travel

The first time you travel with your new baby, you have no idea what to expect. What do you pack? How do you plan your day? When should they sleep? You can learn a lot and plan accordingly by avoiding these five common travel mistakes.

Looking for our exhaustive packing list? Take a look at the items you may need to pack when traveling with your littles.

Making a Strict Itinerary

Planning your schedule on vacation so that you get the most out of your time is a smart thing to do. Planning your schedule so rigidly that you feel stress when your baby sleeps in—or doesn’t sleep at all—will ruin the whole trip. Make a plan but be aware that your baby might act differently out of their normal routine. They might nurse or eat more often out of comfort. Getting them to sleep might be a struggle. Because of all of the fun new activities, they might nap for longer times. Allow for flexibility and your stress level will remain in vacation mode. 

Totally Ditching Your Normal Routine

Another of the common travel mistakes is going willy nilly with your schedule. While you don’t want to adhere to a super strict itinerary, you shouldn’t completely ditch your at home routine either. If your baby has been napping for two hours every day for the past four months, skipping their afternoon nap will result in a cranky baby for the rest of the day. Likewise, bumping their mealtimes by too much will leave them feeling hungry and grumpy—and you’ll be the one to pay for your mistake. Try to keep nap times, meal times, and bedtimes approximately the same so as not to confuse your baby.

Leaving Comforts at Home

Does your baby have a special blanket they like to snuggle with during your nursing sessions? Or maybe a particular cup to drink from during lunch? Perhaps they have always slept with a white noise machine in their bedroom. Or their favorite bear sits with them while they eat their meal. Do yourself and your baby a favor and bring along these items, especially any surrounding eating and sleeping. If they can have their comfort item, they might adapt more easily to being in totally new surroundings.

Bringing Along Absolutely Everything

While it’s smart to bring along a comfort item or two, bringing along their entire toy box and wardrobe is simply unnecessary. Overpacking for baby is definitely a common travel mistake. Yes, your baby will need a few more changes of clothes than you to account for diaper blowouts, slobber, and eating messes. Yes, some toys are smart to bring along to serve as a distraction on the plane or car ride as well as in the stroller and hotel room. But you don’t need it all. Your back will thank you when you don’t have to lug everything and the kitchen sink in and out of the car. 

Not Taking Enough Pictures With You

It’s easier for parents nowadays to take pictures thanks to the camera technology in our phones. You will definitely capture their first step in the ocean, a taste of a local treat, and the sunrise they woke you up to see. But are you taking enough pictures of your baby — and you? If you’re traveling with another parent, friend, or family member, ask them to take pictures of the two of you interacting on vacation, and not just posed photos. Candids of playing in the sand, walking on a trail hand in hand, or meeting a character for the first time will be images you will cherish for a lifetime. Having you in the photo means that your baby will also cherish that photo when they are older. You were there; make sure you’re visible in the photos. 

You will have a great time on your baby’s first vacation. Just keep a few of these common travel mistakes in mind as you head off to make memories together.

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The 2021 holidays will be here before we know it and along with everything else on our plate, we also have to decide if we’ll be traveling with our little ones this holiday season. No matter what you choose for your family, Gugu Guru is going to have your back, recommending the best products to keep things stress-free.

Gear

• Car Seat – Our post on Travel Car Seats is a great place to start.
  • The Clek Liing: designed with a European belt path allowing you to securely install the car seat without the base. It is also aircraft-approved. Bonus: the lightweight polyester-spandex blend interior fabric feels like pjs, giving your little one a cozy place to snuggle up.
  • The Wayb Pico is ultralight, super strong, and absorbs energy forces in a crash while being 8lbs! It folds compactly for easy storage and installs safely in seconds with LATCH or a seatbelt.

• Stroller -No matter where you have to fit your stroller, we have the best Lightweight Travel Strollers to meet your needs. Here’s two of our favorites:
  • The Larktale chit chat™ is constructed from recycled nylon fiber for a lightweight and incredibly strong design. Built in suspension, quick fold, and a carrying strap makes travel with littles a breeze.
  • The Mountain Buggy Nano is a hidden gem. It’s car seat compatible, has a carry strap, and a travel bag while meeting carry-on requirements for most aircrafts.

• Carrier – Great for the airport, discreet nursing, and naptime. Some parents actually prefer a carrier to a stroller for travel! Either way, take our Baby Carrier quiz or check out 2 of our picks:
  •  The Baby K’tan Original carrier is especially nice for travel as the included sash converts to a carry bag when needed! Known as the “wrap without wrapping”, it offers a hands-free, buckle-free experience for parents! The new Active Oasis style has antimicrobial properties for a little extra peace of mind. 
  • If you prefer something with a little more structure, the BabyBjorn Mini is made of soft cozy fabrics. It has an adjustable seat and head support to make it ergonomic. 

• Changing Pad/Diaper Bag – We recently surveyed our Gugu Village for the most inconvenient place they have ever had to change a diaper. Topping the list was an airplane bathroom. Having a hands-free bag like the TWELVElittle Diaper Clutch 3.0 or the Kibou bag makes it so much better. 

• Travel Gear Bags –J.L. Childress has some excellent options. The bright colors make your bags easy to spot and they have Disney options, too! 

Sleep

• Travel Crib – To continue following Safe Sleep Guidelines, we recommend a playard or travel crib at your destination.  Looking for something more compact?:
  • The Babymoov Travelnest is a portable bassinet that can be used as a diaper bag, napper, or changer. It converts within seconds and has a removable foam mattress plus sturdy edges to keep newborns, infants, and toddlers comfortable.
  • Pro-Tip: If your stroller system came with a detachable bassinet (that is approved for sleep) this is a great option for your baby in a hotel or family home as well!

