If you’re anything like me, I get VERY overwhelmed with everything I need to pack for my baby when we go on vacation. I’ve taken lists from every moms group on Facebook, polled my Instagram, and gathered advice from friends on my travel blog, and put together this compiled packing list of everything you need to bring on a trip for your baby! (This specifically is for a beach vacation but can be used for any vacation). For reference, my baby is 11 months old when writing this and this is everything we bought/borrowed for our trip to Aruba. Every family is different and you know your baby best, use this as a reference! I’ve separated the list into travel essentials, airplane essentials, a more detailed packing list, and bonus tips at the end! Everything is linked on my Amazon Storefront under Travel – Baby.
Essentials:
- Heavy Duty Car Seat Bag with Wheels – To check with luggage, moms rave about this one to roll through the airport & protect for future kids- We need a car seat as we’re renting a car
- Gate Check Stroller Bag
- Portable Travel Bottle Warmer – Cordless just needs to be charged and stays hot for soo long!
- 3 Section Formula Dispenser Container – We use this any time we leave the house. We put pre-measured formula scoops in each of the sections to easily mix it with a bottle on the go
- Travel Sized Drying Rack & Bottle Brush
- Silicone Pacifier & Toy Straps – We use these everywhere we go so nothing falls on the floor
- Baby Travel Chair – Folds small to fit in luggage or car seat bag and useful for restaurants, hotel rooms, etc. for a sturdy spot to eat if a high chair isn’t present
- On-the-Go Diaper Bags – Perfect for dirty diapers if you have nowhere to put them or wet clothes too
- Spinning Snack Container – Every mom I know raves about this spinning snack container but I haven’t been able to justify spending that much on a container yet!
- Inflatable Bathtub – Technically not an essential as you can stand and bathe with baby but our hotel only has a shower and our son loves bath time so we opted to get this for him
- Portable Sound Machine – I forgot to put a picture of this but we take it everywhere with us!
Fun in the Sun:
- Best Baby Hat: UV Protection & Aqua Dry – Our favourite hat to protect baby’s head and fast dry in water
- UV Protection Sunglasses with Strap
- ThinkBaby Sunscreen (Non-toxic)
- BuzzPatch Mosquito Stickers
- Mosquito Net for Stroller
- Wet Bag
- Reusable Swim Diaper
- Inflatable Pool Float with UV Protection Canopy
- Anti-UV Beach Tent – Folds into a small circle for luggage and gives some shade/privacy at the beach
Essentials:
- Baby Noise Cancelling Headphones
- Portable Pacifier Sterilizer – Planes are gross and our son loves his pacifier. This sanitizing device gives me so much piece of mind when he drops his pacifier on the ground and eliminates all germs in under a minute
- Leakproof Straw Cup
- Snack Container
- LifeVac Choking Device – I personally always have this on me, not just for me and my family, but if anyone around me is ever choking. It comes with 1 adult and 1 child mask and is a lifesaver
- Pacifier and Toy Wipes – We use these non-toxic and baby safe wipes all the time when our son drops anything on the ground
- The portable travel bottle warmer and formula dispenser container could go in this category too! We always have them with us
Toys for Entertainment:
- Window Suction Spinners – The #1 recommended airplane toy
- Busy Book – Takes up a little more space but these entertain kids for hours!
- Water WOW Pad – Just brush on water to the pages and coloured sheets appear
- Busy Cube
- Silicone Pull String Sensory Activity
- Window Cling Reusable Gel Stickers
- BONUS TIP: Buy one of these makeup bags with all the different compartments to organize all toys and baby products for the carry-on
Travel Stroller
Not mentioned – We decided to gate check our regular one, we have the Nuna Mixx and it isn’t that large and wanted the ease of his infant car seat still clicking in. Here are the top recommended travel strollers from my research that fit in the overhead bin of the planes:
- Bugaboo Butterfly
- Silver Cross Clic
- Joolz Aer
- Gb Pockit
- Cybex Libelle
More Detailed Packing List
*Note: I’m packing as much as I can for my son in my carry-on/his diaper bag because I’m always paranoid about our luggage getting lost
Bulk Items:
- Stroller
- Stroller Gate Check Bag
- Adapter for Car Seat to Stroller
- Car Seat & Base
- Car Seat Bag
- Ergobaby Carrier – To carry him into plane when stroller is checked & for hikes etc.
