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Fresh Fit N Healthy

Helping women from TTC through early motherhood years optimize their hormones & overall health

Baby and Toddler Travel List

Everything you need to know and have on hand for traveling with your baby, toddler, or both (if you’re like me!)

If you’ve been following me on instagram for any given time, it’s probably no surprise that we love to travel. And when we had our son 2 years ago, we made an effort to not let the new life season as parents, stop us from continuing to travel! Well, I think we accomplished that because before my son turned 1, he had been on 40+ flights and 4 different countries — including a European Cruise at 6 months old!

I recapped a lot of my favorites for baby travel in our Europe trip blog post here when we had out 6 month old son, but now that we have a SECOND, and have a baby PLUS toddler, I wanted to have an updated place with all our must haves, with separate lists for just a baby (0-12mo), just a toddler, and for 2 littles… for both traveling by plane or road trips, because what I’ve found is they differ in some ways!

Some things are must haves in my opinion, while others are kind of just “nice to haves”, so I’ll try to differentiate between those as well when listing the things out. I’ll also list different options for each “thing” I think is helpful, so that there are options that fit everyone’s needs and budgets!

Lastly, I earn a small commission on some of the things linked, so if you find this post helpful, I’d love for you to use my links – it supports all I do here and on social media 🙂

First Up: Baby Travel Must Haves:

Here is my list in my notes that I go to every time I’m about to pack our baby girl up(and what I used for our son when he was younger too).

Instead of linking everything individually,  here is my amazon travel folder for ALL the things written below, unless specified otherwise & linked separately, so you can find it all in one place! Using my links gives me a little commission and supports what I do here, so thank you in advance!

 

Baby 0-12 Months Travel Must Haves:

