Product Spotlight: Travel Accessories

iiirene

S(+)TMs: What are your must-have items and accessories for traveling with baby (whether it’s by car, plane, train, two-person rowboat, or spaceship)? Any particular brands hold up better than others? Any questions?

FTMs: What travel items are you considering getting/putting on your registry? Any questions?

etnyah

S(+)TMs: What are your must-have items and accessories for traveling with baby (whether it’s by car, plane, train, two-person rowboat, or spaceship)? Any particular brands hold up better than others? Any questions?

So we haven’t traveled as much as we wanted to (thanks, Covid) but we did he long-haul flight from Seattle to Oslo. And we ended up having an emergency landing and were stranded in Canada for two days, fun trip. Anyway, I don’t know about specific travel gear, but if you’re going to be on a long flight (ours would have been 13 hours with a layover in between), book that baby their own seat and bring the car seat onboard. For short flights it’s nice to save money and just keep baby on your lap, but I wouldn’t do that for a long haul flight.

And bring more diapers, wipes and clean clothes than you think you’ll need. And empty ziploc bags. My son ended up having a major blowout during takeoff and he just had to sit in it until the fasten seatbelt sign turned off. It was a disaster. I’m so glad we had extra of everything, we used an entire packet of wipes just for that.

scaredunprepared

I agree with @etnyah, bring more diapers and wipes and clothes than you think! Blowouts happen in the most inconvenient times/places.

We use our pack n play all the time when traveling. My 4 year old still likes to sleep in one even though she is too big lol. We also have a portable sound machine that is an absolute necessity for us. Also highly recommend some kind of pop up portable high chair. 

etnyah

@scaredunprepared oh yes definitely sound machine. We have a pack n play too, but we stopped bringing it early on because my son hated it. We ended up cosleeping, which definitely saved some packing space in the car. Maybe new baby will like it more!

iiirene

We typically take my son to see his grandparents at least twice a year on a 3.5-4 hour flight. Bringing the car seat onboard was a game changer. We bought a cheap, lightweight one from Walmart for travel. I have been in the situation we’re we didn’t have enough diapers and ran out and of course my son pooped so yeah, more diapers than you think you need. 
I also prefer to baby wear through the airport rather than use a stroller. But we can also let him ride in the car seat strapped to a suitcase 

We formula fed so I travel formula dispenser with premeasured dry formula was great for us. 

We eventually bought a sound machine for my moms house, an audio monitor, and he also has his own bed, pack and play, diapers and wipes at her house too. We have a mini version of the hatch for when we travel elsewhere. 

nsk489

Agree with others that you should definitely pack more diapers than you think you may need.
We mainly use cloth diapers but use disposable for travel. However I like to bring a couple diaper covers and will put one over the disposable diaper, to help contain any leaks or blowouts that might happen!
Change of clothes for baby AND you. And some sort of wetbag (or plastic bag) to put dirty or wet things in).
I like to keep a pack of toy/table wipes in my diaper bag, to wipe down airplane trays, pacifier that falls on the floor, etc. (https://www.target.com/p/babyganics-toy-and-table-wipes-25ct/-/A-79186156)
Small toys that don't take up too much room....these have been a big hit with my son. You can put them on the airplane tray or window (3PCS Suction cup spinner toys for 1 2 Year old boys|Spinning top baby toys 12-18 months|First birthday baby gifts for 1 Year old girls|Sensory toys for toddlers 1-3 https://a.co/d/6dXIzXw)

Most of the time when we travel, it is to visit family so I try to lighten my load a bit by sending some things to their house ahead of time so I don't have to pack it all (ex. Box of diapers, food pouches). They also have a crib or pack and play for us to use, as well as high chair (either full size or small portable one). I've also had good luck with renting stuff on babyquip.com if I need something my family doesn't have!

Also I totally agree about booking baby their own seat!! We didn't do it this time for Christmas and I am already regretting it 😆