We’re in the final stretch before we leave for Japan! It feels like we only just booked the tickets (apparently, that was in August), but the trip will be here before we know it. Of course, that means I’ve spent the last few weeks figuring out what we need to get before we go. We have our Ireland toddler packing list to work off of, but we’ve also needed to upgrade some things. These are recent purchases I’ve made to ensure we’re all set for our trip:
Reusable Water Bottles
We have definitely had a water bottle of milk explode on us mid-flight – gotta love that cabin pressurization – so we wanted to make sure we had new water bottles that were in great shape. This is not the time to bring the bottle that kind of leaks! I found a great deal at CamelBak earlier this month on a few colors of the Eddy®+ Kids 14oz Bottle with Tritan™ Renew. This water bottle is a favorite of ours for our son since it has such a watertight seal, so we picked up two of them at 50% off. They’re also a great option for him to bring to bed, so he’s already put them to good use.
Luggage
While I stand by my Away bag, having the bigger carry-on means I can’t use it as my carry-on for every flight – and Air Canada can be strict with their size guides! Fortunately, I still have my Chaps luggage from when I studied abroad, but we decided it would be a good idea to upgrade our kids’ suitcase. After seeing Ayana rave about her Calpak bag, we opted for the Stevyn Rolling Duffel. This is bigger than our son’s current suitcase, and it should have plenty of room for both their things. Bonus: the trolley sleeve means we can stack it on our other luggage – we don’t have to count on our toddler to pull it the whole time!
Winter Clothes
In Florida, we don’t have a ton of call for warm weather clothes; it’s currently a balmy 62 degrees outside. That being said, Tokyo is going to be quite cold (and Montreal will be even colder)! We knew we needed to find some heavy duty products to keep the kiddos warm. You know how much I advocate for a good coat, which we managed to find for our son at Gap on an excellent deal; as a bonus, it has Mickey Mouse on it, so he’s all about it. We also picked up some snow suits and a jacket for our daughter, taking advantage of great sales at both Old Navy and Columbia. We also got some new things for us. 😉
Travel Stroller
This was the hardest purchase for us to make, since we love our Mockingbird stroller. It has been great to us on so many trips, but everything I read said that we needed something more compact for Japan. After doing a lot of research, I determined that a Bugaboo stroller would work well for us. What didn’t work well for us was the price tag. I scoured Facebook Marketplace, and I ended up finding a great deal on a Bugaboo Bee – and when that one sold before I could see it (d’oh!), I found another one a little further away. We got it secondhand for $125, which was much easier to swallow for a second stroller.