The Ultimate Packing Checklist For Babies Under One Year Old (Twin-Friendly!)
Traveling with an infant (or infants!) under one can be intimidating — it seems like they need a million and one things, and that forgetting any one of those things can be devastating. We’ve put together a checklist of all the things that have made our lives much easier while traveling with twins under the age of one — but this list can be used for traveling with ANY number of infants!
We’ve done our best to strike a balance between packing thoroughly and stopping short of overdoing it, but everyone’s individual situations will vary in terms of what they’re comfortable bringing/leaving. We’ve STARRED (*) items that we think you need in your CARRY-ONS (so you should not be checking these in pre-security!) since you’ll probably need them on the airplane. This should help guide your packing process.
This list focuses on WARM-WEATHER destinations — so the focus is on keeping your babies cool, happy, and comfortable despite soaring temperatures and strong sun. We’ve included links to some of our favorites, but overall would advise that you choose to get things that are COMPACT, LIGHT, EASY TO PACK, and USEFUL for your purposes!
BE SURE TO SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR A FREE ONE-PAGE DOWNLOADABLE BABY PACKING CHECKLIST for your convenience!
THE ULTIMATE BABY PACKING CHECKLIST FOR HOT WEATHER
TRANSPORT
*TRAVEL STROLLER: A hot topic in family travel, travel strollers have come a LONG way and offer a ton of features! We wanted an option that could fit in the overhead compartment on the airplane, so that there would be no need to gate check and no fear of the stroller ending up broken or missing at our final destination. After extensive research, we settled on the BabyZen Yoyo Connect (the double version since we needed to transport our twins). It also comes in a single version for anyone traveling with one baby!
CAR SEAT: Another hot topic — oftentimes, you can RENT car seats along with your rental car for an additional fee, or find taxi services that offer child seats in your destinations! If that’s not an option or you aren’t comfortable with relying on that, we recommend taking along your car seat and checking it in in a car seat bag (our favorite option for one is here) to keep it protected during transit! We recommend installing the car seat using SEATBELTS to avoid having to bring and use a base — THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO helped us immensely in figuring out how to install our carseats WITHOUT their base, and using just a seatbelt!
*BACKPACK FOR TRAVEL STROLLER: If you end up having to gate-check your stroller, you WILL want something to keep it protected. And, this makes it so much easier to carry around if it’s not in use. We used the BabyZen Yoyo compatible backpack, but Amazon has a ton of options that will work for ANY strollers, like THIS one! Just measure your stroller when it’s folded up to make sure the backpack you choose will fit your stroller first!
*DIAPER BAG: This bag should be the personal item/carry-on that never leaves your side. Keep it stocked with diapers, wipes, formula/food, bibs, bottles, and a few toys, and it will be your lifeline. WE LOVE THIS ONE from Béis — it has a BUILT-IN CHANGING PAD and window for wipes, which has saved our lives and kept us from being grossed out on the variety of changing tables/floors we have changed our babies on while traveling!
The Béis Ultimate Diaper Backpack, zipped open with its built-in changing pad and window for easy wipe access.
We also recommend organizing each “category” of baby item into CLEAR POUCHES - we love these! It’ll keep you organized so that you know where to go instead of digging through the bag to find everything. We made FOUR categorized pouches: FOOD; DIAPER/CHANGING NECESSITIES; TOILETRIES (bug sprays, stain removers, sunscreens); and STROLLER ACCESSORIES (stroller mosquito nets, cupholders, and toys)
*BABY CARRIER: These WILL save your life on the airplane and in the airport — the ability to carry your baby hands-free is worth EVERY penny a carrier is worth. For the most part, make sure you’re choosing a carrier that has a higher weight capacity so it grows with your baby and doesn’t break your back!
STROLLER UMBRELLA: IT GETS HOT in direct sunlight, and umbrellas provide the perfect shade for your kids. We purchased the BabyZen Yoyo umbrellas (which also can work on other strollers!), but there are some universal options on Amazon. The universal ones tend to be a bit less sturdy, so make sure you try them out before your trip!
STROLLER FAN: Like the umbrellas, fans are a must to keep your baby safe and keep you at ease that your baby is comfortable even in the hottest weather! THESE ONES from Amazon are our FAVORITES — they are rechargeable and have an IMPRESSIVE battery life, kept our babies super cool and comfortable, and have LED lights that help you see your baby if when it’s dark out. They are also super useful for the adults pushing a stroller around the streets of Rome in 95-degree weather….
STROLLER MOSQUITO NETS: Hot weather means bugs. THESE stroller mosquito nets from Amazon are insanely effective, fit over any stroller/bassinet/car seat, and will save your kids from a ton of itchy bites and pests!
