First vacations with newborns or babies are challenging at the best of times. As a new parent, you’re probably already struggling with exhaustion, anxiety, and nerves about how to best parent and support your new bundle of joy. Vacations are meant to be constant times of rest and relaxation, but for families with babies they can often feel next to impossible to pack or prepare for. A packing list for traveling with a baby is a great way to determine exactly what you need to have a good experience on your newest vacation.
Travel essentials for baby are similar to the thing you use on a daily basis, but with the added complication of everything needing to be travel-friendly, portable, and compact, requirements which can range from simple to complicated depending on where you’re traveling and for how long. Everything from bottle warmers to nursing covers to portable strollers and highchairs needs to be considered so that your family can experience a restful vacation that isn’t disrupting your baby’s routine. This packing list for traveling with a baby will make sure you don’t forget anything while also preparing for an enjoyable and exciting vacation with your baby.
Essential Packing List For Traveling With A Baby
Baby Stroller System for Traveling
The ideal infant travel system involves a combination of baby stroller, infant car seat, and support base that all work together to keep your baby secure wherever you travel. These systems also feature compact strollers for travel and are great stroller systems for flying on a Europe tour, road trips, or any other type of travel. Durable, lightweight strollers that combine infant car seats and secure support bases, these travel systems include multiple parent and infant-friendly accessories.
Look for strollers that boast large tires and are easy to navigate transporting over grass, soil, concrete, or bricks in any location with ease. You’ll also want to find a seat that’s easy to clean and wipe down so you can keep it sanitized and clean even as you travel. Your car seat carries easily and secures your baby so you can clip them safely into cars, taxis, and more, and your stroller folds easily for travel and ease of use and access as well.
Some of the most popular and durable travel strollers are UPPAbaby’s. Read here an extensive comparison UPPAbaby Minu vs Vista to help you choose which one is best for your needs.
Travel Neck Pillows
Travel on airplanes, cars, buses, or trains can be hard on the body, and often when in transport you might find yourself wishing you could just close your eyes and take a nap. Transportation is famously uncomfortable and not predisposed to good sleeping locations, so a good way to minimize your discomfort and still catch a few hours of sleep as you fly or ride is to pack travel neck pillows. Compact but comfortable, these neck pillows pad your sleep and are useful anywhere.
Neck pillows for children also make comfortable resting spots for them to use when they fall asleep for their daily nap or evening rest. Neck pillows can also double as regular pillows if you don’t have the space or luxury to fit a full-size pillow on your journey. Wherever you’re headed, your neck pillow will be a comfortable and cushioning addition.
Portable High Chair
High chairs are staples of eating and vacationing with your baby, mostly because your little one simply isn’t big enough to sit or eat anywhere else. Staying in hotel rooms, tents, cabins, or other locations often means you won’t be in locations that are traditionally considered baby-proofed or little child friendly, so you’ll have to accommodate your baby on your own to help make eating possible for them through a high chair.
Not every high chair is designed to travel conveniently, however, so you likely won’t be able to just pack your one from home. A convenient portable high chair is essential to your travel plans wherever you’re headed. Flying is simpler with a portable and compact high chair that can tuck into stowaway containers on planes. Even driving on road trips is more convenient with a small high chair that’s designed to fold and travel easily, making yours and your baby’s life much easier and definitely becoming travel essentials for baby. Or even when we explore Rome with our baby, we always carry our compact high chair because we know he’s more comfortable with this than with most of the high chairs offered at the restaurants.
Baby Carrier
Take your baby with you on every trip in a safe and protective baby carrier that securely nestles your baby close to your chest as you walk about your latest adventure as a family. When strollers aren’t the best option for you (which can occur somewhat often as strollers are often difficult to travel with or maneuver inside buildings) a baby carrier or other baby travel gear can keep your little one close to you and make travel easy, convenient, and relaxing for you and baby.
A baby carrier that can reliably handle hot weather, cold weather, stains, sweat, rain, and more will be a versatile and functional essential for travelling with a baby. When you’re thinking about what to pack when traveling with a baby, a baby carrier can’t be forgotten. Picking a supportive, secure, and reliable baby carrier that lasts your child a long time is essential to easing your new family into a relaxing vacation.
