I can now say I’ve survived four flights and three road trips with the most active baby on earth! I’ve learned a lot… something new with each one of those trips, actually! For our most recent cross-country plane trip, I packed just about everything I owned, but now that I’m on the other side of it, I’ve really learned what actually works for me. And today, in partnership with Pampers, I’m sharing my ten essentials for surviving a day of travel with baby!
1. Calculator – Arlo loves to play with anything that has buttons, like my phone, but usually he ends up almost accidentally dialing 911 which is less than ideal so a calculator has provided endless entertainment!
2. Diaper Clutch – Plane bathrooms, gas station bathrooms… they’re all a treat. I like having everything compact and in one place so I don’t have to lug my whole bag with me. In a small bag or clutch, I put a few Pampers Swaddlers, a plastic baggie (like you use for dog clean up!), wipes, a teether (to distract him, he hates getting changed!) and an extra onesie. Then I just have to grab that and the changing pad and go!
3. Travel Pack of Pampers Wipes – Speaking of wipes, not only do I use Pampers Wipes for diaper changes, but they are great for cleaning your hands after diaper changes if you can’t manage to wash them and wrangle a baby, they’re great for wiping down the seats/tables before baby inevitably chews on them, and they’re great for wiping baby down after… everything? Arlo also loves examining the package, so it moonlights as entertainment in a pinch too.
4. Box of Tissues – Desperate. Times. A few of you gave me this tip and boy, has it come in handy! Baby pulls out one tissue, and another one follows. Repeat. 200 times. That’s like fifteen minutes of silent bliss! I’m working on a more eco-friendly, reusable version (and will share when I figure out the best one!) but in a pinch, find any way possible to squeeze a box in your bag.
5. iPad – Whether it’s a few episodes of something baby-friendly or that mesmerizing baby bubbles game, I like to think of the iPad as my “pinch hitter.” It comes in in between all the other activities whenever I need a few moments to breath or whenever he starts really screaming.
6. A Favorite Book – Arlo has a few favorite books, especially little interactive ones, and I try to pack one that we’ll pull out and read a couple of times when he’s being fussy. It’s familiar for him, and he loves to turn the pages and also eat them.
7. Veggie Puffs or Cereal – I’ve tried to feed Arlo purees or other food in a plane seat and we all end up covered in it, but puffs/cereal are a great way to keep busy and clean while still get a little food in him. If a couple spill on the floor, it’s way easier to clean that up than pureed spinach all over your pants!
8. Plastic Container – I like to keep a lot of the above in a small container container for a few reasons… First, I don’t have to go digging in the depths of my bag to find them and second, Arlo loves pulling everything out of the container over and over! Win, win!
9. Formula Dispenser – Since we formula feed, we pack empty bottles and a formula dispenser with pre-measured powdered formula. Once through security at the airport, we buy a bottle of room-temp water and then we can easily make a bottle on the go. I had no idea these dispensers existed for awhile but they make life so easy!!
Photos by Jeff Mindell
Fellow mamas out there, any awesome travel tricks you have for your babes!? What do you keep in your diaper bag when you’re on the go?? Would love to hear your tips too!!
This post was created in partnership with Pampers. All content and opinions are that of my own! Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep the Studio DIY party going! Read more about my editorial policies here.
another lady says
We also loved the formula dispensers once we found out about them! So easy and helpful!
We always have some of the puree pouches in his diaper bag, too, for easy, quick eating on the go. Once he is able to suck on the pouches, those are awesome to have on hand!
Regarding the Box of Tissues idea with a more eco-friendly, reusable version – we used an old plastic wipes container box and then put scraps of fabric cut into squares in there. He would pull those all out, then put them back in the box endlessly! He used this from about 10 months to 15 months consistently, and will still reach for it on occasion at 18 months.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/66/e7/8f/66e78fbf071514794af4549a7358105f–wipes-case-wipes-box.jpg
Kelly says
Ahh! LOVE the idea of using a wipes container! So smart!!
Corinne says
Stickers! Sure they aren’t ready to play with stickers unsupervised yet, since they are likely to stick them in their mouth the moment they have an opportunity. But they are great as a supervised distraction for a few minutes, and take up so little room in a bag. I use them a lot while grocery shopping. I’ll place a big sticker on my little mans shopping cart cover, and he will spend a couple minutes trying to pick it off. As soon as he does, I take it away and put a new one on. So much easier than dealing with toys or books that constantly get thrown to the ground in the store.
Kelly says
Yessss! The fact that it can’t just be thrown to the ground… genius!!
Hester says
The calculator is such a good idea!!
Never thought of that
X
Kelly says
It works like a charm!!
Gina Moore says
My baby is almost 15 months and she is also the most active baby I’ve ever seen!! Here is something that did NOT work for us: at 13 months I flew alone with her to FL (from San Diego)…we had the window on the way there and my husband got us the bulkhead seat on the way back. The window was SO much easier because she had less room to escape!! The bulkhead was a disaster because she had too much room and we ended up sitting on the dirty floor for most of the flight! Just wait until Arlo is walking!
Kelly says
Ooooh how interesting! That totally makes sense when you think about it. We already have at least two trips planned next year with him when he’ll likely be walking… yikes!! Luckily I already like window seats! Haha!
Carissa the Librarian and App Fairy says
Better apps for babies and toddlers:
Sago mini Sound Box
The White Book by minibombo
Shake the Tree by Fox & Sheep
Petting Zoo by Christph Niemann
More at the URL I linked! Good luck! Small sticky note pads worked well for me. And those freeze-dried yogurt drops.
Carissa the Librarian and App Fairy says
Gah. Bad link on last comment. Click ony name above on THIS comment to see my app reviews. Sorry.
Hr Malik says
Very helpful article thanks for sharing
Yahoo mail login says
Really helpful! I really like the caculator idea!
faheem shunda says
Thanks for writing such a great post. I really appreciate you for this post. It was very helpful. Keep it up and thanks again!
gmail login says
I really like the caculator idea! Thanks.
CHSL Admit Card says
Really informative
Live draw hk says
good mother with son and holiday together, that’s look so excited.
I am so proud .
UP Police Admit Card 2018 says
good mother and son holiday. looking cheerful. i am glad.
UP Police Cutoff Marks says
both are looking glad. i am also happy on seeing both.
Tellthebell says
Thanks for such a great post. It was very helpful. Keep it up and thanks again!
toshi says
Thanks for such a great post.
atari breakout says
Your post makes me more experienced and impressed, I hope you will have more good posts in the near future to share with readers.