As much as we enjoy traveling with our children, once in a while we entrust them to their grandparents and go on a mommy-and-daddy-only trip.  While trips like this may seem like they’d be easier to plan, involving travel arrangements for two rather than six, there’s a lot of work that goes into leaving the kids at home as well.  In our case, the kids will spend half of the time we’re gone at their nearby grandparents’ house, and then their far-away grandparents will bring them home to our house for a few days.  While we’re off having fun, our kids get to spend some quality time with all of their grandparents, and we’re thankful they’re willing to let us have this time away.

These are my preparations for leaving the kids behind while we travel, especially when we plan to be unreachable except in cases of extreme emergency:

• Have the kids pack their own suitcases. I tell them how many shirts, pants, etc., they’ll need, and they get to choose their clothes and pack their own suitcases for going to Grandma’s house.  Don’t forget blankies and stuffed animals if they’re essential for sleep.  Grandmas know how to do laundry in a pinch, but I try to make it so they won’t have to.
• Leave a day-by-day schedule.  It doesn’t have to be down to the minute, but it should include approximate wake-up and bed times, school start and pickup times, and information about any activities the kids are involved in.
• Write down doses and timing of all medication your children need regularly, as well as doses for common medications that may be needed (Tylenol, etc.)  You probably know how much your children weigh.  Grandparents may not.
• Line up a friend or neighbor who’s willing to be called for backup, just in case something comes up.
• Winter weather? Write down how the grandparents can find out about school closing information.  We’ve had plenty of that this year.
• Don’t forget piano books, sports uniforms, and the like if they’ll be needed while you’re gone.
• Write down garage door access codes, TV unlock codes, and network passwords for those who will be staying at your house.
• Kids have loose teeth? Be sure the tooth fairy knows what the going rate is.
• Leave the furnace full of fuel, water softener full of salt, vehicles full of gas, and plenty of food and milk in the house.
• Send notes to teachers and bus drivers so they know grandparents will be the contacts while you’re gone.
• Leave phone numbers for easy access: school, neighbors, cell phones, etc.
• Prepare a medical release so that grandparents can care for your children if they get sick.  (We usually have ours notarized, although that may not be necessary.)  Write down the phone number and name of your doctor, pharmacy information, and which emergency room you prefer to use.  Leave the kids’ insurance cards.
• In case something happens to you while you’re gone: Leave copies of wallet information and travel itineraries.  Write down the location for important papers, keys, and passwords that would be needed if someone else had to take care of things for a while.

It would be so much easier to just walk out the door and say goodbye, but my mother-in-law has commented that she likes having all of this information, just in case something happens.  If we weren’t half a continent away, or were more easily reachable, my lists would be much less extensive, but because of the logistics of our travel, we need them to have as much information as possible.

What am I missing?  Are there other things you’d add to your preparations in leaving your kids behind?

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