Carry-On:
Electronics:
- iPad/Charger
- Noise Cancelling Headphones
- Baby Monitor with Travel Stand
- Owlet Sock with Charging Station
- UV Pacifier Sterilizer and Charger
- Portable Sound Machine & Charger
- Stroller Fan & Charger or Extra Batteries
- Portable Bottle Warmer & Charger
Meds:
- Tylenol/Advil
- Teething Drops
- Baby Sunscreen
- Bandaids/Polysporin
- Pacifier & Toy Wipes
- LifeVac
- Snot Sucker & Saline Drops
- Bug Stickers
Food:
- 3-4 Bottles with Distilled Water inside
- Sealed Water Bottles
- Formula Tin
- Snack Cups Stacker with Puffs, Mumums etc.
- 3 Pouches
- Bib
- Straw Cup
Diaper Bag:
- Pacifiers / Pacifier String Clips
- Toys/Books
- Teething Toys
- On the go diaper bags
- 2 Receiving Blankets
- 2 Onesies
- 2 Outfits – One short sleeve/shorts, one long sleeve/pants
- Sleeper
- Sleep Sack
- Reusable Swim diaper
- Diapers
- Wipes
- Wet bag
- Hat
- Sunglasses
- Sandals / shoes / water shoes
- Socks
- Formula dispenser cup
Checked Luggage:
Swim:
- Floaty
- Swim diapers disposable and reusable
- Beach toys? Buy there
- Beach tent
Diapers:
- Diapers
- Wipes
- Diaper cream
- Diaper Cream Stick
Feeding:
- Straw Cups
- Bibs
- Spoons
- Plates
- Extra Pouches/Snacks for the week
- More Formula
- Bottle Brush
- Portable Bottle Rack
- Baby Dish Soap
Clothes:
- Onesies
- Sleepers
- Sleep Sack
- Socks
- Outfits
- UV swimsuits / outfits
- Hats
Bed/Bath:
- Baby shampoo/wash
- Baby lotion
- Washcloths/ towels
- Inflatable tub?
- Towel
- Wash cloths
- Crib sheet
Miscellaneous:
- Baby Laundry Detergent
- Outlet covers for Hotel Room
- Misting Fan
- Nail Trimmer
- More Toys
- Bug Net for Stroller
Bonus Tips:
These come from a mom friend who travels once a month with her now 18 month old!
Airport Tips:
- If car seat is needed on the trip check it with your bags and get the JL travel bag with wheels to wheel through airport
- If stroller is needed try to buy a travel one that fits in the overhead container as it takes a long time to gate check
- If you use a baby carrier they won’t ask you to take baby out through security, but in a stroller they will
- Snacks/Pouches: Ideally not dark coloured ones that stain
- New toys/gadgets they’ve never seen before (post-it’s, window spinners – great for table tray too, reusable stickers)
- Boogie wipes, tide stick, mini surface cleaner to wipe entire area down
- Baby shusher or portable white noise machine if baby is used to falling asleep to it or for naps on the go
- Buy bulkhead seats if possible, bassinet seats are at the front of the plane – call the airline prior to request the bassinet
- 2 blankets as it gets cold and to use on the floor of the bulkhead section for them to play on the floor
- Feed or use pacifier on take-off/landing to help with ears
- Use the Tommy Tippee travel bottle warmer, it’s a lifesaver if baby only has bottles warm and stays hot for so long. Fill it with boiling water at the terminal Starbucks and you won’t have to ask the attendant the entire flight
- Bring extra pacifiers, they will get lost
- Use portable sterilizer for soothers / bottle nipples if concerned about that
- If with a partner, send them on the plane first to get settled while you are with baby in terminal for as long as possible for less sitting/airplane time
- Bring a change of clothes for parents in case of spit up / blowouts
Travel Tips:
- Depending on location – you can ship diapers, formula, wipes etc directly from Amazon to your hotel to save on luggage space & weight
- Vacuum seal diapers to save space
- Bring a crib sheet as sometimes hotel ones are just the unfitted one
- Only some hotels have high chairs so bring a portable chair as it’s good for hotel rooms, restaurants etc.
- Bring all and any medicine they need, sometimes it’s hard to find in other languages
- Bring baby detergent so you can wash blowouts, pee, spit up in the sink
- Diaper genie on the go bags are awesome to carry around with you
- Don’t stress about routine while traveling & enjoy!
Phew! That’s a lot! If you think I’m missing anything let me know in the comments below! If you think I’m overpacking, that’s okay LOL better to be over-prepared than underprepared but totally depends on your destination! If it’s somewhere in the country it’s obviously a good call to buy things like diapers and formula etc. at your destination. I never wanted a baby to hold us back from our love of travel! With a little extra packing and strategic organization it’s not as bad as it seems! We are so excited for our upcoming trips – thanks for reading & happy travels!
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