We just got back from an extended Summer trip, which meant a lot of time on the road with our kiddos. And while we traveled a lot with Charley as a baby, he’s nearing 7 and we have been out of the baby travel game for awhile. I put together a baby travel guide years ago, and figured it was a good time to update it with a few new finds :)
I am by no means an expert on this subject, but here are a few of the things that have helped make traveling with our little ones a little easier…
Luggage
Packing light with kids is…a challenge. For this trip, I packed a large checked suitcase with half of the space for kiddo stuff and the other half for me :) I also brought a rolling carry-on bag with essentials like diapers, sound machine, pjs, etc that would do in a pinch in case our checked bag is lost or delayed (sh*t happens). We used this with Charley and it’s getting a second life with Edie - a reminder that if you’re planning on having more than one kiddo, it pays to buy quality gear that will stand the test of time. We checked this along with our other luggage (head’s up, airlines will check baby items like cribs/car seats for free) and pick it up at baggage claim. Since we were visiting friends, I put this in my large checked rolling bag (another of Charley’s hand me downs!) and it was the MVP of our trip; A handful of restaurants we went to didn’t have high chairs and holding a squirmy 9 month old during a meal is misery.
I’ve never really used a dedicated diaper bag, so this has become our main travel bag for Edie (Ours is the zip top extra large with long handles). It fits a ton and we just count it as carry-on (as a family of 4, this works for us). Here’s what’s inside: diaper pouch with wipes/diapers, changing mat (the changing table on the plane is so hard), change of clothes INSIDE a ziplock bag (this is a big one; we’ve had many a blowout on travel days - Assuming the outfit is cute, or worth saving, put the soiled outfit inside the ziplock bag to launder once you land.), snacks (puffs, teething crackers), toys (let’s be real, whatever you pack toy wise is never going to be as interesting as an empty water bottle or in flight magazine, so just bring a few things). For this recent trip, I put Edie’s sleep sack with her pacifiers inside it in this bag, again, just in case we were separated from our checked luggage. Lastly, I put our carrier on top for easy access. (a side note about our carrier - I’ve gotten asked a lot “is it worth it?”. It’s very expensive for what it is and there are certainly more wallet friendly options, including this one which we used with Charley and still use with Edie. Basically, they all do the same thing, so just find one you love. I think it’s an essential for baby travel.) It comes in handy if you want to be hands free in the airport or to promote a contact nap! For our summer trip, I also put my beach bag inside the bigger carryon to maximize space efficiency, but you could easily do this with a crossbody or other tote bag.
We loved this stroller with Charley, and we plan to use it again once Edie is older, but for now, the Doona has been our go to travel stroller since it’s also a car seat and means one less thing we have to bring. The downside is it doesn’t have any storage capacity, so I bought this to attach it. I like how clean it looks, but in all honestly, this one is probably a better bet if want a bit more storage. We usually gate check it and I like to put it inside this bag to keep it protected. We also brought this booster for Charley, which we checked along with our other luggage.
Feeding
If your baby is formula fed, or you supplement, this parts for you! I pack hot water in this (usually a flight attendant can help with this, but I always start the trip with some from home. Head’s up, you’ll have to take it out to be tested by security.) I pack a couple bottles (I like these for travel, but use these at home) and bring formula in this - Depending on the length of the trip, I’ll bring 1 or 2 in addition to packing a full can of formula in my carry-on. Again, checking my baby’s food source kind of stresses me out and I’d just rather not risk the bag being lost or delayed. Now that Edie is eating solids, I also bring a few finger foods for her in this.
You can never have too many snacks! Make sure you stock up on puffs and teething crackers - a fed baby is a chill baby? Here’s hoping.
Oh and we had this with Charley and absolutely loved it. Repurchased a fresh one for Edie and we used it so much this summer between friends houses and hotels. I also bring a travel size bottle of this.
