Last Updated on January 21, 2023 by admin
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 the right 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 tried 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. Whether you’re preparing for your first trip with a baby, or whether you’re a seasoned family traveler, we have compiled our list of the best baby travel products.
We know it can be overwhelming to search for the best stroller, car seat, and crib. (Creating a baby registry was exhausting!) I remember being overwhelmed as I looked through the lists of options. We hope to save you time, because we’ve personally used all these baby travel items for our own travels. 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 many times as well. Whether you’re planning a domestic or international trip, you can prepare for a great trip with the right products!
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com. These sales help to run this blog without any additional cost to you. See our policy page for details. 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
If we could only recommend one baby travel product, it would be the Doona stroller! This is a stroller that also doubles as a car seat, which will save you so much time and energy. You won’t have to lug both a carseat and a stroller through the airport and around your destination. It’s seriously life changing. We tell everyone we know that’s expecting a baby to go get one.
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! You can purchase it here.
TIP: I recommend checking the SkyScanner website to help search for the best airfare prices for your dates of travel.
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. You can purchase it here.
| See our post on the best tips for taking a baby or a toddler on a road trip! |
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!) You can purchase the Ergo 360 here and the infant insert here.
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! You can purchase the product here.
We wrote a full post reviewing the Flyaway Kids Bed here. 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 here on Amazon. Or 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 similar product 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 here on Amazon. Or you can purchase it on their website and use my code WRITETRAVEL10 for a discount on a single product!
7. White Noise Machine
We use a white noise machine to help our baby fall asleep both at home and while traveling. We like this white noise machine because it’s small, compact, and is easy to charge. Because our daughter was sleep-trained with this noise, she found it very soothing. We would easily turn it on in the car for road trips, or use it at the hotel. You can purchase it here.
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. You can purchase them here.
9. Silicone Bibs
These bibs are so helpful for meals out at restaurants. They’re easy to wipe down and clean, so you only need to bring one with you for your travels. (Instead of packing a bunch of cloth ones that you’ll need to wash to use again.) We use them at home too! We’ve used them for hundreds of meals, and we’ve had no issues with them. You can purchase them here.
10. Jogging Stroller
We recommend a jogging stroller only if you’re planning on using trails or roads that are unpaved, such as crushed gravel. For cities, we definitely prefer using the Doona. But if we’re out on the trails, like at Zion National Park, we prefer to use the Thule Urban Glide. This jogger has been so easy and convenient. We use it for exercise, but we’ve also taken it with us when we’ve traveled. (We even had one passerby stop us and call it the Cadillac of strollers!) 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! You can purchase it here.
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. You can purchase it here.
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.
I highly recommend this product. You can purchase the vest directly here through their website, or here on Amazon.
To see our full review of the RideSafer Travel Vest, click here.
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!
If you enjoyed this article, you might also be interested in the following articles:
- How to Complete a Road Trip with a Toddler (Without Screen Time!)
- Best Hikes at Zion National Park that are Stroller-Friendly
- Bryce Canyon with a Toddler or a Baby
- Grand Canyon with a Toddler or a Baby
- Hiking Delicate Arch with a Baby
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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.
seems like a good list for those who plan to travel with their babies. 🙂
Travel looks different now, but totally worth it! 🙂
It has been a long while since we needed baby travel products. And hopefully still some time before grandkids make us look for them again. But I do remember the days of travelling with a portable crib so that nap time was easy. The snooze shade is a great idea!
We are really excited to use it for an upcoming road trip! We will be changing hotels nightly while we travel, so I’m hoping that it will help her keep her same sleep schedule. (We have been lucky in that she sleeps 12 hours each night!)
The travel crib / play pen looks perfect especially being so light. I used to work in activity centres and beach resorts where the shaded area would be busy quick and when you have a baby you really need that little bit of shade for them and space too.
That’s awesome! Yes, it really made it convenient to go to the pool (even for an hour), without feeling like it would be a big ordeal!
We didn’t travel much when our children were babies, but if we had some of these products, maybe we would have considered it. I love the packing cubes for our clothing, so I can see how it would make finding the tiny clothes in your suitcase much easier.
Yes! We are excited to start traveling again now that it is getting safer. We loved traveling with a baby, and now we are excited to travel with a toddler!
This is a nice list. However, when my daughter was a toddler and I took her for six months to Belize, we hardly had anything baby-suited with us – just the stroller. The trip actually showed me how little special stuff you really need 😉
Yes, I think the important thing is to just go and do it! Our top priorities were safety (carseat + sleeping space), and after that, everything else is just a bonus 🙂
Seems like a very useful and concise list!
Thank you!
That’s a really cool and useful list for anyone travelling with toddlers! The travel crib looks so comfy, would sneak into it myself if it were my size haha! Never heard of the white noise machine, sounds interesting.
Thanks! The white noise machine is awesome… keeps the baby from waking up from small sounds. (Actually it’s been really helpful for us in hotels so we get better sleep too!)