Family Travel Tips + Tricks

*commissionable links from Amazon

You may know that we just got back from our family Christmas vacation to the Outer Banks. You may also know that traveling with a little one (or multiple littles) is not for the faint of heart. We’ve flown a couple times now with Beckham and we’re here to share some tips, tricks and products we’ve picked up along the way! Buckle up (literally hehe) - this is a long one!

We own most of the items I’ll cover in this blog, but I wanted to include some things that we don't own, but found ourselves wishing we did on the most recent trip we took. I’ll start with those!

Travel Wishlist:

#1: Summer Infant 3Dquickclose Travel Stroller. We went back and forth before our trip whether or not we wanted to purchase a travel stroller. I had borrowed a friend’s stroller (different brand than this one) on a previous trip and loved it, but thought we might want more space in the basket below to help out with all the bags we packed for this trip. We have a single-to-double stroller that folds up, so we decided to go with that instead of purchasing a new stroller. Unfortunately, our stroller was broken sometime between us checking it at the gate and us getting off our first flight on our way home :( Thank goodness it was at the end of our trip, but we were wishing we would’ve pulled the trigger on a travel stroller instead of having our main, more expensive one broken. I’ll definitely be looking into getting this travel stroller for any future trips we take. I’ve heard great things - especially for the sub $100 price!

#2: Car Seat Travel Bag. Piggy backing off of protecting your gear, we wish we would’ve gotten this protective carseat bag. The oversized bag we had ours in already had a tear in it after one trip and our carseat was scuffed up in a few places. This bag has straps to wear like a backpack, which would make it so easy to carry through the airport. Just double check the dimensions of your carseat to make sure it will fit inside!

#3: Portable Bottle Washing Station. I’ve talked a little bit about how being a pumping mama on the go can be tricky. It doesn’t get any easier with travel, unfortunately. Having a place to set clean bottles and pump parts is HUGE - especially if you’re in an airport or a hotel. This compact travel station also comes with a bottle brush and a soap dispenser. There are so many times I wish I had this!

#4: Portable Baby Seat. We were at a place that didn’t have a high chair, and we had no way of getting one there. And with a squirmy almost-one-year old, you can just about imagine how challenging meal times were. This little travel chair would’ve been perfect!

#5: Packing Cubes. Technically we own these, but they arrived while we were traveling, so we didn’t actually get to use them for this trip. I’ve heard great things about them though for helping with organization and fitting more things in a tight luggage space. We’re keeping them so we can try them out next time!

Travel Items We Own, Love & Recommend:

#1: Graco Pack 'n Play. A classic must-have for travel if you have a little one and you’re going somewhere without a crib. We especially loved this one when Beckham was younger because it had a bassinet insert. Now we use it without the bassinet insert, and he still sleeps great!

#2: Insulated Bottle Bags. Our diaper bag doesn’t have insulated pouches or pockets, so we’ve had these for a while. They are extra handy if you need to keep bottles cool on-the-go while traveling. Comes in a pack of 2!

#3: Gate Check Bag. This bag folds into a smaller sized bag, which is so convenient for carrying through an aiport. Take into account that this is not a thick bag, and you get what you pay for. With that being said, I would recommend using this if you’re checking either your stroller or your car seat at your gate. I would not recommend using this if you are checking either your stroller or your car seat right when you get to the airport. I say this because we checked our car seat right away in this bag when we got to the airport. It gets thrown around a lot more that way, so there was some wear and tear on this bag (and our carseat). However, I feel like if we would’ve used this for our stroller at gate check, it would have 1. Gotten less wear since they bring gate check items directly down the stairs to put underneath the plane and 2. May have prevented our stroller from getting broken. Also, if you do use an oversized bag like this, our biggest tip we got from someone was to store diapers or any larger soft items inside with your carseat or stroller to save room in your suitcase. Luckily we did this on our last trip because my suitcase weight came in at a whopping 49.5lbs - phew!

