My maternity leave is coming to an end, and there were a few things I’m so glad we did as a family while my husband and I had some off-work time to play with. Two of those things were big trips to Maine and Seattle with our little guy which involved taking his first four flights! And another few were smaller overnights in some driving-distance locations. The break from sitting around our house and walking our neighborhood’s streets over and over was very welcome and it has given me quite the confidence boost to travel with Baby Ernie in these early years. We already have a big trip back to the East Coast planned for the holidays, which I don’t think I would have been quite so quick to book without these experiences already under our belt to bolster that confidence.
That being said, the first overnight and the first flight were definitely overwhelming to even consider. I did boatloads of research on the best things to pack, the best distraction techniques, and answers to all sorts of other questions around travel with a 2-, 3-, and 4-month old. The internet is a lovely place, and I gleaned lots of good tips from many different parenting and travel blogs. After taking a few trips with the babe, these are the things I’ve found most useful for our travel style (read: not super minimalist, but also checking as few things as possible ).
Clothes, Swaddles, Diaper Bag
Our diaper bag has been a great carry-on for both me and Baby Ernie so far. It’s big enough to fit everything he needs for a travel day (diapers and wipes, a few extra outfits, a sweater and a hat, swaddle blanket, pacifiers and bibs, changing mat) alongside my wallet, a water bottle, and a pocket-ful of snacks. Also stashed in the bag are our baby nail clippers, travel sized baby soap, and some baby Tylenol. You don’t want to be stuck somewhere wanting those things and not being able to get it asap!
Puppy Pads, Hand Sanitizer, Sanitizing Wipes, Dog Poop Bags
Also in the diaper bag are my travel must-haves for keeping things clean: puppy pads to lay down on airport or airplane changing tables, sanitizing wipes to wipe down airplane seats, tray tables, buckles, etc., hand sanitizer for always, and dog poop bags for dirty diapers on the go as well as a place to stash soiled clothing. We included all of these in our ‘Unconventional Registry Items‘ post, if you’re looking for more inspiration!
Stroller and Carseat in Gate Check Bags
Things I learned while traveling with a baby: most major airlines will let you check your carseat and stroller for free! You can do this before security or at the gate. If you do it at security, I highly recommend these travel bags by VolkGo (carseat and stroller). They’re big enough for the biggest of seats and strollers, and you can also tuck away some other necessities to fly for free. We stuck a sleeve of diapers, extra pack of wipes, and Ernie’s play gym in the stroller bag when we flew to Seattle!
Pump, Extra Parts, Wet Dry Bags
If you’re bottle feeding at all, you’re going to have to travel with extra stuff, and if you’re also breastfeeding that means even more to bring with all the pump accessories. I really loved the book ‘Work. Pump. Repeat.‘ to get ready to breastfeed while working, but it also has lots of tips for pumping while traveling. Definitely stock up on extra parts (ugh those damn tiny membranes.) and some wet/dry bags to keep everything together.
Pack ‘n Play
We haven’t had to fly with a pack ‘n play yet. We had one delivered to my mother’s house in New Hampshire for our east coast trip as we know we’ll be back enough times to make it worth purchasing one that just lives there. And we were very lucky for our Seattle trip that my husband, Jacob, had a college friend nearby who has a one-year-old, so we were able to borrow their pack ‘n play for the weekend! If neither of those setups work for you, there are some baby gear rental companies available depending on where you’re traveling to (Baby Quip, Baby’s Away, Travel Mamas).
Moby Wrap, Lillet Carrier
This will definitely be a personal preference, but we have liked baby-wearing more than having a stroller on most of our trips. I think for the upcoming holiday trip, we won’t even bring the stroller! Wearing Ernie in the Moby Wrap in the airport was also perfect because he can stay in it through security and it cuts down on any unnecessary contact with germs and other humans. Jacob prefers the Lille Carrier, and they’re both compact enough that bringing two baby-wearing devices has worked out well for us.
Carseat Handle Toy
For sure not a necessity by any means, but Ernie has really liked the distraction of this carseat handle toy. It “unwraps” to come off as a fun thing to play with (read: chew on) when we’re out in restaurants or parks, too.
Seasonally Appropriate Gear
This will all depend on where and when you’re going. We were sure to pack baby sunscreen, a sun hat, swimming diaper, and rash guard for our beach trip. And I already have a few things earmarked for when we’re in New Hampshire during December like this fleece sleepsack and stroller sleeping bag.
Monitor, Camera, and Cords
Invest in an extra camera cord. This has been a game changer for us because it meant that when we were getting up at 5:00am to catch a flight, all we had to do was grab the camera part to throw in with the already packed cord and monitor, and not fiddle with plugs and such in the wee hours. It’s the small things that add up to making big differences when traveling with a baby!
Have you traveled with a lap infant? What are the tried-and-tested things you can’t travel without?? Let us know in the comments!
PS – This post is part of our 30 Blog Posts to Write in 2019 series! Be sure to check out what else we’ve set as a goal to write about!