It’s almost the holidays, so we thought it would be a good time to post our current favorites for the baby (and family) on the go.  Just a few tried and tested gifts for easier family travel.  Have a look!

1. Indestructibles Book: Baby Peekaboo

These books are indestructible, hence the name.  Your baby can fold them, chew them, roll them up, crinkle them, and they can even get wet.  Perfect for stuffing in the carry-on bag.

2. Baby paper

Oh baby paper, how much do we love thee!  It’s the perfect crinkly sound that almost every baby loves, and it doesn’t take up as much space as bigger stuffed or rattle toys would.

3. Oli and Carol Apple Teether

This apple teether is a favorite around here.  So much so that it was a staple for every trip until we left it behind on our last flight!  I need to learn not to put her toys in the seat pocket, because they become very easy to forget when you’re in a rush to get off the plane.  Because of the shape this toy can also be attached to a toy leash, so it doesn’t get dropped.

4. Ringley Natural Teething Toy

We’ve had this teether for a while now and Baby Flyer loves it.  She likes to chew on the maple ring, but she also likes to feel the fabric and has been known to play peekaboo with it.  The fabric comes of easily, and can be thrown in the washing machine.

Sophie la Giraffe

Sophie is ubiquitous, Sophie is expensive, but boy does Baby Flyer loves her!  The natural rubber makes for a perfect chewing surface.  But to be honest, some days she seems to prefers her apple teether and Ringley toy even better.

Green Sprouts Glass Cup

This cup is wonderful because it has a glass insert which holds the liquid if you’re trying to avoid plastics, but it’s protected so you don’t have to worry about it breaking.  It comes apart, and is dishwasher safe.  It’s been great on the go, no leaks or breaking.

 

Cosco Scenera NEXT Convertible Car Seat

We’ve written about this car seat before, but it’s great for travelling.  It’s light weight, uses a regular seat belt for installation, has a 5 point adjustable harness, and depending on the age of the child, can be rear or forward facing.  The cup holder comes off, so it fits in snug airplane seats.

Car Seat Backpack

We’ve also written about this before but we bring it on every trip.  It makes it relatively easy to transport the car seat and provides protection for the car seat, and keeps it clean.  Travel tip- you can put extra items in the bag with the car seat.  We like to put our package of diapers, or bulky coats.

Babyzen YOYO Stroller

While we do not have his stroller (yet), we’ve heard very positive reviews, and seen it around the airports.  It is light weight, has tight steering, and most importantly can be folded down so it fits within the carry-on size restrictions so you can bring it onto the plane instead of gate checking.  Personally, I think it’s a genius idea.

Summer Infant 3Dlite Stroller

We have this stroller for travel and it fulfills all of our needs.  It steers surprisingly well (most of the time we use our BOB Revolution stroller which has amazing steering but we haven’t wanted to risk it getting damaged while travelling so we leave it at home), is lightweight, has a storage area under the seat, and the seat back can be reclined.  It comes with a cup holder, but it seemed flimsy.  However, we’ve found that either of our cup holders/stroller organizers work with it (this or this).  One complaint we have is that the canopy doesn’t provide much sun protection since Baby Flyer isn’t tall enough yet.

Stroller Gate Check Bag

We use a bag like this for both the stroller and the Pack N Play.  The extra handle and strap help when transporting the Pack N Play, since it can get heavy.

Summer Infant Pop N’ Jump Portable Activity Center

Baby Flyer went through a stage where she loved to jump.  We used this on a couple of trips over the summer.  It folds down into a relatively small carrier, and it was nice to have a safe place to let her play on her own for a few minutes.  When we were in Cabo, we set it up on the balcony so Baby Flyer could take in the views!

Graco Pack N Play

When Baby Flyer was younger, this was a traveling staple.  Now it is hit or miss if she will sleep well in it, so we’ve been leaving it home more lately.  If you were mainly going to use your Pack N Play for travelling, I would recommend buying one of the lightest one that still meets all of your needs.  Hotels also provide cribs or pack n plays on request, so if you’re going for a short trip, it may be easier to borrow.  When we do this, we do bring our own crib sheet that’s familiar to her.

Thanks for reading & Happy Travels!

-CR