Traveling With A Newborn For The Over-Prepared Parent

When my son was 6 weeks old, my sister was getting married in Texas. 
We live in Ohio, so it was quite the trip!  Our entire trip lasted 10
days, which included a 3-hour drive from northern to southern Ohio to visit family, a flight to College Station, Texas with a layover in
Dallas, 4 days in Texas for the wedding, a return flight back to Ohio,
and another 5 days visiting family before making the 3 hour drive back
to Cleveland.  Needless to say, all of this time away from home and
traveling caused a great deal of anxiety in me during the weeks leading up to the trip.  I decided to share what I brought with me on
our trip (I overpacked for sure!).  My son is now 16 months, so I am
also offering my advice, looking back, on what you really need, and
what you can do without. 

Whenever I travel, I tend to over-pack anyway.  With the large amount
of items a newborn baby needs, I knew I would end up over-packing in
the end, but wanted to make sure I had absolutely everything I needed
for such a long trip. I also had to consider out of everything I was
bringing for the 10 day excursion, what items would be necessary for
the trip to Texas. Over-packing for a road trip is one thing, but
over-packing for a flight where checked luggage is weighed and
expensive is another. 

In the end, we had a successful trip, and only slightly too many
things made the trip with us. This is what I packed (for the whole
trip as well as just the Texas portion), and some advice after making
the trip for traveling with a newborn (particularly flying).  Each
item is followed by parenthesis with 3 numbers.  The first number is
how many of that item I packed total.  The second number is how many
of the item out of what what packed I brought to Texas.  The third
number is how many of that item that was brought to Texas that I put
in my diaper bag/carry on for the flight. 
Feeding 

 Looking back: I definitely did not need to bring 2 formula containers
(1 was more than enough), a drying rack, both Boppy pillows (the
travel one would have been enough) or the bottle warmer.  Things like
burp cloths and bibs I could have brought fewer of since there is this
handy-dandy thing called the “washing machine” that I could wash
them in if needed. 

DIAPERING

Looking back: Ya, you are going to need all of that.  The only thing I
would have done different is just bought all of the diapers I needed
when I arrived instead of traveling with any from Cleveland. 

MEDICINE AND CARE

Looking back: A LOT of these could have been left behind.  In general,
most people will have Vaseline, a nail file, cotton swabs, and a
thermometer if needed, so I really didn’t need to bring my own.  The
travel size of sunscreen is more than enough for a 10 day trip.  I’m
not sure how much sun I thought my little one was going to be soaking
up, but I could have left the big bottle at home. 

GETTING AROUND

Looking back: You are going to need all of this.  If you flying and
don’t want to worry about checking your car seat and damaging it
along the way (we had no issues with this, but some do worry), you can
rent a car seat along with your car.  Just check with the rental
company before your trip to make sure they offer this, and have one
available. 

PLAY

Looking back: It is up to you how many toys you decide to travel with.
Be sure to think of where you are going.  If there are already kids
where you are traveling, you probably won’t need to bring much.  If
it is a home of only adults, you will most likely need to bring a few
to keep your baby stimulated during the trip. 

SLEEP

Looking back: Also over-packed in this category.  You can make due
with the baby monitor (a must), a Pack n’ Play sheet, 1 or 2
blankets, and 2 swaddle blankets. 

BATH TIME

Looking back: You can cut back on the number of washcloths and towels
by just doing laundry while on your trip.  You also only need a travel
size of baby wash. 

CLOTHING

Looking back: One word describes how you can cut back: LAUNDRY!
(Noticing a theme?) 

OTHER

Looking back: All of these are things you will need (except maybe the
stain remover and first aid kit), but you can reduce quantities of
each for sure. 

ADVICE FOR TRAVELING WITH AN INFANT

Check the TSA's site for the most up-to-date information about

traveling with children (see the link below).  They were really great

with us at both locations. 

Make sure to add your in-lap infant to your ticket.  We booked our
tickets before Patrick was born, and were able to call and add him to
our tickets after her was officially here. 

We checked his car seat and base. We put them in a large trash bag to
protect them (they do sell travel bags, but trash bags are cheaper). 
We gate checked the stroller.  Having it during our lay-over helped
with diaper changes and naps.  If we didn't have a lay-over I would
also have checked the stroller. 

We were able to wear Patrick in the Baby Bjorn the entire time,
including through security and the entire flight.  I had read that
some airlines don't let allow that, but American Airlines did. 

Do a fresh diaper change and begin a bottle as close to boarding as
possible.  Most flights will let you board early if you have children.
Continue feeding through take-off or use a pacifier to prevent his
ears from popping.  With a clean diaper and full belly he slept
through both of our flights. 

The ready to use bottles are great for feedings right before
boarding, take-off and landing.  They don't require fumbling around
for formula and water. 

A pacifier clip is a must!  You don't want to be fumbling on the
ground of the plane looking for one that fell.

Think about what consumable items you can buy at your destination
(formula, diapers, etc).  That is less you have to pack in your bags. 

If you are staying at a hotel, ask for a crib or Pack n' Play for
your room.  Most do, and it is free.  If you are staying at someone's
home, see if they have or know someone who has a Pack n' Play you can
use.  That is one less bulky item that you need to bring. 

Don't forget your camera!

Patrick gets hot really easily, so Texas was rather uncomfortable for
him.  We have since bought a small personal fan (ours was in the $1
bin at Target) that I keep in the diaper bag for hot situations. 

Don't worry or stress over what others think or if they are bothered
by your baby.  You have a newborn, and traveling with him is not an
easy task. No matter what you are doing the best you can.  Take time
to enjoy it!  It is an important milestone, and a fun one if you allow
it to be. 

It was all worth it!  We had a great time at my sister's wedding! 

I did a lot of research while compiling my packing list. I couldn't
find one site that met my particular needs (long term trip with 6 week
old broken up into 2 destinations), so I used some of the best parts
from several other lists. Below are sites that I used in my research
while creating my packing list.