Travel Must Haves for Babies and Toddlers
In 2022, we went on our first family Disney trip with our son, who was newly 2. Planning & preparing for his first flight and first full week in a hotel was overwhelming. We’ve since done many beach trips, hotel overnights, and an additional Disney trip since then. While I certainly wouldn’t say I am an expert on traveling with children (and we still certainly had many ‘oops’ and ‘a-ha’ moments, I have definitely narrowed down my list of must haves while traveling with a baby or toddler.
*None of these are products I am in any way connected with or reimbursed for sharing…just things I have found personally are well worth having while traveling with small children.
Next June will be our first Disney trip with 2 kiddos, and while it will be a new learning curve adding an extra baby to the mix, these are things that are tried and true must-haves for our family when traveling with super young kiddos.
1. Slumberpod:
If your baby or toddler is still in a crib and will be sleeping in a pack & play, I HIGHLY recommend snagging one of these and bringing it with you. I can’t even count how many times we have used it in the 4 years since I bought it, and how much easier it makes traveling with little espeically if you are sharing a sleeping space. We’re able to put him to bed and give him a dark, quiet space to sleep while we can enjoy time in the room, get things ready, or relax with the tv on quietly without disturbing him or distracting him.
2. Inflatable Toddler Bed:
This blow-up toddler bed worked so well for us during our last Disney trip, and also has come along on several other trips. Our son was ready to be out of a pack & play, but still needed the coziness & safety of a smaller sleeping space, and still benefitted from using the slumberpod, and this worked out perfect. It comes in 2 parts and has its own pump and storage bag, making it super easy to travel with.
3. Folding Potty Seat:
This one may or may not be right for you, but during our last trip, our son was newly potty-trained and sitting on the toilet was still a little intimidating. This travel folding potty seat, which comes with its own case, was perfect for keeping in our resort room bathroom so he was able to use the bathroom comfortably and independently. It folds relatively small, so you could even pop it into your park bag for use when you’re out and about if you wanted.
4. Sound Machine
If you have a baby or toddler, you probably already have & use a sound machine. Rather than having to remember to pack up ours from home, we use a smaller machine, similar to this one for traveling & it works great. We also have 2 of these portable Hatch Rest Go machines for naps on the go.
5. Travel Bottle Drying Rack & Brush
If you are traveling with kiddos who are still using bottles or sippy cups, this travel bottle cleaning kit is perfect for traveling, especially if you only have 1 small bathroom sink in your hotel room in order to wash any cups and dishes.
6. Travel sized bath products
I always prefer bringing our own shower & bath toiletries from home, especially for our babies. We have used this Honest Mini Must Haves kit on previous vacations, and it comes with bubble bath, soap & lotion in a sublt lavender scent. At home, we also use Tubby Todd products, and they also have this travel kit that I am eyeing for our upcoming beach trip later this summer.
7. Plane & travel friendly toys
Our son was relatively content on the airplane watching a movie (and we certainly are not strangers to screen time, and have no problem with our kids using technology on flights in order to keep them quiet & content). However, we definitely made sure to have activities on hand just in case, and for the hotel room to keep him busy during down time. This mini shape puzzle set and these mini sticker books were perfect both for the airplane and for the hotel room to keep him occupied for short stretches of time without being noisy, clunky or taking up too much packing space.
There are so many more things that I wouldn’t travel, especially to Disney, without. Lots of those things I keep exclusively in my park diaper bag, and will share in its own post.
Have you ever traveled with any of our favorites? Is there anything you’ve traveled with that was a total flop?
