I used to be a light packer. One bag, one book, one change of clothes. Then I had a child, and "light packing" became a thing of the past. But I've also learned that overpacking with a toddler is its own kind of misery — you end up carrying a bag that weighs more than the child, and half of it goes unused.
So here's what's actually in our weekender bag after two years of trial and error. Not the aesthetic flat lay version — the real one.
The goal isn't to pack for every possibility. It's to pack for the likely ones.
The bag itself
I use a canvas duffel that's seen better days. It's not beautiful, but it's soft enough to squish into a car boot and sturdy enough to survive being dragged across hotel floors. The key feature: it opens wide at the top, so I'm not digging through a tunnel to find the sunscreen.
For Zayn
Two outfits per day, plus one spare. I learned the spare-the-hard-way after a travel sickness incident in Ras Al Khaimah that I won't describe in detail. One hoodie, regardless of the weather forecast, because toddlers run cold in air-conditioned restaurants. One pair of shoes he can put on himself, because I'm done fighting with laces in car parks.
Snacks. More snacks than you think. Then three more. The snacks are not for hunger — they are for the moments when he needs something to do with his hands and you need five minutes of quiet.
For me
One outfit per day, plus a swimsuit that I may or may not use. A book that I will definitely not finish but like to carry anyway — it's the thought that counts. A phone charger, a lip balm, and a small bag of toiletries that I refill every trip and never organize properly.
I stopped packing a separate "nice" outfit. If the restaurant won't let me in in clean jeans and a sweater, we're probably at the wrong restaurant for a weekend with a toddler.
The extras that earn their place
A small first aid kit — plasters, paracetamol, a thermometer strip. A reusable water bottle. A tiny foldable blanket that has served as a picnic mat, a sunshade, and a very unsatisfying towel. A sticker book. The sticker book is the single most important item in the bag and I will not be taking questions.
Pack the stickers. Always pack the stickers.
That's it. It's not much, and it's heavier than it looks. But it gets us through a weekend without panic, and that's all a weekender bag really needs to do.