Favorite Baby Travel Essentials
As a mom, a traveler and inventor of my own baby product, these are my go-to travel items that make every trip easier — whether it’s a road trip, flight, or just a day out adventuring. 👉 Want this in a checklist? Drop your email below and I'll send it right over to you.
My Favorite Travel and Adventure Gear
I'm going to have to start with my own product, the Lay and Play Adventure Mat. My husband and I invented this when we had a baby and a toddler but still wanted to travel but not take so much stuff. To be honest we were shocked that there wasn't a travel-friendly baby play mat on the market already! So we invented our own and made sure to add all of the elements that we knew parents would love. It's easy to clean, super lightweight, and designed to pack in carry-on luggage or fit into a backpack. You can learn more and purchase here on my website, but I also know how sometimes it's just easier to buy on a website that already has your info in your account, if that's the case you can purchase on Amazon here.
Baby Sleep Essentials
Slumberpod- Oh how I wish this existed when my kiddos were little. We always had them sleep in a pack and play, but the Slumbered would have been a game changer for hotel rooms and on-the-go naps.
White Noise Machine - Fireworks, people running down hotel hallways at midnight, birds chirping at the crack of dawn. These all make travel fun and interesting but don't lead to great sleep. A white noise machine is a game changer and is something we still use today. It's nice to have one that is small and travel friendly.
A portable blackout curtain is a game changer if you end up staying in a place that doesn't have good curtains. You can usually count on hotels to have good blackout shades, but I many rental houses and condos seem to fall short in the blackout curtain
🚗 Baby Transport: Strollers & Carriers I Recommend
Stroller - Depending on what you plan to do there are two kinds of strollers that might make sense. For lots of airplane travel, I absolutely recommend a sturdy umbrella type stroller with a travel bag. I personally loved the UPPAbaby G-luxe and I'm thrilled to see that it is still one of the most popular travel strollers. This stroller got us through 2 kids, countless trips and was great for an easy trip to the mall too. It was easy to push, had a nice feature for kids to lay down and "sleep" and was so quick and easy to fold up.
I love their travel bag too and it really felt like a game changer when flying. I loved not having to worry about the stroller getting damaged on the plane.
For more outdoor and mountain adventures - a rugged stroller is great, especially if you plan to use it on trails a lot. We used our more rugged stroller around our neighborhood too. I'm not a jogger, but I personally loved the BOB Revolution. It was great if we wanted to use it on dirt trails and I loved that I could push it with one had and hold my dog's leash in the other.
Baby Carriers for Travel & Hikes
There are about a bazillion different kinds of carriers on the market these days and there are many different kinds and styles. The thing to keep in mind is what is comfortable for YOU and for YOUR BABY.
The BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Mini is great for around your house and it is small enough it won't take up a ton of room in your luggage if you want to travel with it.
A good hiking pack is essential if you plan to hike with your kiddos. There are many similar options and again the key here is comfort. I loved the older version of the Kelty Journey Perfectfit Child Carrier. I liked it because it was easy to adjust when we switched between me and my husband and my kiddo was comfortable and could see out.
The Osprey Poco SLT Child Carrier Backpack also has a great option for hiking with kids. It is an excellent option if you are going to be traveling - it is very lightweight and compact and folds flat so it doesn't take up as much room in your car.
Baby Travel Gear That Saves Sanity
My mom always makes fun of me because I pack bags inside of bags, inside of bags. But there is a method to my madness.
Bags help keep things organized and separate and make things easier to find (usually).
I love basic stuff sacks for organizing things like underwear, socks, and rain jackets. I always keep a good wet bag on hand in case someone's clothes get wet or spilled on. These are also great for wet swimsuits.
PS - Travel Pro Tip. Always bring an extra outfit for your baby (maybe more than one) AND you.
Packing cubes are great for fitting all the things in and organization, but for babies and kids, I personally love really small duffle bags. We were gifted small duffle bags when our babies were born and my 10&12 year old still use them to this day. I like them because they have some ownership over their "own" things. They are big enough to fit all of their stuff for a weeklong stay, but small enough that they can carry them by themselves.
👉 Bigger Kiddo Packing Tip
One of the biggest packing game changers has been asking my kids to "pack for themselves". This may sound a little unhinged, but it actually is SO helpful in reducing the mama mental load. My kids get to pick what they want have some ownership over what they bring and it reduces my decision fatigue about what to pick.
To make this easy and efficient, I created a Kids Packing List, that you can fill out with the numbers of things from each category that you want them to pick out. Then you sit down with them and "edit" what they've packed and make final decisions together.
You can get the kids packing list here:
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