Sleep
One of the most asked questions was about sleep and I am DEFINITELY not a baby sleep expert. Edie’s sleep has been a real rollercoaster, but her naps this trip were solid. Edie slept in this travel crib (make sure you have the right sheet) if our hotel didn’t have a crib. I bought this to help keep light out, which really came in handy when we were visiting friends and needed to block daytime sun for naps. In terms of schedule, when flying we just followed her normal routine of wake, eat, sleep, so every 3 hours or so, she’d get sleepy and be ready for a nap. This wasn’t always like clockwork, but for the most part it worked out nicely for us. On the plane, we took turns holding her for sleep - our seats didn’t have a bassinet option and she’s too big anyway. This is a great option though if you’re traveling with a newborn and seated in the bulkhead. Most times you need to call the airline ahead of time to request this arrangement.
Both kids handled the jet lag really well. Because our flight to France was a night flight, they both slept and when we landed it was a regular day for them. In order to try and get “on schedule”, we pushed bedtime later that first day to try and get them acclimated quickly. They both slept in the next morning which was a nice treat for us and were pretty well adjusted after that :) My advice is to try and tweak your schedule as needed with the goal of keeping kiddos awake a bit longer than normal to try and power through to get adjusted to a new time zone. That seemed to work for us! With Edie, we aimed to do her morning nap in the crib and the second nap would either be out or back in the room if we could make it back from the beach in time. She doesn’t mind a contact nap in the carrier, so we also had that option and of course she did a few car naps. Her naps were better than they are at home, so I think she likes life on the road!
A few people asked about sleeping arrangements and it made me laugh. I assume it’s a question from newer parents, because when you’re traveling, you just make something work and accept that it’ll never be like it is at home. Charley has slept in showers, bathrooms, walk-in closets…Wherever it’s dark and quiet, that’s where the baby goes :) Most of the places we stayed had separate sitting areas where the kids bunked up, but we also had rooms with larger bathrooms/closets and could put Edie’s travel crib in there.
Charley slept on a hotel cot or pull out sofa depending on where we stayed, but when he was younger, this was our go-to travel sleep set-up for him. I can’t recommend it enough!!! Folds up like a little suitcase and you can check it like a regular bag. No matter where the kids are sleeping, we use this. Don’t leave home without it.
Diapers
This is more of a logistics thing, but I brought a set number of diapers/wipes knowing that I’d need to restock at some point during the trip. For longer trips, this is what I do rather than stuffing 2,000 diapers in my luggage. I split up a good amount between my carry-on, Edie’s diaper pouch and a checked bag so we have our bases covered if one bag gets lost. Plus, we stuff a bunch of diapers in the travel crib since it’s basically a suitcase.
Bits & Bobs
I always put Edie in a nighttime diaper when we’re traveling - either by plane or an extended road trip. She stays dry longer which is great since it’s not always easy to find a place to get changed. We use these.
We did one house rental that had a washing machine, but otherwise I use these laundry sheets to wash Edie’s clothes in the sink.
I really think traveling with toys at this age is kind of pointless - the things they want to play with are things that aren’t toys. I brought a few little things to keep her entertained (like these which stick to the tray table - genius!), but I kept it pretty minimal in this department.
I’ve learned the hard way a few times in the past, so I over prepared for this trip by putting together a little first aid kit. I used this set from Amazon and packed a thermometer, baby and kid’s Motrin, cold meds/lozenges, Advil, bandages, Neosporin, you name it! Glad I did because I got a cold a few days into our trip and coordinating a trip to the pharmacy 30 mins away seemed like too much work. And keep the kids meds in your carry-on, just in case you need something on the flight.
I remember the first time we flew with Charley I was so anxious…would he cry the entire time?? would his sleep be a disaster?? why were we doing this again? Since then, I’ve learned to roll with the punches and while these trips are never totally relaxing, they’re always worth it. I’ve never taken a trip with my kids that I’ve looked back on with regret. All this to say, everything will be fine and you’ll figure it out! xx
Anything I missed? Leave me a comment if you have a question!
