30+ things to pack for a road trip with Baby
I've posted about what you should take in your diaper bag carry-on for a flight with your Little... Now let's talk about what to pack for the baby on a road trip (or what you may want to include in your checked luggage on a flight). You know what you want
to take for yourself, but how do you pack for your Little without taking
the whole nursery? Each trip is different due to your destination, but in general here's what I needed, and what I didn't:
Three outfits per day plus extra pajamas.
Airports are dirty and traveling is messy. We ended up changing our Little three times a day and she needed a new pair of pajamas every night. Baby clothes are so tiny you don't need to worry about taking up too much space. You'll definitely be worried when you're changing a diaper in a Walmart parking lot and realize your Little just ruined her last outfit (yes, speaking from experience). I know some moms like to pack each outfit in its own Ziploc
Accessories.
As a Little girl mom, I love packing frilly socks and matching bows with each outfit. Boy moms need to remember the socks too and don't forget a beanie for bed time because even in the summer months your Little might be sleeping in a cold room.
Travel changing pad with storage.
It's on my other list but I'll include it again here because this is my #1 must have for every traveling mom! Get yourself something like this. While a lot of public restrooms have changing table, you can bet it's disgusting. I also find that while I'm traveling about half the places we stop don't have a changing table at all and I'm left changing our Little in the trunk or on the grass. I love having a travel changing pad so I can just grab it and change her on a clean mat whether it's on a changing table or not. With this pad I have easy access to a couple diapers, travel-size bag of wipes, diaper cream, hand sanitizer and a spare onesie.
Baby carrier.
My Little hates being swaddled and refuses to be carried in her Ergo, but if you are a baby-wearing mom then I salute you and applaud your koala baby for enjoying the ride. Being hands free and still getting cuddles is the best! Make sure to pack your baby carrier and know how to wash it when you get back.
Blankets.
I always find a need for a thin Muslin blanket and a thicker warm blanket. When our Little was very little we also brought along a big "floor blanket" that always had a floor side and a clean side to lay her down for play time and tummy time.
Pack-n-Play or travel bassinet.
If we're going to a hotel then we just rent a pack-n-play and bring our own sheet (and a travel bottle of Lysol to spray it down). But if we're going to a friend's house or a VRBO house then we'll just bring along our own.
Travel high chair.
We bought this one but it doesn't collapse down much and therefore is kinda cumbersome. So we leave it at Grandma's house and then just use it for camping and other road trips where we know we'll be at one house the whole time and can just leave it strapped to a chair. For flights where we want something a little easier to manage, we have this "safety harness belt" that basically turn virtually any adult chair into a baby high chair (it just doesn't provide a boost in height or a tray table, and please note that this shouldn't be used as a safety device while traveling).
Breast milk and/or formula & water in a collapsible cooler.
I have this freezable lunch bag which was great for transporting milk to and from work while I was pumping and now it's great for our travels too. You throw the whole thing into the freezer because the insulation is actually made up of that freezing gel. I've found it doesn't last for very long, so I throw in a block of blue ice as well, and that helps keep milk or formula cold for several hours when we're away from home.
Extra bottles & sippy cups.
Sometimes one is dirty, sometimes one is lost. I like to travel with three, but wouldn't leave home without at least two of each.
Baby food & spoons.
Whether you make your own or buy the convenient little pouches, always bring extra baby food and toddler snacks. For some reason a traveling baby is a very hungry baby, so I have found it's better to bring too much food than risk running out. Don't forget a baby bowl and plate if you use those often.
Bibs & burp cloths.
If you've got a messy eater then you know you'll need a bib. I suggest finding a simple plastic one, like these, for your diaper bag which is easy to wipe down after lunch, fold into your bag and then use again at dinner. A fabric bib will hold on to everything your Little spills and who really wants to do laundry while on vacation unless you absolutely have to? With that said, bring extra burp cloths and a Ziploc to seal the soiled ones.
Laundry pods.
If you're at a house with laundry go ahead and bring along a couple laundry pods. I've found they're easy to travel with and clean an entire load. If you're going somewhere that will only have a sink, I suggest something like these travel sink packets for hand washing.
Bottle warmer.
In the summer my Little actually prefers cold milk all day, but warm milk at bed time is the best way to get her settled in for the night so we never leave home without it.
Travel bottle drying rack & bottle brush.
I bought this little folding drying rack with a collapsible bottle brush for washing bottles and pump parts at work and it has worked out to be the best item for our travels too! We have a little bottle of dish soap that fits perfectly in here too.