  • Burp cloths
    • I use cloth diaper inserts or muslin organic cloths, see in amazon folder here, because they soak up a lot better (& my son was a happy BIG spitter, even though thankfully as a toddler now he’s out of that phase – but still good for baby sis!)
  • When 6+ months:
  • Favorite pacis (or your boob): they just need to be sucking on takeoff and landing for clearing their ears (or anytime they get fussy it’s good to have too!)
  • Toys/teething toy
    • for road trips, bring A LOT and all ones he/she loves. Rules go out the window and I bring anything colorful, light up, or with sounds to keep his attention.
    • For planes, I  just bring a few easy to travel ones.
  • Wearable Pumps (see amazon folder for my S12 favorites that work amazing!)
    • I pump off one side every AM and nurse on other, so I use it for that + if I pump at bedtime and let hubby bottle feed! This is also super helpful for roadtrips so you don’t have to stop (just pump and bottle feed).
  • Nursing cover if breastfeeding (this isn’t a must, but I feel most comfortable using this so I can feed no matter where I am!)
  • Milk bags or Frozen Milk
    • I also bring a few frozen bags of milk WITH me from home in a little cooler! THESE in my amazon folder are the best (I’ve hated all the other brands I’ve tried!)
    • You can bring any breastmilk through security, they may just manually want to check the bag and do more screening
  • Bottles for anytime I do pump and bottle feed (or sometimes I do a top off night time bottle after nursing with what I pumped off in the AM since she’ll chug a lot at night!)
  • Travel sound machine: I have the dohm (which we started with for our first baby) and the travel hatch now (for our new baby), so bring both in case they both need them and aren’t in the same space. I like both equally!
  • Travel video monitor/camera 
    • I use the Bebcare low radiation one at home for everyday use (SGM10 for 10% off), but I wanted an easy portable one that could hook up to wifi too for travel in case we got a local sitter and I wanted the capability of seeing from my phone.
  • Sleep Sack — don’t forget this (or swaddle if you’re using that still), it’s easy to do!!
  • Young Living Musts:
    • thieves wipes for disinfecting
    • Seedlings lotion / diaper cream
    • oils: tummygize roller + seedlings calm oil.
    • Ever since having my son get sick on one of our trips and me not being prepared, I’ve started bringing a full “med cabinet” of my favorite natural remedies JUST in case. You’ll hope never to have to use it, but will be glad if you do and have it!
  • Diapers: you can either pack just enough for travel day + one extra day in case getting stuck – and then pick up some at destination. Or try to pack all you need – it depends how you’re traveling, how long you’ll be gone, and what access to diapers you’ll have once there!
  • Outfits (2 for each day – babies can get messy quick)
  • PJs (multiple depending on days you’ll be gone)
  • Socks & shoes (let’s be honest, I rarely put shoes on my babies – but if they’re at the walking stage, then definitely bring them!)
  • Roll of dog poop bags or the ones made for babies – kept in diaper bag (for any messes while out where you need to bag up the outfit/burp cloth)
  • Weather dependent:
    • swim suit/ hat / swim diapers / sun shirt
    • sweater / coat / winter wear
  • Carrier (my favorite baby bjorn linked in amazon folder that we used solely for my son his first year). I also love the wildbird one and use that a lot with our newest baby girl.
  • Doona stroller/car seat (all in one)
    • Y’all I was SO skeptical if we would actually use it enough since we had the nice uppababy for home, but it is SO WORTH THE INVESTMENT — even if you just take a couple trips! Our son went on over 40 flights his first year of life and this saved us! And now we plan to use it for our daughter too.
    • Other option: Maxi-Cosi Romi Convertible Car Seat is only SEVEN lbs, and is best for babies under 35-40lbs. So if you don’t get the doona above, this is a great travel one with it being so light!
    • See below for toddler carseat details + what we decided to buy for travel for him at 2yo now!
  • Always put the doona or the carseat in a padded bag to keep it safe as you can! See amazon folder for two options!
  • Diaper backpack with diapers, wipes, extra outfit for baby and me, travel sound machine, toys, burp cloths ready to pull out as needed
  • Passport (if going out of country)
  • Birth certificate (southwest is really the only one I’m aware of that requires this but I bring a copy of it no matter what because you never know when you’ll need it)
  • Chargers for all devices (breast pumps, baby monitor, sleep sound machine, etc)
  • Pack n Play or travel crib + pack n play mattress pad (we didn’t do the mattress pad the first few times and he never slept good even as a typically good sleeper, because it’s so uncomfy lol). Or call the place you’re staying and see if they can provide a crib! (what we did most times)
    • always pack your own sheets and any blanket or stuffie they sleep with, even if they provide the crib!

And as a reminder, find all the baby travel musts I personally use of this list above, right HERE 🙂

(except young living favorites, find those here!)

 

Toddler Travel Must Haves:

There’s a few of the same things from the baby list above, but as they get more mobile, need more activities, and just overall bigger — there’s some other things you need for them! (As I write this, our son is 26 months old and daughter is 4 months old). I’ll start with the things that are the same from the list above, and then add one the others!

