This is it: The post you’ve been scouring the internet for. The ultimate guide to traveling with your baby is the guide I wish I’d come across when I was pregnant. When my husband and I decided to start a family, I never once thought that that meant I would stop traveling. So naturally that meant I would need to be savvy when it came to all things baby travel gear. After what felt like months (my entire pregnancy), I had made a few purchases that I tried and loved and now I want to share them with you!

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links and I may receive a commission if you purchase any of the below products. There is nothing on this page that I have not used myself and can personally verify as being a fantastic product.

The Staples Packing List

Warm Weather Travel

Cold Weather Travel

Pro-Tips and Encouragement

The Staples

While I exclusively pumped for about the first 3 months of my son’s life, by the time we took our first trip to New Orleans I had a system for feedings. While on the road, cleanliness is a must with an infant so I purchased and LOVED the drying rack mentioned below. In addition to that, also see everything else I used for feeding, cleaning, and drying bottles: 

• Munchkin Deluxe Drying Rack – this little lifesaver folds and fit perfectly into your carry-on suitcase.
• Dr. Brown’s Bottle Brush – although this is designed for Dr. Brown’s bottles and we eventually switched to Playtex bottles and liners for the sake of less pieces, I continue to purchase this brush every few months (for sanitary reasons) because it’s cost-effective and convenient.
• Your favorite dish soap or whatever you use to clean your baby’s bottles.
• For sterilizing on the go, I prefer these microwave sterilizer bags. Pro-tip: even if your hotel room doesn’t come with a microwave, most times, you can use the microwave behind the front desk. Just call your hotel ahead of time and ask. 
• There are a number of breast pumps on the market so I encourage you to do your research. For me, the Madela pump was my best friend the first 9 weeks of my son’s life. Don’t forget to include milk storage bags.
• If not breast feeding or pumping, remember to bring more than enough baby formula than you first think. Pro-tip: when traveling in the US, you’re likely to find your brand of formula at your destination. Forego packing the formula in your bag and buy it when you get there. 

For Older Babies

If your baby is eating solid and/or pureed foods already, the following items are definitely worth the investment. I made a point to include them in this ultimate guide to traveling with your baby even though by the time your baby gets to this age, they may be no brainers:

• These bibs are good for on the road or at home. They’re plastic so you can just wipe any food off of them and go about your day. Bring a few for travel just in case there’s a mess too big for a wipe down.
• A travel high chair would be great to have. Unfortunately, at the writing of this post, we don’t have one and I can’t recommend one that I’d use for my own child. At home, we have this high chair from Ingenuity. It cost more than I ever thought I’d spend on a high chair but it converts to a booster seat so I expect to get a few years worth of use out of it.

Toiletries

We actually use our smallest Ez Packing cube all the time to keep track of our son’s toiletries. Some of the items that we keep in our arsenal and swear by are listed below:

• It took me way too long to get plastic-backed bibs. Bandana bibs are so cute and go with those adorable little outfits better than these bibs but they really are much more efficient at keeping your baby dry while drooling or having a bottle.
• Aquaphor for all-over skin protection. 
• Boudreaux’s Butt Paste for diaper rash. It has the same active ingredient as Desitin but without the other icky stuff. Please don’t be like me and think that you’re little one won’t ever get a bad diaper rash. It happened right before our last trip and I could have kicked myself for not already having this on hand.
• This little gem includes a brush, comb, nail clippers and files.
• Any medicines and/or supplements such as Vitamin D drops, tylenol, Zarbee’s, gripe water, etc. If you’re curious what we use, send me an email!
• Everything fits into this packing cube which we conveniently throw into his backpack whenever we leave the house.

