Baby travel essentials for airplane

Getting outside of the comfort of our home with a baby, especially for a long-distance trip by plane, can be overwhelming. To prepare before our first flight with our son, I scoured the Internet for the best advice on travel essentials for the baby, the best airplane toys, and plane sleeping arrangements. I didn’t know exactly what I needed, so I took any and every advice. The result was that I severely overpacked on that first trip. But it was OK because having those items was a strange source of comfort anyway. But I learned each time we traveled, and now, 2 years later, choosing baby travel essentials is much easier.

The thing is, every family is different, and every baby is different too. Not only in terms of the baby’s temperament but also feeding style and family sleeping arrangements. Are we nursing, formula feeding, pumping? A combination of those? Is the baby eating solids already? Are we staying in a rental, hotel, or family’s place? Is the baby sleeping in its own bed, or are we bed-sharing? These things change, especially in the first year of our child’s life.

Our destination also affects our preparations. Are we going to the beach or the mountains? Are we planning on sightseeing? Is the weather going to be warm, cold, or maybe rainy?

There is no one size fits all, so what worked for us might not work as well for another family. But we did our fair share of long-distance (usually 9+ hours) flights with our son, and we learned along the way. And I’d like to share that with you. My biggest advice is to stay flexible, in general, and with packing per se. Unless we’re traveling to a place in the middle of nowhere, there will be stores selling most things we might need wherever we go. We can figure stuff out. Except for specific prescription medicines or the formula we’re using.

Packing checklist

While this guide applies to most types of travel, it’s airplane-specific. That means we use things that can be easily traveled with or packed in our luggage. I have been looking for a perfect travel crib (most pack-n-plays are too bulky and hard to carry) or items that will help us navigate the airport with comfort and ease.

Feel free to use my packing checklist for a baby and adjust to your needs:

Baby travel essentials packing list — Traveling with a baby – packing essentials checklist.

If you’re interested in my traveling tips for flying with the baby, check it out here.

Packing essentials

Baby travel essentials packing list for airplane

These are some of our favorite products to travel with, but the full list can be found below.

I like well-designed, beautiful, and well-made things. If something is meant to interact with my son directly, I’d like it to be as natural or non-toxic as possible. Especially feeding items, clothes, or toys that babies like to put in their mouths.

We always consider our destination’s season and weather forecast. Whenever we go to Brazil, the southern hemisphere is in the opposite season, so I need to purchase a whole new wardrobe for my son! The countries we visit in Europe are usually very similar to New York weather-wise, so I can go pack what we already have. Although I love going there, I dread the time difference and its consequences. It takes time to adjust the sleep schedules, and all the good independent sleeping skills my son gains seem to go through the window each time.

Sleeping arrangements

It’s essential to figure out the sleeping arrangements for the baby at the destination, whether it’s a bassinet, travel crib, co-sleeping, etc. Are we staying in a hotel, room at family’s house, in a rented apartment? Maybe someone at your destination can borrow a crib from family or friends. Baby gear rental companies might also be available in some destinations.

Many hotels offer cribs that can be delivered to the guest’s room. However, I advise approaching it cautiously and confirming what kind of crib they have before the stay. One hotel we stayed in brought a pack’n-play that looked like it would collapse into itself at any moment. Instead of a (flat and firm, ideally) mattress, they threw two fluffy pillows inside. The crib was unsafe, and there was no way I could use it.

A perk of visiting family is that we can ask them for some favors. One of them is buying things before we get there, such as baby diapers, wipes, food, and milk. That can help shrink our luggage nicely.

The crib will be unnecessary for co-sleeping families. However, there might be other considerations. The mattress might be too small to fit the whole family or need to be removed from a tall bed frame and placed on the floor for safety.

I’ve heard parents use their en suite bathroom or book a hotel suite to put the crib in the living room. Both parents and the baby were used to sleeping in separate rooms at home, so they needed to recreate it.

If your baby has no problem sleeping in bright surroundings, great. My son is used to sleeping in a dark room, so portable blackout shades are necessary.

Guava Lotus infant travel crib

We knew we’d travel regularly, so we got a travel crib called Guava Lotus. It is an excellent product because it’s relatively lightweight, has a zippered side for easy access, and, most importantly, folds into a backpack-style bag. We put my son to sleep in Guava at home a few times before the trip so he could get used to it. And I like always knowing I can put him in a safe place to sleep once we arrive. Guava takes seconds to put together.