Portable Travel Cot
Traveling with children often means having a few travel must-haves for families immediately accessible and ready everywhere you go at a moment’s notice, including a portable cot for babies. Naptime can strike at any moment, and having a safe place for your baby to sleep is a requirement. These portable cots are easy to carry, set up, collapse, and store, making them helpful for setting up your baby’s sleep spot on vacation.
Portable travel cots are perfect for when your little one needs a break to sleep or calm down after an exhausting day. Portable travel cots also help your little ones stay safe during sleep and provide a germ free environment to play, rest, and sleep. On day trips, cabin stays, or other excursions, portable travel cots are a true lifesaver for families.
Wearing Nursing Cover
Keeping your baby fed on the go is an absolute must. Not only will your travel plans likely require a fair amount of physical activity, but your baby’s change in environment that could cause a disruption in your baby’s feeding routine, so they could get hungry anywhere. A wearable nursing cover gives you the privacy and convenience of feeding your little one anywhere, especially if you’re going on a nature-based adventure with your family and little ones and can’t step into a car or a closed room for feeding time.
Wearable nursing covers collapse easily into flat and compact wraps that pack comfortably anywhere. Great for flying with or tucking into a purse or backpack, your wearable nursing cover is an essential on your packing list for traveling with a baby. You can find these in many different sizes to accommodate your size and preference, and they wash easily for efficient and hygienic transport.
Diaper Changing Kit
Changing a baby on the go can be a nightmare but unfortunate reality for many parents. When you’re flying, driving, or traveling, you’re only allowed to take certain sizes of items in carry-ons due to safety concerns, and the rest must go in stored or checked luggage, meaning balancing all the essentials for diaper changing can be challenging to have accessible. Travel diaper changing kits secure necessities on the go so you won’t have to worry about spills or not having what you need ready whenever your baby needs a change.
Diaper travel kits can also make for easy and mess free storage of baby essentials on the go. Your baby often needs changes at the most inconvenient of times, so whenever you need access to certain creams, lotions or other treatments to help keep baby happy and healthy, a diaper travel kit can make a change readily accessible in the car or in other locations.
Diaper Rash Cream
When planning what to bring when traveling with baby, you cannot forget diaper rash cream. A baby suffering from diaper rash would certainly detract from an enjoyable trip, so it is important to not be without this product. A brand new tube would be useful to make sure you will not run out of it. However, more than one tube is probably unnecessary and would only take up space. In addition, traveling is not the time to try a new brand of diaper rash cream or ointment. You will want to pack one that has worked effectively in the past and not risk experimenting with a new one that could exacerbate the problem or be ineffective for your child.
Something else to consider is what types of conditions typically lead to diaper rash for your child. For example, if he or she is more likely to get diaper rash when it is hot and humid, and the climate where you are traveling is usually hot and humid, then you will want to make sure you pack the most effective diaper cream for that situation.
Muslin Blankets for Babies
Muslin blankets for babies are also essential baby travel gear. Muslin blankets are light and breathable. Babies can be easily swaddled in them for naps on the go. These versatile blankets are useful no matter the climate where you are traveling. If you are traveling somewhere warm, you can use one muslin blanket. If it is cooler where you are traveling, these blankets can be layered as necessary.
Thin muslin blankets also pack easily. This means they will not take up much room in your luggage. It also means that you can easily add them to your diaper bag, tote bag, or stroller for your day out and about exploring your destination. These multi-use blankets can also be used as spit up cloths in a pinch or a safe place to set baby down in the grass if you find yourself in a park.
Travel Bottle Warmer
When you’re traveling with a baby, feeding them on the road becomes a challenging but still important responsibility. Figuring out how to mix bottles, stop for feeding breaks, or warm bottles on the go is important to your baby’s health but difficult to navigate for parents. A travel bottle warmer is the perfect solution. Portable, compact, and easy to clean and move from place to place, the travel bottle warmer provides warm and reliable bottles for feeding your little one at a moment’s notice.
Travel bottle warmers can be plugged in and heated up at a moment’s notice, creating warm and nutritious bottles for your baby wherever you are and however you’re traveling, including road-trip style, flight style, or more. Designed to fit into tight spaces and travel easily without requiring a lot of time or energy to set up, a travel bottle warmer will be a traveling family’s best friend and is a must have baby travel gear.
