Moving the Army of the Potomac
By Lisa Glickstein, Ph.D, Triplet Mom
Originally printed in May 2003

Whether you are taking your triplets or quads on their first outing, making a routine trip 
to preschool or an after school activity, or going on a road trip, moving a larger family 
means hauling lots of stuff.  Even the most pared down list can seem daunting times three 
or more.  Here are some tips for getting all that jazz from here to there.

Basic outings:
You will need a daily bag for routine outings.  For those with infants, it will be a diaper 
bag of some sort.  Backpacks are great for those with three or more babies to handle as 
they keep your arms and hands free.  Husbands prefer them to pastel bags, and they also 
age well for toddlers and beyond.  A good choice should be large enough to keep some 
formula, plenty of diapers and wipes, at least one change of clothes, necessary meds, 
binkies and rattles.  For toddlers, add juice boxes, a snack item and some crayons.  You'll 
need some space in there for the mittens as they come on and off, papers that you get at 
the pediatrician, and your wallet.  As your kids get older, you may be able to keep 
everything you need in a large purse – wet wipes, Tylenol (for you and the kids), the 
crayons, various barrettes, and shells and rocks picked up randomly on outings.  We still 
use an oversized fanny pack for the above, plus one extra pair of panties for the girls 
(why not), a small sewing kit and Epipens and Benadryl (in case of allergic reactions due 
to our kids' peanut allergies). I have a very small purse with my lipstick, photos of the 
girls (very important), credit cards (ditto) and cash, which fits inside the fanny pack when 
I'm out with the girls.  Whatever you use, keep it prepacked to go and don't rely on 
remembering what to throw in as you run out the door.

Daycare and preschool:
Best is one bag that is an ample size and that you can see into to double-check for 
forgotten items.  We use a collapsible mesh bag (like the laundry bins or kids' playhouse 
structures with metal ribs that twist up into a small flat package).  It fits three lunch bags, 
three pairs of boots, three pairs of snowpants, and assorted kids' artwork, toys, and 
mittens.  In the spring, we need rain boots, raincoats, and other items on their way to and 
from school (like nap gear on wash day).  At school we sort everything out and fold it 
down into a 5x5x2 inch package that fits in one of the girls' cubbies.  That way if I drop 
the girls off and my husband picks them up, the bag is there.  This type of bag (or a 
smaller version) is good for trips to the beach, to carry spare sweaters for school, a 
change of clothes for after sports, dance or gymnastics – anytime you have to haul stuff 
that is easy to sort out.  We use a small bag like this for carrying the girls' street clothes 
and three juice boxes each to ballet each week.

Sports, dance, gymnastics, skating or hockey:
If your kids do these kinds of activities, it may make sense to get a bag for each child.  It 
is particularly important if the uniform or equipment all looks alike but is in different 
sizes.  It makes it easier to change three or four kids in a hurry if each bag contains 
everything for one complete uniform.  We use bags like this for skating and ballet.  As 
for the basic outing bag, we keep them prepacked with all of the supplies for that activity 
(down to hair accessories for ballet).  Again this will save you from forgetting something 
each week.  Another obvious time to have individual bags is for school lunch.  School 
age kids will each need a backpack for homework and school supplies.  Beware of too 
much weight – many school packs now have wheels and handles to save kids' shoulders 
and backs.  We label each individual bag clearly with the girls' initials (unless they are 
unique colors) to help all of us keep them straight when packing different lunches or 
changing clothes.

Travel:
Think outside of the suitcase!  If you're taking a road trip, packing in laundry baskets 
may make more sense – they stack well in the car and they can be used like drawers in a 
hotel room.  We usually use suitcases for our clothes and small chrome baskets from the 
bathroom for the cosmetics, medicines, and bath items.  My parents kept a cardboard 
dresser (designed for attic storage) in our camper for road trips – much easier to live out 
of than a suitcase.  Once your kids are older, it may make sense to give them each their 
own fanny pack for carrying a juice box and snack, an ID card with your phone number 
and hotel, a small amount of money or change, and other small items like amusements for 
waiting on line or a disposable camera.  The pack and contents should be replaceable in 
case of loss or fall into a flume ride!

Supplies:
You can either buy specialized bags designed for an activity (skiing, skating, ballet), or 
reuse bags you already have, for example, from toys that came in three (or four) copies.  
We use some clear small backpacks for ballet that came packed with baby dolls and 
accessories one Christmas from Grandma.  Our kids have summer bags to carry their 
swimsuit, towel, and water shoes.  These are simple canvas bags in their favorite colors 
that my mom gave them for their birthday last year – easy to wash if they get wet or 
sandy.  A good source for inexpensive canvas bags in various colors and sizes is 
Michael's or A.C. Moore.  You can also buy fabric paint, stamps, and brushes or markers 
if you want to let your kids have a craft day to personalize them.  Mesh bags, backpacks, 
fanny packs, college-style bath totes, cardboard storage units, and laundry baskets 
(collapsible and standard) are easy to come by at Target, Wal-Mart, Bed, Bath and 
Beyond, and Linens and Things.  Diaper bags can be found at regular outlets like Sears, 
Babies R Us and the Right Start, or by mail at One Step Ahead or Lands End.  Generally 
our favorite bags have been see-through (mesh or clear plastic)!

Have fun and happy trails!