Sanitizing bag.
This only works if your vacation destination will have a microwave. But I love using my big microwave steam sterilizer to sanitize all my baby bottles at the end of every day. So when I was pumping at work, I got these Micro Steam Bags to sanitize my parts between sessions and they've turned out to be super handy for santizing bottles while traveling! Traveling is so dirty and Baby still caught a tummy bug on the way back. I'm so thankful I sanitized as much as I did. These steam bags fold up flat and just take a little water to zap your bottles and parts back to sanitized status like you have at home.
Nursing cover.
I didn't have a problem nursing in front of my husband or mom (obviously) and even a number of my friends. But it was weird for my brothers and my Father-in-law. So I always made sure I had my nursing cover with me so I could see my Little but no one could see my boobs. I didn't want to leave the room and miss out on all the fun (since I definitely had to do that while pumping), so I just sat in a corner and covered up a bit.
Diapers and wipes.
Take more than you need. Like twice as much. Trust me on this.
Everything for bath time.
Don't forget to pack bubble bath, baby shampoo, baby lotion, a comb and a hooded towel. I also like to take along a hand towel (or use one at a hotel) to lay at the bottom of the tub so I'm not setting my Little's sensitive bottom directly onto that surface where countless strangers' dirty feet have been. At home we use this inflatable tub to help save water, but I find it's too cumbersome to pack and bring along on trips.
Baby sunscreen & sun hat.
Your Little's skin is so sensitive, be sure you are always prepared to protect them from the sun.
Medications & thermometer.
Perhaps it's just our Little, but she spikes a fever all the time. I never leave home without some Tylenol and Ibuprofen and a syringe for each along with some baby hydrocortisone cream, saline nasal drops, and some band aids and Neosporin.
Books.
We read to our Little every night, so I always have a little story book in her bag and I take along a paperback too in case she's just not going to sleep I can read something "boring" to her but it's fascinating for me! I tried to read my Book Club book aloud off my iPad once but the light kept her awake.
Stroller.
I prefer to take our big stroller everywhere we go because the car seat clicks in easily if we end up having to take a taxi somewhere, plus there's storage at the bottom and a canopy to protect Little from the sun along with cup holders and all the comfort we use around town, but I understand opting for an umbrella stroller to save on space while traveling. It's up to you!
Baby monitor.
We had thought maybe we'd put Little down in our hotel room and go next door for a nightcap in my brother's room. We were all so exhausted at the end of the day we'd all just go to our rooms and pass out. So I carried that thing all over the place and back for no reason. With that said, we stayed at a VRBO beach house last summer and I really needed a baby monitor so I could hear her sleeping in our bedroom while we were out back by the fire pit. We ended up calling my phone from my husband's phone and putting them on speaker so we could hear her (but our side was muted so she couldn't hear us). So judge whether or not to take a monitor based on the type of vacation you're taking.
Small night light.
I like taking a tiny nightlight, like this, so I can check on the baby at night without stubbing my toe on something in an unfamiliar room.
Swimsuit & swim diapers.
I always bring them along in case we get bored at the hotel because our Little loves to swim. If you're headed to the beach then it's a no-brainer to bring it along, but if you're going skiing then obviously leave them behind!
A soothing machine.
Sometimes at home our Little needs some soft music or white noise to lull her to sleep. On our beach house vacation it was so quiet we couldn't get her to sleep and I swore I'd never leave home without that soothing giraffe someone gave us at the shower. Well for our flight to Chicago, I brought that giraffe everywhere but she was so tired at the end of the day we could barely keep her awake for bath time. Next time I'll save the space and just play music on my phone or download a white noise app if she needs it.(Tip: in my experience, meditation music is the best for lulling a baby to sleep. Sometimes classical stations play the really fast pieces which wakes her up!)
Extra toys.
A friend had a great suggestion to go to the dollar store and get some cheap toys, then wrap them in tissue paper and string like a present and let the baby open them on the plane (or on the road) every hour or so. This was a great idea and shredding the tissue paper was actually a bigger hit than any of the toys! But I packed like 20 little toys and activities and she only used two of her favorite old toys and like four of the new toys. I didn't need to carry around all that other stuff. She was fascinated playing with the wrappers from our airline pretzels for like 20 minutes. She spent another half an hour taking Daddy's hat off and on each of our heads. She also loved playing with our sunglasses. So have some new toys wrapped up and ready to go, but remember that basically anything can be a toy to a young baby and it's nice to be able to throw it all way. Also, we don't do screen time with our Little, but there's a game called "bubble pop" or something that I downloaded on my phone and go her through some rough patches of boredom.
