I always hoped that if I became a parent my life wouldn’t change too much, and I would continue to travel with my babies as additional travel companions. Now that I am a mum, I understand it’s not always that simple! However, I have taken quite a few trips with my babes, including two 10-week trips to Europe from Australia, holidays to Japan and Fiji and travels within Australia. I do a lot of planning and research for each trip, as well as chatting to other parent friends who travel and I can now share what I think are the essentials for travelling with a baby and/or a toddler.Â
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Flying with a Baby or Toddler
There is no getting around it, long haul flights are challenging with babies and toddlers. My biggest concern when travelling to Europe is the 25-hour flight from Sydney. On short-haul flights, it’s fairly easy to manage, especially when we plan the flight times to coincide with naps. However, whatever age your baby is, there is going to be a good deal of time during a 25-hour flight where they will be awake.
So what are the must-have items for a long-haul flight with a baby?
A CoziGo
Firstly, when you book your flight make sure you get a seat with a bassinet. These are usually suitable for babies up to 11kg. With most airlines, you can arrange the bassinet at the time of booking but for others, you have to call afterwards. Children over two are required to have their own seat. Once you’ve secured your bassinet – great – your baby has somewhere to sleep that isn’t on your lap. However, the open bassinets provide no cover from the light of the aeroplane or your neighbour’s reading light.
This is where the CoziGo comes in. Created by a mum living in Sydney, who had to make this same journey many times, the CoziGo is a flexible domed cover that fits on airline bassinets (as well as on prams) and blocks out light. It folds up into a compact bag and is light, so easy to carry in your hand luggage. It made a big difference to our flights. We put the baby in there straight after take-off, where he had fallen asleep on the boob (feeding during take-off to help the babies equalise their ears). This meant we could enjoy our dinner (as much as you can enjoy plane food) in peace without a baby on our lap. He woke a few times during the first 15-hour leg, but it provided us with much-needed sleep and rest.
Note: Some airlines make you take the baby out of the bassinet during turbulence. This was the case with Emirates and ANA. However, Qantas bassinets usually have straps across which often means the baby can stay in.
The CoziGo can also be used on prams which we found handy in Italy and at home in Australia. We used it on our pram at a friend’s wedding so that the baby could sleep while the party was happening, and out and about during the day to block out the sun. It’s 100% breathable and air permeable and UVP 50+, which is ideal for sunny and hot destinations (and excellent for living in Australia).
Other Essential Baby and Toddler Items for a Flight
- Formula (if you use it) or stay hydrated if breastfeeding
- A breastfeeding cover can be useful if you want some privacy on the flight (and it is also useful when travelling in conservative countries)
- Lots of sterile water as airlines generally can’t provide this (you can take it through security)
- Sterilised bottles
- Dummies (if you use them) and Milton wipes to clean them and the armrests/tray table
- One or two toys that they haven’t seen/played with before
- A sleep sack that has the option to convert to legs for the pram/car seat
- A baby carrier in case the baby isn’t keen on sleeping in the bassinet
- Snacks and baby food (though some airlines provide this it is worth having it in case they run out)
- Nappies, wipes and all the usually nappy bag bits – take more than you think you may need
- A change of clothes for everyone (you don’t want to spend half the flight in sick or poo-covered clothes!)
- A comforter or familiar toy to help the baby settle in the bassinet
- Baby calpol/panadol and a thermometer
- A few baby sensory videos downloaded on your phone as a last resort (We managed to get to the last hour of the second flight before we got to this point!)
- If you have a toddler, then a tablet and headphones are very useful for keeping them entertained. My son doesn’t have a lot of screen time generally, but on a flight, he is allowed as much as he likes!
- Another great travel toy for toddlers is the Yoto Mini, a child-friendly audio player.
Note: in North America it is common for parents to purchase their baby a seat and to take car seats onto the plane. This is considered the safest way to travel with babies on aeroplanes. I haven’t yet seen anyone do this on the flight between Australia and the UK.
Sleeping on the Go
The Best Travel Cot
An essential baby travel item is a travel cot. I have considered relying on borrowing cots from friends and using hotel cots when travelling around but unless I really need to travel light (as we did in Japan) then I always like to take my own travel cot. Having a consistent place for the babies to sleep each night helps them get settled in new surroundings and it also provides peace of mind for me, as I know that the mattress and cot are safe and have passed the relevant safety checks. I wanted a cot that was compact but quick and easy to assemble and pretty much everyone I spoke to recommended the Baby Bjorn travel cot. It’s not the cheapest on the market but it is a great cot. There are some cheaper alternatives too, such as the Babylo Liteway Lightweight Travel Cot.
