Baby Travel Gear To Simplify Your Flight With Baby

Traveling on a plane with your little one can be a bit stressful –The amount of gear, clothes, snacks and activities they need can feel like you’re packing for a year abroad. How do you separate the gotta-haves from the nice-to-haves-but-not-needed’s? What if you decide to leave something that would have been so helpful? Do you really need 487 diapers? How much travel gear for toddlers is really needed? Don’t worry, we’re here to help!

A Parent’s Checklist Of Baby And Toddler Travel Gear For An Airplane

We talked to 15 experienced traveling parents and put together a list of must-have baby gear items to help simplify your next flight with baby. From diaper bags to travel strollers and everything in-between, here’s exactly what you need the next time you’re flying with your little one

Travel Stroller

A good travel stroller is an essential piece of baby travel gear for airplanes. We know leaving your full-size stroller at home can be a bummer – oftentimes travel strollers lack the conveniences of a full size stroller and can leave you longing for that extra storage or comfort. Here are the strollers we recommend for your next trip:

Umbrella stroller ($):

If you don’t want to fly with your stroller, you can scoop up a low cost umbrella stroller from a store when you land. Or of course, travel with one you bought for your trip! Most airlines will let you check your stroller at the gate, but be sure to confirm with your airline before you leave

• Pros: Affordable, easy to find in stores, don’t have to fly with it
• Cons: Not as durable, lacks features of a full-size stroller (no recline, smaller canopy, no parent cup holder), not as comfortable for baby, smaller storage/less storage

Compact Travel Stroller ($$): 

Strollers have come a long way in the past few years and travel strollers are beginning to boast some of the features of the full size ones and fold down smaller than ever!

• Pros: Folds down to the size of a carry on (or smaller), easy to travel with, lightweight, small to store
• Cons: Pricier than your traditional umbrella stroller, can lack features, may not work with your car seat (if you travel with one)

We’d recommend checking out our new Bēbee Lightweight Stroller! It offers compact convenience and full size comforts making it the ultimate travel stroller. It also has some must-have full size features like a multi-position recline, XXL canopy and tons of storage. BONUS, it folds down to about the size of a carry on! You’ll never even miss your old full size stroller (and it’s under $200)

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Diaper Bag

Having a high-quality diaper bag with all your must-have features is crucial to staying organized, comfortable and stress-free on your next trip. Here’s what to look for:

• Type/Style: over the shoulder, backpack or a combination
• Material: Is it durable, easy to clean and let’s be honest… do you like how it looks
• Storage: We believe the more pockets the better! There’s nothing worse than having a bottomless bag of baby stuff and being forced to dig through it all to find *that* binky

Portable Sound Machine

Almost every mom we spoke to listed this as one of their MUST have pieces of travel gear for toddlers. It helps provide white noise when noises may be different and mimic their home sleeping environment. You can either bring a portable machine or download a white noise app directly to your phone!

Activities!

Keeping your baby occupied on the flight is the ultimate goal and stocking up on dollar store activities is a cheap and cheerful way to do that!

“We love getting the coloring packs, window clings, matching cards and foam doh. OH and stickers. ALL THE STICKERS”

Travel Tray 

You may want a place for them to play with all the activities and a travel tray is a great option. Moms recommend the Go Happy Tray ($$) as a convenient and simple way to keep things clean and organized during playtime or snacktime! Plus it’s super easy to pack and perfect for planes.

Travel Potty

While this may not be feasible for your flight (depending how much gear you’ve already packed), this category is worth noting. Having a place your toddler can go to the bathroom when you’re on-the-go can help relieve the stress of worrying about accidents.  

Snacks, Snacks And More Snacks!

This should really be #1 on the list if we’re being honest because everyone we asked enthusiastically said SNACKS! No one likes a hangry toddler (or parent)

“If there aren’t snacks it’s a war zone” one mom stated.

Toddler Faves:

• Veggie sticks
• Uncrustables
• Bananas
• & Bobo bars were top suggestions.

Happy Trails Baby!

Traveling with an infant or toddler doesn’t have to be stressful! Some trips will test your patience and some will go off without a hitch, but we promise no matter what it will always be a great story later on. Remember, no matter how your trip goes this time, there will be another and it’s always a learning experience. This list is just a starting point - Essential baby travel gear for airplanes is different for everybody. If we missed something, leave a comment below to share your experience with other parents!! and in case you learn by song, we’ve created a playlist for you here

At Bombi we make eco-conscious strollers that are affordable, built to last and perfect for your next adventure. With full size features, compact convenience and a fold that will make you say WTF! (aka wow that fold!) our Bēbee Lightweight Stroller is the travel stroller you’ve been dreaming of.