What I packed to travel alone with my 9 month old to NYC for 3 days in December.
Check out our companion post on what to pack for a toddler here to see how packing has changed as our daughter has gotten older!
Download our handy packing checklist here!
If you want to read about what to pack in your carry on for a baby under 6 months, check it out here and if you're interested in what to pack in your carry on for an older baby or toddler, check it out here!
Heading on vacation with your infant and wondering what to pack? If I could give you just one tip it would be this: less is more. First off, luggage fees are expensive and there is a weight limit for each bag that you check. Not to mention that the more you pack the more you have to keep track of when you are away from home. Think about how you will negotiate transporting your bags from one location to another, especially if you are using public transit or taking trains/ferries. Finally, consider whether you can purchase some things like diapers, wipes and baby food at your destination and whether you will have access to laundry at your accommodations.
When we were a family of 3 (two adults and a lap infant) we packed one piece of checked luggage which contained:
Clothing: packed in my beloved packing cubes. The cubes keep clothing contained and organized and make it easy to keep track of what is clean and what is dirty. We typically pack 1-2 cubes each and bring 1 extra to put dirty clothing in.
When packing for yourself, be practical. Consider clothing that will be the functional and comfortable especially if you are breast feeding or intend on babywearing. Remember a light jacket, hat, bathing suit and bathing suit cover and any other personal items you think you might need.
For my daughter I pack:
Download our handy packing checklist here!
If you want to read about what to pack in your carry on for a baby under 6 months, check it out here and if you're interested in what to pack in your carry on for an older baby or toddler, check it out here!
Heading on vacation with your infant and wondering what to pack? If I could give you just one tip it would be this: less is more. First off, luggage fees are expensive and there is a weight limit for each bag that you check. Not to mention that the more you pack the more you have to keep track of when you are away from home. Think about how you will negotiate transporting your bags from one location to another, especially if you are using public transit or taking trains/ferries. Finally, consider whether you can purchase some things like diapers, wipes and baby food at your destination and whether you will have access to laundry at your accommodations.
When we were a family of 3 (two adults and a lap infant) we packed one piece of checked luggage which contained:
Clothing: packed in my beloved packing cubes. The cubes keep clothing contained and organized and make it easy to keep track of what is clean and what is dirty. We typically pack 1-2 cubes each and bring 1 extra to put dirty clothing in.
When packing for yourself, be practical. Consider clothing that will be the functional and comfortable especially if you are breast feeding or intend on babywearing. Remember a light jacket, hat, bathing suit and bathing suit cover and any other personal items you think you might need.
For my daughter I pack:
- Tops and bottoms. I typically pack about 1 outfit for every day we are away. I try to pack items that mix and match and layer easily so that if a couple items get dirty, I still have lots of other potential outfits. The good news is that baby clothes don’t take up a ton of space!
- 1 jacket
- 1 sleeper for every 2 nights
- 2 reuseable swim diapers and 2 swim suits
- 1 sun hat
- 1-2 pair of shoes – if your little one isn’t walking think about going barefoot! We opted not to bring any socks or shoes/sandals to Greece and wore footed pjs on the plane to keep warm.
- ziploc bags. I usually stuff a few in the front of her packing cube to contain any yucky clothes that I can't wash right away.
Sleeping supplies: If you are staying in a hotel, call in advance and make sure that they can guarantee you will have access to a crib and bedding. If they can’t guarantee it, you’re best to bring your own. If you are renting a car or staying in one spot for your entire trip, think about bringing a pack and play or travel crib. If you are backpacking, traveling around by public transit from one city to another, or don’t want to pay for an extra piece of luggage, consider a collapsible option like the kidco pea pod. We used it in Greece both for sleeping and for a spot to lay the baby down in at the beach and it worked great! Other things to pack:
Toys: Remember that the novelty of travel means that you don’t need as many toys as you might need at home. Odds and ends that you find around the plane, your accommodations or at the restaurant can entertain your little one for quite a while. Also, never underestimate the power of people watching! That being said, here are a few things you might think about packing when you're traveling with an infant:
- Sound machine
- Pacifier and pacifier clip
- receiving blanket(s)
- swaddles
- anything else your little one needs to fall asleep. If there is something that your child can’t possibly live without make sure you pack extras!
Toys: Remember that the novelty of travel means that you don’t need as many toys as you might need at home. Odds and ends that you find around the plane, your accommodations or at the restaurant can entertain your little one for quite a while. Also, never underestimate the power of people watching! That being said, here are a few things you might think about packing when you're traveling with an infant:
- Board book: a favourite board book is small and easy to pack and will go a long way, especially if it’s part of your bed time routine.
- Teething toy: if your little one is teething it might be worth bringing something for them to chomp on. Remember to invest in a toy leash if you don’t want your toy to get thrown out of the stroller!
