I am the first to admit I really didn’t read up much on traveling with a baby. I sorta of just “winged it” and made it work. Maybe that’s why I hate traveling so much now??
With baby number 2 I was determined to find the best products and make traveling easier for our family. My husband and I live away from both our parents. Although we only have to drive for about 4 hours to get there, it is far enough that we stay the night each time.
There’s one thing to be fully packed, and one thing to be fully prepared. I am really good at fully packing our car (Ask my husband)!! What I am learning now, is how to be prepared. How to pack smart, and learning what I really need, and what I can live without.
I wish I had read blog posts from Moms who honestly shared their opinions and insights. I read a great deal of “must-haves”, but in reality, many of their “must-haves” weren’t mine. And that will probably be the same for you!
However, my hope is that this will help inspire you to have a better idea of what you really need on trips. Packing light is crucial to enjoying the trip. You don’t want an overstuffed car and grouchy husband (speaking from experience). But you do want to find that balance between being full packed and being fully prepared.
This post will help you be prepared!
10 things you actually NEED when traveling with baby:
- Travel bassinet
- Travel sound machine
- Travel baby monitor
- Breastmilk cooler/bag
- Actual travel bag for baby (diaper bags are too small!)
- A few select travel toys
- A baby carrier or wrap!
- A play mat that wipes easily and is versatile!
- A portable highchair!
- A stroller that works for your trunk space and travel needs
1. Travel bassinet
We traveled alot with our baby when he was young, at just 4 weeks old we had our first overnighter with family. We brought a pack and play. We didn’t sleep a wink! And for the months following, we never slept while traveling. It didn’t dawn on me until we made some sleeping adjustments with our almost toddler, that he just wasn’t comfortable with the pack and play when he was an infant! A small, portable travel bassinet is a great solution for sleep (or at least the start)!
My husband and I like to go camping, and we also are tight on trunk space, so we have a portable bassinet that can also be just barely off the ground for camping! Win-win!
2. Travel sound machine
I brought my Hatch+ traveling… until my baby threw it and it broke! Don’t make the same mistake. Bring a travel sound machine that you can recharge, uses batteries, etc, and even better if you can clip to the carseat! Sometimes you just need that in a noisy area such as a mall to get baby to be calm or sleep amid the chaos!
3. Travel baby monitor
I was a nervous wreck traveling, constantly checking on the baby, and ultimately just staying in the room with the baby while he napped. If this is you, just bring a monitor that works for traveling. If you use baby monitors at home that use wifi, cameras, or other great technological software, ask yourself what you feel you need for traveling. For me, I just needed a basic monitor that I could hear and see the baby so I knew that he was okay. With Baby #2, I will be able to actually rest and reset during baby’s sleep times because of the peace of mind I will have with a baby monitor.
There are alot of things I worry about when traveling with baby sleep. Sometimes with a big group of family, kids are literally screaming, and I am at a loss as to helping my baby sleep. I want to check on the baby, but I’m scared that if I do, he will wake up!
For me, having a baby monitor will help me be a little more at ease. I will be able to hear if its the noises that are keeping the baby up, etc, and I will be able to watch to ensure the baby is sleeping safely.
A baby monitor is something to consider when traveling! It can give you a little more freedom, and you may even be able to sneak away for a little alone time, and still be able to monitor the baby and have the peace of mind you need.
4. Breastmilk cooler/bag
Too often I was traveling and needed to pump excess milk but didn’t have a cooler on hand. With my toddler, I am finding myself without a cooler on hand to keep his milk cold and throw out a lot of milk! Having an insulated bag would have been very helpful! It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, but something that can help buy you a few hours and have cold milk!
5. Actual travel bag for babies + REALLY functional diaper bag for your trip
If you are going on a trip, and you’re able to take a duffle bag or suitcase (I am talking about a road trip), or your airline will allow you to have a nice big carry-on bag for baby that’s not a diaper bag, it is so helpful! I have great diaper bags, but none that work for traveling for days. A simple overnighter still needs to be its own bag vs the bag I would have on the seat next to the baby during traveling. From all the outfits to diapers and blankets for the baby, I finally figured out it worked much better to have a duffle or small carry-on size suitcase just for my baby’s stuff. Then throughout the trip, I would update my diaper bag as needed with additional diapers, wipes, extra outfit, new toys, etc. This hack has helped me not have as many bags!
A really functional diaper bag is crucial for a good travel experience. Whether in the car or on the plane, a good diaper bag that is neatly organized and has a good capacity will be something that will literally make you smile on your trip, I’m not kidding.
6. A few select travel toys
Once your baby is a few months old and becomes more mobile, switching up toys for travel can really help lengthen the time baby is entertained! For us, we would switch out our son’s toys a few weeks in advance so they were “new” on our roadtrip. As our baby got older, we would buy a couple new items just for the trip that the baby hadn’t seen before. Some items were just from the Dollar store, and some we splurged on. Now as my first is a toddler, we make sure we have 1-2 books that he hasn’t seen for a long time, or purchase a new one for the trip as well.
7. A baby carrier or wrap!
I didn’t bring a baby carrier when traveling, mostly because I didn’t have one that worked for us. With baby #2, I plan to bring one!! There were many times walking around while traveling that a baby wrap would have been so much easier than holding a baby in my arms. Try to find a baby carrier that you like, that you use, and that you and your baby are familiar with! There are times traveling that my baby just wanted to be held, and I was not prepared for that. Having a baby carrier would have made it easier to multitask, and just be a little more comfortable on vacation than holding baby constantly.
8. A play mat that wipes easily and is versatile!
When we traveled, I always had a blanket to lay down for baby, but I wished I had something I could easily wipe down or sanitize! My Gathre mat is going to be such a game changer for traveling. From picnics, day trips, and vacations, having a playmat for a baby to crawl and roll that you can wash is so much better than a blanket that really needs washed asap! (And if you’re like me, you brought several blankets for that reason! With a mat this cuts down on my overpacking!)
9.A portable highchair!
Obviously this would be for select traveling situations. For our road trips to visit family, a portable highchair was a necessity for us. It made eating so much easier and helped keep a sense of normalcy for our baby. We used this summer infant travel seat and then for our toddler we got this one! Now we have two, and our toddler will be in this larger one for as long as he safely can be!
10. A stroller that works for your trunk space and travel needs
Some trips my husband and I knew we just needed a compact stroller, other trips we were hiking and would bring our all-terrain stroller. Just bring a stroller! It makes it so much easier! It was the worst when we forgot a stroller on our trips.
I hope you can find your balance of being prepared for traveling with your little one too!!
Xoxo,
Kelsie Ann
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