The Best Baby Travel Items (We’ve Personally Tested Them All!)
Last Updated on April 29, 2024 by Kelly
Welcome to the world of traveling with a baby! We’ve found that travel has only gotten better since our daughter was born. We travel more intentionally, often spending more time in one location than we would have done before kids. This has allowed us to really deepen our connection to a place, instead of seeing the main sights and moving on. One thing that we’ve learned is that having the right baby travel products can really help alleviate a lot of stress while traveling. That’s why we’re sharing our list of the best baby travel items. Each of these products we’ve personally tested ourselves, so we feel confident in recommending them to others.
There’s no getting around the fact that we need to carry more things around when we travel, but the products that help our baby sleep better and are easy to use have really made a difference for us.
We have a lot of experience traveling with our little one. We drove 3,590 miles with our toddler on our last road trip, and we’ve flown with her domestically and internationally as well. Here’s our favorite items!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. The SnoozeShade products, FlyAway Kids Bed, RideSafer Vest, and Phil&Teds Travel Crib were gifted to us in exchange for an honest review.
The Best Baby Travel Items
1. Doona Stroller and Carseat
The Doona is super easy to use. With the push of one button, the wheels extend, and you have a stroller ready to go. It’s approved for air travel or you can check it at the gate (which is what we did).
One of the best aspects of this product is that there’s no need to take the baby out while you’re switching from the stroller mode to carseat mode. If the baby is sleeping, there’s no need to wake the baby up and unbuckle them to transfer to a stroller. You just push the button and the wheels extend.
If you’re using public transportation, it’s super easy to install in a vehicle. When we spent two weeks in San Diego with our 6-month-old daughter, we were able to easily install the Doona in a taxi, Uber, or Lyft.
Another bonus is that this product saves space. If you’re going on a road trip, there’s no need to pack a stroller in the trunk, because it doubles as the carseat. (Hello trunk space!)
Another thing we loved about this stroller is its small turn radius. It was perfect for being in the city or navigating crowded markets.
The only downsides we can see to this product is that it’s a little heavier than some other carseats. However, that was hardly an issue because we never had to carry it around. We’d always release the wheels and use it as a stroller if it wasn’t in the car.
We highly recommend purchasing the Doona if you’re planning on traveling with a baby. It made such a big difference for our trips!
2. Phil&Teds Travel Crib
The second key item you’ll need when traveling is a travel crib. The advantage of having your own travel crib is that you won’t need to rely on hotels having them available, and you won’t need to worry if they are clean. When you bring your own travel crib, you also have the advantage that your baby is familiar with their sleep setting, which might make it easier for them to fall asleep. (And that would be totally worth it in-and-of itself!)
We were gifted the travel crib from Phil&Teds, and it’s been one of our favorite products. It weighs less than 7 pounds, so we were able to pack it inside our checked luggage for our flights. And on road trips, it was very easy to pack it in the car. We really appreciated that it was light enough to comfortably carry it into hotel rooms, up stairs, and across large properties.
Because this travel crib is so light, we were also able to easily carry it around the hotel. If we felt like heading to the pool, we could carry it down to the pool and our daughter would use it as a playpen.
This has been another one of our very favorite travel products.
3. Ergobaby 360 Baby Carrier
Baby-wearing is just the best for traveling. It’s so easy to move around, and you get to snuggle with your baby all day. If you’re traveling, you will likely be on your feet a lot. Make sure that you have a good product that feels comfortable for you and the baby. We loved the Ergobaby 360 because it was easy to use (no complicated wraps!) and super comfortable. If you have a newborn, be sure to purchase the infant insert so you can use it for a younger baby. We used our Ergo 360 on hikes, at Disney, and exploring cities. (If you have a standing desk at home, it’s also a great way to be able to work hands-free!)
4. Flyaway Kids Bed
If you’re taking your child on a long flight, you’ll definitely want them to sleep comfortably. They’ll be more well-rested when you land at your destination, and you’ll need to entertain them for less time while on the plane. Any product that helps facilitate that process is worth its weight in gold in our opinion!
The Flyaway Kids Bed inflates quickly and is accepted on dozens of airline carriers. It transforms the seat into a comfortable bed for young children. (It also keeps toys from falling down on the floor!) It satisfies the International Air Transport Association’s guidelines for inflight comfort devices.
We can’t recommend this kids bed enough! We used this bed on a 10-hour red-eye flight, and our daughter was thankfully able to sleep for awhile during the flight. Our 3-year-old was just starting to get a little too big for the bed, although she fit on it when she curled up a bit. We think this bed would be perfect for young toddlers!
