Every packing list for traveling with kids is either 47 items long or written by someone who apparently travels with a single linen tote and a yoga mat. Neither is useful when you're staring at two open suitcases the night before a flight to Mexico.

This list is built for a week at a beach resort with kids aged roughly 1 to 6. It assumes you'll have access to a hotel gift shop and a nearby town with stores, because you will.

The suitcase (one per adult, one for the kid)

Three suitcases for a family of three or four is plenty. Roll clothes, use packing cubes if you want, and leave at least a quarter of the kid's suitcase empty for the return trip (you're going to buy things).

For the kid:

7 to 8 outfits. One per day plus a spare. Mexico is warm, so these are shorts and a shirt, or a dress, or a romper. Nothing complicated. If your kid is still in the blow-out phase, add 2 more.

2 swimsuits. One to wear, one drying. Rashguards count as a swimsuit and a shirt and are worth their weight in SPF.

1 light layer for air-conditioned restaurants. Resort restaurants in Mexico are kept cold enough to store produce. A thin zip-up hoodie saves you from the goosebump meltdown.

Pajamas. 2 pairs. One will get wet from a late pool session, guaranteed.

Shoes: one pair of sandals that can get wet (Natives, Keens, or similar), one pair of sneakers if your kid is walking and you plan to do anything beyond the pool deck. Leave the nice shoes at home.

A hat with a brim. Not a baseball cap (their necks and ears burn). A full-brim sun hat. This is the single most fought-over item with toddlers and the single most important one. Pick your battle early and pick it every morning.

For you:

You know how to pack for yourself. The Mexico-with-kids additions are: a rashguard (you'll spend more time in the pool than you expect), a microfiber towel that dries fast (hotel towels at the pool are never where you need them), and one outfit that isn't resort-casual in case you manage a dinner without the kids. You probably won't, but hope is free.

The carry-on (the important bag)

This is the bag that matters. If your checked luggage gets lost, everything in the carry-on gets you through 24 hours. Pack accordingly.

Non-negotiable:

Full change of clothes for the kid. Shirt, shorts, underwear, socks. In a Ziploc bag so the dirty ones have somewhere to go.

A shirt for you. Because if your kid throws up on you at 35,000 feet, you can't buy a new shirt in the sky.

Diapers (if applicable): enough for the flight plus 4 hours of buffer. Not a full pack. You can buy diapers at any pharmacy in Mexico.

Snacks: portion them into small bags. Crackers, dried fruit, puffs, squeeze pouches. The goal is dispensing one bag per hour, not handing over a communal bag that gets crushed under a seat.

A water bottle with a straw for the kid. Empty through security, fill at a fountain. The straw helps with ear pressure on descent.

One screen device, fully charged, with downloaded shows. Headphones that fit (over-ear, volume-limited).

Pacifier or comfort object. Whichever yours needs. Bring a backup.

Infant Tylenol. Because fevers always start on planes.

Nice to have:

A small pouch of crayons and a pad of stickers. Good for 20 to 30 minutes of entertainment, which on a 4-hour flight is meaningful.

A few new small toys they haven't seen before. Dollar store quality is fine. Novelty buys more time than quality.

An empty plastic bag for trash and dirty clothes. This sounds minor until you're holding a diaper with nowhere to put it.

The toiletries bag

Sunscreen, SPF 50 or higher, mineral-based if your kid has sensitive skin. Bring a full bottle from home. Resort gift shop sunscreen is $24 for a tube that lasts 2 days.

Bug spray with DEET (or picaridin if you prefer). The Pacific coast and Riviera Maya both have mosquitoes, especially at dusk. If you're staying on the coast, you'll want this for outdoor dinners.

Diaper cream. If your kid gets a rash from pool chlorine or ocean salt (common), you'll want it immediately, not after a trip to the pharmacy.

A basic first-aid kit: Band-Aids, antiseptic wipes, tweezers (for splinters from wooden pool decks), a thermometer.

Your kid's prescription medications, plus a copy of the prescription. Mexico has well-stocked pharmacies, but bringing your own doses avoids a language barrier at 1am.

That's it for toiletries. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion: the hotel has it. Toothpaste, toothbrushes: bring these but they take up no space.

The gear question

This is where parents go off the rails. Every travel gear list wants you to bring a portable crib, a travel high chair, a baby monitor, a white noise machine, a stroller, a car seat, and a baby carrier. Bringing all of that is how you end up at the airport looking like you're relocating.

Bring:

A lightweight stroller if your kid is under 3. The Babyzen YOYO and the GB Pockit are the two that fit in overhead bins. Gate-check if yours doesn't fold that small.

A car seat if you plan to use taxis or transfers. The Cosco Scenera Next is 7 lbs, $50, and FAA-approved. It's the standard travel car seat for a reason.

A baby carrier (Ergo, BabyBjorn, whatever you use) if your kid is under 2. Cobblestone streets and sand don't work with strollers.

Leave behind:

Portable crib. Every decent hotel in Mexico will provide a crib if you request one at booking. Call ahead to confirm, but this is standard.

Travel high chair. Restaurants have high chairs. Resort restaurants definitely have high chairs.

Baby monitor. If your room is small enough that you're within 30 feet of the crib at all times (which in most hotel rooms you are), you don't need a monitor. If you're in a suite or villa, bring a cheap audio monitor and leave the video one at home.

White noise machine. Download a white noise app on an old phone. Done.

Pool floaties and water toys. The hotel has them, or the nearest beach vendor does. Don't give these suitcase space.

The "just buy it there" list

Parents overpack because they're afraid they won't find things in Mexico. You will. Mexico's convenience stores (OXXO is on every corner) and grocery stores (Chedraui, Walmart, Soriana) carry everything you need.

Buy locally: diapers (Huggies and Pampers are widely available), wipes, bottled water, snacks, juice boxes, extra sunscreen, pool toys, cheap flip-flops, basic medications (Tylenol, Pepto, Benadryl equivalents are sold over the counter).

The only things worth bringing from home are specific brand-name items your kid is particular about (a specific formula, a specific snack they won't eat substitutes for) and prescription medications.

The return trip hack

On your last morning, before checkout, throw out everything disposable: half-used sunscreen, opened snack bags, sand-filled sandals your kid wore twice, the 4 seashells they collected that they'll forget about by Tuesday.

Then put all dirty clothes in a compression bag and use the suitcase space you freed up for whatever you bought during the trip. You will buy things during the trip.

Pack the kid's carry-on the same way you packed it for the outbound flight. Same snacks, same screen, same comfort object. Consistency is the whole game on the way home.

The real packing rule for Mexico with kids is simple: if you can buy it at a grocery store, you don't need to bring it. Everything else fits in 2 suitcases and a carry-on.

If you're standing over your bags the night before departure and it looks like too much, it is. Remove 3 things. You won't miss them.