Baby Formula Dispenser
When you’re on the road or on vacation, preparing or packing food can become a real hassle very fast. You might not always have access to kitchens, stoves, or clean locations to prepare and measure out meals, especially baby formula. However, getting the proper proportion of baby formula measured out is very important for your baby’s health, and you can’t afford to get that calculation wrong even if you’re traveling.
A travel baby formula dispenser can give you immediate access to pre-measured and prepared baby formula bottles at a moment’s notice. You don’t have to worry about pouring out cups of powder and struggling to balance the right proportions as you drive- a baby formula dispenser dispenses the right amount of formula every time, removing your anxiety and the possibility of mistakes.
Baby Thermos Container
Keeping your baby fed on the go is an absolute must. As your routine changes slightly to adjust to your new vacation schedule, your baby’s feeding routine needs to stay stable in order to keep normalcy for your baby. However, you don’t have the space or luxury of packing the many different food containers, heaters, or refrigerators you use on a regular basis, especially if you’re going on a nature-based adventure with your family and little ones. In the event of a natural family excursion, you’re going to want a thermos container with you.
Baby thermos containers keep all kinds of baby food warm, cold, or insulated thanks to their handy cooling or heating technologies. Great for driving or flying with, these baby thermos containers keep food comfortably warm or cold during plane rides. You can find thermoses in many different sizes to accommodate both adults and children, and they wash easily for efficient and hygienic transport.
Packing Cubes
Whether you are packing for a family trip or planning longer trips with a new baby, you’ll definitely find your list of necessities larger than the space you have afforded for storage. If you’re nervous about fitting all the clothes, toiletries, and other baby essentials for your trip, packing cubes are the perfect answer. The space-efficient storage tools can organize and maximize your storage space and packing space as well as provide good sorting and storage use when you’re on vacation.
Packing cubes are extremely space-efficient and can help fit any number of clothes, towels, or bedding into even the smallest of bags. Keep baby creams, rashes, and other baby toiletries isolated and protected in the case of spills with weather-resistant polyester bags and use an extra-large cube for storing dirty laundry.
Travel Blender for Healthy Holidays
A travel blender is a great tool for parents with babies who need special formula mixes or are beginning to transition into solid food and eating patterns. Formula and other growth mixes can blend easily anywhere with a travel blender that plugs into hotel rooms or sometimes even car power ports for simple use.
You can mix up other baby foods and make them into a soft and gentle liquid that’s the right consistency for your baby. Blending baby’s food is simple and smooth with travel blenders. For convenient and simple eating wherever you’re going, a travel blender is the perfect solution.
Silicone Bibs
Bibs and babies go hand in hand. Babies are notoriously adorable but messy eaters, and their clothes can get messy very quickly if you’re not careful. When you’re on the road, you won’t have access to an endless supply of outfits or laundry machines to help you keep your baby clean at all times. A bib that’s easy to wipe off and keeps food off your baby’s lap, arms, and clothes is the perfect accessory to travel.
Silicone bibs are soft and waterproof, often flexible and versatile in use. You can wipe them clean with a single wet wipe and reuse them day after day. When you can’t run a few different loads of laundry a day, having a reusable and clean bib at the ready is a great solution.
Baby Sippy Cups
The final component to your travel plans is to keep everyone hydrated on the go, including your baby. Not only will your travel plans likely require a fair amount of physical activity, but they often involve different temperatures, some of which could dehydrate your little one faster. Since you can’t use regular glasses or cups, especially if you’re going on a nature-based adventure with your family and little ones, a baby sippy cup is the perfect transportable solution.
Baby sippy cups are spillproof and transport friendly, making them easy to use anywhere. Great for flying with or riding with, these sippy cups can get tossed around anywhere without spilling. You can find these in many different sizes to accommodate whatever travel restrictions you’re facing, and they wash easily.
Traveling with a baby is a rigorous but exciting adventure. While you’re facing many new challenges, you’re also enjoying new experiences with your little one that you’ll treasure forever. Making sure to pack everything you need in terms of baby travel gear will help you focus less on the details and more on the overall enjoyable vacation experience, so check our packing list for travelling with a baby thoroughly to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.
