Newborn Travel Essentials that Make Flying with Baby Painless

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So, you’re planning on traveling with a newborn. It’s an intimidating task to plan, especially if this is your first kid. But it’s actually not that scary if you’re prepared with a bit of knowledge and some newborn travel essentials. In fact, I recommend traveling while your baby is still in the newborn phase, because it actually gets harder when they’re a bit older – moving more and sleeping less.

I’ve shared in a previous post some tips for traveling light with a baby. The focus of that post was keeping the products you’re packing to a minimum. Newborns require a lot. If you don’t know which products are truly essential, you can end up weighed down by tons of baggage for even a short trip.

So, what are the newborn travel essentials that are actually worth packing? (Some of which even save space in your luggage). Keep reading for a list of products that are worth buying, even if you’re a minimalist.

Below, I’ll share some quick tips from my other post about what to know before you travel with your newborn. Then, I’ll cover the newborn travel essentials to bring on your trip.

What to Know Before You Travel with Your Newborn

Baby's hand touching a plane window. The newborn travel essentials on this list can make plane travel with an infant painless. — Photo by Michelle Spollen

Before we get to the list of sanity-saving newborn travel essentials, I want to share some information (which I’ve shared before) that can help you prepare for a painless plane trip with baby.

You can carry on formula or breastmilk, even though they’re liquids. Build in extra time for security to examine these. They’ll either open the containers or swab your hands to check for powder. Pack all the milk into one bag so security only needs to examine one.

Many hotels provide cribs. Call ahead to ensure one is available and added to your reservation.

You can carry on a car seat if your baby is going to sit in it in their own airplane seat. However, since babies can travel free on your lap before age two, most people will end up checking the car seat. Remember the car seat needs to be checked with oversize luggage – separate from other luggage – and allow for extra time at the airport for both lines.

Most airlines allow an extra diaper bag, in addition to the one carry on and one personal item per person.

Strollers and car seats can be checked for free on most airlines.

You can preboard on most airlines if you’re traveling with a child under two. Take advantage of this to make sure you get overhead space for your carry-on.

It’s useful to feed a baby or give them a pacifier during takeoff and landing. Sucking helps prevent ears from popping. Make sure you pack milk or a pacifier so they’re easily accessible.

Your baby needs a passport to travel internationally. Also, if you have global entry, your baby also needs global entry for you to go through the fast lane together. Luckily, it’s free to apply for a child.

Newborn Travel Essentials

My previous post includes a full packing list for traveling with a baby. But here I’m covering the VIP products you may want to invest in as you prepare for your trip.

Microwave Steam Sterilizer Bag

When an infant is under 4 months, you need to sterilize everything they put in their mouths or that touches their milk. That includes bottles and pacifiers, as well as the million little breast pump parts. But it’s not exactly practical to bring a steam sterilizer machine in your luggage.

When my son was a newborn, I used to bring Dr. Brown’s Microwave Steam Sterilizer Bags on trips. These are lightweight and don’t take up much space in your luggage. I would pack enough bottles to last one day. Then I’d ask the hotel to use a microwave to sterilize everything for the next day within minutes.

Mini White Noise Machine

Ok, I love this thing. We have a sound machine in my son’s nursery that is always on while he sleeps. I knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep in a strange environment without white noise. But again, it wasn’t practical to pack the full-size machine.

The Babelio mini white noise sound machine was the perfect solution. It’s tiny and can be charged ahead of time, so it can play all night without being plugged in. It had the added benefit of helping to mask sound while my son slept, even when my husband and I were up making noise in the same room.

A Lightweight Breast Pump

New moms online talk a lot about their breastfeeding “journeys,” and at first that term gave me the ick. But now I understand that the newborn phase is a period of rapid learning and adjusting. I started out renting a huge, heavy pump from the hospital. I had also bought a cute wearable pump that fits in your bra and doesn’t require wires. Well, guess which one worked? The clunker of the machine the hospital gave me. As wonderfully convenient as the wearable one was, it simply didn’t work well. And everyone I spoke to who had tried similar ones had the same experience.

Luckily, someone offered a Zomee Z2 Double Electric Breast Pump on my local Buy Nothing Group before I had to make a plane trip. It was the perfect balance of being effective but not too large. It can be charged so you don’t need to sit next to an outlet every time you use it. I recommend reading reviews to find something similar: a pump that’s effective, but doesn’t need its own carry-on bag.

Best Options for Formula

If you’re using formula, you’ll need some in your carry-on bag for the airport, the flight, and any delays that may occur. Similac’s 2-ounce bottles were perfect for that. Newborns can’t eat much at any given feeding. Once you open a formula bottle, it can last maybe an hour without refrigeration before you need to toss it. Since you can’t refrigerate anything on a plane, these tiny shelf-stable bottles meant that we weren’t wasting formula.

