We did it! Two flights with our baby girl and we are feeling amazing about all the choices we made. Let’s talk about the 10 absolute must have’s, plus some tips!
1. Travel Stroller
When we decided we were going to travel with our little girl, we knew we wanted a travel stroller. After a ton of research, we landed on the Ergobaby Metro+ Deluxe Stroller and absolutely love it!
- Pro’s
- Lightweight (~8lbs)
Folds up and fits in the overhead compartment (also makes security easy!) - Comes with a travel backpack
- Lay flat reclining seat for naptime
- Adjustable handlebar (we are different heights, this was huge!)
- Very comfortable padding and high-end materials
- Great airflow with a mesh area we can open or close
- Lightweight (~8lbs)
- Con’s
- Limited storage underneath – our diaper bag wouldn’t fit easily
- Travel backpack is thin material
2. Portable Crib
This was a later purchase for us and now we can’t imagine not having it. We use it all the time when visiting friends and family along with using it to travel. We grabbed the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light and love how easy it is to set up as well as pack up when we are done.
- Pro’s
- Lightweight (~5lbs)
- Has a travel bag that both the crib and mattress easily fit into
- Machine Washable cause…kids.
- Quick to set up and pack up
- Thick padded mattress
- Con’s
- …None
3. Cross-body bag for a to-go diaper bag!
We love our Walker Family Goods Louie Sling, it’s just the right size. a great alternative is the Ditty Co Small Diaper bag. We use it for 1-2 diapers, portable pack of wipes, hand sanitizer, disposable changing pads, doggie “poop” bags for dirty diapers, and one small toy. This is great for running to the bathroom without having to lug the larger bag.
- Pro’s
- Easy to carry
- Fits the essentials
- Con’s
- Space limiting
- Another thing to carry if you can’t fit it in a larger bag
4. Baby carrier
We have two great options for a baby carrier and love them both. You really can’t go wrong. The first is the Ergobaby Omni 360 which offers great back support, is easy to pop the child in and out of, and has a ton of adjustment points to make it comfortable.
- Pro’s
- Very adjustable in multiple points
- Baby is comfortable
- Lumbar support
- Mesh makes it breathable
- Con’s
- Adjusted to one parents, need to readjust fully to make comfortable for another parent
- Larger footprint, won’t as easily fit in a travel bag
The second is the Boba baby wrap which we have had since she was a newborn.
- Pro’s
- Easy to get her in and out
- Different options for tying it
- Stretchy and soft
- Easy to breastfeed in
- Easy fit no matter the size
- Able to fit in a backpack
- Con’s
- Lots of fabric so a bit of space is needed to put it on
- Can get very warm
5. Simple Monitor
We were in a two-story house on our visit so a monitor was a must. We have a no-frills VTech monitor that works great! We also like that there are two units for parents in case one isn’t charged or we are in different areas.
- Pro’s
- Easy to use
- Long distance
- Good battery life & Rechargeable
- Two parent units
- Con’s
- No video
- Baby unit must be plugged in
6. Travel Sound Machine
This turned out AWESOME for us! The SNOOZ Go was easy to operate and gave us a night light and sound machine all in one.
- Pro’s
- Easy to operate
- Rechargeable
- Has both sound machine and light
- Great for both car rides or in a room
- Con’s
- Have to charge everyday
- Not a very bright light – there is only one setting and its more of a warm glow
7. Travel Fan
The Amacool Travel Stroller Fan is a daily must-have for us but it also worked great while traveling!
- Pro’s
- Keeps her cool no matter the situation
- Lightweight
- Can attach to lots of different things
- Recharges (no batteries needed) & can charge with a portable power pack
- Had LED light
- Three fan levels
- Con’s
- Have to remember to charge it!
8. Baby headphones with blue tooth
We had a hard time finding this, but the Yusonic Blueooth Headphones worked great. We wanted Bluetooth headphones that couldn’t get too loud for her sensitive ears. These worked great and helped her fall asleep with some relaxing music!
- Pro’s
- Ability to have her favorite music in a stressful environment
- Limiting sound so it never got too loud
- Con’s
- They fit her head, but were a little big (for reference, she was 7 months old)
9. Thing’s to do!
We brought books and toys she loves. But by far, the best thing we had was the Montessori Busy Board. She loved the colors and shapes and it kept her mind going! (note: this does have some smaller pieces, so we were watching her the entire time she was playing with this). We also loved the Suction Cup Spinners that she loved spinning!
- Pro’s
- Ton’s to do and kept her entertained
- It fit on the fold down tray – it’s less that the size of a piece of paper
- Spinners – Easily attach to seat or window
- Double pro – the people in front of us weren’t bothered by them!
- Con’s
- Some things were advanced for our 7-month-old
- Spinners – They did fall a few times, creating some frustration
10. Cover for breastfeeding
We are in close quarters! Having a breastfeeding cover also helped her fall asleep in a darker environment. Although, she loved the hum of the plane and dosed off rather quickly.
- Pro’s
- Lightweight
- Breathable
- Creates comfortable place for baby
- Con’s
- none!
Top Tips!
- Bring extra breast milk or formula – our girl gets very distracted trying to breastfeed in public. So we bring a cold pack and extra milk that helps a lot on-the-go.
- Extra of essentials – you never know if you could be delayed. Having a few extra diapers and an extra outfit could make a big difference
- Feed going up and down – this helps with potential ear pain and the change in pressure
- Change them right before getting on the plane – on one of our flights they boarded us very early which led to a long wait time on the tarmac. Changing them right before can help with unplanned situations!