The equipment

No ultimate guide to traveling with your baby would be complete without without including the following items.They’re the bigger things that we lug around but are actually totally necessary for everybody’s comfort. I would never recommend traveling without at least one of the first two items while the second one is up to your discretion:

• This is the Ergobaby Omni 360 that you’ve seen my son in when my husband or I wear him. He has comfortably fit in here from about 4 months but if you’re using this with a younger child, you can opt to get an infant insert.
• I will update this post if we ever purchase a travel car seat but the other transportation equipment my son has is the Summer Infant 3D Lite Convenience Stroller. I love this stroller because it’s sturdier than most umbrella strollers I’ve seen but not as big as the travel system stroller that came with his infant car seat. Plus the wheels are sturdy and it comes with a small under carriage storage space which is always clutch.
• Our transportable bed of choice was simple: Graco Pack ‘n Play Element Playard Bassinet.

Warm Weather Travel

The beauty of traveling when it’s warm is that you can pack less stuff. But with a little one, while the clothes might be tiny, you’re going to want to have a few extra items:

• Bucket hats like these to protect your baby’s skin from the sun.
• Rashguards to protect them while in the water.
• Baby water shoes. No, you’re kid is probably not walking yet but that won’t stop you from buying them shoes.
• We didn’t use a sunscreen on my son when it was warm out because our pediatrician recommended just covering him up and keeping him inside if it was really hot so ask your baby’s doctor if they would recommend something more than hats and covering up in the sun.

Cold Weather Travel

Being from California, I admit to complaining when the weather gets below 50 degrees fahrenheit. So when traveling Europe in December where the expected temperature was expected to be half of that, you know I went prepared:

• This stroller sleeping bag is one of the best items we’ve purchased for travel. I was really concerned about going to a colder climate with my son and I saw another family had their baby in this. It’s soft and warm and has an opening for your stroller straps to go through it to secure your baby inside.
• Warm hats are a must when traveling with little ones. We had a combination of regular beanies and ones with flaps to cover his ears and the ones with the flaps were our clear favorites. I didn’t have to keep checking to make sure his ears were covered when I was confident that his hat was tied on. This one comes with matching mittens. Also a must have.
• A lightweight down jacket like this one was easy to carry when he wasn’t wearing it and easy to carry him when he was.
• And lastly, baby long johns for under his jeans and sweaters.

Pro-Tips and Encouragement

Traveling with your baby for the first time can be scary, no matter how seasoned a traveler you are or how old your baby is. And if you’re not scared then you should be. It’s a big responsibility! But you will be fine and feel so accomplished when you finally just do it. Don’t let being a mom or a dad hold you back from being you and enjoying what makes you happy. And use this ultimate guide to traveling with your baby be your packing guide.

The last thing I want to leave you with are some Pro-Tips for traveling with your baby that I’ve learned throughout this first year.

• Feed your baby during take off and landing to prevent pressure building in their ears. If they won’t feed, hopefully a pacifier will do the trick.
• Wear your baby before you travel so that both of you can get comfortable with the sling or ergobaby. You’ll be thankful to have your hands free.
• When your baby falls asleep on the plane, turn them to your chest and secure them in the ergobaby so you can both get some rest.
• Don’t beat yourself up if your baby gets upset on the plane or that you’re disturbing other passengers. Most people feel worse for you feeling bad for them than they are actually mad at you.
• Have at least one diaper for every hour of travel time from door to door.
• Pack twice as much food/milk as you think you’ll need.
• Relax. You’re on vacation.

A True Story…

A friend of mine once told me that she hasn’t actually had a vacation since her kids were born because whenever they travel with them, it’s all about their schedule and not what she wants to do. Try to enjoy your babies while they still want anything to do with you. I fully believe that sooner rather than later, my son is going to look my in my eyes and say, “Mom, back up off me,” and my heart will shatter lol. Until then, his schedule is my schedule and we have a good time together.

Yes, he has meltdowns that make me look at him like a martian. Yes, he absolutely hates being changed in tiny airplane bathrooms and used to scream at the top of his lungs when in there. No, I am no longer #teamcarryon when I’m with him. But I wouldn’t change anything about the trips I’ve taken him on because the good times far outweigh the bad and so will yours. Also, this ultimate guide to traveling with your baby definitely helps. Plus, baby-free vacations and solo mom travel are a thing and I’m here for it!

Let me know in the comments what you would add to or take off of this list! How has traveling with your baby been the first year and beyond? What do I have to look forward to?