For young babies the Ergopouch Bassinet is great. It’s compact and folds up into a backpack bag. It fit inside my suitcase which was handy and it comes with a fly screen – perfect for outdoor naps.
Blackout Blinds
If your babies are anything like mine, they need almost total darkness to nap. So blackout blinds are a must. These have suction cups that attach to pretty much any window and can be quickly put up and down to create a dark nap space. The only place we didn’t need these was in Italy as nearly all the buildings have shutters – which is amazing! But in the UK, especially during summer when it gets light early and dark late these were essential.
Getting around with a Baby and Toddler
Car Seat
One of the worst things I find about travelling with a baby is car seats. We have considered taking our car seat with us but always decided against it as we usually have so much stuff. We tend to hire them in each place we visit or borrow where we can. Many of the times that we have hired seats from car rental companies, they have been awful. We were either given a seat suitable for an older baby or toddler, or a seat that was very old and covered in sick!
If I was travelling again with a young baby I would consider taking a capsule/newborn car seat to avoid this added stress. Most airlines allow you to put car seats in the hold for free but double-check as some airlines allow a maximum of two baby items including the pram and cot.
As mentioned above, If you are booking a seat on the flight for your baby then you can take the car seat on board to attach to the seat. However, it’s worth noting that different countries have different rules for car seats and different installation methods, so an Australian car seat is not legal in the UK and vice versa. Which makes this option less appealing unless you’re travelling within the same continent.
Travel Pram
I have a big pram that I use at home which has great wheels and suspension, however, it’s not very light. So I invested in a travel pram for trips away and I keep it in the boot of my car the rest of the time at home so I don’t have to dismantle the pram each time I use the car (which isn’t very often).
There are lots of great travel prams, but I recommend going for one that folds up small enough to fit as cabin baggage, such as the Baby Jogger City Tour 2. We have the double version and it is still really compact – it can’t go on as hand luggage but it still doesn’t take up much room in the boot of a car.
Baby Carrier
A baby carrier is really handy on a transit flight and also for getting around in cities. We have the Ergobaby Omni Breeze, which is a great carrier that can be used from birth with the baby facing you and then facing out once they get older. We use it for both, inward-facing when they need to nap and outward-facing when they are awake and want to look around. Both my babies love the carrier, they enjoy being up high and seeing what’s going on around them. A baby carrier is particularly useful if you’re going to be travelling in European cities with cobblestones or lots of stairs – it was great when we were in Venice, going up and over so many bridges and through narrow lanes. The Omni Breeze is a good choice for summer trips as it is breathable so you and the baby don’t overheat.
Nappy Bag
It’s worth getting a decent nappy bag if you don’t already have one. This is handy while you’re travelling to keep all the essentials in one place. I have two nappy bags, a beautiful Storksak St James leather bag which I use for nice occasions like lunches out or weddings and then a Babymel Convertible Backpack for day to day. Both bags are backpack style which makes them easy to carry around but they also have the option to hold as a shoulder bag. This is useful when you have lots of different luggage to carry around or just want to make a quick trip to the baby changing room.
They come with a change mat included and have insulated pockets for bottles. They can also attach to the handles of most prams. Something I also love about the Babymel bag is that it is made from recycled plastic bottles.
For Play
Something to consider for a European trip is a play mat. In Italy, the floors are often hard stone and not ideal for a crawling baby who is learning to stand and walk. We took our Marmalade Lion mat on our first big European adventure and it was really handy. It is cushioned and it meant our babe could sit and play comfortably. Plus it has a waterproof cover, so even if he vomited etc. we could wash it easily. It is handy as a changing station too. The mat folds up in a bag which is great for taking to the beach, parks, anywhere really!
Other Must Have Baby and Toddler Travel Items
- Travel steriliser – these silicone reusable bags are great as they hardly take up any luggage space.
- Milton tablets if you don’t have access to a microwave or don’t want to bring a steriliser
- Baby calpol/panadol and a thermometer
- A long sleeve bib that can be wiped clean
- A muslin (handy for keeping baby warm or protecting from the sun)
- Hand sanitiser and disinfectant wipes
- A non-WiFi baby monitor – so you can use it even if the accommodation doesn’t have WiFi.
- Monitor mounts – These are so handy for attaching the monitor to door handles or curtain rails.
- Portable white noise machine
- Wet bag
- Milton wipes
