Packing for toddlers and small children
Packing for any holiday when you have a toddler / small child on your hands certainly makes life interesting, add skiing into the mix and it’s enough to stump even the hardiest of traveller parents.
Sarah from Taming Twins caught up with us to give us the best advice on what to pack for family skiing holiday. So, here’s her tried and tested list of what to pack.
The basics
6 x Pairs of Ski Socks I didn’t pack enough of these, I wish I’d packed one for every day. They wore them all the time, in Snow Club and skiing and they got really grubby where they’d been playing in them. For the price they are, I think it’s worth investing in a fresh pair for every day skiing for kids.
3 x Thermal Tops and 3 Thermal Bottoms I took some long sleeved and some short. I think I’d vary this depending on the weather forecast when you’re going. They should be close fitting.
4 x Long Sleeved T-Shirts Useful as an extra layer over thermals, also for travelling home in and any odd après time out of thermals.
3 x Fleeces The microfibre, thin type (Trespass have a great, very affordable range.) These are perfect for another layer over thermals and for travelling home in. Don’t buy hooded fleeces, these cause chaos with coat hoods and helmets and are just a place for snow to get stuck in!
The Additionals
Goggles and Sunglasses A pair of each is best, sunglasses should be the wraparound, sporty type (I bought very reasonably priced ones from Amazon.)
2 x Mittens/Gloves I think the mittens/gloves questions probably depends on the child’s preference, mittens are far easier to put on and take off though. These can get lost, I used the elastic pull cord on each mitten to attach them to velcro straps on the jacket cuffs. This worked really well and we didn’t lose one! I would always take at least one spare pair though.
Neck Warmer These are far better than a scarf as there’s no wrapping around to do.
Hats These will be used for any snowy play outside whilst not skiing, so something that is close fitting is a good idea so it doesn’t blow off!
The Extras
Snow Boots It’s vital that these are warm, comfy and waterproof as there will be lots of time spent in them outside.
Large Bag We used the bags that we normally use for swimming lessons, big, wide, open and easy access for bundling all of the things coming and going to and from snow club, including the bulky bits like helmets.
Suncream and Lip Salve Both should be SPF 50+ and small enough to fit inside a coat pocket. Boots have lots of travel sized versions perfect for this.
Après Clothing I was surprised by how little of this we used for the children, only an outfit on the way there and one on the way home! The rest of the time they were always either cosy inside in their thermals, or outside. I think it’s worth taking two sets of ‘normal’ trousers and tops, one for the journey home and one spare.
The don't forgets
Slippers These should have a solid rubber sole if possible, to avoid wet feet in and out of the boot room. Primark have these during the winter and they are great value.
Baby Monitor If you are in a very small chalet where your children can sleep upstairs whilst you eat dinner, a baby monitor is vital. This will depend on the set up in your accommodation of course as the Esprit Chalet and Chalet Hotels offer complimentary baby listening.
A Sharpie Pen For anything you forget to label (or run out of time to label!) before you go, these pens are brilliant. They are also perfect for labelling suncream, sunglasses and all of the other bits and bobs.
A Loaded iPad and Activity Books/Pens A must for the plane journey, the transfer to the resort and for a spot of afternoon quiet time.
Medicines It’s always worth packing some Calpol and cough syrup in my opinion, just in case coughs and colds strike, it can save a search for a pharmacy. There is also some great tips for air travel with Toddlers here.
I bought lots of our kit from Aldi during their ski event, which is great value (especially given how quickly children grow!). Trespass are also great for thermals and Amazon for sunglasses and Sharpie pens.
Before you go - consider renting your children's ski clothes
We drag the big bag from the loft, struggle them into their jacket or salopettes, only to find yes - they have grown another 6 inches since the last ski season!
Our children just keep on growing, so rather than buy them a new set of ski or snowboarding clothes each winter and dip into your holiday budget or pass them their siblings hand-me-downs which tend to start looking a little tired (or still too big) after 3 years in a row.
Yes, you could pop to those auction selling sites to see what you can find, or you can search the internet for ‘cheap kids ski clothes’ - either way, perhaps not quite certain of the quality you will end up with. Wouldn’t it make more sense to rent your child the right size ski clothes for your holiday on the slopes?
This is an option these days, and we have teamed up with EcoSki who offer a great range of rental ski gear for all ages. It’s so simple to do and makes great sense.
With fashionable items to pick from, your child can feel super cool out on the slopes. EcoSki covers it all from base layers, hats and socks to jackets or snowsuits - all at a very reasonable rental price, which you then just send back after use without having to worry about washing a thing, sounds like a parents ideal tick list.
If you are still not sure about this great, functional way to dress your children for your skiing and snowboarding holidays, then here’s a little extra reason why you should - this is a much more environmentally friendly way to hit the slopes each year then buying new. By investing in this way of thinking, you can help towards a more sustainable future and ensure that our mountains are still full of snow each year.
This is something we here at Inghams Ski Holidays are also passionate about and we are just embarking on the start of our sustainable journey in the hope of making a difference.
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