6 Essential Travel Items For Traveling With Your Baby
There are so many details to organize when it comes to traveling but if you have to take your baby along, you might be even more stressed out with all the preparation needed. Here are the 6 essential travel items you should remember before you go out exploring with your little one!
Diaper Bag and Essentials
Good and stylish diaper bags for mom and dad are a must have! You need one that holds all the essentials that you need for your baby, especially if you’re going for long-distance travel. Make sure that the diaper bag you have is properly sized to fit in the overhead compartment of a plane. You can get one with both long and short straps for more convenient carrying in the airport.
Bring blankets to help keep your baby warm, as the plane is usually colder than room temperature. If you plan to breastfeed on the flight, packing a nursing cover is also beneficial. To help keep your baby occupied, you can also bring toys and books to entertain him, especially if it’s going to be a long trip. Just make sure you aren’t bringing anything irreplaceable as toys can get misplaced during travel without anyone being aware of it until later.
Because the change in pressure is going to be uncomfortable for your baby, you can also bring some pain medicine to ease their discomfort. A pacifier can also help with the pressure change. You can also bring the usual medications that you need for your baby like gripe water, antihistamines, and more.
Last but not the least, bring a change of clothes (or two) for both you and your baby in your diaper bag. There can and will be accidents, and you don’t want to be caught unprepared when it happens.
A Baby Passport
Yes, you do need a passport for your little one. It’s necessary when traveling with an infant or traveling overseas. It’s a bit tricky to acquire, but worth it in the end as it is valid for five whole years once you do secure one.
Travel Bassinet/Cot
For especially long flights, you wouldn’t be able to hold your baby for the entire duration of the flight without getting tired at some point. For this reason, you must request a bassinet that can accommodate your baby while on the plane. There’s usually just one per plane and even then it’s compatible with just a few select seats, so make sure to call and request this in advance.
Baby Carrier
If bringing a stroller is too inconvenient for you to check in, you can opt to bring a baby carrier to help you bring your baby around on your travels. If you’re going to be traveling outdoors such as going on a hike, it’s really more practical to bring your baby on a carrier instead of lugging a stroller around.
Baby Monitor
If you’re going to be in an unfamiliar setting, it’s best to have visuals and audio on your baby in case you need to put him down for a nap somewhere further from where most of the action is. There are a lot of portable ones on the market that are convenient to travel with, and still provide you with great quality to make you feel more secure about leaving your baby in a different room for a while.
Some Goody Bags For Fellow Passengers
This is not really something that’s traditionally needed when flying with a baby, but it’s a practice that has been gaining some steam recently. Parents who travel with their babies now bring goody bags to distribute to fellow passengers on the plane to pacify them in case the baby wreaks havoc during the flight. Babies can be quite unpredictable, and if this is the first time you’re flying with yours, it may not be that bad of an idea to bring goody bags just in case. It will help you avoid getting nasty stares and comments directed your way, because everyone knows traveling with a baby is already stressful enough as it is.
If you’ve been busy with your travel preparations, this list will give you a good head start about what to pack for your little one!
