Baby Travel Guide: What To Pack on A Trip with Your Little One

A ton of you have asked about everything we brought with us for our trip out to California for 10 days with Ford (who is just over 7 months). So I’ve compiled a list of my essentials (and other nice to have items that could be super handy depending on your travel accommodations).Do you have others that I missed?? PS below is in no particular order except the order it came to mind!

Baby Travel Guide:

1) Pack N Play: And an extra set of sheets for those terrible middle of the night moments

2) Slumber Pod: this is basically a blackout tent that goes over your pack n play. Perfect for those scenarios where baby is going to be sleeping in the same room as you but you want a little separation or if you have a babe who isn’t good at sleeping in bright rooms but can’t pack blackout shades!

3) Sound Machine: my advice, buy 2 just because they are amazing. And turn the volume ALL THE WAY UP. Good for nighttime & naps, especially naps in the carseat or stroller on the go

4) Disposable Placemats: Not the most environmentally friendly thing I know but germs are also not cool. We used them at restaurants and mainly on the airplane tray table (see image below of how to cover the bottom side too)

5) Stasher Bags: Or ziplock but stashes are great! Pack snacks, formula, spoons, pinkies etc. Have one for clean stuff and one for dirty stuff

6) Reusable Washable Multipurpose Bag : I used this for Ford’s toys but also works for bottles - it can go right in the washing machine or rinse with water

7) Pouches & Some Baby Spoons: Ford LOVES these ones that feel like a complete meal morning noon or night. You can always clean the baby spoons with soap & hot water or these disinfecting wipes

8) Sleep Sack: Always travel with a few for those just in case moments. We actually put Ford in his on the plane to help him associate nap time and I think it worked

9) Blankie/Lovey: This is the breathable one that Ford uses, again we have two with us always

10) Travel Stroller: We got this one from our registry which was so nice. It’s great because you can buy adapters that make the carseat easy to clip in, but if you’re past the infant stage your kiddo can also sit in the soft seat without having to lug one like the Uppa Vista around. Plus this stroller is the first ever to fold up small enough to fit in an overhead bin

11) Travel Toys: Ford was most amused with this and this on the plane but I also brought this, this, this, this , this , this, this, and this which all fit in the wet bag!

12) When really desperate download this app, it’ll entertain for a good few minutes

13) Travel packs of formula OR these that you can pre portion formula into

14) A mini swell bottle to keep water warm for bottles - also pro tip asks the flight attendant for the hot water they make tea with so your babe can enjoy a warm one (but only do like half of that with half cold water cause that stuff is HOT)

15) Travel Bottle Bag: It also comes with an ice pack if you’re trying to keep breast milk cold

16) Diaper Bag: For once you actually arrive & are out and about (PS what I keep in mine: 2-3 changes of clothes for Ford, 1 change of clothes for Mom, diaper changing station with diapers & wipes, a few toys, soft carrier, 2 lightweight blankets, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, disposable placemats, snacks, stroller cover, burp cloths)

17) Carry On Duffel: For this big trip I packed the bulk of my stuff & Ford’s stuff in a large Away bag which we checked, but I also brought this smaller duffel with everything we needed on the plane plus a few of the essentials for sleep in case our big bag was lost or delayed

18) Baby Toiletry Bag Includes: Mini Soap, Mini Baby Aquaphor, Nighttime Gripe Water, Baby Motrin, Kids Benadryl, Nose Frida, Boogie Wipes, hair brush/comb, your favorite diaper rash cream & baby sunscreen

19) Bottles: If you aren’t exclusively breastfeeding these are obviously a must. This is the kind we use which I love because they don’t include lots of parts and are really easy to wash with this brush. Bonus get a travel drying rack

20) Monitor: Don’t forget this bad boy at home! If you are leaving early in the morning pack it at the last minute. Also don’t forget the charger!

21) Bibs: For this trip I just brought one like this and one soft one. I’m able to wash clothes while here so not too hard but if you aren’t going to have access to laundry then pack one you can easily wipe down.

22) Diapers: Depending on how long you are gone and what your baby usually goes through in a day bring that plus extra. I sent a box to my parent’s house via Amazon & just packed the overnight diapers since we only need one of those per day!

23: Clothes: For this trip I packed 6 outfits, a bathing suit & swim diaper & hat, 2 sweatshirts, 4 pajamas, & 4 pairs of socks. Again I knew we would be able to do laundry so I didn’t go HAM on the packing but plan ahead for those days when babe needs an outfit change. On that note, if you are going to do laundry but in an unknown place pack a few detergent pods!

Planning Tips: Start packing a couple days ahead of time as you will inevitably think of things you’ll need for yourself and baby along the way. Also MAKE A LAST MINUTE LIST for things like the monitor that you might be using until right before you leave or to take out the dirty diaper trash - stuff that you’ll either really miss on a trip or would be disgusted to come home too :-)

If Traveling On Southwest (even as a lap baby): Have either a copy of your baby’s birth certificate or a photo of it (save it to your favorites or a folder with your kiddo’s name for easy access). You have to show it to get their ticket SRSLY even if they are a lap child you have to check in at the front not just online!

Time Change: Try to map out ahead of time when baby will hopefully take their naps but know that they might be crappy naps (Ford took four 30 min naps the day we traveled as opposed to his two 90 min normal naps at home). Plan to get an extra nap in if you need to hold baby over till a later bedtime, then in the morning just know they might wake early but resist the urge to get them right up, try to give them until at least 6am to start the day to get onto local time