The question is, what do you bring, what do you pack in a suitcase and what do you put
in a diaper bag so that you have everything that you're going to need for your new baby?
First, a quick word on suitcases, even if it's a small bag or a suitcase, I think it's
a nice idea to create a separate suitcase for your baby.
I tend to like to keep my stuff nice and organized (surprise, surprise!) and I don't really like
to mix my things with like Pack N Play sheets and diapers and burp clothes and all that
stuff.
So it's really nice to have a nice separate bag for your baby.
And in that bag, try to make sure there's enough room for dirty laundry and the way
you can deal with this is bring a pillow case or bring a thin laundry bag and once your
baby has soiled something, put it in the dirty bag so that your not stuck worry about mixing
dirty and clean clothes during your vacation or doing laundry during your vacation.
Okay, so all that being said what are the essential things that I'm going to want to
have in my baby's suitcase when I'm going away for a trip?
Let's go through these.
I'm going to put up a list for you guys to make it super clear.
Here they are.
I'm going to want to have front snap pajamas, onesies, burp clothes, an extra sheet for
my Pack N Play, cardigans, 1 hooded towel, 1 nice outfit.
And one thing to say about these outfits, okay this is not the Golden Globes.
I know you've probably seen family members when you're traveling and you're going to
want your baby to look nice, but really there's no time during which you should less want
to have any sort of fussy or fancy clothes that are going to cause you more stress or
anxiety.
This is really about keeping it nice and easy so there's no better time to be using your
basic pajama.
Okay, so those are the essential things you need to have in your suitcase.
Now, what do you not need to have in your suitcases?
Unless you're going to Antarctica, you really don't need to worry about having basic essentials
your can buy at a pharmacy because they're just going to load you down.
They are going to take up unnecessary space and it's going to cause more hassle.
So let's list the things you're not going to buy.
Okay, here those things are -- this is not what you're putting in your suitcase.You're
going to put in your suitcase extra packages of diapers, extra packages of wipes, extra
formula, or extra towels or all the nice outfits you've never had a chance to use.
Okay, so what am I going to put in my diaper bag or in my travel bag?
Now this is almost more important than what you have in your main suitcase because you
don't want to be caught on the plane or in the car needing something in a moment's notice
and not having it.
So the basic point is here, you're going to bring everything that you need plus a little
extra.
Now first, a quick word about medicines.
I do think it's a really, really great idea to have small amounts of age appropriate medicines
on you just in case of an emergency.
In case such thing would happen your baby spikes a fever or seems to be allergic to
something your going to have that medicine with you.
You can talk to a doctor and you're going to be able to administer it at a moments notice
and I think it's a really good idea.
Now they do sell very small amounts for example of Tylenol or Motrin and you can usually fit
these into a small Ziploc bag so they do not pose in terms of airlines and security.
So given that, I would have a little package ready of infant or baby medicines, depending
on the age of your baby, so that you have this on hand just in case.
And I hope nothing bad happens, but just in case you'll have it on hand- always good to
be prepared.
Okay, with that being said, what other things do I need to have in my diaper bag?
I'm going to put up a list here because you're going to want to get all this stuff nice and
ready so that you're sure to have an easy trip.
Here's what you're going to need: You're going to need 3+ changes of pajamas, 3-4 onesies,
4 burp clothes, 8 diapers (might be more than you need, but it's good to have a little extra),
small container of wipes, ready-to-go amounts of formulas and bottles, bottled water if
you need it, a good safe play toy, and then I would also have a thermometer, Motrin, Tylenol,
Benadryl -- medicines like that in small sizes- I would bring my changing pad, I would bring
2-3 CHUX Changing Pads, and I would bring a cardigan or something warm, even in summer
because air conditioning can make your baby get really, really, cold.
Okay, the CHUX Changing Pad is actually a great thing, even if you have a changing pad
in your diaper bag because what you can do is you can put this down if it's sort of a
grimy area or a seat or something like that and you can put your changing pad on top of
it just so that it stays clean for your baby.
So bring a few of those.
Now if you're going away on a very long, long trip -- Australia or something huge- you might
want to amp up and have even more things in your diaper bag for your trip, but if it's
a normal sort of trip that you're going to take over the course of a few hours or a half
day this should more than enough to keep you covered.
So I hope these little tips will help you in getting ready for traveling with your baby,
you're very brave for doing this, and I hope that you have a wonderful time.