Traveling With Kids Checklist

Planes, trains and automobiles...I've taken them all with my babies. Before my children were born, I swore that having kids wouldn't slow me down or cramp my wanderlust. Three years and two midgets later, and I can honestly say… I was totally naive. Out of my mind. Enthusiastic, optimistic and really, really stupid. Traveling with kids is work. A lot of work. But with some planning and preparation, it can still be fun. And heaven knows we all need to get out of the house once in a while.

While it's true that the smaller the child, the more gear you'll have to pack for it (I have seen friends pack entire minivans full of baby gear for a week-long trip to the beach with a four-month-old that only took up 25 inches of space himself), there are really only four things every parent must bring on a family trip.

• Patience
• Flexibility
• A sense of humor
• Enough wet wipes to wallpaper the White House

I can't overemphasize the need for extra wet wipes. They come in handy for diaper changes, spills, hand wipes, nose blowing, sippy cup wipe downs, cleaning off strange restaurant high chairs and table tops, wiping bottoms in paperless restrooms…actually, wiping down every single square inch of gas station restrooms for that matter. Wet wipes are God's gift to parents, so pack double the amount you originally planned to take.