THE Important Infant Travel Essentials You Need

We took our infant on a crazy amount of trips when she was little. She was on 30+ flights as a lap child. We would not have survived without these infant travel essentials. I firmly believe that we should do things we love even after our babies are born. Obviously, travel changes when you have a baby, but you can definitely still do it — and enjoy it! 

Of note, we don’t use the “best” or most expensive of any of these items, so these are like the infant travel essentials for normal families. My husband and I both work, we’re not rich by any means, but we love to travel and took our infant on a lot of trips with us.

If you’re looking for a full infant packing list, I have that too!

By “infant” I mean less than 1 year old. If you’re looking for toddler travel essentials, age 1-3, I have those too!

**If an item on the list has a link, you can click it to see what we use personally use and recommend. If you buy something from one of my affiliate links, I do make a little money from it at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog :)**

Infant Travel Essentials Jump To:

Baby Travel Tips

  • Just do it. It feels daunting, and you can’t help but think of all the things that could go wrong But do it anyways. Take the trips.
  • Try to prevent their little ears from hurting by breastfeeding or giving them a bottle or using a pacifier during takeoff and landing on the flight. I used to time breastfeeding for takeoff/landing.
  • Don’t worry about others if your baby is crying uncontrollably. Babies do that. You’re doing your best. Just focus on calming yourself and your baby.
  • Think about your regular day at home with your infant – bring the items you use.
  • Think about where you’re going on your trip – bring extra items that you need for this type of trip. Swimsuit? Warm Clothes? Etc. Buy them ahead of time.
  • Travel with your baby as a lap child. Yes, it sucks to not have somewhere to put them, but it saves you SO much money. Our little one liked being in our laps more anyways.
  • Keep a Packing List on your phone. I use the reminder app on my iPhone. I copy and paste my packing list for every trip and modify the list depending on where we’re going or for how long. Always check the list before you leave the house!
  • Buy secondhand or used items, especially for the big infant travel essentials.
  • Get TSA Precheck. Your kiddo can come with you, you don’t have to remove your shoes, and it gets you through the airport faster.
  • Enjoy it. It’s not all enjoyable. But that’s ok. Enjoy the little things.

Transportation Infant Travel Essentials

Car Seat: We always just brought our regular infant car seat because it wasn’t that heavy/bulky. We knew it was our safest option, and it wasn’t that hard to bring with us. You could buy a travel car seat if you prefer.

Car Seat Bag: If your infant is traveling as a lap child, you will likely have to check your car seat. **Pro Tip: Ask if there are extra seats on the plane and see if you’re able to bring your car seat on with you. It’s nice to have the ability to put your infant down.** We always gate checked our car seat because I read that there’s less of a chance of it getting thrown around. We put the car seat in one of these semi-padded bags.

Carrier: I used a carrier SO frequently while traveling with an infant. It allows your to keep your hands free, and our little one would nap in it. It was super convenient to carry our little one through the airport and came in handy while we were traveling as well.

Stroller (optional): If you think you’ll use it enough on your trip, bring one. If you’re really just going to use it in the airport, use a carrier instead and save yourself the hassle of gate-checking/lugging around a stroller.

Baby travel on Florida Beach

4 months old on her first trip to the ocean/Florida – wildly unenthused by the ocean

Sleep – So Important!

Sleep is so important when you’re traveling! For everyone! I hope these items help.

Pack n Play: They sell different travel cribs, but pack n plays seem to be the most popular. We always used one. They are big and heavy, so if you can find accommodations that offer portable cribs, do that. Don’t forget to bring pack n play sheets!

White Noise Machine: If you use one at home all the time, bring one with you. Sometimes the white noise is more helpful to me than our little one.

Monitor (optional): Bring one that doesn’t require wifi if you don’t know how your internet will be when you travel. Our little one was never a great sleeper, so we liked being able to see what she was up to. This isn’t essential for everyone, though.

Slumber Pod: This isn’t necessary when your infant is really little and can fall asleep anywhere. But once they’re aware of their surroundings, this is the besttttt travel item. It’s a little expensive but SO worth it. It’s a breathable, dark tent that goes over your pack n play. It’s helpful to keep your kiddo’s sleep area dark, and it keeps them from being able to see you in the same room as them if they wake.

Bathroom Infant Travel Essentials

Diapers: Do not run out of diapers. Bring extra or plan to buy some while you’re traveling.

Baby Wipes: Oh how I love baby wipes. They help with spit up, wiping their booties, and more.

Diaper Cream: I feel like our infant always had a higher chance of getting diaper rash while traveling because we didn’t have the opportunity to change her diaper as frequently.

Eating Infant Travel Essentials

Eating and infants varies person to person. And there aren’t a ton of “travel” items we used. A lot of “ifs” in this section.

  • If you’re breastfeeding and don’t plan on pumping at all, you’re good! All you need are your boobs. (And a nursing cover only if it makes you feel more comfortable.)
  • If you plan on pumping at all, bring a travel cooler and ice pack, breastmilk bags, your regular breast pump or a lightweight manual pump, your bottles, and cleaning wipes.
  • If you’re using formula, bring your usual formula, usual bottles, and something to warm it if that’s what your baby prefers.
  • Whether you’re pumping or doing formula, I recommend bringing some sanitizing bags. You put your pump parts/bottles in, add water, then pop them in the microwave. You can use them quite a few times and are super helpful when traveling. 

Baby Travel Essentials

Did I miss any infant travel essentials? Hopefully this list helps you travel more easily with your little one! If you have any specific infant travel questions, I’m happy to answer them. Just shoot me an email [email protected].

Happy Travel!!

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