#4: Silicone Travel Bottles for Toiletries. The exact ones I have are no longer sold, but these are a close second. I love the colors of these, too! I’ve had no trouble with leaking, they’re easy to fill and squeeze, and the little bag they come in is so nice for keeping them all in one place!

#5: Travel Pill Oganizer. We are pretty adamant vitamin takers, and we didn’t want to miss taking them especially while we were traveling. We fit a weeks worth of vitamins in each of our containers - it was so nice not having to worry about leaving space to pack large vitamin/pill containers in our suitcases!

#6: Silicone Pacifier Clip. If you’re child takes a pacifier, this is a must if you don’t want to constantly pick up their paci up off of the dirty airport floor to wash it.

#7: Pop Up Suction Spinner Toys. These are the best for easy entertainment on an airplane! We stuck them to the window and tray table on the plane and Beckham loved it! They also work in the bath tub!

#8: Indestructible Books. Beckham is such a bookworm these days. We knew we wanted to take some books to keep him entertained, but we didn’t have a lot of space to pack them. These indestructible books are so thin, so they slid right into our diaper bag! I also read that you can take these in the tub…what?! But between these books, the spinner toys, some scotch painters tape, and a little Trash Truck on Netflix - Beckham was entertained for hours! He did so good on the flights both ways!

#9: Ubbi On-the-Go Bags and Dispenser. I always keep these in the diaper bag and they’ve saved me multiple times! They’re great if you’re changing daipers on-the-go and don’t have access to a trash can (they’re scented so it helps block any odor) , but we’ve also used them when we’ve run in a pinch and needed a place for dirty baby clothes, trash or wet swimsuits.

#10: Portable Sound Machine. We used to never leave the house without this thing! It clipped to our infant car seat and helped block out background noise so well! Now we take it with us while we travel for naps on-the-go!

#11: Stasher Reusable Silicone Storage Bags. We use these for snacks! We love that these are dishwasher safe, easy to open (Beckham isn’t even one yet and he can open them), compact enough to fit in a diaper bag and keeps snacks so fresh!

#12: Travel Toiletry Bag. I’ve shared about this bag a few times now, only because I love it! It’s big enough to store a lot of toiletry items, but small enough that when it’s zipped up, it fits so nice in a suitcase! I got the medium size for reference.

#13: Elvie Stride Plus. I wouldn’t recommend this pump as your primary pump, simply because the suction isn’t as good as a hospital grade pump, but I do recommend this for any working, traveling or on-the-go mom that need a quick pump sesh. The storage bag is SO NICE and it’s how I traveled with milk through the airport (p.s. if you’re a breastfeeding or pumping mom, your airline legally has to let you take your pump with you and it does not count as one of your carry ons!) . If you don’t already know about the website Aerowflow Breastpumps, you need to check them out! This is where I got my Elvie Stride Plus. It was so easy! They work with your insurance and I’ve received so many free breast milk bags right to my doorstep over the course of my pumping journey. I recommend them to any mama or mama-to-be!

#14: Pump Wipes. I’ve shared about these before too, but that’s because they’re a must have if you’re on the go! They don’t leave any residue and they’re so easy to carry around if you don’t have access to soap, water and a brush.

#15: Lillebaby Baby Carrier. If you want your hands free in an airport, you need some sort of baby carrier. Not only that, but Beckham is at the age where he doesn’t nap well when we are out and about. There’s something about being snuggled in close in this baby carrier that will get him to sleep out in public! This specific carrier is for newborns to toddlers and has 6 different wearing positions and the price point is right under $100.

#16: Portable Phone Chargers. Last, but certainly not least! These are so great to have on hand anytime, but especially while traveling. We had a long day of traveling, so we used these both in the car, in the airport and on our flights. You can buy them in a single or a double pack. The battery life lasted us a couple charges at least!

If you made it this far, you’re a real one! Thanks for reading! Whether you have traveled with your little(s) before, or this is your first time, we hope our travel tips and tricks help you in some way! And if you have any new ones to share with us, we are all ears - feel free to leave us a comment or DM us on Instagram. Happy traveling, friends!