What else would you add to this list? Find me on Facebook and let me know!
www.Facebook.com/ListsForLittles
Three outfits per day plus extra pajamas.
Airports are dirty and traveling is messy. We ended up changing our Little three times a day and she needed a new pair of pajamas every night. Baby clothes are so tiny you don't need to worry about taking up too much space. You'll definitely be worried when you're changing a diaper in a Walmart parking lot and realize your Little just ruined her last outfit (yes, speaking from experience). I know some moms like to pack each outfit in its own Ziploc
Accessories.
As a Little girl mom, I love packing frilly socks and matching bows with each outfit. Boy moms need to remember the socks too and don't forget a beanie for bed time because even in the summer months your Little might be sleeping in a cold room.
Travel changing pad with storage.
It's on my other list but I'll include it again here because this is my #1 must have for every traveling mom! Get yourself something like this. While a lot of public restrooms have changing table, you can bet it's disgusting. I also find that while I'm traveling about half the places we stop don't have a changing table at all and I'm left changing our Little in the trunk or on the grass. I love having a travel changing pad so I can just grab it and change her on a clean mat whether it's on a changing table or not. With this pad I have easy access to a couple diapers, travel-size bag of wipes, diaper cream, hand sanitizer and a spare onesie.
Baby carrier.
My Little hates being swaddled and refuses to be carried in her Ergo, but if you are a baby-wearing mom then I salute you and applaud your koala baby for enjoying the ride. Being hands free and still getting cuddles is the best! Make sure to pack your baby carrier and know how to wash it when you get back.
Blankets.
I always find a need for a thin Muslin blanket and a thicker warm blanket. When our Little was very little we also brought along a big "floor blanket" that always had a floor side and a clean side to lay her down for play time and tummy time.
Pack-n-Play or travel bassinet.
If we're going to a hotel then we just rent a pack-n-play and bring our own sheet (and a travel bottle of Lysol to spray it down). But if we're going to a friend's house or a VRBO house then we'll just bring along our own.
Travel high chair.
We bought this one but it doesn't collapse down much and therefore is kinda cumbersome. So we leave it at Grandma's house and then just use it for camping and other road trips where we know we'll be at one house the whole time and can just leave it strapped to a chair. For flights where we want something a little easier to manage, we have this "safety harness belt" that basically turn virtually any adult chair into a baby high chair (it just doesn't provide a boost in height or a tray table, and please note that this shouldn't be used as a safety device while traveling).
Breast milk and/or formula & water in a collapsible cooler.
I have this freezable lunch bag which was great for transporting milk to and from work while I was pumping and now it's great for our travels too. You throw the whole thing into the freezer because the insulation is actually made up of that freezing gel. I've found it doesn't last for very long, so I throw in a block of blue ice as well, and that helps keep milk or formula cold for several hours when we're away from home.
Extra bottles & sippy cups.
Sometimes one is dirty, sometimes one is lost. I like to travel with three, but wouldn't leave home without at least two of each.
Baby food & spoons.
Whether you make your own or buy the convenient little pouches, always bring extra baby food and toddler snacks. For some reason a traveling baby is a very hungry baby, so I have found it's better to bring too much food than risk running out. Don't forget a baby bowl and plate if you use those often.
Bibs & burp cloths.
If you've got a messy eater then you know you'll need a bib. I suggest finding a simple plastic one, like these, for your diaper bag which is easy to wipe down after lunch, fold into your bag and then use again at dinner. A fabric bib will hold on to everything your Little spills and who really wants to do laundry while on vacation unless you absolutely have to? With that said, bring extra burp cloths and a Ziploc to seal the soiled ones.
Laundry pods.
If you're at a house with laundry go ahead and bring along a couple laundry pods. I've found they're easy to travel with and clean an entire load. If you're going somewhere that will only have a sink, I suggest something like these travel sink packets for hand washing.
Bottle warmer.
In the summer my Little actually prefers cold milk all day, but warm milk at bed time is the best way to get her settled in for the night so we never leave home without it.
Travel bottle drying rack & bottle brush.
I bought this little folding drying rack with a collapsible bottle brush for washing bottles and pump parts at work and it has worked out to be the best item for our travels too! We have a little bottle of dish soap that fits perfectly in here too.
Sanitizing bag.
