19 Jun What To Pack When Traveling With A Baby
I’m going to start by saying that we aren’t experts when it comes to traveling with a baby. Due to our work (and life choices) we have been lucky enough to take Elodie on several trips, but there is still a lot to learn…especially now as she gets older and transitions from a baby to a walking toddler (which I am still in denial about).
So I’ve compiled this guide based on the vast amount of research I’ve done – meaning I’ve read many blog posts, watched many reels, and chatted to my fellow travel-loving parent friends – and the experience we’ve had traveling with Elodie to 14 countries in the last eight months. I hope you find it helpful and insightful, whether your baby is 6 months old, 9 months old, or older*.
*Side note: at the time of writing this, Elodie hasn’t been walking yet, so if your baby is, you may need to consider a couple more things that I didn’t include below.
Baggage Allowance
For local and international flights with almost all airlines (whether you book a seat for your infant or not), you’re given a fair amount of baggage allowance for your baby.
Most airlines will allow a 10kg check-in bag and 5kg carry-on, free of charge, as well as the option to bring two big ticket items, such as stroller, car seat, or traveling cot. In some cases you may need to purchase “baby equipment” if you want to take more than just luggage with you, so it’s best to check with the airline before booking your ticket.
For train travel, needless to say, there’s no limits, and if you’re traveling by car – well, it’s up to you how much boot space you fill with baby things 🙂
The Essentials
Let’s start with a list of the most obvious things, and what to consider:
Clothes
How much you pack and what you pack will largely depend on the length of your trip (2-days versus 3-weeks), the weather at your destination and what time of year you’re traveling (snowy versus sunny), your planned activities (boat rides, hikes, beach days, shopping sprees), and the age of your baby (walking or not), so I won’t go into too much detail here.
What I will say is – for the travel day itself, definitely pack a spare outfit or two (as you never know when that unexpected blow-out may happen), and layer your baby in comfortable, easy-to-put-on-and-take-off layers – keep the cute-but-tricky, tiny-button romper for another day, and stick to quick zip-up onesies. Always bring an extra blanket and hat for baby too, as you can never predict the travel conditions, even if you’re heading somewhere warm.
Nappies
Do some research ahead of your trip to see if you’ll be staying near a store that sells nappies. They take up a lot of space, so ideally you’ll only take enough for two days (your travel day and one more) and buy the rest at your destination. And if you don’t normally buy one-time use nappies, unless you’re traveling with a helper and have a washing machine at your destination, I’d advise getting some for the travels so you’re not spending your holiday washing nappies.
Food
Whether you breastfeed, formula-feed, or your baby is old enough to eat solids, you’ll need to do some planning here. Although food other than mother’s milk is heavy and will take up space, the last thing you want is to get stuck at your holiday destination without supplies, or only have access to food your baby doesn’t like.
We like to have tried-and-tested store-bought pouches and snack foods for Elodie (in flavours we know she loves) for the travel days. When we started traveling with Elodie at age six months, we brought empty reusable pouches with pouch tops and our hand blender with us (to make her food on the go at our rented apartment), and now that she’s off the purees (for the most part) we rely heavily on the restaurants we visit, and grocery stores nearby, to feed her on the go with essentials you can find anywhere – like yoghurt, fruit, and vegetables (and of course pizza #WhenInItaly). For shorter hotel-stay trips, we take more store-bought pouches, and now that she knows how to chew, we bring more snacks like biscuits and chip puffs. Baby oats are also great as you simply add water, and it’s an easy meal (without much colour, so if she misses the bib, it’s not as noticeable too).
You may also want to bring a crockery and cutlery set, bottles or sippy cups (always bring more than one in case), and a lunchbox for carrying snacks and fruit.
Toiletries
Just like when packing toiletries for adults, it’s a good idea to have small containers filled with the body wash, shampoo, cream etc instead of bringing all the big packs with you.
Something you’ll also want to bring, is baby-friendly insect repellent and sunscreen, regardless of your destination and time of year you’re traveling, because you don’t want to be caught without them.
Electric nail file, baby tweezers, sanitizer, wet wipes (both with and without alcohol – for surface cleaning and baby cleaning) and other everyday items should also make your packing list.
Medicine
You’ll want to be prepared for anything, especially when traveling with baby to a foreign place. Panadol (or equivalent paracetamol medicine) for high temperatures, anything for vomiting, diarrhoea, stuffy noses, small cuts, and other “typical” conditions will need to come with as you may not have access to a pharmacy as quickly as you may need. Our thermometer and nasal aspirator are rechargeable, so we can’t keep them in the check-in luggage – just FYI in case you also plan to take some battery-operated items.
If your baby is on any type of medicine or vitamins, don’t forget to pack those too.
Big Ticket Items
This will all depend on your personal needs, but most parents traveling with a baby will bring their own stroller, their own car seat (although almost all car rental companies offer car seat rental as an add-on), and their own traveling cot or play pen (even if you co-sleep like us, the play pen is great for keeping baby safe and secure while you move around your hotel room, unpacking, showering etc). We travel with our stroller, rent the car seat, and phone ahead to ask hotels to place cots in our hotel rooms.
What you maybe didn’t think about, was a bag to keep your big ticket item(s) safe and dirt-free when checking them in at the airport. We’ve also considered a beach tent for longer, hot holidays where we know we’ll get the full use out of it, and we like to bring a waterproof picnic blanket so we can lay it down anywhere and turn a dirty floor into a safe play zone.
Toys and Entertainment
Your little one will no doubt need some entertainment – during the travel day, and at your destination – so make sure to bring their favourite stuffed monkey, rattles, chew toys, books, puzzles, and pacifiers (if they need them).
Once again, good to mention that you should bring spares, because you never know when Dolly or NuNu may go missing and your little one is having a meltdown…although we found Elodie will find things like keys and bracelets entertaining enough, so try to keep toys onboard to a minimum.
Some mom friends recommended suction spinners and building blocks, and if you’re ok with some screen time for your little one (because above the clouds, it does not count), make sure to have their favourite show(s) or video(s) downloaded and on your tablet or phone, together with a back-up charger as your device’s battery will probably run flat.
Accessories And Miscellaneous Items
Bibs, burp cloths, muslin cloths, sleep sacks, swaddles – all a matter of preference and what your baby needs, but the best idea is to try bring as much from home as is necessary to not change their environment and routines too much – traveling somewhere new should be enough of a change.
Some mom friends recommend a cover for the pram (to make it nice and dark anywhere you go) and a portable white noise machine to pop into the pram, so baby can nap while you explore (although, truth be told, Elodie refuses to nap in her pram when we’re exploring as she, like me, suffers from major FOMO).
If you’ll be planning to use your hotel’s babysitting services, good to have your nursery’s camera with you, so you can go out and watch your peaceful, sleeping baby from wherever you are. Fun fact: this isn’t at all possible with Elodie and she is bound to me from around 19:30 every night, but putting this here in case your baby sleeps independently and through the night.
I’m going to state the obvious here and say that you MUST bring a camera with you – a fancy one, or just one on your phone is fine – but you’ll want to capture your adventures with your baby, no matter how short or small they are (the trips, and your baby).
Lastly, as one of my dad-of-two-under-three friends joked, the most important thing to bring is your credit card (and some Xanax, LOL), because you really should be fine to get anything, anywhere…unless you’re planning a very remote trip in the middle of nowhere – then we’ll need to pick your brain for some tips on what to pack!
Wishing you and your traveling baby the best adventures.
C
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