Travel Tips: Baby Edition

A few months ago, Lee and I decided to take our very first family vacation to Portland!  I’m not going to lie, I was a tad nervous… travelling with a 2 month old in a pandemic would definitely be a task but we were up for the challenge. About a week before we left I took to IG for some advice / tips on travelling with a two month old and as always, ya’ll pulled through so I thought I would pass on the tips that worked for us!

Here are my top tips for travelling with a  baby 4 months and under:

1.)  If you don’t already, order a stroller/ carseat cover. We borrowed a stroller cover from a friend but didn’t for our carseat and the airline ripped ours… soo annoying. They are expensive but I wish we would have just got one to protect our seat! We took the basinnette part of the stroller (doubles as a bed for travel) and the carseat which also goes on top of the stroller.  We used both and I’m happy we took both. The basinnette was not only good for him to sleep in, it was also good on longer adventure days. I don’t like having Dane in the carseat for too long. Having the basinnette allowed him to stretch out and even have some naps while we were out and about adventuring!

Having the carseat was necessary because we rented a car. It was also nice that it clipped into our stroller so when he fell asleep on the drive we could just transfer the carseat onto the stroller and not have to wake him.

Basinnette- great for naps on the go!!

2.) Gate check your stroller and be sure they ACTUALLY do it! We did this on the way there and home. On the way down it was perfect. They give you a tag to put on the outside of your stroller bag. You take your stroller through security (you have to completely empty it) use it all you want, drive it right down to where you get on the plane and then once you’re about to board the plane, fold it up and put it in the bag and hand it to the baggage people. They put it right under the plane and have it waiting and ready for you when you get off the plane. It is SO slick. On the way home however, something happened and we gate checked it but instead of having it ready for us they sent it through to our final destination.. that was a bummer.  My advice, triple check they know you are GATE CHECKING IT, if you have a layover say you want it at the layover, NOT the final destination.

3.) Wear your baby carrying wrap. As per usual, I wore leggings, a tee and a sweater for travel but this time I wore my Beluga Baby wrap under my sweater. This way I didn’t have to worry about putting it on when I needed to put him in it.  I would highly suggest this. This wrap was hands down the most used item we took on our trip. He stayed in it basically the entire flight. I took him out during take off and landing to breast feed (I got mixed messages on this- some people said you were allowed, some said you weren’t. We flew AC the entire trip and they encouraged me to BF on take off and landing)  and then he went right back into the wrap the entire flight. He LOVES it. Didn’t make a peep! Definitely pack your wrap carrier!

As you can see, Dane was in the wrap the majority of the time. The basinnette was still great for holding stuff!

4.) Take your own baby first aid kit and keep it in your carry on. We were fortunate and didn’t have to use it (besides the Gripe Water and Oval) but it is good to bring just in case. (Thermometer, Tylenol, Coryzalia, etc.)

5.) Don’t overpack… I know it sounds cliche but it is so true. You really don’t need that much stuff. I will share our packing list for you to reference to, but trust me when I say even I think it is too long!

Baby Packing List  (4 months and under for one week)

  • 2 sleep sacks
  • 5 pairs of pajamas
  • 10 outfits (try your best to pack items that you can mix and match- that way if they don’t get puked or poo’d on they can be reworn)
  • 5 pairs of socks
  • 7 bibs- we ended up having to wash Dane drools SO much!
  • 7 burp cloths – we also had to wash these… Dane is a big puker too!
  • 2 beanies (black and white)
  • 1 pair of shoes
  • 2 swaddles
  • 1 heavier blanket (fleece)
  • soap + lotion
  • sound machine
  • lovey (stuffed animal)
  • owelet sock + charger
  • 1 package of diapers -you can always buy more when you’re there!
  • 1 package of wipes
  • bum cream
  • stroller with basinnette attachment
  • rain cover for stroller
  • carseat (with cover)
  • Fabric wrap of your choice – I have the Baby Beluga and I love it!
  • breast pump + pumping bra
  • 1 bottle
  • Tylenol
  • Gripe Water
  • Oval
  • Thermometer
  • Vitamin D
  • Iron
  • soothers
  • Haaka
  • Patience- travelling with a child is different. It’s hard, it’s exhausting, but it is SO FUN!

Obviously this would be different for each baby but it is gives you a place to start!

I will leave you with some other great tips I got from ya’ll when I asked on IG:

-“check out the app Mamava – some airports have free pods for breastfeeding/ pumping.” (We did this- Vancouver had one, it was awesome!)
-“pack Dane’s stuff in Ikea organizers- they’re a game changer” – we also did this, worked great!
-“depending on the length of the trip, buy diapers when you get there”
-“TSA will allow liquids and gels for baby”
-“bring change of clothes for YOU and baby on the plane, nothing worse than travelling covered in baby puke”
-“book an aisle and window seat in hopes that no one ill book the middle… the extra space for all the baby stuff is wonderful!”

Check out the rest of the advice and tips in the comment section on this photo!

Safe travels!