Baby Travel Checklist
- May 14, 2012
- by Melissa Lawrence
Hello, hello!
Traveling with a baby can be stressful as it is. Figuring out what to pack can just add to your anxiety! I laugh thinking back to how much I over packed certain things! In this video I’ll let you know exactly what you need to bring when traveling with an infant!
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Baby Travel Checklist
Learn from my mistakes. Going to my Mother-in-Law’s house 2 hours away, I once brought an extra package of diapers. A big no-no in my book. This weighed us all down so much, and I could have easily picked some up when I got there! Also, unless you’re going to Buckingham Palace, you definitely don’t need to impress anyone. That fancy little outfit hanging in your baby’s closet that have you haven’t had the time or energy to try on is unnecessary. Don’t pack it! For more helpful tips and baby travel essentials!
Baby Travel Essentials: Packing List and Tips
Let’s be honest: traveling with kids, especially babies, is not easy. It causes a lot of stress. When my baby was just 6 months old, I traveled on a plane several times with all five children, and let’s just say I’m still recovering. The worst is when other passengers sigh and give you those nasty looks — I hate that! Despite this, you might want to travel or you might need to venture off and visit family, so the question is, when it comes to my new baby, what do I need to hit the road?
Here’s my survival guide and packing list for traveling with children.
Pack a Separate Suitcase for Children
First I would suggest a separate suitcase for your child. It’s so much easier to keep things compartmentalized that way. I also happen to be particular about keeping my own things organized and I find it frustrating when my stuff is mixed with tiny socks and Pack ‘N Play sheets. Call me silly, but this one step really helps me when I get to my destination.
Pack Only the Essentials:
- Front-Snap Pajamas
- Onesies
- Burp Cloths
- Extra Sheet for Pack ‘N Play
- Cardigans
- 1 Hooded Towel
- 1 Nice Outfit
You want to have fun and relax, not be worried about staining Sunday’s best. To that end, it’s also a good idea to take a light laundry bag or even a big pillowcase to keep dirty clothes in if you won’t have a chance to do laundry.
Do Not Pack:
- Extra Diapers
- Extra Wipes
- Extra Formula
- Extra Towels
- Lots of Nice Outfits
Unless you’re going to Antarctica, most cities have pharmacies and other stores. Pack enough for your voyage, and when you get there, go to the pharmacy and buy your big staples. Bringing them with you is a total hassle and a waste of space.
I have a show that does a thorough walkthrough of what you need in the diaper bag for a day out with baby, but let me say that for travel purposes, in terms of clothes and feeding essentials, you won’t need that much more unless it’s a very long trip.
Diaper Bag/Carry-On Packing List:
- Thermometer
- Age-appropriate Motrin, Acetaminophen, Benadryl
- 3+ changes of pajamas
- 3-4 onesies
- 4 burp cloths
- 8 diapers
- Small container of wipes
- Ready-to-go amounts of formula and bottles
- Bottled water if necessary
- Safe play toy
- 1 changing pad, 2-3 CHUX changing pads
- Cardigan or something warm even in summer, because air conditioning can make your baby cold
Depending on how old your baby is, I would pack a thermometer, some age-appropriate Motrin and Tylenol, and Benadryl as well. Obviously, read the labels carefully and always a must to check with your doctor about medications for your baby. But I have been caught with one of my kids coming down with a fever mid-travel and it’s just good to have these things handy just in case. I pack Benadryl because at a young age you might not be aware of any allergies your baby might have and I just felt better having it with me in case I absolutely needed it in an emergency. Again, always check with your doctor first before administering any medication to your child.
The CHUX is great because you can put it underneath your changing pad and use it so that your normal changing pad doesn’t get dirty. You never know where you might need to change your baby so Chux pads are a great way to keep your own stuff clean if you’re in a not so clean public restroom.
Now, if you are headed to Australia, you might want to ramp up a bit here on the amounts, but the basic point is to figure out exactly what you will need and then add a few things. I have noticed that a lot of airlines have “baby kits” but I wouldn’t bank on it, and you never want to be caught mid-flight without a diaper.
Good luck and have an amazing time!
Weigh in with your own travel essentials in the comments below! Thanks for watching. Wishing you happy and safe travels with your baby!
Comments
Traveling With Baby on Board | CloudMom
[…] were traveling with a toddler, and were told their number of carry-on bags exceeded capacity (included in this count was a paper […]
lisslo
Our travel trick is to invest in a good thermos. Have one of the restaurants at the airport fill it with super hot water, and you have enough hot water to warm 2 bottles of pumped milk.
Melissa Lawrence
good tip!
