The Mindset Shift You Need Before Travelling With Your Baby

First things first. Throw out every expectation you had about pre-baby travel. That version of you who casually showed up at the airport 45 minutes before boarding with nothing but a wheelie bag and a coffee? She’s on sabbatical.

Your new travel personality is “organised chaos coordinator”.

The goal of your first trip with baby isn’t a perfect holiday. The goal is getting there, having some new experiences, making memories and maybe not killing your partner.

When to Take Your First Holiday With a Baby

The age-old question every new mama asks: When can we take our first trip with a newborn?

Here’s what I learned about the best age to travel with a baby: there’s no magical “right time,” but there are definitely easier and harder windows.

The surprisingly chill window for baby travel is 2 – 4 months: Babies are basically adorable potatoes during this phase. They sleep. A lot. This is your golden ticket for easy infant travel.

The decent middle ground 4-7 months: Still pretty portable, now with the bonus of some personality and maybe sitting up. Can’t run away yet. Solid choice for first-time baby travellers .

The “was this really a good idea” phase 8-18 months: Mobile but unreasonable. Wants to explore everything but understands nothing. Travelling with a toddler is hard, but it’s also pretty fun.

What to Pack When Travelling With a Baby

Every “ultimate baby travel packing list” online will tell you to bring everything short of your nursery. Here’s what you actually need for your first holiday with a baby:

The Non-Negotiables for Baby Travel:

Nappy Bag Essentials:

• Nappies for the travel day + 1 extra day’s worth (you can buy more there, I promise)
• Wipes (okay, maybe pack extra of these – they’re magical for way more than just bottoms)
• Three changes of clothes for baby, two for you (hello baby blowouts)
• Whatever feeding supplies you use: bottles, formula, breast pump, nursing covers, baby food pouches
• Your baby’s favourite sleep / comfort item (this is NOT the time to forget Mr. Giraffe)
• Basic baby first aid: Calpol, teetha, thermometer, any regular meds
• Dummy’s if you use them (bring 6, somehow you’ll end up with 1)

Key Baby Gear for Travel:

• Car seat
• Lightweight stroller and baby carrier
• Travel changing mat (because public restroom changing tables are gross)

What You Can Skip When Packing for Baby:

Here’s where I save you from overpacking: You don’t need to bring 47 toys. Bring 2-3 small favourites. Your baby will be more interested in the hotel room phone and your water bottle anyway.

You also don’t need: A full-size Pack ‘n Play (most hotels provide cribs), twelve outfits per day, 10 baby sun hats, uncomfortable baby outfits. They will stay in your suitcase.

Flying With a Baby: Airport and Airplane Survival Tips

Booking flights with an infant is its own special kind of stress, so let me break down what actually matters:

Best Times to Fly With a Baby:

• Night flights: If your baby sleeps well at night, this can be genius. If they don’t… well, don’t.
• Nap time flights: Book during their usual nap window and pray to the sleep gods.
• NOT during witching hour: That 5-7pm flight? No thanks.

Airport Tips for First-Time Baby Travellers:

You can bring:

• Formula, breast milk, and baby food in quantities over 100ml (just declare it)
• Ice packs to keep milk cold
• All the puree pouches your heart desires

Arrive extra early for your first flight with baby. Like, 2.5 hours. You’ll need time for feeding, changing, walking around, and the inevitable “oh crap we forgot to…” moment.

Gate check your stroller for free. Use it all the way up to boarding, then hand it over. It’ll be waiting when you deplane. This is THE MOVE for travelling with babies.

On the Plane With Your Infant:

To lap infant or buy a seat? Under 2, they can fly free on your lap. But if you can afford it, buying your baby their own seat makes everything easier. Bring that car seat on board, and you’ve got a contained baby zone.

For takeoff and landing: Nurse, bottle feed, or give a dummy during ascent and descent. The sucking helps their little ears pop. If they cry anyway? They’re babies. That’s literally their job.

Baby Sleep While Travelling

Let’s talk about the elephant in the hotel room: your baby’s sleep schedule is going to go sideways. Accept this now and you’ll be so much happier.

Tips for Baby Sleep on Holiday:

Bring the sleep associations: White noise, sleep sack, dummy, favourite blanket – recreate the home sleep vibe as much as possible.

Blackout curtains: Most hotels have them. If not, use beach towels. Do what you must.

Keep some routine: You can’t stick to the exact schedule, but maintaining the bedtime routine (bath, book, whatever you do) helps signal it’s sleep time even in a weird place.