*CUPHOLDERS FOR TRAVEL STROLLER: Because trying to balance pushing a stroller and holding a cup of coffee is not what vacation is for. We’d recommend getting the cupholders made by your stroller company, because we’ve tried at least 5 universal cupholders from Amazon and not a single one worked very well!
*BABY PASSPORT/TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Especially if you’re flying internationally!
SUN/SWIM
BABY SUNSCREEN: Our favorite kit comes from our favorite baby skincare brand — this perfect kit from Tubby Todd has a roller stick (which made application on the face SO easy), lotion, and spray! It’s more expensive than most, but we loved the multiple applications in the kit and there is a ton in there that will last a long time. Our twins also seemed to like it — although it definitely turned them into little Casper ghosts, but they certainly didn’t seem to mind.
BABY BUG SPRAY: Chemical-free and natural, THIS baby bug spray checked all our boxes, and we even ended up getting the kit with the wipes as well, so we could wipe down arms and legs for extra bug protection!
SWIM DIAPERS: Love the ones from good old Huggies, but if you ever forget baby swim diapers, you can modify a regular diaper to work as a swim diaper by ripping out the top layer — check out this video to see how! It won’t be ideal, but it’ll work when you’re in a pinch.
TRAVEL-SIZED AQUAPHOR: Lots of sun and water means potential rashes and diaper rash! We loved having this in our diaper bag to help soothe our babies’ skin.
CLOTHING
SHOE ORGANIZERS FOR PACKING BABY CLOTHES: That viral hack has proven to be a life-saver — pack your babies’ clothes in shoe organizers! You can roll up each outfit, label the pockets, and roll it up for packing. Once you’re at your final destination, unroll and hang it and you have the world’s easiest task in getting your babies dressed and ready for each day!
*OUTFITS: 1-2 per baby per day! Lots of onesies and rompers for warm weather. Make sure you have a few in your carry-on/diaper bag for any in-air accidents.
CAPS/BUCKET HATS: To protect their little heads and eyes from the sun! Anddd because they are adorable.
BABY SUNNIES: So they’re not squinting all day!
FOOD
*BOTTLES: Try to bring enough for one full day of feeds, so you only need to wash/sterilize your bottles once a day!
*FORMULA: Make sure to bring enough for the duration of your trip.
*BOTTLE BRUSH/PIPE CLEANERS + BABY-SAFE DISH SOAP: For washing your baby bottles.
*PACIFIER/BOTTLE WIPES: Because sometimes babies throw the only pacifier you had onto the middle of the street in Greece.
*WATER BOTTLES FOR FORMULA: They’ll let you bring this through TSA in the USA as long as you specify it’s for your baby. No guarantee they let you bring bottled water through security in other countries, though.
ENTERTAINMENT
*TOYS: Don’t overdo the toys, but definitely bring a nice amount to keep your baby happy and entertained! We recommend larger toys with fewer small pieces, busy books, plush toys, and rattles.
SWIM FLOATIES: We searched high and low for the PERFECT swim floaties that would help our kids stay afloat and practice kicking, be easy to monitor, and roll up ULTRA compact, and this one is THE best! It is self-inflating, so you won’t get lightheaded trying to blow it up, super comfortable for the kids, has a sun canopy to protect from those UV rays, and rolled up so small that we didn’t mind packing two of them for our twins!
*PACIFIERS/TEETHERS: Babies under one will find these helpful and distracting during airplane take-off and landing.
GROOMING
FOLDING BABY SEAT FOR BATHING: This thing is the best for bathing your baby anywhere and everywhere - it folds up SUPER small and is sturdy enough for your baby to sit in in a tub or standing shower!
*DIAPERS: Don’t forget these! You’ll need some in you diaper bag/carry-on for changes on the airplane.
*WIPES: A lot. All the time. Everywhere. IYKYK.
*UBBI BAGS: On-the-go bags to wrap up dirty diapers and dispose of without making a mess/smell — these are incredibly useful for both diapers and dirty bottles that need to be washed later.
BABY SHAMPOO: Travel sized!
SLEEP
PORTABLE CRIB/PACK N PLAY: You may not always need these, as many hotels and AirBnbs offer cribs for babies, but if you do need to bring it along, we recommend either THIS Pamobabe one or THIS Guava Lotus — both fold up nicely and are made for travel!
SLEEP SACKS/SWADDLES: Depending on your baby’s age, you may want to bring sleep sacks/swaddles. In a new environment, your baby may have a harder time falling asleep, and ours loved having their sleep sacks!
PORTABLE SOUND MACHINE: We love this rechargeable one from Hatch.
PORTABLE BABY CAM: Definitely not a necessity, but is nice to have to monitor your baby’s sleep!
MEDICAL
*BABY TYLENOL: For any unexpected fevers.
*ANY OTHER MEDICINE YOUR PEDIATRICIAN PRESCRIBES/RECOMMENDS
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