Once my son was a few months old, he started drinking 8 ounces at a time, and we started packing the 8-ounce ones.

For checked luggage, I recommend bringing powder formula. A cannister still takes a good amount of space, but it will be much lighter than packing a ton of liquid formula. Once you arrive at your destination, you can buy clean water to mix it with. And nothing will require refrigeration.

Pacifiers and Clips

Pacifier clips - one green and one blue. These are definitely a newborn travel essential.

Pacifiers can be a lifesaver on planes. During takeoff and landing, your baby’s ears can pop, which will lead them to scream bloody murder. Your little one will be unhappy, and frankly the entire plane will be unhappy. The trick to preventing this is to have them suck on something during the ascent and descent. One option is to feed them at those times. Another is to pop a pacifier in their mouth. In fact, the pacifier helped my son sleep through most flights (at least until he was closer to a year old).

On our first trip with him, I hadn’t gotten the memo about pacifier clips. He would spit out the pacifier on the filthy airport or plane floor. Then we’d have to wait until we could get somewhere to clean it before we could give it back. Finally, I saw someone using a pacifier clip and realized – duh – I needed to attach the pacifier to my son to prevent it from hitting the floor. While that may be obvious to other parents, I’m including the pacifier clip on this list of newborn travel essentials because it was truly a huge help on trips.

Wipe-Clean Portable Diaper Changing Pad

When you’re traveling, you need to do diaper changes in some…not-ideal places. That may include public restrooms or other surfaces you’d rather not have your precious newborn actually touch.

That’s why a wipe-clean portable diaper-changing pad is a newborn travel essential. Just place it on the changing table or other surface and put your little one on top of it to change. When you’re done, you can wipe it down with sanitizing wipes.

To save space in your luggage, you can choose a minimalist option of a straightforward pad. There are also options that include pockets to store diapers and wipes, plus straps to carry on your shoulder.

Travel Pack of Antibacterial Wipes

Antibacterial wipes were already on my list of travel essentials when I was single and childless. Once I noticed I got a cold every time I took a flight, I started wiping down surfaces surrounding my seat with sanitizing wipes.

Traveling with a baby makes these even more vital. Depending on your newborn’s age, they may already be putting everything they touch in their mouths. When they throw their favorite toy on the floor of the plane, you’re going to want to sanitize it before you hand it back. A travel pack of antibacterial wipes in your diaper bag is the easiest way to do that – over and over and over again. You can also clean your own hands before handling their bottles and pacifiers.

A Tight Swaddle

A baby wrapped in a swaddle with a matching beanie on his head.

For the first few months of my son’s life, this Little Sleepies swaddle went everywhere with us. It’s slightly stretchy, which allows you to swaddle your little one tight. A lot of parents – including myself at first – are hesitant to wrap their baby so tight. I learned from Dr. Harvey Karp’s The Happiest Baby on the Block that newborns actually prefer a tight hold. It calms them and makes them feel safe. A good swaddle will help your little one get some sleep on the flight. And let’s be honest. You, your partner, and anyone in your vicinity on your flight wants them to sleep through most of it.

In addition, though, this lightweight swaddle blanket can multi-task. It can serve as a blanket on a chilly day or when they nap in their stroller. Or it can serve as a makeshift sunshade when it’s hot and sunny.

Travel Size Toiletry Bottles

A quart-sized clear bag with travel-size squeeze tubs, small tubs, and a spray bottle.

Like the antibacterial wipes above, mini toiletry bottles were already on my list of travel essentials before I had a baby. I definitely recommend using them for your own shampoo, soap, hair gel, etc. These allow you to take liquids through security, meaning you can travel without checking luggage. With a newborn, you’re definitely going to be checking luggage. But I always recommend keeping baby things in your carry-on just in case of lost luggage. And it’s just plain more convenient to bring the amount of liquid products you actually need than lugging around full-size bottles.

Use these bottles to bring things like baby-safe soap, sunscreen, and diaper cream. But I also recommend bringing dish soap in one of these little containers. Even if you’re using microwave steam sterilizer bags, you’ll first need to wash bottles, pacifiers, and breast pump parts in your hotel sink.

I’ll admit I have yet to find a type of travel-size bottle that’s guaranteed not to explode in your luggage. I always tape them shut just in case. And they’re much safer in a carry-on than in checked luggage, which gets thrown. If you know of a brand that works – please let me know in the comments!

Lightweight Toys and Books

A sensory toy shaped like a bunny. Toys are newborn travel essentials, but your little one doesn't need as many as you might think.

