Summary of Tips for Traveling with a Baby
You’d better make room in the suitcase for more than just toys.
Fact checked by Elizabeth MacLennan
When my husband and I brought our nine-month-old son on a weekend getaway to a mountain cabin, we planned and packed to a level that would challenge a military operation. Yet, two days into what was supposed to be a four-day trip, we packed it all up and went home.
Nothing was going right. Our son was up in the night, seemed to have an upset stomach, and was generally cranky.
When traveling with a baby, people seem to focus a lot on the act of “getting there,” as we did, by focusing on surviving the plane ride or car trip. However, just as hard, if not harder, can be the “being there” — when you want your baby to sleep and be happy so you can enjoy the vacation.
1. Put the Baby in the Bathroom (Yes, Really)
“Our kids are epic sleepers because we stick with routine as much as possible at bedtime, and a key to that is never letting the baby in particular sleep in the same room as us, and having it dark,” said Kate Emmanuelidis, who has two girls. “So a key thing we do is make sure the bathroom we get is big enough to accommodate a pack ‘n play or travel crib, and we sleep the baby in there, with a white noise machine turned on loud. It works like a charm and they both still sleep 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on vacation or wherever we might go! Just have to be quiet and not flush while peeing in the night — trust me though, it’s worth it!”
2. Bring Your Own Blackout Shades
“If you’re staying in an Airbnb, or the baby has his own room, bring blackout shades,” said Sarah Shtutin, who has three young kids.
“They’re a lifesaver,” she said. “Very cheap paper ones, easy to put up and take down. We have put them up in an Airbnb or at friends and family homes to help our kids sleep on time even if it’s light outside and sleep in if we were out late. Sometimes we leave the shades there and people have said subsequent guests have appreciated them.”
3. Keep Milk Cold
In some supermarkets you can find shelf-stable milk in small bottles, but vacation destinations don’t always have grocery stores comprehensive enough for such a specialty item. If that’s the case and your room doesn’t have a fridge — it happens, even when it’s advertised as having one — you can often request one for a medical purpose free of charge. If that doesn’t work, use the ice bucket to keep bottles cold.
4. Stick to the Routine
Emmanuelidis said her family brings all of their kids’ things from home — sleep sacks, favorite pajamas, stuffed animals — and follows their regular bedtime routine while traveling.
“The closer you can stick to the home bedtime routine, even a quick version, the better they will acclimate,” she said.
Putting the kids to bed at their usual bedtime also ensures you, the parents, get some time to yourselves on vacation and makes it easier to readapt to life at home.
5. Don’t Always Adjust to a New Time Zone
When traveling east, say to Europe, Emmanuelidis and her husband change their daughters’ bedtime to 10 p.m. local time instead of their 7 p.m. bedtime at home. However, that method becomes a problem when they want to go west. They tried the method once and their daughter slept from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. “Never again,” said Emmanuelidis.
For Jamay Lau and her two young kids, she said it’s not worth trying to adjust to a new time zone for a short trip.
On a longer trip, “one way to help them adjust more quickly is to wake them up at 7 a.m. or whenever they usually wake up at home to force them into the new schedule,” she said.
6. Know Your Method for Sterilizing on the Road
If your hotel or Airbnb has a kitchen, you won’t have a problem. However, if you have little more to work with than a kettle, coffeepot, or microwave, sterilizing bottles and pacifiers can get tricky. Firstly, it helps to pack a travel-sized bottle of dishwashing soap so you can sterilize anywhere you go. Now, in a hotel room that has only a kettle, boil water (bottled water if you’re in a country where the tap water isn’t safe to drink) to clean the bathroom sink and sink stopper with. Once the sink is sterilized, boil another kettle full of water and use it to fill the sink with hot, soapy water. Proceed to clean bottles and pacifiers as you would at home.
If you don’t have access to a kettle, you can use disposable sterilizing bags for the microwave — you’ll probably have to purchase these in advance and bring them with you, though.
7. Pack Wisely
“There’s so much stuff to bring when traveling with a baby,” said Lau. “We always have to bring a stash of toys and books, and when they were younger we used to bring my breast pump, Ziplock bags of bottles, special baby plates, bowls, utensils, cups, snacks, and bibs for eating.”
Shtutin said she tries to bring as little of the bulky stuff as possible. “Ask the Airbnb if they have a pack ‘n play; some might even have a stroller,” she said. “If you are visiting friends, ask them for stuff. If they don’t have it, see if they can ask around on Facebook parent groups for a loaner. I have lent high chairs to people I don’t know. If you will be visiting often, you might think about investing in an umbrella stroller and pack ‘n play to keep there.”
She adds that they try not to bring a ton of toys, as they are usually busy being out and about and often visiting friends with kids who have lots of toys, so really just the essentials.
8. Travel With Tape
Seasoned travelers-with-babies say to keep a roll of painter’s tape in your suitcase. Not only is this useful for blunting furniture corners, covering outlets, and keeping doors closed, it can also help you keep a room dark — tape over lights on appliances, tape the curtains together, tape a blanket over a window, etc. This tape is specifically designed to not take off paint, so don’t worry about damaging the room.
9. Have a Fallback Plan for Food
For young kids, bringing some portable food from home that they’re used to, and buying more food when you arrive, is key to keeping babies comfortable.
“We pack everything we might need for food, including bagels, peanut butter, and jelly that can sub for any meal,” said Sarah Shtutin. “We take nuts and dried fruit, cereal, pretzels, granola bars. Basically, if there is food they don’t want wherever we are, we always have something on hand. I have even taken pasta and sauce and oatmeal I can whip up without needing to go to the grocery store.”
10. Baby-proof the Space When Possible
The Shtutins said they don’t usually try to baby-proof on the road. “Just have to be vigilant,” said Sarah Shtutin. “We have asked friends to move furniture, like put a big chair in front of a large staircase, or a barrier to keep the dog downstairs.”
Brett Pohl said that when traveling with her young son, she and her husband think about safety risks before arriving and “try to create a safe ‘yes’ space as we do at home so we can be confident that he’s safe and we aren’t always saying, ‘No, don’t touch that.'” Consider packing a travel-size carbon monoxide detector for an added level of safety.
She said that when visiting family, they “do a quick sweep upon arrival and ask them to put up things that would likely get broken.” An advance conversation with friends and family can help remind them to check for breakable things and choking hazards.
“With an Airbnb, I feel there is more latitude in choosing a space that is inherently baby-friendly because you can choose your space ahead of time,” said Pohl. “I avoid rentals with stairs and easily accessible pools.”
