The first time we started packing for a baby, it felt like we were fleeing the country. By the second trip, we realized babies don’t actually need that much, just the right stuff.
This isn’t a color-coded, Pinterest-perfect checklist. This is the real version, what we actually bring.
Our first trip with Hadley was to Mexico City when she was five months old. A couple of months later, we took her to Hawaii, and by eight months, she was exploring European Christmas markets with us. Those trips taught us quickly what mattered, what didn’t, and what makes traveling with a baby possible without losing your mind.
This post focuses on what worked for us when Hadley was a baby, when sleep schedules dominated our lives, and we were still figuring out how to travel as new parents. We’ve changed a few things now that she’s a toddler, but if you’re traveling with a baby under one, this is exactly what made our trips smoother.
Sleep Setup: How to Keep Your Baby Sleeping on Vacation
Sleep is everything, so we don’t mess around with it. We use a SlumberPod travel bed, and it’s one of our best baby travel purchases. We originally bought a no-name version off Amazon, but the SlumberPod fits better inside the Hiccapop sleep tent we use. Together, they create a dark, cozy little cave where Hadley can sleep almost anywhere. She loves it, and it helps her know it’s time for sleeping.
If a hotel or Airbnb has a crib, we use it; no reason to haul extra gear if we don’t have to. If not, the travel tent setup comes out. We always bring her sound machine (it can plug in or run on batteries), her blanket, Sleepy, pacifier, and favorite pajamas. We skip the monitor but keep her sleep setup as familiar as possible.
Feeding Setup: Quick Tips for Bottles and Baby Food
We never bother with a bottle warmer. Instead, we carry a small thermos that we fill with hot water before flights. We pour the hot water into a cup to warm up the bottle. You can usually ask a Starbucks or a flight attendant for hot water, and it works perfectly for warming bottles on the go.
We pack pre-measured formula in small containers, which makes mixing bottles quick and easy while traveling. We also bring a few pouches of baby food for Hadley. Having these ready for the plane or during layovers keeps her fed, happy, and occupied. With any food, bibs are extremely helpful. We bring cheap and light bibs to help save clothes.
Diapers, Wipes, and On-the-Go Changes
We pack just enough diapers and wipes to get us to our destination, then buy the rest there. It saves a ton of space and makes packing much easier. We also bring a foldable changing pad so we can change Hadley anywhere, and ziplock bags to stash dirty clothes or wipes until we find a trash can.
Stroller and Car Seat
We travel with the Nuna travel stroller and a lightweight upright car seat that we bring on the plane and use in rental cars. It’s not just for convenience; it keeps Hadley contained. Without it, she’d be climbing everything in sight.
If we don’t need the car seat at our destination, we store it in a luggage locker at the airport and grab it again before flying home.
Entertainment
We bring a mix of her favorite toys and a few new ones to keep things interesting. Small books are always a hit; she loves flipping through pages even at that age.
We also bring her iPad, which becomes a quiet-time lifesaver on long flights. A little screen time, or a lot, at 30,000 feet is absolutely worth it.
She loves toys that stick to the windows.
Packing Clothes and Laundry Tips
We pack light but smart. Enough outfits for travel days and the first few days of the trip, then we wash clothes while we’re there. We always toss a few Tide pods in a bag so we can do laundry at the hotel or Airbnb. It makes longer trips way easier.
Extra Items That Make a Big Difference
These are the small things that make a big difference.
- Portable fan (we always bring one — helps with heat and white noise)
- Reusable water bottle for you (hydration is survival)
- Plastic or reusable bags for random messes
- A few carabiners or stroller hooks (for bags, blankets, or bottles)
- Travel-size dish soap and bottle brush
- Small first-aid kit for everyone, not just babies
- A portable charger for phones and a sound machine
- A couple of paper towels or napkins (airplanes and road trips never have enough)
Final Thoughts
Packing for a baby feels like preparing for a moon mission, but once you figure out what actually works for your family, it gets easier every time. Keep it simple, focus on the essentials, and unless you’re taking your newborn to Cuba, you can always buy what you forget.
Those early trips taught us a lot about what matters most when traveling with a baby. And honestly, if we could take a five-month-old to Mexico City, a seven-month-old to Hawaii, and an eight-month-old to Europe, you can absolutely handle wherever you’re headed next.