommend a larger, stiffened sports backpack - carrying luggage on two arms is much more comfortable and puts less strain on the child's spine. If your child is going on a longer trip, a small backpack will also be useful, in which you can put a wallet, a bottle of water, and snacks. Such a backpack can also be used as hand luggage on the way - then we pack it with the necessary things during the trip.

Documents and money

A school ID card is an absolute must - it entitles you to discounts, s it can be useful when visiting a museum or traveling by public transport.

It is also worth preparing a card for the child with the address of residence and phone numbers of relatives - it may be useful in emergencies.

Regardless of whether the child goes on a one- or several-day trip, he must have pocket money with him. Here it is worth consulting with the guardian or organizer about what amount will be appropriate. In addition, it is worth ensuring that the child has small money - instead of giving him a 100 dollar note, let's prepare, for example, two 10-$, one 20-$ banknote, and 10 in coins. Thanks to this, the toddler can easily pay for, for example, a toilet or snacks.

Documents and money should be placed in a wallet, preferably one on a chain, thanks to which we can attach it to a belt loop or a backpack, which can protect the child from losing it.

Anxieties

If your child is taking medications permanently, we must pack them in a backpack. Depending on the child's age and sense of responsibility, we leave medications at their disposal, reminding them to take them, e.g. by phone, SMS, or using a special smartphone application, or we hand over to the tutor in a bag signed with the child's name and surname, with a request for medication according to the accompanying written instructions.

In addition to constantly taking medications, it is worth ensuring that your child is provided with tablets against motion sickness, especially if the child suffers from nausea while traveling, and also with a proven pain reliever. However, we should remember to give the child the minimum amount of medication - instead of the entire package, we can cut, for example, two tablets from the blister and put them in a string bag with clear instructions for use.

Drinks and snacks

Usually, during school trips, children are provided with meals, so do not overdo the amount of food packed in the backpack. First of all, let's make sure that your child eats a nutritious but light breakfast, such as porridge with fruit, before departure. Secondly - let's be aware that sweet snacks and drinks are most often responsible for malaise while driving. Instead of packing bars, cookies, and dragees, let's go for a dark bread sandwich with your favorite cheese or cold cuts (here it is worth remembering to avoid dripping tomatoes, quickly withering lettuce, etc.), dried fruit, nuts, or salty sticks, and instead of a sweet drink, let's prepare water, homemade compote or unsweetened juice, preferably in a bottle with a "spout" or a non-spill stopper or in a handy water bottle.

Cloth

The preparation of clothes depends of course on the season, but some universal rules should be followed when packing a child for a trip. The most important of these is convenience. During the tour, the child must feel comfortable, otherwise, it will be difficult for them to take full advantage of the planned attractions.

In addition, when choosing a travel wardrobe, it is extremely important that the child has things that he likes and in which he feels good. Do not force the packing of unpopular garments, because most likely the child will prefer to wear dirty or stale clothes, rather than wearing a T-shirt or sweatshirt that he or she does not like.

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Different qualities of clothes

Let's start with shoes - it's important not to prepare your child for new shoes for the trip, but proven shoes that will surely not hurt. Sports, full but light shoes will be the most appropriate.

It is also important to prepare clothes that will allow you to wear on the bulb, i.e. a T-shirt, long, comfortable trousers, a sweatshirt (preferably with a hood) and a light jacket that will protect against wind and rain in case of bad weather. A cap with a visor will also be useful, as well as sunglasses with a filter.

If our child goes on a trip longer than a day, we must not forget about pajamas, shower flip-flops, change of shoes (useful in case of getting wet), as well as additional personal underwear, T-shirts, and shorts. Remember to pack as many items of change of clothes (here we are talking about T-shirts and underwear) in the child's backpack as many days as the trip will take - do not count on the fact that the child will wash dirty clothes. Let's also prepare an extra sweatshirt and a pair of trousers or shorts for a change for the child - just in case. If the organizer provides for water attractions, swimming trunks or a bathing suit and a cap will also be necessary.

Cosmetics

In the case of a one-day trip, we do not have to pack a cosmetic bag for the child, wipes - hygienic and moist ones - are enough. The versatility of the latter cannot be overestimated.

However, the case is slightly different in the case of a multi-day trip - then we have to pack basic cosmetic products for the child. A toothbrush and toothpaste, shower gel and shampoo (preferably in small, travel bottles), a comb or hairbrush, hairpins, and rubber bands (for girls) are enough. We can also provide the child with a mosquito and tick remedy, sunscreen with a filter, and patches. We can also add a towel to the set. Recommend the sports ones made of microfiber - they are very light and take up little space.

Another

This is the category that arouses the most excitement when it comes to packing. For example, while taking the phone by a child has its rational justification, packing an expensive tablet in a child's backpack may turn out to be a misguided idea. Firstly, because there is a chance of destroying, losing, or stealing a valuable gadget, and secondly - after all, our child does not go on a trip to spend half of her time with her nose in the tablet.

So, instead of electronics, let your child pack a book or small party games (Dobble, Duo) or a deck of cards that will provide entertainment on the road and integrate their peers. Young children can also pack their favorite mascot, provided that it is small - perhaps the toddler in her company will feel more confident and will miss homeless. It is also a good idea to pack a small notebook and a pen into the backpack, in which the child can write down interesting facts, play tic-tac-toe or write down the address of a newly met friend.

Backpack

Remember also not to pack your child in a backpack with things that could be painful to lose or destroy. We are talking here, among others about the aforementioned tablet, expensive headphones, watches, or branded clothes and accessories. After packing, be sure to test the weight of the luggage. if it turns out that the toddler has difficulty lifting the backpack. We have to revise its contents. When traveling, comfort is the most important thing, and carrying an overloaded backpack can be tedious.

Finally, one more piece of advice - packing should be done in the presence of the child. Firstly, it will eliminate, for example, the presence of disliked clothes, in which the child will not want to walk, and secondly - the toddler will know what exactly he is taking and in which part of the backpack the individual items are. Such joint packing also teaches the child to be resourceful - who knows, maybe next time our child will be able to prepare their things for a school trip on their own?