Top Ten Seventeen Tips for Traveling with a Baby or Toddler

This was supposed to be a Top Ten List but quickly became longer as I thought of more tips. In no particular order…

1. If you bring a car seat, use it like another free checked bag. We use these car seat travel backpacks and they’ve been a game changer. They cost about $40 and are padded, but you can find less durable, cheaper ones. We only bought these after having our second child and knew we’d be doing a lot of travel over the next few years. Before buying these we always covered our car seat in bubble wrap and then put it in a big garbage bag. And this is key: before bagging the seat fill it with lots of diapers, wipes, and other baby gear, liquids, etc. that you’re not allowed or able to fit in your carry on.

2. TRY to travel as light as possible… although everyone knows traveling with kids means packing a lot of gear, it’s possible to downsize.

• Borrow a crib or pack n’ play from your hotel/apartment rental. (I’ve never stayed at a hotel that won’t offer a crib, and to my surprise many AirBnBs/apartment rentals can provide a pack n’ play. Just ask).
• If possible, leave the car seat at home. Rent one or take cabs that provide one (…yes, these exist and yes, they cost a bit more money).

3. Acquire a SinkBoss (portable sink and drying rack) if your baby/toddler uses bottles or sippy cups. This will be your best friend in hotels. It allows you to wash/sanitize bottles and pacifiers without putting them into the bathroom sink (whose cleanliness is often questionable). Then you can air dry them on its rack and hang it from the shower or towel rails (very helpful when you don’t have much/any counter space in the room). It folds up compactly and can fit nicely at the bottom of a suitcase. $35. www.sinkboss.com

4. Use a baby carrier or lightweight umbrella stroller. My favorite carriers are wraps (Boba, Moby, Solly, K’tan, or sling wraps) for little babies and structured carriers (Ergo, BabyBjorn) for older babies. We brought our normal stroller along on one trip and it was nothing but a hassle. Another option is buying a cheap umbrella stroller (oftentimes you can find them at a drugstore for $10-15) at your destination and then donate it before you leave. I’d call around before your trip, though, to ensure a store carries them, especially if you need something within walking distance of your hotel.

5. If your budget allows, get TSA pre-check ($85 for five years) or Global Entry ($100 for five years). Global Entry membership is probably the most significant travel investment we’ve made and it saves a ton of time and hassle at the airport. It does involve a 20-30 minute interview as part of the application process. Note: Children can piggyback on parents’ pre-check service but they need their own Global Entry membership.

6. If you’re traveling with a lot of gear or multiple children, bring a collapsible wagon instead of the stroller. You can check it at the gate just like you would a stroller but it’s able to carry more gear at the airport.

7. If you have multiple toddlers/babies pack their clothes in packing cubes and pack the cubes in with your own luggage. Toddler and baby clothes are small so they often don’t take up much room. Bonus: If the cubes are a different color for each kid you can easily pull out a specific kid’s clothes more quickly.

8. Dress your children wisely for the plane. Dress a baby in footie pajamas even if it’s not cold outside. Planes are often chilly for a baby and with footies you don’t have to worry about losing those tiny shoes and socks.

9. Use screen time to the max. This works especially well if you try to curb screen time at home because it’s a real treat for kids to get unlimited screen time on the plane. My toddler only knows that two shows exist: Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. She loves them both and will happily watch them all day if we let her (and spent like 9 hours watching Daniel Tiger on our recent 14 hour flight). Obviously, all kids are different and we just happened to get a toddler who loves these shows. Bring a tablet and make sure it’s charged. Bring an external battery. As for headphones, we’ve used these ones but also have no qualms about setting the volume low and letting her listen out loud. I’m pretty sure fellow passengers would rather listen to “It’s a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood” than my toddler’s fussing.

10. Bring lots of snacks. Animal Crackers, Goldfish, Cheez-its and veggie straws are easy along with fruit/veggie pouches. Also consider that salty snacks help kids get thirsty so they’ll drink water on the flight which is important for staying healthy during travel. I try to avoid anything that can melt or get sticky.

11. Carry a two-day supply of everything in the diaper bag because what if your flight is delayed and you’re stranded in the Charlotte airport after stores have closed and you’ve run out of diapers and baby food and a clean change of clothes? Just sayin’.

12. Throw a few garbage bags into your luggage. They have so many uses in a pinch: blackout curtains for hotel room (if they’re black), dirty laundry bag, rain poncho, etc. I’ve also heard that if you line the bottom and top of your suitcase with a garbage bag then the slippery surface keeps your clothes from wrinkling…. I’ve never tried it because frankly I don’t really care about wrinkled clothes. We pack extra smaller ziploc bags, too, for leaky liquids, etc.

13. Count your suitcases, purse, backpacks, diaper bag, car seats, wagon, etc. and keep the number in your head. This is the quickest way to ensure you have all of your stuff when you’re hustling around an airport. (Bigger families may want to conduct a kid count as well. My mom was left behind at a gas station during a family road trip during her childhood. They came back for her, but.. yeesh.)

14. At your destination, opt for an apartment instead of a hotel, if that’s a possibility. The popularity of AirBnB has made this much more feasible in the last few years and it’s often a cheaper option than a hotel. An apartment with a fridge and microwave can be a life saver with babies, especially if you’re pumping and storing milk.

15. Make showering with your little one a semi-regular thing if you plan to travel frequently, especially abroad. Chances are you will have to stay somewhere without a bath if you travel internationally. Might as well acclimate kids to the shower early.

16. If kids are old enough, make them carry their own bag/backpack. If you have multiple children, give each kid a different color bag. We have our toddler carry her own small backpack filled with in-flight entertainment, snacks, and her adored stuffed puppy.

17. Try to relax, even if your kid is screaming. It’s likely that you are devastated and doing everything you can to help soothe your child. Nowadays, most everyone has (or can ask a flight attendant for) headphones on the plane to drown out the noise of crying babies. Many people will be understanding, and those who aren’t either don’t have kids or are terrible people so, really, who cares?

We have much more advice when it comes to family travel and will expand on these ideas in subsequent posts. What are your top tips for traveling with kids?