Car travel with a baby can be as simple as you make it. It can also become as complex as you make it. We were all about minimal yet practical items when deciding what to bring for the baby. You can also check out my Items You Might Not Think Of post which aren’t “necessities: but items that will make life easier on the road with a baby. We traveled with an 8-10 month old baby for the entire summer in our van and found that these were the items we used most and would consider “essential” for a baby (beyond diapers, wipes and bottles.) Yes these items are large and they take up space but you will not regret bringing these items! Consider attaching a cargo hitch carrier to your vehicle to store all of the items and make more space in your “living area.” This was a huge game changer for us in the van with a baby, dog and 2 adults! You can read more about our Van Adjustments here.
Summer Baby Chair: It’s likely you have some sort of travel chair for yourself so why not get one for the baby, too? This chair is perfect for your summer travels with your baby! We used this chair all summer for nearly all 3 meals each day. It’s easy to fold, lightweight, and compact for traveling. It’s not as easy to clean as plastic or other materials but if you wipe it down after every single use it should stay fairly clean. It’s a sturdy must have.
Blanket: We put Rory’s portable chair right on the ground without a blanket underneath at first use and that was a lesson learned. It’s not surprise that babies like to put everything in sight into their mouths since they are oral learners! Lying a blanket under the chair will allow for baby to have a safe eating zone without temptation to grab rocks or sticks. This will also double as a safe play zone for baby to sit/play on with adult supervision. Making sure the blanket is durable and has some thickness to it is important to keep baby protected from anything thick/sharp on the ground.
Umbrella Stroller: We debated bringing along our large jogging stroller but realized it was not going to be used enough nor did we have the space for it. While the wheels on an umbrella stroller are not designed for all terrain they are just what we needed for city sidewalks and street walks The type of stroller might change to fit your family’s lifestyle, but if you are like us and mostly do backcountry hiking…than an umbrella stroller is the perfect solution for those few times you hit up the cities. With it’s lightweight and compact table design, umbrella strollers are easy to store in any vehicle.
Backpack Carrier: If you plan on hiking with a baby a carrier is a must. We tried out the Luvd Baby carrier this summer and were satisfied with it’s use. You can find our review on the carrier here.
Pack n’ play: Unless you want to be holding your baby all of the time when you are “at camp” this is a no-brainer. This will give yourself a break from holding baby, and a safe space for baby to crawl in. While we did not use a pack n’ play for Rory’s nighttime sleep set up, we always had it set up when we were at camp for the day. To see Rory’s sleep set up in the van check out our van tour.
Baby Tent For Sleeping: This is a safe sleep area for baby and doubles as a perfect spot to set baby for some quiet play time. It’s especially perfect for the development stage of tummy time and sitting up yet not quite crawling. Our baby was well into the crawling stage this summer so we only sued the tent for sleeping but felt confident that he was in a safe sleeping area each night against his wooden crib.
What items do you consider essential when traveling with a baby?
