Best Baby Gear For Travel

We took Luke on his first flight last month and I was definitely feeling a bit nervous heading into it. How would he do with the air pressure changes, what would we do if he was fussing the whole time, what if I forget something? 

I'm sure if you are a new parent getting ready for a first trip you may be feeling the same. A week before the trip, I wrote down all the items I thought I would need. Then as I did our routine that next week, I added to the list when I remembered something. With a few Amazon orders and ninja packing skills, we ended up fitting everything we needed and below I'm sharing a few of my favorites. 

Our Favorite Baby Travel Gear

Item #1: Inflatable Chair: This was not just a fun thing for swimming, it was also a portable high-chair so that Luke had something to sit in while eating. It folds down super small when deflated and was so helpful both at the pool and in the hotel room. Luke also loved hitting the little center piece like a drum (shout-out to my mom for thinking to get this one!)

Item #2: Nursh Bottles: This was probably my favorite find for the whole trip. These silicon bottle inserts and lids make it super easy to make those bulky bottles compact. I stored mine in a ziplock bag and then slowly let the air out to vacuum seal them. I fit 6 bottles in one bag and easily fit them into my diaper bag with all the other things (change of clothes - for me and Luke, diaper changing things, toys, etc.) They also have little storage buns for these so they can be really compact. I just brought one of the colored hardshell exteriors with us and then had plenty of inserts for each day. 

Item #3: Extra Nursh inserts I bought a second pack of the inserts and nipples (it comes with 3 and I wanted 6) and if you are breastfeeding still, they also have great storage lids, or if your little one is older, they have sippy cup tops too. Big fan of this brand and so glad I found them researching for this trip. 

Item # 4: Teething Bibs: It just so happened that Luke was getting 2 teeth in the week of the trip so he was drooling and not super comfortable. These bibs were great on the plane, it kept his clothes dry from all the drool and had an emergency little toy built right into the end. The quality is also super soft. 

Item #5: Portable Hot Water Machine: This was awesome for the trip, it could only hold enough water for 2 bottles, but we were able to boil/purify the water on the go and that was a big plus. Note - it does get super hot so I boiled ahead of time and let it cool a bit before giving to Luke. Or mixed the hot water with some bottled water so he had the perfect temperature warm milk. I know they have portable bottle warmers specifically for milk, but I thought they were pretty expensive, so I thought this was a good hack to getting warm milk on the go without spending a fortune, plus I can use this for my tea in the future. 

Item #6: Shade Tent: This was so good for keeping some shade on the beach and it fit in the car seat bag for travel. Also, it's super thin so easy to store at home and now we have a little pop-up shade for the park or beach here.  

Item #7: Baby Shades: Ok these were more for me than for Luke, he preffered to chew on them than to actually wear them, but when he was wearing them, it was so dang cute. Next time I'd get a little lanyard to help them stay on to actually protect his eyes. -they are polarized! 

Item # 8: Airplane toys: Both the mini Baby Einstein tower and the spinners were a big hit on the airplane. We could stick the spinners to the window or a book and he would spend a lot of time playing with it. The tower was also great for having one little piece to chew on the plan or having the whole stack to play with in the hotel room. 

Item #9; Toy lanyards: These were really helpful to prevent pacifiers and toys from falling on the gross airport floor. You can attach them to either the baby carrier or stroller and it helps everything stay in place. Highly recommend. 

Item #10: Long sleeve sleep sack: I didn't know how warm or cold it would be in the hotel room so I got these and they were perfect, on cooler nights he had his pajamas and this and then on warmer nights we just put this over his diapers. He honestly slept better like that! 

Item #11: Portable sound machine: Ok the reason I love this sound machine is a)I love the neutral colors and b) it is small and has a lot of great features, 3 different sounds, a light, volume control and a timer. 

Item #12: Bath and bottle cleaning: Ok these ones were some little basics I threw in but they were the perfect size for travel. We love the Burt's Bee's baby shampoo and the  Babyganics  foam bottle cleaner was great for washing the bottles at the end of the day. 

Item #13: Ergobaby Baby Carrier: I've talked about how awesome this carrier is before. I've tried a couple others and this one is the easiest to use, feels the most secure and Luke slept so nicely in both in the airplane and on a hike we did. So comfortable and easy to adjust for baby and parents. 

Item #14: Car Seat Travel Bag: Alright you guys, this one was the BEST thing. First of all, it kept the car seat protected as checked baggage and secondly it left so much extra room, it was like a free suitcase, we threw in extra diapers, wipes and the baby shade tent. So much in one bag and when you are done, it folds up into a tiny pouch. 

Item #15: Cross Jet Travel Stroller: Last, but certainly not least, is the Cross Jet Travel stroller, it has an amazing design and folds up small enough to fit in the overhead compartment. The cross bar also double as a handle and it comes with a travel bag and a rain cover. Big big fan of this stroller and think this is a MUST BUY for travel. I also got the Nuna car seat adapters. 

These products all helped make the first time traveling with our little guy so much easier and I hope it helps you too. Let me know if you have any other favorites I missed on the list!

xoxo,
​Jessica