This only works if your vacation destination will have a microwave. But I love using my big microwave steam sterilizer to sanitize all my baby bottles at the end of every day. So when I was pumping at work, I got these Micro Steam Bags to sanitize my parts between sessions and they've turned out to be super handy for santizing bottles while traveling! Traveling is so dirty and Baby still caught a tummy bug on the way back. I'm so thankful I sanitized as much as I did. These steam bags fold up flat and just take a little water to zap your bottles and parts back to sanitized status like you have at home.
Nursing cover.
I didn't have a problem nursing in front of my husband or mom (obviously) and even a number of my friends. But it was weird for my brothers and my Father-in-law. So I always made sure I had my nursing cover with me so I could see my Little but no one could see my boobs. I didn't want to leave the room and miss out on all the fun (since I definitely had to do that while pumping), so I just sat in a corner and covered up a bit.
Diapers and wipes.
Take more than you need. Like twice as much. Trust me on this.
Everything for bath time.
Don't forget to pack bubble bath, baby shampoo, baby lotion, a comb and a hooded towel. I also like to take along a hand towel (or use one at a hotel) to lay at the bottom of the tub so I'm not setting my Little's sensitive bottom directly onto that surface where countless strangers' dirty feet have been. At home we use this inflatable tub to help save water, but I find it's too cumbersome to pack and bring along on trips.
Baby sunscreen & sun hat.
Your Little's skin is so sensitive, be sure you are always prepared to protect them from the sun.
Medications & thermometer.
Perhaps it's just our Little, but she spikes a fever all the time. I never leave home without some Tylenol and Ibuprofen and a syringe for each along with some baby hydrocortisone cream, saline nasal drops, and some band aids and Neosporin.
Books.
We read to our Little every night, so I always have a little story book in her bag and I take along a paperback too in case she's just not going to sleep I can read something "boring" to her but it's fascinating for me! I tried to read my Book Club book aloud off my iPad once but the light kept her awake.
Stroller.
I prefer to take our big stroller everywhere we go because the car seat clicks in easily if we end up having to take a taxi somewhere, plus there's storage at the bottom and a canopy to protect Little from the sun along with cup holders and all the comfort we use around town, but I understand opting for an umbrella stroller to save on space while traveling. It's up to you!
Baby monitor.
We had thought maybe we'd put Little down in our hotel room and go next door for a nightcap in my brother's room. We were all so exhausted at the end of the day we'd all just go to our rooms and pass out. So I carried that thing all over the place and back for no reason. With that said, we stayed at a VRBO beach house last summer and I really needed a baby monitor so I could hear her sleeping in our bedroom while we were out back by the fire pit. We ended up calling my phone from my husband's phone and putting them on speaker so we could hear her (but our side was muted so she couldn't hear us). So judge whether or not to take a monitor based on the type of vacation you're taking.
Small night light.
I like taking a tiny nightlight, like this, so I can check on the baby at night without stubbing my toe on something in an unfamiliar room.
Swimsuit & swim diapers.
I always bring them along in case we get bored at the hotel because our Little loves to swim. If you're headed to the beach then it's a no-brainer to bring it along, but if you're going skiing then obviously leave them behind!
A soothing machine.
Sometimes at home our Little needs some soft music or white noise to lull her to sleep. On our beach house vacation it was so quiet we couldn't get her to sleep and I swore I'd never leave home without that soothing giraffe someone gave us at the shower. Well for our flight to Chicago, I brought that giraffe everywhere but she was so tired at the end of the day we could barely keep her awake for bath time. Next time I'll save the space and just play music on my phone or download a white noise app if she needs it.(Tip: in my experience, meditation music is the best for lulling a baby to sleep. Sometimes classical stations play the really fast pieces which wakes her up!)
Extra toys.
A friend had a great suggestion to go to the dollar store and get some cheap toys, then wrap them in tissue paper and string like a present and let the baby open them on the plane (or on the road) every hour or so. This was a great idea and shredding the tissue paper was actually a bigger hit than any of the toys! But I packed like 20 little toys and activities and she only used two of her favorite old toys and like four of the new toys. I didn't need to carry around all that other stuff. She was fascinated playing with the wrappers from our airline pretzels for like 20 minutes. She spent another half an hour taking Daddy's hat off and on each of our heads. She also loved playing with our sunglasses. So have some new toys wrapped up and ready to go, but remember that basically anything can be a toy to a young baby and it's nice to be able to throw it all way. Also, we don't do screen time with our Little, but there's a game called "bubble pop" or something that I downloaded on my phone and go her through some rough patches of boredom.
What else would you add to this list? Find me on Facebook and let me know!
www.Facebook.com/ListsForLittles
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