If the post contains affiliate links, I might earn a commission at no cost to you if you purchase through my link. This will be greatly appreciated .
How to travel light with a baby? It seems like ‘causa perduta’ (lost cause) as the luggage is ‘never ending’ after baby is born, but it’s not. You just have to follow a few simple rules and once you give it a try and get the hang of it, it’ll seem like child’s play the next time you have to pack!
When it’s holiday time just thinking about packing the bags may make you want to cancel all plans. Never-ending packing and worrying not to forget something important. Don’t stress and let me help with some hacks and tips you can use from now on and make packing the bags an enjoyable experience!
Here’s why being organised is key!
Travel bag
First things first! One of the most important things in order to travel light and compact is the bag you’re going to be using. You want to get a small one, but with large capacity! That way you’ll fit in everything needed in one place without having to take a few bags with you.
A great budget option is this one.
It’s ‘flight friendly’ and it’ll be able to fit anyone’s luggage – whether it’s baby’s or yours
Pack separately
A great hack to make your life easier and take organising the luggage on another level is to use ziplock bags to put separate outfits in, toiletries, etc. That way you can tag everything using sticky labels and it’ll take a second to find whatever you’re looking for. Plus, if you’ll be travelling by plane, your liquids will already be put in a bag, so no need to do that at the airport – you’ll have to just take them out at securuty! A total gamechanger and timesaver!
Make a list of your ‘must take’ items
Go ahead, be proactive and make a quick list of the most important stuff you want to take for sure. It could be a note on your phone, or on paper. It doesn’t really matter. That way you set yourself for success and you save a lot of time later on by just following what you’ve already planned.
Just include everything important like diapers, wet wipes, white noise machine, creams, sleep sack, etc. Whatever you’ll need and use. After you’ve put everything ‘super important’ in the bag you’ll have some time to check if you have more space left and if you really need anything extra.
Don’t go overboard with packing lots of clothes
Two things are most important here – to pick clothes having what season it currently is in mind and to make smart ‘colour choices’.
Depending on the season, pick some ‘ready to wear’ outfits and fold each one together. That way you will know exactly what’s where and you won’t waste any time trying to match the pieces.
Another really useful tip is to choose neutral colours or at least similar ones in all outfits that you pack, so you can easily mix and match them if needed.
Don’t take too many – remember you can always wash them if needed. Take just a few tops, 3-4 bottoms as well… if your little one is a girl – a few dresses and a jacket or two if the weather requires it, plus a few pairs of socks.
You really won’t need all the toys you think of
We’ve all realised it at some point… babies are just like little kittens. You buy them all sorts of toys and they end up playing with the most random objects. So, remember – don’t overpack toys too! They’ll certainly find what to play with.
The change of scenery is entertaining enough for your little one. Especially If you’re going on a holiday, that’s more than exciting!
Take your baby’s’ favourite toy – the one he\she loves and plays with the most and just a few more. But that’s it! If you catch yourself overpacking, just revise your choices and act like a real minimalist!
Toiletries
Again – let’s always have it in the back of our mind while packing – we’re striving to travel light with a baby! So, having mentioned that, prepare to take only the absolute essentials. If you start thinking twice and questioning if you’ll really need something, just leave it straight away. IF you end up needing it afterwards – you can always buy it wherever you are. The only non-negotiable thing should be medications. Always have those with you. Just for some extra peace of mind.
To sum it all up…
The main (if not the only) thing that your baby really needs and wants with them, wherever they are, is mommy and daddy. Everything else is not as important, so don’t stress yourself out! Enjoy your vacation and try to relax. After all that’s what it is all about!
Here’s an extra tip
This one is not really an essential, but it is a great tip and it saves you the heavy lifting and some nerves. It happened to us quite a few times! You invest in a nice, expensive, comfortable stroller just to go on a vacation and the airport staff to scratch it absolutely everywhere while taking it to the luggage compartment. Ugh… not the most pleasant start of your holiday, right? Plus, you have to either attach the car seat to the stroller or to bring it separately. Again – not the most convenient thing ever and kind of not fitting really well in the whole ‘travelling light with a baby’ thing..
So, what’s the decision? It’s the Doona+ Baby Car Seat & Travel Stroller.
It’s a car seat that converts into a stroller with one simple motion and it’s suitable from birth up to when baby is around 13kg. The perfect travel solution to avoid carrying bulky items and worrying where to fit it all in.
As a quick conclusion
You can use these packing tips not only while packing baby’s bag, but yours and the rest of your family’s too, if the honour to do that is all yours haha!
This article was all about ‘How to travel light with a baby’.
Enjoy your vay-cay and don’t forget to check this article next.