So far, we’ve discussed newborn travel essentials related to feeding, sleeping, and diaper changes. But your newborn is also going to want some entertainment. I’ve written before about how babies don’t need as many toys as we think they do. But you should still bring some small items to distract them when they decide they’ve had enough of being on a plane.

When choosing what to bring, I recommend thinking about size and weight first and foremost. You’ll need to carry these around the airport and maybe even as you tour your destination if you’re on vacation. Here are some I recommend for that purpose:

Soft Sensory Book

Crinkle Sensory Toy

Rattle Socks

Teething Toys (for 3 months and up)

Indestructibles Books: These are soft cover so they weigh almost nothing, and they can’t be destroyed by your baby teething or ripping. Or by being scrunched in a carry-on bag.

Sink Bath Pad

You may need to get inventive to bathe your infant while you’re on vacation. At home, I used to use a little tub that fit in the bathtub. But it wasn’t practical to bring that on a trip. The best solution I came up with was a sink bath pad. Lay it down in your hotel sink and bathe your infant there. Although it’s a bit unwieldy to pack, it’s made of fabric, so it squishes down in your bag and weighs almost nothing.

Collapsible Pack and Play

As I shared in the tips at the top of this post, I recommend asking your hotel if they can provide a crib. Most hotels can accommodate this, and you won’t have to pack a whole sleeping contraption. However, if you’re staying somewhere that doesn’t provide cribs, a collapsible pack and play is your best option.

The Dream On Me Zodiak Portable Play Yard was the most lightweight and easy to pack that I found. However, the bottom is very hard. I asked the hotel for extra sheets and folded them inside as a makeshift mattress. Of course, there’s lots of guidance out there about how to keep newborns safe during sleep, including not keeping extra fabric near them. It may be worth investing in something higher quality but a bit larger and more expensive like the Guava Family Travel Crib for safety.

Backpack Diaper Bag with Lots of Pockets

I recommend traveling with a backpack diaper bag. This style frees up your hands to carry your baby as well as your luggage, ID, and other things you need at hand at the airport. I’ve been happy with my Lenappy backpack diaper bag for two years now. It has a multitude of pockets so I can easily find what I need without fishing around. Even while crammed into a plane seat. As a bonus, it comes with a wipe-clean diaper changing pad, which is also included in this list of newborn travel essentials.

As I mentioned in the tips above, most airlines don’t count diaper bags as carry-ons or personal items. You can carry this bag as well as a carry-on with wheels and your own personal item onto the plane.

Carry-On Bag Dedicated to Baby Things

Away carry-on roller suitcase. I recommend packing all your newborn travel essentials in carry-on luggage.

I know some people prefer to check most of their luggage, so they don’t have to fight for overhead space on the plane. But I’ve traveled enough in my life that airlines have lost my luggage numerous times. Even if you get it the next day, a day without vital items for your newborn is way too stressful.

That’s why I recommend packing all your baby things into a carry-on bag with wheels. The airline can’t lose it if it’s with you at all times. Again, because I’m paranoid about losing luggage, I also throw one outfit and basic toiletries for myself in there as a backup. Note that if you have formula in containers larger than 3 ounces in your carry on, you’ll need to budget for a little extra time at security while they swab the container and your hands.

I’ve been using a Victorinox carry-on roller bag for over a decade, and it’s made it through hundreds of flights with no issues. I also use a full-size Away suitcase and love it, so Away’s carry-on roller bag is also an excellent option.

Doona 2-in-1 Car Seat Stroller

I saved the Doona Car Seat Stroller for last on this list because it’s the priciest item. That being said, I’ve recommended it before for a reason. While it may not be one of the newborn travel essentials, it is extremely handy for travel and everyday life.

The Doona is a stroller that collapses down into a car seat. That means you can strap it into an Uber to take your infant to the airport, then quickly snap it into stroller mode to roll the little one into the airport. The same easy transition from taxi car seat to stroller for sightseeing is so useful if you’re on vacation touring a city.

This 2-in-1 item also saves you from needing to pack a car seat for the trip – easily the most cumbersome baby item to fly with. When you travel with the Doona, you can wheel your baby up to the plane doorway, then gate check the stroller. You’ll need to wait after exiting the plane to grab it back before heading to luggage claim.

The only downside of the Doona is that it’s expensive and can only be used for about a year. After that, your little one will graduate to a bigger car seat and likely a bigger stroller as well. I recommend checking out Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone in your area is selling one used.

What Do You Think?

A woman sitting in a plane seat, holding a baby in her lap. — Photo by Paul Hanaoka

Have you traveled with a newborn? I’d love to hear about any products that helped you in the comments!

Newborn Travel Essentials that Make Flying with Baby Painless

What to Know Before You Travel with Your Newborn

Newborn Travel Essentials

Microwave Steam Sterilizer Bag

Mini White Noise Machine