Not all travel cribs (pack n’ plays) are equal. Most are big when folded and more suitable for car travel and short-term visits to grandparents. Guava Lotus is the most compact and packs into a backpack-style bag for easy carrying. My son has never been a great sleeper, but the travel crib’s design was really helpful to us. I often used the side mesh zippered window to lie down with him and nurse. It also helps with laying down a baby already asleep in my arms. However, the zipper makes some noise, so it’s good to wait at least 5 minutes until the baby gets into deep sleep.

GUAVA LOTUS COTTON SHEETS

Inexpensive, 100% cotton OEKO-TEX certified sheets compatible with Guava Lotus.

Amazon basics portable blackout curtain shades

This blackout shade quickly attaches to the window with suction cups. At 78″L x 50″W, it’s pretty generous size-wise and can be easily adjusted for smaller windows.

AIRPLANE BASSINET (AKA PLAN B)

How about sleeping on the plane? The best way to travel with the baby on an overnight flight is to book the airplane bassinet in advance. But if this doesn’t work out for some reason (booking mixup, no bassinet available, or our baby just won’t stay in it), I like to have a plan B.

For a short flight, it’s not a problem; we can hold our baby, but if we’re doing a long haul…this might get difficult. I like having a safe(ish) space to put the baby down. The safest (from possible turbulence) is to install the car seat. But having a baby in a car seat for such a long time is not the best idea (the risk of positional asphyxiation), and my son would not stay in it longer than 2 hours anyway.

These ideas will only work if we have an extra airplane seat for the baby. If not, a baby carrier can maybe work, but I haven’t tried it myself.

Munchkin Brica Travel Pod

This little thing weighs only 2.45 pounds, but the baby must be less than 15 pounds.

Inflatable Airplane Footrest

This is very helpful to ensure the baby doesn’t roll out of the plane seat. Products like the Flyaway Kids (inflatable travel bed) or the Stokke JetKids (ride-on suitcase that turns into an airplane bed) are available, but I personally haven’t used them, as they seem either too expensive, cumbersome or not allowed by all airlines. Or a combination of all these three factors.

YOGASLEEP HUSHH 2 PORTABLE SOUND MACHINE

Between white noise, nature sounds, calming melodies, and night light, this tiny portable sound machine has everything needed to create a soothing ambiance for naps at home or on the go.

BATHTIME

If the bathroom has a bathtub or a shower with a thermostat, we simply hold the baby when showering with us. That saves us a bit of space in the luggage. But in our apartment’s shower in Lisbon, the water temperature would change uncontrollably from cold to scalding hot, so the travel bathtub was necessary.

Some babies might not like to shower, though. You can try practicing at home, and if you are unsure or the baby likes a calming bath as part of a bedtime routine, an inflatable bathtub might be a good idea just to be safe.

babymoove inflatable bathtub

If the accommodation at our destination doesn’t have a bathtub or shower with a thermostat, an inflatable baby bathtub might be necessary. If the shower’s temperature can be set, we can just shower with the baby. I like that this one has an infant insert.

Feeding

Traveling with a baby while exclusively breastfeeding is the easiest option (in theory), except for a few items like a nursing cover or a breastfeeding pillow. I said in theory because after my son turned 3 months old, he opened his beautiful eyes and noticed the world around him; he would not breastfeed in bright surroundings. I tried everything.

Finding a dark room while traveling is not always feasible, and tiny babies are often hungry. The nursing cover annoyed my son. I had to pump temporarily (with a portable pump) on our trip to Brazil because (even after he rejected all the bottles at home) he decided that bottles were OK for the time being. All this to say, things are not always as straightforward as they might seem.

With formula and pumping there will be a lot of necessary items, but the good news is that the airlines don’t limit those. We can pack as much as we estimate will be needed for the whole trip, including check-in luggage and carry-on. Just prepare for an extra few minutes in the security line, as they might want to test (without actually touching) the liquid/powder contents of the diaper bag.

Depending on the feeding style and if the baby has started solids, different things might be necessary.

IF PUMPING:

Willow Go Wearable Portable Breast milk pump

When I was pumping, I used Spectra at home. But a wearable pump saved me on our first trip to Brazil. My son would just not breastfeed in a bright light. So I had to give him bottles. I was pumping in the car or while packing. All these pumps make you look kind of funny; there’s no hiding they are there, but they are truly convenient.

BOON Portable Breast Milk Chiller

I got the other popular breast milk chiller, but for the number of times I used it (precisely 3), I wish I bought this inexpensive alternative instead.

DAPPLE BABY BREAST PUMP AND PARTS WIPES

These wipes come in handy when you run out of clean pump parts or bottles and there is nowhere to clean them.

