Best Baby Travel Gear
There are many reasons why you should bring your baby with you on a trip. First, bringing your baby with you will give you peace of mind and you won’t have to worry about leaving your baby with someone else. Secondly, start them young! You want your little one to grow to be well-traveled just like you, right?
Don’t let the perceived hassle stop you from traveling with baby. It’s not as bad as you think. You just need the right kind of baby travel gear. Aside from the obvious things, like plenty of nappies, extra baby clothes, bottles and formula, below are a few items that will help make your trip more comfortable.
So, grab a cup of tea and a notebook and make some notes on the packing tips for travel with a baby that might work for you.
Contents
#1 Travel Bed, Crib or Bassinet
A travel bed or crib will come in handy if you intend to go on a driving adventure. When choosing a portable baby bed, make sure the bed or crib is comfortable and secure. If you are planning on spending some time outdoors, choose one that is enclosed, such as a lightweight baby camping bed with ventilation so that baby can join in on your camping tips and picnics.
There are plenty of brands on the market, just remember that it must be comfortable enough for your baby to sleep in for long stretches and needs to have enough ventilation, even if it is enclosed. You also want to make sure you protect your baby from insect and mosquito bites, so don’t pick an open bed for outdoor activities.
If you’re going on an international flight, make sure you ask for the bulkhead seat, as a baby bassinet can make a difference to your level of comfort. On longer flights, a ticket for an infant usually comes with a baby bassinet that allows your baby to lie flat. These airline bassinets are collapsible and can be hooked onto the wall of the aircraft. Here’s a useful guide with everything you need to know about baby bassinets on most major airlines.
#2 Travel Car Seat
Research demonstrates that your child will be much safer when they are restrained in a car seat during travel time.
Because car seats are not readily available in every destination around the world, we highly recommend that you do some research pre-travel to find out whether you will need to take your own travel car seat along on the trip.
When you travel with a car seat, there are number of things that you should consider. Make sure to choose the car seat that is compact, lightweight, easy to carry and if you plan to take it on board a flight, it will also need to be FAA approved.
Click here to see a handy guide that will help you choose the best travel car seat for you and your baby.
#3 Baby Travel Carrier
A travel carrier is handy for traveling when compared to a stroller, especially for international trips. Strollers take up lot of space and it’s better to have your baby close to you at all times when in an unfamiliar place.
There are many baby travel carriers on the market, so make sure you pick one that is comfortable for you and your baby! Actually, there are so many baby travel carriers on the market it can be quite confusing to pick the right one.
A couple of tips: If you’re planning on traveling to a steamy climate, a carrier with mesh will help keep you both cooler, and it also a good idea to pick one that is lightweight and easy to pack.
#4 Insulated Food Jar
Look for stainless steel containers for insulating warm or cold food. Traveling with an insulated food container will help ensure that your baby’s food stays fresh. There are lots of options on the market. Look for jars that can be tightly sealed.
#5 Fold up bag
It’s a good idea to pack an extra foldaway bag in your luggage in case you buy extra items during your trip. It’s also a good backup as bag handles can break and zippers can jam so having that extra bag is often a lifesaver!
#6 Diaper backpack
A diaper backpack usually has lots of pockets to stash things while allowing you to have both hands free! A diaper backpack is great to travel with as it typically has lots of pockets to organize and sort all of your baby gear for your day trips and excursion.
It usually also has a handy wipes compartment which is brilliant not only for diaper changes but also just in general to wipe down tables at restaurants, or to keep your own hands clean.
Try to find a diaper bag backpack that also comes with at least 2 insulated bottle pockets. These are great to not only keep water warm in bottles for feed time, but also to keep water cold on hot days.
We also love the fact that by choosing to use a backpack style diaper bag, we have both our hands free to attend to our baby or to handle money or attraction tickets. Here is a list of some of the top backpack style diaper bags on the market.
#7 Travel toys
#8 Baby wipes
#9 Travel stroller
#10 Sleep sack
This is a great way to keep your baby warm and snug while flying.