Room sharing survival: If baby’s in your room, create a divider with a chair and blanket. Or put them in the bathroom (with the door open and baby monitor, obviously). Getting creative is the name of the game.

Feeding Your Baby While Travelling

Breastfeeding on the go: More power to you, mama. Find the nursing rooms at airports (most have them now), or throw that cover on anywhere. Or just go for it!

Formula feeding while traveling: Pack enough for the trip or buy when you arrive. Most grocery stores and pharmacies carry major brands. Pro tip: Pre-measure formula into containers so you’re not dealing with scoops at 30,000 feet.

Starting solids? Baby food pouches are fantastic for travel. They’re TSA-friendly and don’t need refrigeration until opened.

Choosing Your First Baby-Friendly Destination

Where should you go for your first trip with baby? Here’s my hierarchy:

Level 1 (Beginner Mode): Visiting family/friends with kids. Built-in support, borrowed baby gear, people who expect your baby to act like a baby. Start here.

Level 2 (Gaining Confidence): Rent an airbnb. Drivable, relaxing, baby can roll around on a blanket while you actually read three pages of a book.

Level 3 (Feeling Bold): All-inclusive resort or short flight to a chill destination.

Level 4 (Expert Status): Long haul travel with baby. You’ve got this… but maybe not for trip number one?

What Makes a Destination Baby-Friendly:

• Short travel time (under 3-4 hours for your first go)
• Access to baby supplies (can you buy nappies easily?)
• Flexible accommodations (rental > boutique hotel)
• Activities that work on baby’s schedule
• Good medical facilities nearby

What Can Go Wrong and How to Handle It

Let me just normalise some stuff that might happen on your first baby travel adventure:

Your baby might scream on the plane. You’ll survive. They’ll survive. The passengers will survive and probably forget about it in three days. Have you ever remembered a specific crying baby from a flight? Exactly.

Blowouts happen at the worst times. Like during descent when you can’t get up. This is why you packed three backup outfits, right?

Sleep routines implode. See previous section. It’s temporary.

You might forget something important. Amazon delivers almost everywhere. Hotel front desks have seen it all. You’ll figure it out.

Your baby might get sick. Pack that thermometer and know where urgent care is located. Most stuff is minor and treatable.

The Stuff Nobody Tells You About Travelling With Babies

It’s actually kind of amazing. Yeah, it’s harder than pre-baby travel. But watching your tiny human experience new places? Worth every stressful moment.

Babies are passports to meeting people. Locals light up around babies. You’ll have conversations you never would have had before.

You’ll surprise yourself. You’re more capable than you think. That first successful trip? You’ll feel like you conquered Everest. Because basically you did.

It gets easier. Not immediately, but each trip teaches you something. By trip three, you’re basically a baby travel ninja.

Your First Trip With Baby Checklist

Let’s bring it home with a simple pre-trip checklist:

Two Weeks Before:

•  Book accommodations with baby-friendly amenities
•  Check airline baby policies and book seats
•  Order any travel gear you need
•  Research pediatricians/urgent care at destination
•  Start a packing list

One Week Before:

•  Confirm your baby is healthy enough to travel
•  Begin packing non-essentials
•  Download offline entertainment (white noise, etc.)
•  Make copies of insurance and IDs
•  Get any prescriptions

Day Before:

•  Pack nappy bag with travel-day essentials
•  Prepare bottles/formula
•  Charge ALL devices
•  Print / load boarding passes if flying
•  Get good sleep (lol, but try)

Travel Day:

•  Extra change of clothes in your personal item
•  Snacks for you and baby
•  Patience and grace for yourself
•  Lower expectations activated
•  Sense of humour engaged

You’ve Got This, Mama

Here’s the thing about your first trip with a baby: it won’t be perfect. There will be moments where you question every life choice that led you to a hotel room at 2am with a screaming infant while your partner snores blissfully.

But there will also be moments of pure magic. Your baby’s face the first time they see the ocean. The way they conk out in the carrier while you finally get that sunset walk. The surprising nap that gives you an hour to actually enjoy being somewhere new.

Travelling with a baby is less about the destination and more about proving to yourself that you can still do hard things. And you can. You’re already doing the hardest thing every single day – keeping a tiny human alive.

So book the trip. Pack the seventeen dummys. Lower those expectations. And give yourself a massive high-five when you make it back home.

You’re not just travelling with a baby. You’re showing your little one that the world is big and beautiful and worth exploring – even if that exploration includes a few blowouts along the way.

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Download my baby travel checklist for your first baby travel adventure! And remember: the fact that you’re even considering travelling with your baby means you’re already crushing this whole parenting thing. Trust yourself. You’ve got this.