Packing Tips for a Baby

I'm sure every mom has read the blogs, searched on Pinterest, and have asked friends on how to pack for a trip with a baby; I know, because I have done the same. Here is what I've come up with after consolidating what I've learned from all of the above that worked well for us. I hope with this blog post, and the million others you have read, you will soon become a packing expert for your little one.

With four months under our belt with Ella, we have managed to take road trips to SF {twice}, Mammoth, and Pasadena, and have successfully completed our first flying trip home to Houston! I've learned that packing for two nights is pretty much the same as packing for two weeks, with the addition of extra clothes and diapers! So even if it's a short trip, it still takes a lot of work. After a few times of doing so, you will learn what you used and didn't use and what you needed but didn't have. Now that we've done this a few times, I feel more prepared and comfortable about travelling with an infant. 

With that said, here are some things that I found helpful packing for our trips...

Clothes

1. Two outfits per day
1. I usually did one cute outfit and one comfy outfit; bonus if they're both cute and comfy! 
2. If you have access to a washer/dryer, I would half the amount of outfits for the number of days you will be away {i.e. staying for 10 days, pack 5 days worth of outfits}
2. One sock per day - I always wore socks for Ella during the car rides and plane rides. During the trip, it's up to you if you want to wear socks or shoes but they're small and easy to pack so better to have some than not.
3. One PJ per day - for the most part, you can get away with wearing the same PJ's two days in a row, but I always kept Ella in them in the morning until we went somewhere and by the time it was time to change, they were usually full of drool or something before I could use them the next night. Also, you might experience blowouts in them and can't wash them so I always made sure I had one per day. 
4. For the most part, the above should keep you covered since sometimes you will only wear one outfit a day; but if it doesn't doing a wash half way through the trip is a good idea. 

Toiletries

Yes, I am that mom that over packs when it comes to toiletries; better safe than sorry. I really didn't want to have to worry about running to get anything at the store if we ever needed soemthing during a trip. My lovely Marc Jacobs toiletry bag has now become Ella's and we fill it up with all these goodies. It makes me feel comfortable knowing we have all of these things shall we ever get stuck somewhere. Plus, if you end up having a sick baby, the last thing you want to do is figure out how to take her temperature and where to buy Tylenol. So, if you have room, go ahead and pack it up! It may sound like a lot but since everything is quite small, it should fit into one good size toiletry bag. 

1. All in one shampoo/body wash - I filled travel size bottles with her shampoo and lucky for me, I use the same one so we killed two birds with one stone. 
2. Diaper rash cream - FYI, nipple cream works great for diaper rashes and dry skin patches, so if you have something that is an all in one, just pack that. 
3. Face/body lotion
4. Aquaphor - my all in one, pretty much!I use this on dry patches on her skin and face. 
5. Nail clippers/nail files
6. Pain reliever
7. Gas reliever
8. First aid kit - we have one in the car for road trips
9. Sunscreen - can't use this until 6 months?
10. Insect repellent - not applicable to us just now
11. Saline drops
12. Nose Frida
13. Thermometer
14. Hairbrush

Bath

1. Towel - one
2. Washcloths - good to have two just in case one is still wet when you need to use one
3. Bath Tub - try to borrow one if you can or buy a cheap one wherever you are if your baby can't sit up yet. We just bathe her in the sink. Using a mat after they can sit up is a good idea too.

Diapers

For road trips, I just bring a new pack of diapers and wipes to avoid having to pack loose ones and for our Houston trip, I shipped diapers and wipes to our first location so it would be there for us when we arrived. You can always buy more if needed. For our 10 day trip to Houston she used a pack of 44 diapers which averaged out to be about 4 diapers a day, so just keep that in mind in case you're wondering how many to buy. One pack of wipes was enough for us.

Sleep

1. Travel Cot
2. Blanket
3. Pacifier
4. Soothing Toy
5. Swaddles/Sleep sack

Equipment

1. Stroller {stroller bag for flying}
2. Car Seat w/base {carrier bag for flying}
3. Wrap/Carrier - I liked the wrap because it was easier to pack and carry but some sort of carrier is nice to have, especially for the airport.
4. Car Seat and base - we gate checked this for our first flight but was able to bring the car seat on for our second flight and just threw the base into the stroller bag for gate check
5. Play Gym/Mat - I shipped one to Houston to keep there and just brought a portable mat and some toys for our road trips
6. Portable High Chair - If your child is eating or just likes to sit in one, would be nice to have if you have room.
7. Rock 'N Play/ Bouncy Seat - if you have room for it and your child uses it a lot it's nice to have for road trips. 

Here are some other things to think about but not necessary. Again, it's better to be prepared so if you have room in your luggage or the car, throw these in just in case...

1. White onesies in your diaper bag or car for those occasional blowouts
2. Changing mat - I usually set up a changing station wherever we are staying with the mat, diapers and wipes nearby to make changing easier. We love our Patemn Pad; I keep this in my diaper bag and when then set up a station in the hotel room or wherever we are staying when we are staying put for the day/night. 
3. Bibs
4. Bottles
5. Formula for emergency - travel size packs are great
6. Burp Cloth
7. Bag for dirty clothes
8. Zip lock bags - great for packing toiletries on the go after you get to you destination
9. Plastic bags for dirty diapers - useful in airplane if trash bin is full or while out and can't find a trash bin
10. Nightlight - makes doing things in the middle of the night {i.e. prepping for the next day} a lot easier without waking baby, since I assume she will be in the same room as you.
11. Books - we love the crinkly books; works double duty as a soothing toy and book.
12. Favorite toys - Freddy the Firefly, Baby Einstein Ball and Sophie the Giraffe are our go-to. Easy transportable and covers all noises =)
13. Extra pack of wipes in the car or in diaper bag while travelling just in case you end up using the travel packs up. I've resorted to buying a travel bag to put wipes in so I'm not constantly buying the travel packs. This one is easy to stuff anywhere since it doesn't have a hard shell. 
14. Paper towel or hand towel in the car just in case you have a major blowout or spill up that needs quick cleaning.
15. Water Bottle - I find that I'm thirsty all.the.time so I like to carry a reusable 20 oz water bottle with me. Great for hotels because you can just fill it up and have it by your bedside without having to buy bottled water. I've called room service plenty of times just for pitchers of water and just fill my water bottle up, if I don't feel comfortable using the sink water.  

And last but not least, for you breastfeeding mamas out there that are pumping, here's a little list to add to everything above. To be honest, this was a pain in the butt for me to do because Ella wasn't taking the bottle and I was basically pumping to store, so I stopped doing it and just nursed exclusively while travelling. But if you want to keep up with your pumping routine,I hope this helps. 

1. Pump {manual pump can work too}
2. Pump Parts
3. Cleaning kit {soap and drying rack} 
4. Pumping bra
5. Storage Bags
6. Storage Bottles
7. Permanent Marker
8. Cooler bag to transport milk
9. Ice Packs

I know, this seems like a whole heck of a lot of stuff to pack and think about but it helped me to have a list of items by category. You can probably make do with a lot less, but I always like to be better prepared than to have to buy stuff on the go.

Here's the link to my packing spreadsheet which I update and check off with items that are particular for each trip....feel free to copy and tweak it how you please. It helps me to remember things as I'm packing.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vfOX5piu7DVtNyeCghdODPuxOiPLiZprnkHeQAymVDc/edit?usp=sharing

We have a busy year ahead of us when it comes to travel so if you have any additional packing tips you would like to share, please do. 

Happy Packing! 

Road trip!

Flying