We wrote a full post reviewing the Flyaway Kids Bed if you’d like more information. Be sure to check it out!
5. SnoozeShade Crib Canopy
This is the product we wish we would have had from the beginning. It’s helped our daughter sleep so much better when we travel! Before we had the SnoozeShade, we’d put our daughter to bed in her crib and she would be too distracted by a new hotel room (and our presence) to fall asleep. This canopy covers the crib so it’s dark and distraction-free. (This is especially helpful when staying in a hotel room and there are no other bedrooms!) Once we started using it, our daughter would fall asleep a lot faster. That meant that we all got better rest and we had more energy to spend enjoying our destination. This is easily one of the best baby travel products! We were gifted the SnoozeShade. You can purchase it on the SnoozeShade website and use my code WRITETRAVEL10 for a discount on a single product!
6. SnoozeShade Stroller Canopy
Thankfully SnoozeShade also gifted us a SnoozeShade for strollers. It fits over most strollers, and it protects from up to 99% of UV rays. We used this product all the time while we were visiting Arizona and Utah. We had a trip planned to visit several national parks, and we wanted to make sure that we could keep our daughter safe from sun exposure. This product helped us to feel a lot better because we always had a safe place from the sun with us. We just snapped it on over the stroller and it provided instant shade.
We also really liked this product because it helped us have naps on the go. We knew that on some days we wouldn’t be able to make it back to the hotel midday for a nap. This product kept the stroller nice and dark, which helped our daughter fall asleep more easily. You can purchase it on the Snoozeshade website and use my code WRITETRAVEL10 for a discount on a single product!
7. White Noise Machine
8. Packing Cubes
We never used packing cubes until we had a baby. Using packing cubes was such a game changer. Baby clothes are small, and the last thing you want to do is dig through your entire suitcase trying to find a missing sock or onesie. We put all of our daughter’s clothes in one cube, and it made it so much easier to find her outfits.
9. Silicone Bibs
10. Jogging Stroller
We’ve logged hundreds of miles on our Thule, and it’s in great shape. If you’re a runner, we highly recommend this stroller! The one downside is that it is bulky. If you’re tight on space, you might want to consider an alternative. But if you have the space and plan on spending a lot of time out on trails, this is an excellent stroller!
11. New Toys
We also really like using the Melissa & Doug Water WOW books! The water pen is easy to use and you don’t have to worry about making a mess.
12. Hiking Baby Carrier
If you’re a hiker, you’ll definitely need a child carrier. We used the Ergo when our daughter was young, and then switched to the ClevrPlus model when she was a toddler. We’ve gone on several hikes using this product. We like that it has a sun shade and rain flap. There’s a surprising amount of storage as well to carry water bottles, wipes, and diapers. Just be cautious when loading your child in and out of it. It’s possible for a toddler to tip it over if they push against something. We carried our daughter up to Delicate Arch using this carrier, and we found it to be easy to use and comfortable.
13. WAYB Pico Travel Car Seat
The WAYB Pico Travel Car Seat is the perfect travel car seat for toddlers. We purchased this car seat for our trip to Hawaii. What we like best about this car seat is that it’s super lightweight. It weighs just 8 pounds! It folds up as well, so it’s not super bulky. We think this is well worth it! We now use it as a spare carseat for my parents’ car, so we definitely get a lot of use out of it.
14. RideSafer Vest
Once your child is 3-years-old or older (and meets the height/weight requirements), we highly recommend getting the RideSafer Vest. Instead of lugging around a heavy carseat for car safety, we just needed to pack this vest. The most important thing to consider is safety. At the time of this writing, this product meets or exceeds all crash test requirements and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for harness restraints (FMVSS213). If you’re like me, you’ll want to do your research and read all about the safety certifications. Be sure to check out the RideSafer website for full details, videos, and reviews!
This is a game-changing product, and we’re so glad we got one for our trip to Europe! The vest packed up very small, so we were able to pack it in our carry-on. My favorite thing about the RideSafer vest is that we could put it on before entering a vehicle. This was perfect for taxi lines. While we were waiting, we would put on the vest. Once the taxi arrived, it was very simple to connect the harness to the seatbelt.
Check out our full review of the RideSafer Travel Vest.
Summary
We hope this post was helpful in finding the best baby travel products that will help you have a hassle-free and stress-free trip!
Disclaimer: We always strive for content accuracy. Since the time of publishing, travel-related information regarding pricing, schedules, and hours may have changed. Please look up such information directly from each vendor or institution for the most current information.