- One or two age appropriate multi functional toys: We typically choose 1-2 toys that we know our little one likes and will keep their interest for a while. We pack one in our carry on and one in our luggage.
Bathroom Bag:
First Aid Kit: These are items that we have in our first aid kit, but they might not be right for you. Make sure to consult with your physician and paediatrician to determine what medications are right for your family. Make a note of the appropriate dosage for your children on the side of the medication container and remember to bring a dosing syringe.
- Personal items (makeup, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor etc.)
- Travel sized containers of baby shampoo, baby lotion, shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. Sealed in a Ziploc bag to prevent spills!
- Sunscreen
First Aid Kit: These are items that we have in our first aid kit, but they might not be right for you. Make sure to consult with your physician and paediatrician to determine what medications are right for your family. Make a note of the appropriate dosage for your children on the side of the medication container and remember to bring a dosing syringe.
- Nail clippers
- Tweezers
- Band aids
- Thermometer
- Prescription medications labelled and in their original containers
- Over the counter medication for adults and children as appropriate. We typically include an anti-diarrheal, fever reducer, pain reliever, and anti nausea
- Rehydration tablets
Miscellaneous: These are items that aren't necessary, but are multi-functional and that we have found useful.
Things that are packed elsewhere:
Feeding supplies: We exclusively breastfed and then did baby led weaning mixed with purees in the form of pouches. This meant that we had very little need for feeding accessories. All of our gear for feeding (bibs, reusable snack container, a spoon and fork etc.) was packed in our carry on.
Stroller: We love our mountain buggy nano! It’s compact, light, has a large basket and sunshade and reclines for sleeping. We purchased the weather pack which came with a sunshade and rain cover and a stroller organizer. All of it fit within the stroller bag so nothing had to go in our luggage. We typically gate check our stroller or bring it on board to put in the overhead compartment.
Electronics and Chargers: We have a small zip up folder where we store all of our chargers for our electronics and camera. We also keep an extra camera card and batteries in here.
Important Documents: We typically save as many documents as we can electronically, but we also carry a small folder where we have hard copies of important reservation information, our passports, nexus cards, our drivers licences, a copy of our medical insurance information, and a pen.
Carry on Contents: Think we’ve missed a critical item? Chances are it’s packed in our carry ons.
And there you have it! It usually all fits and our issue is typically weight as opposed to actual space. We have a small portable scale to weigh our luggage so that we aren't scrambling when we get to the airport. Knowing that our bag is the appropriate weight and being able to pare down our luggage at home if need be takes away some of the stress of the check in process at the airport!
- Monkey mat: packs up small and can be used as a picnic blanket, a beach blanket or a clean place to sit in a public place. The downside is that it is really light which means it needs to be weighed down on all four corners if it is windy
- Muslin blanket: can create shade, be a light blanket for cool evenings, or a nursing cover
- Bandana bibs: this was necessary for us since our baby was a chronic spitter upper. We had 3-4 bibs that helped preserve her outfits from getting excessively wet and smelly. If you have a drooly baby you might find them helpful as well!
- Beach tent: a pop up tent like this is compact and light and will provide you with some shade at the beach and a place for kids to nap in (you can always hope!)
- Beach towel: check to see whether your accommodations will provide beach towels (both our airbnb's in Hawaii did!) or whether there is a convenient place to purchase them at your destination. If not, consider sharing one between the adults and bringing a small hooded towel for your baby to save space.
- Deck of cards: small and compact and hours of fun!
Things that are packed elsewhere:
Feeding supplies: We exclusively breastfed and then did baby led weaning mixed with purees in the form of pouches. This meant that we had very little need for feeding accessories. All of our gear for feeding (bibs, reusable snack container, a spoon and fork etc.) was packed in our carry on.
Stroller: We love our mountain buggy nano! It’s compact, light, has a large basket and sunshade and reclines for sleeping. We purchased the weather pack which came with a sunshade and rain cover and a stroller organizer. All of it fit within the stroller bag so nothing had to go in our luggage. We typically gate check our stroller or bring it on board to put in the overhead compartment.
Electronics and Chargers: We have a small zip up folder where we store all of our chargers for our electronics and camera. We also keep an extra camera card and batteries in here.
Important Documents: We typically save as many documents as we can electronically, but we also carry a small folder where we have hard copies of important reservation information, our passports, nexus cards, our drivers licences, a copy of our medical insurance information, and a pen.
Carry on Contents: Think we’ve missed a critical item? Chances are it’s packed in our carry ons.
And there you have it! It usually all fits and our issue is typically weight as opposed to actual space. We have a small portable scale to weigh our luggage so that we aren't scrambling when we get to the airport. Knowing that our bag is the appropriate weight and being able to pare down our luggage at home if need be takes away some of the stress of the check in process at the airport!