If formula feeding:

Moonkie silicone food containers

It’s very convenient to have a formula pre-measured in separate containers, ready to prepare when traveling. However, all the available stackable formula travel dispensers seem to be made out of plastic. Even if not perfect, silicone is a better alternative, especially since the formula will only be stored here, not heated.

If nursing:

MOZAH NURSING COVER

When I tried to nurse my son under a full-coverage cover, he got super mad. What I like about this nursing cover is that it provides privacy while allowing the baby to see the mom. It’s made from 100% organic cotton by a small Canadian brand. Not all cotton covers are organic, and some brands say they are made from “muslin cotton,” but it’s actually a rayon-cotton blend.

BABY EATING SOLIDS

My detailed list of feeding essentials for starting solids is here. But for traveling, in addition to a few spoons, these items are our favorite:

AHIMSA DIVIDED STAINLESS STEEL PLATE

We prefer this plate for traveling because even though it doesn’t have suction, it is super lightweight and very easy to clean.

MUSHIE SILICONE BIB

Another favorite for travel, and for the same reasons: ease of cleaning and light weight. It’s also easy to fold and fit in the diaper bag.

oxo tot travel size drying rack with bottl e brush

I don’t travel anywhere without this little thing. The brush separates into two pieces to fit within the closed container, and it hides another mini brush. We used it when my son was a baby, and we use it now when he’s 2 for his water and milk straw cups.

dapple baby bottle & dish soap travel size

I use Dapple at home, and I love that they have a travel-size version as well. It’s clean, fragrance-free, and safe for the baby. It won’t make the silicone/plastic straws taste funky like regular dish soap.

THE GEAR

Cybex gazelle s stroller

This is not exactly a travel stroller, but we’ve been traveling with it to Europe and South America since my son was born, and it just works for our family. When my son was a baby, we paired it with Clek Liing, which fits in the bottom storage basket. We wanted our son to be comfortable and in an ergonomic position for stroller naps.

Doona Car seat & Stroller Travel System

If taking a large stroller is too much, the Doona convertible car seat/stroller is a good option. I recommended it to my sister-in-law, who travels a lot, and it served her well. But babies usually outgrow it by 1 year old, and it is pretty pricey. I also wouldn’t be comfortable keeping the baby there for too long, especially while asleep or on a hot day, as it’s pretty snug, so it might be a good idea to pair it with a baby carrier.

Joolz Aer Travel Stroller

If you’re looking for a small travel stroller that fits into the overhead compartment on the plane and is super lightweight, the Joolz Aer is the best on the market. But the baby must be at least 6 months old, and if smaller, you must use the carrycot/bassinet attachment (it folds and can be gate checked, but doesn’t fit in the overhead compartment).

volkgo AIRPLANE STROLLER CHECK-IN BAG

We like this bag because it fits our stroller easily, is durable, and has backpack straps on the back if we need to carry it (which we usually don’t). It doesn’t have any padding for extra stroller protection, but it is lightweight and so far, our stroller has survived all our travels fine. Filling it with diapers is an excellent tip for additional padding and storage.

ERGOBABY EMBRACE BABY CARRIER

While there are many baby carriers out there, we had and liked this one. It was fairly easy to put on, and my son seemed comfortable in it.

THICK BLANKET AS PLAYMAT – PEHR BUNNY HOP BLANKET

Having a clean, safe space to put the baby down while traveling is essential. A thicker blanket can serve as a portable travel playmat for a baby well. What I liked about this Pehr blanket is that it’s made entirely from GOTS-certified cotton. All the other blankets are filled with polyester, even if the cover is cotton. So it’s not only beautiful but clean and sustainably made.

General

zero grid family passport holder

My husband used to keep our documents in a Ziplock that fell apart one day in the customs line, so I gifted him this little document holder. It’s just really good to have all our passports and documents in one secure place.

universal power plug travel adapter

If we travel internationally, we always bring a few of these for baby and non-baby-related chargers/devices.

TRAVEL BABY TOYS

Bringing a few new, exciting toys when traveling with a baby is a good idea. But I think we can still do better than the popular advice to buy a bunch of dollar-store plastic toys. I don’t trust their quality and safety, especially as little babies like to mouth them so often. No one wants to travel with wood, so silicone toys are a good middle ground here. If you can get rubber or toys made out of cotton, that’s even better. But I need to admit that on our first travel, I did pack the famous Fisher Price kick piano. Nervous first-time mom hack!