Our Minimalist Toddler Travel Packing List
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We traveled quite a bit in my son’s first year but all of it was road trips. This last month we took our first plane trip. This signaled a big change in packing behavior. We had some packing methods that might be considered bad habits such as bringing our giant Tripp Trapp high chair with us. Obviously that wasn’t an option on the plane. What we ended up bringing though I think was a pretty well done minimalist list. Here you go!
Travel Basics
Carseat: we purchased this affordable and lightweight travel carseat. It is FAA approved if you are bringing it on the plane, easy to install, and super light to lug around.
Carseat bag: I think this bag or something like it is a necessity for carrying around the carseat. It makes it a backpack and while the shape is still weird, since the carseat is so light it is easy to carry
Stroller: I asked friends on Instagram for recommendations for a travel stroller then totally dropped the ball in actually ordering one in time. We ended up getting a Baby Jogger from Facebook Marketplace (recommended by several people on Instagram) and it was great. It is a bit of a middle ground on a stroller. It doesn’t fold up tiny but it has a bigger basket and generally feels less like a travel stroller. We do a lot of walking so that was helpful. It is so easy to fold. The linked stroller is a newer version of the one we have.
Carrier: I would never travel without a carrier.
Eating
Travel booster: As I mentioned, in the past we brought our Tripp Trapp. This obviously isn’t an option on a flight but we loved this travel booster. It works on the ground if your hotel doesn’t have a table or for a picnic and can also be attached to a chair to work as a booster.
Bibs: We always try to remember our bibs.
Sleep
We cosleep when traveling so we brought nothing for sleep except pajamas. That said we didn’t always do that. Also when he was an infant we brought a Japanese futon for cosleeping since often hotel beds are too soft. Here’s what we brought when he was younger:
Bassinet: we always used our stroller bassinet when he was a newborn. We wouldn’t use this on the plane though and would probably have brought a foldable bassinet.
Lotus Crib/Floor Bed: The Lotus crib is a great option if you use a floor bed at home. Honestly, Yitzchak doesn’t sleep so well in it but we didn’t push it for long and have preferred to just cosleep. That said we really prefer this to a pack n play because we can also get in it (it’s on the floor versus raised) and we can open the side to make a floor bed.
Entertainment
We brought zero toys. My reasoning was we are going to be so active while on the trip we wouldn’t have much time to play with them. I know a lot of people were shocked for the flight though. My reasoning for not bringing toys on the flight is I did not think they would entertain him for long enough to make it worth the space. Here’s what we did bring for the flight.
Blue Painter’s Tape: Easy to pack and this provides so much entertainment. We put pieces on the wall and window on the plane and he peeled them off. Repeat. We also used them a few times in the Airbnbs where we were staying.
Pill Box Snacktivity: We filled a pill organizer with snacks for him to open. I’ve seen a lot of snacktivities with divided containers but I loved that this container had separate compartments so he had to open each individually. This avoided big spills and prolonged the fun.
Toniebox: We did bring our Toniebox. He didn’t use it on the plane however because we forgot to get headphones (and honestly not so sure he would have worn them anyway). He did like playing music in the Airbnb though.
We also brought a few favorite books.
Miscellaneous
Diapers: We only brought a minimal number of diapers and wipes and bought the rest once we were there.
Clothes: We were lucky to have a washer in one of our Airbnbs so we were able to bring half as many clothes.