  • Clothes/Outfits (2 for every day)
  • Socks and Shoes + Sandals
  • Weather appropriate extras (swim suits, hat, swim shirt // sweaters, coats, etc!)
  • PJs (if we’ll be gone 4 nights, I usually bring up to 3 pjs because #messyboy)
  • Diapers (same note as above goes for this!)
    • Roll of dog poop bags for any stinky diapers
    • if potty trained, then you’ll need to bring undies, maybe pull ups if not fully potty trained, and a travel potty for them
  • Travel sound machine and monitor (see above and amazon folder!)
  • Diaper backpack with diapers, wipes, and toys (I put EVERY thing for both my son and daughter in one!)
  • Stroller if you’re traveling by car or want to check it! (we usually don’t bring a stroller for our toddler when flying, and just have him walk places – doona for baby sis!)
    • I have the GB one in my amazon folder because it QUICKLY folds up and can even be stored overhead in plane!!
  • Birth certificate or passport (southwest is really the only one I’m aware of that requires this but I bring a copy of it no matter what because you never know when you’ll need it)
  • Pack n Play or ask for a crib where you’re going (or if they’re in a big kid bed you’re good!) – same note about the mattress pad as above!
  • Sleep Sack if still using one (brady hasn’t for awhile)
  • TEDDY / stuffed animal they love: We could NEVER go anywhere without teddy lol – he may have a mental breakdown. So I always make a “last minute list” on my phone and teddy is always on that list!
  • Toddler Snacks and Toys
    • This is dependent on your child and what they love most + how much space you have (road trip vs plane), but all rules go out the window on travel days for us. We give him all the snacks and even give him screen time as needed (good ole 90’s shows like franklin currently!)
    • We also LOVE the preschool busy book + hidden snack board in my amazon folder, and can easily fit in the diaper bag! Oh and the water wow coloring books
    • Snacks: skout organic bars, fruit, applesauce pouches, cheerios + our food — is our main go to!
  • Sippy Cups — make sure to bring a water bottle for them for hydration and to sip on take off and landing!
  • TODDLER TRAVEL CARSEAT (all linked HERE)
    • Ok, so we LOVE our nuna rava for our toddler son, but didn’t want to haul that one on the plane with us… So I began doing research on cheaper yet safe car seats that we could use solely for travel with him (+ they throw those things around so much, I didn’t want to risk our expensive car seat being wrecked/deemed not safe anymore). Here are the top ones we came across, also all linked in the folder, plus what we went with!
    • Safety First Jive (weights 14lbs) — this is what we got!
    • Evenflo Sonus 6S (weighs 11lbs) — was out of every color but red and didn’t want that haha, but otherwise may have gotten that one!
    • Britax Emblem (18lbs)
    • Maxi-Cosi Romi Convertible Car Seat is only SEVEN lbs, but is more for babies up through 30-35lbs. So if you don’t get the doona above for your baby, this is a great one and will probably last until about 2! (maybe a little longer if on smaller side!)
    • Diono + WayB Pico are front facing only — but if you’re up to front facing/your child is bigger, these are probably best ones!! I’ve also put those in the folder for that reason
  • Always bring a carseat padded bag too so they don’t get messed up! I’ve included a more pricey one with wheels in my amazon folder or just a regular padded one that’s less expensive

 

Some Baby/Toddler Traveling Tips:

