Traveling With a Baby

The best time to travel is before you have kids. The next best time to travel is when your baby is still pretty little (think 2 - 7 months). If you missed both of those phases, then the next best time is when they are old enough to mostly take care of themselves (6-7+ years old). Those toddler to school age years are definitely the hardest time to travel with kids - you can still do it, but it will take more work.

You may feel overwhelmed if you’re planning to travel with a baby, but once you actually get down to it, it’s not as difficult as you might think. Rather than thinking about everything at once, stop and take it a piece at a time and you’ll realize you really don’t need too much when travelling with a baby. The hardest part will simply be when the baby is crying and you don’t want them to be crying.

Things You Need

There are only a handful of things that you really need to bring when traveling with a baby. First off, you need a package of baby wipes as you’ll have diapers to change and other potential messes to clean up. You should always have baby wipes with you regardless of whether you’re traveling far or or near with a baby, so you should already have those with you anyways - you can pack a few extras as well if you want.

You’ll also need diapers and clothes - make sure these are in your carry on luggage. Have a change of clothes with you in a place that’s fairly easy to get to. Babies like to have explosions and other accidents at the most inopportune times. Bring enough diapers to get you through your flight, but don’t go overboard with them. You can buy more at your destination rather than trying to pack enough for your entire trip.

Finally, you’ll want to make sure you have a car seat for your child. This is probably the hardest item to bring along on a trip where you’re flying. Airlines will let you check in a car seat, so that’s not really an issue, it’s just inconvenient to carry around with you. However, you can also rent a car seat from car rental companies, so it’s one option to consider. If you don’t want to carry a car seat around, then look at the options you have available for renting.

Buy or Rent Items

While it can certainly be cheaper to try to pack everything you think you’ll need for your trip, it’s much harder to travel when you’re trying to carry a bunch of suitcases and other items while also taking your baby with you. Getting through the airport and security is much easier when you have less things to carry and move around - try to keep to the essential items and don’t overpack.

For example, pack enough diapers to get you through your flight, but don’t pack diapers for the entire trip - buy them at your destination. You can find diapers anywhere in the world, so you don’t need to pack them. The same goes for things like formula and other essentials for your baby - pack enough for your flights, but don’t pack so much that you’ve got an entire suitcase for them.

We also mentioned that you can rent a car seat at your destination. Many items can be rented. If you’re doing a beach vacation, most places will have items you can use for free, or you’ll be able to rent them. Rather than packing a big toy for your child, simply use one at your destination or rent it out. While it may cost you a few extra dollars to do so, it will save your sanity while you actually travel.

 Conclusion

Don’t overpack, and don’t overthink it. You really only need a few items to take with you when traveling with a baby. They will be interested in the plane and the entire world around them, and they’re still little enough that they aren’t all over the place yet. Once they start crawling and walking, it will become much harder for you to travel with them, at least until they can start to sit still for longer periods of time.

Traveling with babies is harder than travelling alone, but it doesn’t have to be a nightmare. The less stuff you’re trying to carry around all the time, the easier it will be for you as you can focus on keeping your baby safe and happy for the actual travel.