Cristina Gonzalez
I always take a wet bag for dirty clothes, baby wipes galore, and I never forget extra clothes for myself.
helen rowland
What i pack is plenty of diapers and wipes! enough clothes for the trip and a couple of spare outfits as well because babies are messy! I always need to pack lots of different snacks because i never know what mood they will be in! Some of her favorite toys, a blanket, some milk (with ice packs), diaper cream, and some medicine (just in case)!
Carrie
Moby Wrap or Baby Bjorn. So much less hassle than a stroller for air travel and sight seeing!
Theresa
I always bring a cooler, since he’s teething and cold milk has more success than room temperature!
But most of our trips are a week or more, so I have a lot of things I end up bringing, since we go to multiple locations over the course of the trips, and a lot of them don’t have anything to accommodate a baby.
heather
We always pack wipes, wet bags and pacifiers!
Robyn
A carrier to wear the baby through the airport/crowded areas and his lovey to help him feel comfortable in the chaos!!
Abbee Nguyen
My husband and I travel quite a bit with our 9 month old daughter – in addition to the bare necessities the three things we simply cannot leave home without are:
1) Plums Organi Super Puffs & Pouches – Absolute life savers when your on the go.
2) Aden and Anais Swaddle Blanket perfect for cool nights and even to lay over your changing pad or as blanket to sit on in the park
3) Sofie the Giraffe (Not sure what it is about Sofie) but she sure does entertain my daughter.
Thank you for your time and your awesome BLOG!Love everything about it!
Tina p
My son loves his pacis, so we always have to make sure we have at least 2 wubbanubs 🙂
Melissa Lawrence
Love that word!
Amanda
My boobs! (For breast feeding to help calm baby on take-off and landing).
Amanda Winn
We always travel with snacks and books!!! He loves both!!!
Melissa Lawrence
Amanda, I had done this from day 1 and I truly think the books are just great for the kids… they get so used to entertaining themselves through books, and I think eventually it helps them become good readers too! We just flew down to Florida and everyone had a backpack with books!
Sara F
We always take our Boon spoons that screw on to baby food pouches. Makes feeding the baby on the go so easy!
Melissa Lawrence
Great tip!
Kristen
My ergo carrier! Or the spoons you just screw onto the end of a food squeeze pack. So easy for feeding on the go!
Melissa Lawrence
Love the ergo, what brand of spoons do you buy? I have a show on the ergo coming out soon, I never had one– wish that I had!
Patricia
My carrier is my must have!
I havent travelled yet, but i’m currently planning a trip and i think i would could leave everything behind BUT a carrier!
I can just see my hands falling off hauling baby around!
Melissa Lawrence
Patricia, what kind of carrier do you have and what do you like about it? I just did a whole bunch of carrier shows that I am so excited to be releasing, there are so many wonderful new carriers now that didn’t exist when I had my first baby…
warrenbaby2011
I thought I commented before but i dont see it. But I take snacks everywhere, even just to the store, Goldfish and/or baby puffs. Oh and at least one paci.
Melissa Lawrence
it’s good to be prepared, and goldfish are always a crowd pleaser!
Meagan
Diaper, wipes, a sippy cup of water and a few plum pouches and goldfish crackers
Jennifer Gagliardi
Wet wipes… You can never have enough!
Melissa Lawrence
Hear, hear!
Stephanie H
Wipes and snacks. The wipes can be used for so many cleaning jobs that pop up as you go and food makes my baby very happy (like her Mama). 😉
Amanda Carney
we just bought 2 piddle pads and since we’re in the middle of potty training as well, we always make sure that we have the extra one, and extra couple pairs of panties, and some extra shorts. I love the piddle pad because it sits on the car seat and has a hole for the car seat buckle. if she has an accident in the car, it holds up to a cup of fluid and it saves her car seat cover from needing to be taken off and washed. (:
Melissa Lawrence
OMG I must buy one immediately — where did you get this? Can you believe I’ve never heard of it?
Samantha Vermeulen
Must have a baby sling! You have to be hands free when traveling!
JamieMoore
I always make sure I have my children’s insurance cards and a medical release in my bag in case of any accidents! I also always have snacks, quiet books, and a photo album of family members for for my toddler. He loves looking at photos of people he knows!
Pia Raymond
The Ergo Carrier is an absolute must have! I never leave home without it and my 27 pound son is already 17 months old. They are so comforted by the closeness that no other travel mishap will truly worry them. Additionally, when you put the baby on your back you have a hands free experience to prepare all the rest of your stuff.
el23mj
food, food, food!!! organic finger foods are the best especially plum brand!
Funky Donkey
I confirm books. Our son loves them. I stopped to control how many of them he alteady has at home and on the car…
Melissa Lawrence
books rock! Nothing better!