  • For planes… always board LAST. They will say you can board first. Don’t. It just adds to the time you have to keep them quiet haha.
  • ALWAYS make a “last minute list” on your phone and put things that have to go in the bag last minute — sleep sack, teddy/stuffie, chargers, milk, etc
  • I have a whole “baby travel” highlight bubble saved on instagram where I’ved shared things in real time right here!
  • Bring a travel sound machine for their sleeping space (we use the provided pack n play at places or bring our baby delight travel crib linked in this folder! Also THIS pack n play mattress pad – because those things aren’t comfy and they don’t sleep well otherwise haha)
  • During travel time whether plane or car, I put a cloth diaper snap cover over his/her actual diaper to prevent any crazy 💩 messes (that was learned after said 💩 messes lol)
  • Prepare to be FLEXIBLE. We don’t stick to a strict schedule. I’m all about a good schedule because baby does best on one in our home at least (we follow Moms on Call loosely)… but when traveling, we ditch the stress and release any need for specific schedule. I still look for sleepy cues and get down for nap when they come, but that could be in our hotel room, in the stroller, in a carrier on me, etc! And we typically always stay out past his bedtime haha, but he’ll just fall asleep on me and then once we’re home, he’ll go down! Ditch the stress and need for perfection, live life!
  • Always always have extra diapers, wipes, and outfits for both you and baby on ya, no matter where you go🤪
  • With that being said… the one thing I do stick consistent with is feedings! That helps him get all the nutrients he needs, and sleep well too. My wearable pump and a bottle helps this be possible no matter the circumstance (but honestly I usually just breastfeed no matter where we are with a cover!)
  • Breastfeed take off and landing for their ears (or give bottle / something to suck on like paci!)
  • When traveling overseas on a red eye, get bulkhead seating (we did this in the premium select area on our way to Europe when Brady was 6mo old), and request bassinet in advance! This was a LIFE SAVER. He slept almost the whole way except 15min when he woke up 3hrs in for a hot second… all the way till they started serving breakfast on plane! (So like 9pmEST -4amEST, 11am italy time) —  see post here on specifically about that trip!
    • Now if it’s not overnight or a really long flight, I’d choose carefully your seat. Bulhead gives more space for toddler to move, but also you can’t keep a bag in front of you to grab stuff for them. Also definitely avoid seats next to the bathroom that will be noisy, smelly, and high traffic area.
  • If you can bring help, do! On smaller trips, we usually don’t, but for our big europe trip when our son was 6mo old, we gifted my mom with the Europe trip to help us with Brady, and it was so fun just to have her with us + have the extra hand to have a little breathing space. Memories with “nana” forever.
  • Be flexible, don’t set high expectations for baby… but also know they CAN do great! He blew us away while in Europe and was able to almost instantly get back on a rhythm in Italy time!! Don’t delay travel or think you can’t with a baby
  • Doona stroller for babies. Hands down worth the investment when traveling, I promise. Even though we don’t use it as our everyday stroller, it’s STILL worth it x100
    • Maxi-Cosi Romi Convertible Car Seat is only SEVEN lbs, but is more for babies up through 30-35lbs – so if you don’t get the doona, this one is a more affordable travel carseat!
  • Bring 1-2 soothing mechanisms you know YOUR baby likes best. Soothing aids (meaning if baby starts to get fussy, what’s your go tos) for us are the happy song on Spotify, his thumb (used to be a paci till month 4) and, well me lol. But whatever that is for your baby!
  • Bring 1-2 age appropriate toys as needed (and more for during trip/in hotel). Honestly before 5mo old, it was SUPER easy because all he did was sleep & eat on flight. But once he got older, he wanted constant stimulation and is done feeding in 5 minutes. So we had to bring some of his favorite toys. And bring LOTS of toys if traveling by car places – especially noise making light up ones (basically the things I don’t usually let him play much with otherwise hah)
  • For toddler, bring SNACKS — allllll the snacks. And maybe even allow a little screentime and download some shows. We let brady watch a little Franklin when it’s needed (good ole 90 shows on youtube), and then busy him with the snack board you see in the amazon folder + his preschool busy book too! Also water wow coloring books!
  • Disposable placemats you can stick to airplane tray table: see Amazon store but these are such a fun distraction for babies! You can also just use colorful painters tape pieces and let them grab at those.
  • Milk: airport security LOVES frozen milk. They’ll still approve any amounts of regular milk/formula… but they won’t have to take it out of cooler/test the milk if it’s frozen. I always bring a few bags of frozen milk to have when we arrive for his bedtime bottle/if I drink any nights.
  • Snacks for 6-12mo: I love bringing Else powder in a bag to mix with breastmilk or water + the amara veggie packets. Also bring some simple puffs for “distractions”.
  • Snacks for toddlers: Skout bars, fruit, plain cheerios, applesauce pouches, whatever we’re eating haha
  • Travel sleep musts: travel monitor + travel sound machine + travel crib if you can’t be provided one + sleep sack + all charging cords.
    • For our first son, I also brought bottles + pumps because we would bottle feed/pump the bedtime feeding
    • For our daughter now, I still bring those just in case I need to bottle feed vs nurse (and to pump off excess in morning!)
  • Baby carrier! I love traveling with our baby bjorn because I can use it in all situations from dinners to long walks/hikes. But it was a LIFE SAVER in Europe because we were out all day so he would just nap on one of us in carrier during nap times facing inward, and then we’d face him outward during wake times (strollers were hard in Europe so we rarely used it except like 2 days it came in clutch!). I also love the wildbird now with our daughter, but more pricey

 

There is probably so much more to add that I’m forgetting, so look through this IG highlight bubble too for updated finds and stay up to date over there with me!

The biggest thing: it’s never going to go as planned. You gotta plan as much as you can for things but ultinately, be flexible. Kids will be kids – others 99% of the time understand because they’ve been there, so don’t stress even if everything fails and there are some tears. Make some sweet memories and leave the other moments behind 🙂

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