What We Pack in Our Carry-On: Babies and Small Kids Edition
We’ve gotten it down to one backpack, one weekender, and a baby carrier— give or take.
Before the kids, I was a touring musician (I’m no stranger to traveling light). Yet gone are the days when I would stuff my guitar in the plane’s overhead compartment— I’ve now traded in my axe for two smaller (but much cuter, and equally as sonorous) carry-ons.
With a multi-continental family (one across both U.S. coasts, and the other in Europe), and a husband who, as a travel photographer, is often away on assignment, I’m more than used to solo long-haul travel with our two children.
After a fair bit of trial and error, I’ve learned that streamlining what we bring is essential— not only for my shoulders, but as a universal travel hack that makes the entire journey go more smoothly. I’ve carried my kids like potato sacks across more airports than I care to admit, pilfered baggage carts so that they can “skateboard” through the terminal, invented all sorts of in-the-moment hacks that got us to our flight in time (the most foolproof one? Bribes).
Below are my tried and true tips for our carry-on baggage— this can apply to both a long-haul adventure or a weekend trip, the formula (for me, at least) stays the same!
Bring an empty reusable water bottle you can fill up once you get past security screening.
But First…
Should you bring a stroller as part of your carry-on?
If you’re certain you’ll need a stroller where you’re traveling, a compact travel stroller like the Mountain Buggy Nano can be a helpful tool for getting everyone from the security line to the gate, and can be a good home base for holding snacks, water bottles and extra bags.
But that isn’t to say you can’t do it without a stroller. We traveled for months through Southeast Asia and didn’t use it once, so I’ve really had to reconsider the need for bringing one at all. There are plenty of creative ways to get everyone physically to the gate and around during your trip— a baby carrier, hop on one of the free rolling carts offered in many airports around the world, and if your kiddos are old enough, good, old-fashioned walking.
Should you bring car seats in your carry-on luggage?
While we either would bring our car seats or rent at our destination, we have never brought them on board.
While we have always opted for lap infant, we’ve also gotten lucky by nature of traveling as a family. Airlines intrinsically know, when possible, to seat parents next to empty seats, or you can ask for a bassinet if baby is small enough. Otherwise, I just used the baby carrier and passed our kids around to other willing babysitters on the plane!
Other car seat tips: buy a good protective car cover to make sure they don’t get banged up along with the rest of the checked baggage. Parents with multiple kids also like bringing a portable travel dolly to help roll their car seats to the check-in counter.
Should your kids bring their own backpack?
Only when they’re old enough to take responsibility for it. Not only it is one extra thing to manage, there’s a big chance it’ll disappear somewhere between the airport shuttle and the terminal train (not speaking from experience, of course!). Also, 95% of anything that gets packed into it will most likely resembles old Play Doh or a handful of pinecones.
Why we love baby carriers.
The carrier is a fundamental part of your minimalist travel rig if you have a baby or toddler. And if you’re going sans stroller, there’s not really another other option for getting everyone from A to B.We’ve traveled with all sorts of structured carriers and wraps, but they all serve a similar purpose: it’s a hands free option that allows you to comfort baby while moving through time and space. In airports, it can be attached around your waste and fashioned in a hurry if your baby or toddler loses it, which for many of us is often. If you’re breastfeeding, this is an essential travel hack for the airplane— the carrier allows you to walk around, entertain baby, and feed them discreetly.
Now for the Gear…
What’s in my backpack:
Tech (laptop, camera gear, tablets, small foldable headphones for cables and chargers).
Personal item (hip pack or purse with our passports, documents and important items needed for the flight, along with wallet, makeup, etc.).
Reusable water bottle(s).
What’s in my weekender bag:
Extra change of clothes in a small packing cube (also for mom!) in case there’s a major spill (there always is) or our baggage gets lost.
Wet bag to store used diapers and spills. It’s also a great temporary trash bin (and respectful of the flight crew).
A small pouch as a reimagined diaper bag (Tip: To save on space, buy diapers, wipes and any other baby amenities when you arrive at your destination). If bottle feeding, try travel bottle gear like Baby’s Brew.
Art + toy bag with paper, colored pencils, activity books, old magazines to collage, washi tape, sticker books, small toys like figurines, cars, soft activity books. For babies, try to rotate through the toys so they can focus on one at a time.
A small toiletry bag with TSA-approved liquids under 100 oz. (we use leak-proof Cadence capsules), medicine and extra in-flight items.
Snacks in reusable bags like Stasher that can be repurposed throughout your travels, reusable utensils, REI quick dry mini camp towels.
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