Pack for Baby: The Big Stuff

Your first aid kit, carry-on and suitcase are all packed and ready to go. Now comes the hardest part. Your baby sleeps in a crib, needs a car seat, rides in a stroller, and eats out of a high chair. In order to pack for baby, do you need to bring all of these things or none of them? Here are some thoughts on the big and bulky baby gear.

Strollers and car seats

You’ll need a car seat wherever you go and the airlines don't charge you for bringing them. Babies in the newborn to 9 month range are typically still in an infant carrier which is easy to carry and fit right into a stroller, so it’s a no brainer. You can always strap your infant car seat into a car without the base, so we’d just arrive at the airport with our bucket car seat, pop it into the stroller and go. You can check these in with the rest of your luggage, but we like being able to push the baby right up to the gate. If you’ve got a seat for baby, the carseat comes in nice and handy if your baby catches a couple of zzz’s on the plane. You’ll enjoy the break from constantly holding your baby especially if you’re on a long flight or traveling alone with your baby.

For older babies in those big bulky convertible carseats, we recommend checking them at no charge. We have also used a Sit n’ Stroll (carseat and stroller in one), which is great because you’re then able to just worry about one piece of travel gear versus two.

Strollers often get destroyed when traveling so you might want to just pick up a $20 umbrella stroller from Toys R Us and not worry about the dings and dents your fancier stroller might suffer while going through airport baggage tumbling school.

If your baby enjoys being carried in a sling or baby carrier, you might just use that instead of a stroller. My son went through an anti-stroller phase around 6 months and we’d just bring the ergo, check in the car seat and leave the stroller at home.

Cribs
Most hotels have cribs available for their guest, but check beforehand. If there’s no crib available at your destination and your friends aren’t able to borrow a one for your baby, bring your own portable crib or rent one from a baby equipment rental company. Our three favorite portable cribs are the Grace Pack 'n Play, the Kidco Peapod and the Phil & Ted Traveller Bed. See the Best Portable Cribs article for our detailed review. Considering the $15/25 baggage fees many airlines charge today, renting is sometimes a more economical and hassle-free way to go.

Highchairs
For our adult eating pleasure, we like to have our baby strapped in securely so that we can feed and eat at our leisure. We are big fans of the Phil & Ted’s MeToo chair. It folds down flat like a pancake and is super easy to pack into any suitcase or carry-on. The downside is that you can’t use it on tables with a lip or on glass tables which we run into quite often at vacation rental homes. In those cases, we either bring our FisherPrice Healthytimes Booster Seat or rent one. The FisherPrice seat is super light, but unfortunately quite bulky.

So, the bottomline. Bring the bulky carseat and stroller, but think twice about cribs and highchairs. See if you can borrow them first. If not, then find out if renting makes sense. If not, then find a small, light portable version to bring along.

View our easily customizable checklist of what to pack

Now you have all my secrets on how to pack for baby without taking the nursery. If you've got any additional tips to share, feel free to add your own comments or drop me a line at info@trekaroo.com.

Related Stories:

• Pack for Baby without Taking the Nursery
• Pack for Baby: The Suitcase and CarryOn
• Pack for Baby: Checklist

• Baby First Aid Kit: 15 Essential Items
• Travel Toy Recommendations for Babies and Toddlers
• Family Travel Tips for Roaming on a Budget