• Sound Machine – whether you are trying to mimic your baby’s home environment or drown out other guests, the Yogasleep Hushh Portable White Noise Machine is excellent. It’s compact, clips onto your stroller/carseat/bassinet and lasts 6+ hours on a single charge.

• Blackout Curtains – Need a way to keep baby’s room dark? Amazon Basics Blackout Curtain Shade with Suction Cup saved all of our sanity.  The Slumberpod is another great option that may be a perfect fix for your sleeping sanity! 

• Toddler Options – Looking for a solution for your toddler?  The Shrunks Toddler Travel Bed Portable Inflatable is an excellent airbed choice. It’s made with built-in guard rails, fits a standard crib sheet, and includes a compact pump and carrying bag. For durability, check out the Regalo My Cot Pals is lightweight, holds up to 75lbs, and requires no setup. 

• Pregnancy Pillow – Expecting Mamas, don’t forget about yourself! I recently drove from NJ to FL at 7 months pregnant and bringing my bbhugme® Pregnancy Pillow was a lifesaver. I used it in the car, the hotel, and for elevating my swollen feet.  My pregnancy travel must have!

Feeding

• Formula Container – Figuring out formula logistics on vacation can be its own stressor. You may want to ship ahead to ensure formula will be waiting at your destination. To help carry small amounts, the Baby’s Brew Formula Dispenser Pro is mess-free, easy, and fast. It holds 150 grams of powdered formula, and one push equals 1 scoop of formula – that’s it!.  If you prefer pre-measured, Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Milk Powder Dispensers fit inside most bottles for travel.

• Bottle Brush – to clean and reuse your bottles, the Boon TRIP Travel Drying Rack is compact and includes everything you need – the drying rack and 2 brushes. Just add soap. 

• Cooler – from breast milk to sippy cups, baby food to snack containers, water bottles to flasks (oops how did that one get in there) you may need to keep things cold. PackIt’s Freezable Classic Lunch Boxes is the first and only lunchbox with freezable non-toxic gel built in to keep food and drinks chilled for hours. The Luli Bebé Monaco Snack Bag can be worn either as a backpack or over-the-shoulder and fits large 16oz beverages. Finally, the YETI Hopper Portable Cooler is the perfect size for long road trips, holds temperature extremely well, and can fit 6 bottles or cans with ice.  

• Snack Container – toddlers + snacks will keep tantrums at bay.  For airplane days, we choose to lighten up on many rules – you want goldfish for breakfast, great! The GoBe Kids Snack Spinner is easy to pack and allows you space for 5 different snacks. We also love the Baby’s Brew 2-in-1 Snack Cups that can be used as a collapsible cup for on-the-go drinks or snacks. Best of all, both are dishwasher safe! 

Organization

• Diaper Bag – when flying with baby, you get to bring 1 extra diaper bag – even if you don’t purchase an extra seat! Take advantage of this with a weekender-style travel bag that is made just for baby.  The Babymoov Traveller Diaper Bag has a large storage capacity, 11 different pockets, and 6 accessories to keep everything contained. The Skip Hop Diaper Bag: Iconic Duo Weekender slides easily over rolling luggage handles and fits the PackIt’s Freezable Classic Lunch Boxes perfectly inside. 

• Packing Cubes – to an over-packer, trying to fit 14 days of clothes for 4 people into 2 suitcases sounds like a nightmare.  This is where the Shacke Pak Packing Cubes Set comes in. Separate by person or color to make packing a breeze. Pro-tip: Put them in your suitcase standing up (with the handles on top) for maximum fit and easy access.

• Extra Bags – this one is a bit of a Pro Tip, but bring extra bags with you! We never leave home without a BAGGU Reusable Shopping Bag or two. These come in hand for souvenirs, snacks and drinks, wet/dirty clothes, unexpected accidents, and so much more.  Other options are Wet/Dry bags like these from Bumkins, Diaper Sacks, or even just large freezer bags. 

• Passport Holder – for international travel, keeping everyone’s identifications is key so that you are not digging through bags at the gate.  You could use one of the extra bags mentioned above, a Reusable Mesh Zipper Pouch Document Bag or an RFID Blocking Family Passport Zip Wallet. 

Apparel & Accessories

• Pajamas – Sometimes having a jammie day makes everything easier. Plus, when siblings are dressed in matching prints or colors, it is much easier to keep track in airports or rest stops.  A few favorites include Clover Baby & Kids, ergoPouch, and Little Sleepies.

• Socks – no one wants to worry about finding missing socks. Squid Socks feature 100% skin-safe tested silicone dots on the inside cuff to gently hold the socks in place. They are also moisture-wicking, have temperature control properties, are buttery soft, and naturally antibacterial. 

• Pacifier Clips – the last thing traveling parents need is a dropped and dirty (or worse yet, lost) binky, paci, or baby soothing device. Prevention tips from – Little BaeBae RetractaClips, Loulou Lollipop Binky Holders, or Little BaeBae Pacifier Travel Case.

• Toys – How to keep your little one occupied when traveling? Mouse Loves Pig Travel Shape Toys, Busy Baby Placemat, and Fat Brain Toys Suction Kupz are some of our top favorites. 

• Hand Sanitizer – my final words to you.  Stock up.  Put one in every bag.  Always keep it nearby.  We love the travel shape of Kibou Sanitizer Stash, the scent of Baby Bum Hand Sanitizer, and the individual packets of Yoobi Hand Sanitizer Wipes.