Travel With a Baby

*This post was sponsored by buybuy Baby but all opinions, product suggestions and commentary are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that value Style Your Senses.

We are finally getting brave enough to take BOTH girls on an airplane for a last hoorah Summer vacation with my entire family in Florida in the coming weeks! It’s getting me SO excited and SO anxious all at once. I’m not sure if this is normal but for Landry I literally scooped her up at 6 weeks old, hopped on a flight and didn’t think twice about it. Now, with Lawson (16 weeks), I’m nearly paralyzed thinking about flying with her. I’m thinking ignorance was bliss the first go round?

As I’m thinking about how to make this all work, I wanted to share with you guys what I think to be travel essentials with a baby! Of course, you could pack everything plus the kitchen sink, BUT these essentials won’t overwhelm you and will definitely make for a comfortable trip for you and baby. The good news is that with one order placed through buybuy BABY you can literally have everything that you need delivered to your door in time for your trip!

 

One | Backpack Diaper Bag

As most of you know, I have THIS backpack diaper bag and love it but I will say the one linked above definitely has more bells and whistles which probably make it a little better for travel!

Two | Wipes, Wipes Wipes + First Aid + Travel Size Everything

I ALWAYS head to buybuy BABY before a trip because they always have the best travel size options of my favorite baby products. My essentials include travel bottle detergent, travel laundry spray, disinfectant wipes, paci wipes, a mini first aid kit, and travel sized bath and care products. Two of my absolute favorites and things that you should DEFINITELY add to your registry are this little first aid travel kit and this buybuy BABY essentials kit. The first aid kit contains everything that you need too have on hand in case your little one is feeling under the weather while on vacation and the essentials kit contains sample size versions of the most popular care products (perfect for travel!), plus a coupon to redeem for a discount of the full size versions. WIN WIN!

Three | Wet Pouches

I always pack a variety of ziplock bags in my diaper bag, but these wet pouches are a much more sustainable solution. Great to attach to the outside of your diaper bag or hook on to your stroller and store soiled clothes, diapers, or even swim gear in. They keep everything clean and leak proof when you’re on the go.

Four | Travel High Chair

Lawson is SO close to being able to sit in a little high chair and I think that one of these clip on ones is the way we will go. They get awesome reviews and are great to take to restaurants as well as when traveling. They fold down flat and are super light weight.

p.s. I just saw THESE and had NO idea something this genius existed. Great for on the go parents who really enjoy eating out or even an option for grandma’s house!

Five | Carseat + Nursing Cover

I have this and absolutely love it. My trick for flying with babies is to always plan to nurse at takeoff, so this cover really comes in handy. I also love it for over the carseat and high chairs to form a barrier between baby and germs. Best part is that you can wear it as a scarf when it’s not in use or it folds down nearly flat for your purse.

Six | Muslin Swaddle Blankets

I use these for nearly everything when traveling or not. Great lightweight blankets are an absolute must if you leave the house. Throw them over questionable airport surfaces, use them as nursing covers, great for baby to nap (safely, of course) or even use over a scratchy piece of carpet for a more comfy playtime mat.

Seven | Ultra Lightweight Stroller

Truthfully, we always travel with our Bob Jogger because I like to run while on vacation, but if that wasn’t the case I would absolutely get this lightweight collapsable stroller. This one is built with an open design, which is great for storage while traveling and it also comes with an extra long sunshade, cup holder and secure storage pouch. On top of that it’s super lightweight, folds up easily to be gate checked at the terminal, and almost fully reclines for sleeping babies…which is a huge win for parents.

Eight | Lovie

Whether your babe likes a lovie or not (Landry didn’t, of course Lawson DOES), I always air on the side of bringing at least one really familiar and soothing thing for baby while traveling.

Nine | Baby Carrier

I swear by our Ergo and not just for traveling but for anytime! To make it through an airport (especially traveling solo with baby) I always wear the baby on the front, the backpack diaper bag on the back and push my carry-on in the stroller. I look like a rolling hot mess but it absolutely works and still keeps both of my hands free! Having a carrier also makes playing tourist at your destination easy and hands free as well. Warning though, if baby falls asleep in the carrier while boarding the plane, you DO have to take the baby out and position them on your lap before takeoff. Learned that one the hard way…

Ten | Travel Snuggle Nest

I don’t have this but think that it’s an amazing idea and could be super practical if you plan to travel often with your baby. I love that it folds down into a backpack (easy to wear through the airport) and good to have for co-sleeping or to position on the floor and not have to worry about a pack-n-play or crib.

Eleven | Pack and Play Play yard

Since checking baby gear (carseats, strollers, pack and plays, etc) is FREE don’t hesitate to bring your favorite pack and play or play yard to make playing/sleeping easier while at your destination!

Twelve | Pacifier

Obviously. But I do usually pack 3-4 extras in sealed baggies as well as paci wipes for the airport/airplane oopsies.

Thirteen | Inflatable Tub

These are so easy to pack up, super affordable and make baby bath time a breeze! They are also great mini-pools to take along on a beach day!

Fourteen | Portable Sound Machine

This is also another really great item to scoop up for travel. Great to keep in your bag for white noise throughout the airport and to have in hotels, etc to keep foreign noises at bay and everyone sleeping happy!

Other tips and tricks:

-Plan your flight around sleepy time. I know that 90% of the time this isn’t possible, but if it is, take advantage of a flight within an hour or baby’s normal nap time so that hopefully they can get some shut eye on the plane.

-I always plan to nurse right as the flight takes off. This, along with the pressure change and whirring of the plane usually soothes baby right to sleep.

-Set really really low expectations. I mean really low. When I expect everything to go horribly wrong, it’s easier to celebrate the little wins.

-Bring snacks and water for yourself. Especially if you are nursing, it’s easy to forget about staying hydrated and flying only makes it worse. Be sure to drink plenty of water and eat healthy take along snacks.

-For long flights, some airlines offer bassinets for babies to sleep in while on board. If you are embarking on a long flight, this might be something to check into.

-If you plan to fly with breast milk bottles (which you can totally do without restriction), you will have to turn them over to the TSA for litmus testing, which will add an additional 5-15 minutes onto your travel time depending on the line.

-Look for the “Family Lines” in Airport Security. These lines are normally shorter and accommodate families giving them extra time and attention getting through security.

-Wear flip flips or slip on shoes…just the easiest thing to do to avoid having to take your shoes on and off through security.

-I didn’t include a carseat on this graphic because they really are a drag to travel with. If you DO have to bring your carseat, invest in a good cover for it because it’s free to check at the ticket counter. If you don’t want to bring it, we always make sure that our Uber is a “family” Uber and we specify what type of carseat we need upon pick up. My mom also has any and every carseat we could need, so we really don’t have to travel with it often.

-I always buy diapers and wipes and have them scheduled to be delivered to our destination upon our arrival. It just makes it so much easier not having to waste valuable suitcase space on diapers and also not having to worry about getting to and from the store once at our destination.

Wish us luck as we take on this “new normal” of traveling with two kiddos!!!

What are your best tips and tricks for traveling with a baby??

–xo