Do you ever take your child with special needs on vacation or camping? It is a TON TON TON of work.
Ellie uses bipap, oxygen, suction, pulse ox, feeding pump, is cathed, uses a wheelchair, and on and on. Trust me...I know how difficult it can be. Not only is it hard physically, but I have a hard time committing emotionally. I have had multiple occasions where vacations have been changed, delayed or cancelled completely due to changes in medical status.
One thing I have done to lighten my load slightly is to have a packing list saved on my computer to pack for Ellie to go on vacation. Iwrote it as a camping list, but it is virtually the same list to go to a hotel...but we can leave off the generator and a few other things.
Some of the things I'm sure only make sense to me...so feel free to ask questions of how we do it, why we do it, why we take certain items etc.
I have found over the last few years that it is easier to pack Ellie's things in the same size of clear bins. You can see what is inside, group like things and they stack nicely in the car and in the hotel room.
I put each container on a separate sheet of paper on the list to clarify what fits and goes inside of each bin. I like to group like things such as her nebulizer items go together and her clothes go together.
Her "emergency med bag" is her emergency meds that are always on her wheelchair.
Her "med go bag" is a large cosmetic bag I keep stocked with syringes, water, pill crushers, etc. In one pocket and an empty pocket that I can shove all her meds into if I need to grab them and go somewhere.
Box 1 is formula supplies
Box 2 is Breathing (nebulizer, suction, oxygen) and Hygiene
Box 3 is Cathing and Sanitizing/Cleaning
Here is a link to Ellie's packing list that you can look at as an example. This list would obviously be different for your own medical needs and circumstances,
What tips and tricks do you have for packing to go on vacation or camping? Please share with us below. Please visit our FB page and like it to see future posts like this one.
