Tips for Choosing the Best Kids’ Luggage
Finding the best kids’ luggage just became so much easier! Check out these tips on how to find the luggage that will work best for you and your kids.
There comes a time in the life of your kids when they no longer can share a suitcase with you. That is both a sad and happy time. On the happy side, you get your own suitcase to yourself again! On the sad side, your little baby is growing up and getting their own suitcase.
And you need to buy that suitcase.
Finding the best kids’ luggage has been so tricky for us! I wanted to find something that can grow with our son because luggage is spendy! However, I also want something that is going to be easy for him, a kid of a mere 3 ft, to roll around. And pack. Let’s just say that I don’t want to spend money willy-nilly so I’ve done way more research than I probably should have. I’m probably not alone when I say that I don’t want to waste money on something that’s not going to last! I once broke the wheels on my suitcase while rolling it through the London tube and had to carry it through a packed train station and down a bumpy road though, so can you blame me for being picky? Ha I hope not!
In my research, I found so many different contradicting things. Some posts said that you want to always have rollers, and others said that rollers break easily so try to steer away from those. Some said to get hardshell while others said to get soft shell. So instead of adding to the confusion of the kid’s luggage world, I’ve decided to give you tips instead to help you choose the best luggage for your kids. After all, just like clothes, there usually isn’t a one-size-fits-all choice. However, I can help you ask yourself the right questions so then you can make the right decision. And know that you made the right decision! There is nothing worse than buyer’s remorse.
(Says the girl who doesn’t take the tags off of anything I buy for a good month or two.)
This post is all about tips on how to help you choose the best kids’ luggage.
Tips for Choosing the Best Kids’ Luggage
Let’s talk tips! Below are some tips on how to choose the best kids’ luggage. I’ve also got another post to help you with the other toddler travel essentials that you may be looking for.
TRIED AND TESTED TODDLER TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
What is your Budget for your Kids’ Luggage?
First thing’s first.
Budget.
If only we could all have an endless supply of money to allow us to buy whatever we want, but sadly, that is usually not the case. One thing that I want you guys to remember when determining your budget Is how often you want to be buying luggage for your kids. I wish this wasn’t the case, but typically if you spend less money on luggage then you will have to buy it more often.
Back to my London suitcase fiasco, the suitcase I had was on the cheaper end. I ended up buying new luggage in London and it was not cheap. However it did last me the rest of my study abroad through cobblestone roads and plenty of airports and planes, and it’s still alive to this day. So although not always the case, if you’re willing to spend just a little bit more, you will be able to buy something that will last longer.
How Often Are You Planning on Traveling With Kids?
Another thing to consider is how often you’re going to be traveling with your kids and how often they’re going to need their kid’s luggage set. If you are only doing one vacation a year, then you might not want to spend a ton of money on something that you’re not going to use that often.
On the other hand, if you travel frequently throughout the year, then spending a little bit more on something that will withstand your frequent travels might be a good idea!
What Kind of Travel Do You Plan On Taking?
The next thing you want to think about is what kind of travel you plan on taking with your kids. The sounds a little strange, but the kind of suitcase that you get might be dependent on this. If you are taking road trips with your family more so than riding on airplanes or trains or anything like that, then you might consider duffle bags or soft shell suitcases. They will do so much better in cars! Their soft structure allows them to fit more easily in a car! Since your suitcases aren’t going to get a lot of jostling around as they would with other forms of transportation, then you don’t need to worry about spending extra money on tougher luggage sets for your kids.
If you’re taking airplanes or trains or buses, having tougher kids’ luggage will help it withstand the tossing and squishing that it’s bound to experience when other people handle your luggage. Also, those modes of transportation also typically require a lot of waiting around. Do you know what happens when your kids wait around too much?
Chaos.
Just kidding! But really, kids get tired! So having a hardy suitcase that makes it easy for your kids to just sit on their suitcase if they get tired is huge.
But what if they could ride their suitcase, you ask?
Oh, you didn’t? Well, that’s ok, I will still answer it! My dream as a child was to be pulled on a suitcase through the airport, but my mom would never let me. Something about safety or whatever.
But now you can!
Well, at least your kids can. I can’t tell you what a blessing it was when we decided to get Ollie a JetKids suitcase as his carry-on. Like, a totally-worth-the-cost-of-it blessing. No more needing to bring the stroller so he could sit if his little legs got tired. No more being asked to carry him through the airport. Don’t get me wrong, I love carrying him. So much. But when my hands are full with a million other things and we’re trying to get our luggage or trying to find the right gate or bus, it is a huge help.
What Kind of Packer Are You and Your Kids?
All right this one is mostly for me. So I figured it might help some of you too! What kind of packer are you and what kind of packer are your kids. I tend to overpack. You just don’t know what you’re going to need, right? Josh, on the other hand, is a very efficient packer. I think that either Oliver has inherited my packing genes, or he’s just a toddler and loves all of his stuff so much that he wants them all to come with him on vacation.
Either way, we opted to help relieve some of the strain that he might feel by having to limit himself and got him a suitcase for him that gave him a little extra room to be able to put a few toys and stuffed animals without him having a huge suitcase to lug around. This made it so much easier both mentally for us and emotionally for him. He was able to bring some of the stuff that he wanted (not all of course) and we didn’t have to worry about stuffing them in any nook and cranny that we could find in his suitcase or an of ours. We also didn’t have to worry about carrying anything on our travels.
If there is anything that I would recommend to make traveling with kids so much easier, is not to have too many little bags. You only have two hands. And if one of them has to hold a bag of toys and the other one has to hold a bag of books and the other one has to hold the little hand… Wait, you’re out of hands! The more you can get in the suitcase or a backpack/carry-on, the better.
What Is Most Important to You in Kids’ Luggage?
All right so let’s talk about what’s most important to you and finding the best kids’ luggage. For some people who have traveled frequently, they know what they want in their kid’s luggage set. If you don’t know, then no worries! Just find something that you feel good about and that your kids will like. If you need to, try to find a store where you can test out some luggage. Online shopping is great, but with big purchases, it’s sometimes a little overwhelming. Being able to see and feel something in person can help you know what you’re looking for so much better than reading about it online from a million different blogs.
You know you best and you know your kids best. So go with your gut!
If you do know, then just filter everything else out that doesn’t have what you’re looking for! It will help so much in getting the right luggage for your kids and filtering through all the options.
What Are Your Kids Like When Traveling?
What are your kids like when they travel? Or just when you are not at home? Do they get tired quickly? Or do they want to help with whatever you are doing? Do they prefer to walk or be carried? These are all questions that can help you find the best kids’ luggage for you and your family. If they are totally fine with carrying suitcases, then just get a standard rollaboard (2 wheels) suitcase. If they kind of get tired quickly or want to ride on something, then I would recommend a hard shell, spinner (4 wheels) suitcase so they can sit on it whenever they need to. This type of suitcase also gives them the ability to push it instead of pull it!
Bonus Tip – Our Favorite Kids’ Suitcases!
With all of the research that we have done to find the best kids’ luggage, we fell in love with so many different options that could work for us. However, budget-wise some of them just didn’t make sense. They might be just what you are looking for though! You may notice a lot of carry-on suitcases. That is because we have a toddler and a carry-on suitcase is just about all that his little body can handle to pull/push! Haha.
There you have it! Here those were some tips on how to help you find the best kids’ luggage for your family! I hope they helped, and I hope that you were able to find the best kids’ luggage for your travels! there is nothing like traveling with kids, and I love it so much!
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