Packing Tips for Travelling with a Baby/Toddler
- minna
- Oct 23, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
For many parents, myself included, packing can be one of the most stressful parts of travelling. How can you possible fit everything your child might need in a whole holiday into a single suitcase!?
Before my daughter turned 3 she has been to 18 different countries and she has been on 47 flights so in my experience, you generally need less than you think! The first thing to think about is if you actually need it or if it is one of those "what if" items. After all, the more you bring the more you have to carry!
Exactly what you will need to bring will obviously depend on where you are going/your child’s age and needs etc, but here are a few tips on how to optimise packing for your next holiday. I have also included a travel check list which can be downloaded further down.
Book self-catered apartments
I much prefer staying in an apartment/AirBnB rather than a hotel when travelling, especially since I started travelling with my daughter. Having access to a kitchen and washing machine means you can prepare your own food and do laundry every other day (if you’re going to a hot destination it will dry in no time in the sun!). I always make sure to have access to a washing machine at least once or twice during our trip – that way you only need to bring enough clothes for a couple of days (which helps with packing your own clothes too!).
These give you flexibility and allow you to explore more authentic locations. It's meant that we've been able to stay in lodges in the woods, right by the seafront and even once at a llama farm!
Go easy on the toys
You might think you need to bring all their favourite toys to keep them entertained, but young children will happily play with almost anything you give them. For babies I bring a busy board for the plane, a couple of books and maybe one or two small toys that can easily fit in the nappy bag (and in fairness she rarely even plays with these!) whereas for toddlers I'll go for activity books and sticker books to keep them entertained.
We try and minimise screen time and this is often a last resort but there is no escaping that a tablet/phone loaded with downloaded movies, shows, and educational apps can be a lifesaver for longer stretches. Miss Rachel is now on Netflix, which makes life so much easier - don't forget to bring toddler headphones!
Make use of the pram/car seat/cot bag
Most airlines will allow you two pieces of checked luggage per child (pram, cot or car seat) and this is a great way to smuggle in some extra clothes or a pack of nappies, especially if you are travelling with no checked luggage! We have an extra large pram bag for our travel pram, which means even if we bring a bigger pram, there is still room to pack a few extra things! We are using this one.
Buy things at your destination
Unless you are travelling into the desert or to a remote island, chances are you will have access to a supermarket and at least some basic shops. Though brands and products might be different from ones you are used to, most things will be accessible (remember people have children literally everywhere!). That said, if your child has any specific allergies or dietary requirements, it might be worth bringing things you know they can eat as more specific items can be difficult to find in some places (our daughter had an egg allergy when she was younger, so we would always bring extra baby food just in case).
Consider leaving the cot/car seat at home
A lot of hotels and apartments offer cots, and car rentals usually have an option to rent a car seat, so you might want to consider leaving those at home. It is also worth noting that in the UK, children under the age of 3 can travel without a car seat in a licensed taxi or mini cab, so you are actually allowed to ride with your baby/child on your lap to and from the airport, if this is something that you feel comfortable with. (For more information, go to gov.uk.)
If you don't want to bring your own but want to have a reliable car seat from someone you can trust I would recommend you checking out Babonbo where you can hire baby & toddler gear directly from locals who deliver it directly to you!
Make the most of the liquid allowance
The normal liquid allowance of max 100ml does not apply to baby food and drink and you can actually bring A LOT – for reference, we usually bring 1-2 litres of long life milk for the plane, as well as water and, when she was younger, baby food in both pouches and jars (sometimes 7 or 8 pouches!). It does however mean it will take a bit longer for you to get through security as they need to check every item individually, but it’s worth it. Allowances may vary for different airports, so make sure to check the airport's policy on liquids for babies before flying.
Put emergency nappies in every bag
This one is definitely from experience – on a flight a few months back, we were kindly allowed to check in our hand luggage to make it easier on our trip. What we forgot to check was where we had put the nappies for the flight – turns out they were all in one of the bags we checked in. The minute we were in the air, my daughter desperately needed a nappy change and we knew it would be at least 2-3 more hours before we were on the ground with our luggage handy. Luckily, there was a very kind parent on the flight that gave us a nappy (and a couple of spare ones!), but we definitely learnt our lesson and we now always have at least one or two nappies in each bag!
My top five things to bring on holiday
Ear defenders - these can help with the pressure during take-off and landing (we used these ones when she was younger which was handy as they strap around the head - now that she is a bit bigger we use these ones suitable from around 2 years)
Busy board/sticker book - these will keep my toddler entertained for the main part of the flight, and almost takes up no space - this busy board from Hooku she's had for over a year now and she still loves it
Pop-up beach tent for hot destinations - if you're going on a beach holiday I would really recommend bringing one of these to create a bit of shade for your child (this is a good one to sneak into your pram bag!)
Baby carrier (for babies/younger children) - this means you are handsfree which makes a massive difference, especially when moving through airport security/boarding etc. We used the Ergobaby Omni 360 when she was younger and now from the age of 2 we used the Izmi Adventure Breeze Toddler Carrier which is perfect up to 32kg. This has been on a 13hr return hike with us so we can vouch that it is extremely comfortable - use the code TTD10 for 10% off.
Grandparents – only half joking with this one, having an extra pair of hands makes a HUGE difference (you might even get one or two date nights out of it!)
