Our Essential Packing List for Travel with a Baby

Having travelled to 40+ countries and having moved houses 40+ times, it’s safe to say I’m a pretty experienced packer.

But packing for long term international travel with a baby is a whole new ball game!

In 2025, my husband, Colin, and I took off on a pretty big adventure. We packed up our home in Vancouver and set off with our baby (and dog!) to travel for 10 months.

These travels, which we refer to as our Baby Trip, started with 10 weeks in Toronto visiting my family, followed by seven months through mainland Europe and the UK.

We’re more than halfway done our trip now and have learned a lot while on the road. Our baby travel packing list has been refined as we’ve bought new things, donated things that didn’t work and even sent some stuff home.

So below I’m going to dive into our complete packing list for travel with a baby – everything we’ve tried and tested during our months of travel abroad. Where possible, I’ve linked the exact item we’re using.

I’ll share what essentials we rely on everyday, what baby travel gear has really proven its worth, and what mistakes we made when packing for our baby, so you don’t make them too!

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by LEVEL8; all opinions are my own. Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks to you and LEVEL8 for your support!

But first, what are we packing in?

When we first left Vancouver, we had three checked bags, one carry-on backpack and a lot of gear. Since then, we’ve downsized to two checked bags, added carry-on suitcases and upgraded our luggage game, thanks to LEVEL8.

LEVEL8 reached out to me when we arrived in London and the timing could not have been better. We had just dragged our bags from our third floor Airbnb (no elevator!), through taxis, trains and the underground, and over blocks of city streets.

Exhausted and arms sore, it was so clear that we needed a better suitcase solution. Some of the wheels on our old suitcase were completely broken!

We’re now using two carry-on suitcases: the Luminous Textured Carry-On 20″ and the Grace 20″ Hardside Suitcase. We also have the checked size of the Grace suitcase (28″ Grace Hardside) and the Element Toiletry Case.

As soon as the suitcases arrived, I could already tell our future travels were going to be so much easier – not to mention so much more stylish!

(Get your own LEVEL8 bag for 10% off with my code, TEASPOON10.)

The suitcases wheel like a dream with ultra-smooth spinner wheels. The material and construction feel incredibly durable and high quality; I’m not worried about a bag breaking on me like our last one did!

Plus with LEVEL8’s lifetime warranty, I wouldn’t have anything to worry about anyway! 

When we began packing for our move from London to Brighton, I loved how spacious the LEVEL8 suitcases were. We were easily able to fit in all of the extra stuff we bought and made use of the interior organization – including a special laptop compartment!

I’m so excited to finish out our Baby Trip with these LEVEL8 suitcases and to continue using them for future trips. I’ve got my eye on the Voyageur Set for when Baby C needs her own set of luggage!

Especially for family travel when you have your arms full with a screaming baby, stroller, car seat and crib, it’s so helpful to have reliable luggage that you don’t have to worry about.

With fast delivery and free shipping to Canada, the US and Europe, click here to try out LEVEL8’s award-winning suitcases + use my code TEASPOON10 for 10% off!

How we decided what to include on our packing list for travel with a baby

Colin and I have been talking about, saving for and planning this Baby Trip – the 10 months we’d travel with our baby – for years before Baby C was even born. During that time, we did a lot of research into the travel essentials we would need.

We also did a lot of research on what this Baby Trip would cost. Check out our predictions and how much we actually spent in my full family travel budget breakdown!

We knew that not only would this be a long trip (apx 10 months) but that travel would be a big part of our family’s life. Therefore, we looked for baby travel gear that would last.

We wanted durable travel pieces that we could use for our baby both at home and on the road. A lot of the essentials I list below are the same items we’ve used back home in Vancouver from the day Baby C was born.

For example, our travel stroller is our only stroller. We chose a stroller that was sturdy enough for daily use, convenient to travel with, and that would grow with our baby from newborn to pre-school.

For any items Baby C would grow out of, like clothing or toys, we opted for secondhand as much as possible.

We got most of her wardrobe, toys and newborn-only things for free from parent Facebook groups or as hand-me-downs from friends and family.

The last thing to know about us is that we’re minimalists – or as minimalist as you can be with a baby. We try to limit the amount of things we have, especially when we’re travelling and living out of suitcases. That’s why this list is only the essentials.

Now that we’ve been on the road since mid-June, plus used most of these items at home for months before that, I’m confident in our baby travel packing list because we’ve tested these items for months.

We’ve rolled our stroller over sidewalks, cobblestones, forest floors and medieval tiles; used our car seat in taxis, airplanes and trains; played with toys, changed diapers and breastfed on boats, at the top of the CN Tower, on the beach, and in a castle.

And we’ve packed everything up into our suitcases countless times across Canada, France and England!

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Baby travel gear

We have three main pieces of gear that we use when travelling with our baby:

• Joolz Aer+ stroller
• Clek Liingo car seat
• Ergobaby Omni Breeze carrier

As mentioned above, we also use these items at home, so they’re not special things we bought just for travel. They work for daily life too.

Joolz Aer travel stroller

We did so much research – including making spreadsheets and testing out strollers in-store – before deciding on the Joolz Aer+. We love this travel stroller because:

• We were able to be use it from birth (many travel strollers can only be used from 6+ months)
• It’s lightweight (only 13.2 lbs!)
• It’s easy to fold with one hand
• It’s easy to carry with a shoulder strap
• It’s durable enough for years of daily use
• And it’s small enough to go into the overhead compartment of a plane

When we were first researching strollers, I was convinced we’d go with the popular BabyZen YOYO (aka Stokke YOYO).

But after testing both, we actually preferred the Joolz over the YOYO. The ride was smoother, the canopy came down lower, and the seat was taller and wider, meaning our baby could use it for longer.

Along with our Joolz Aer stroller, we also have a bumper bar, stroller fan, rain cover and car seat adapters.

You can read my full Joolz Aer travel stroller review here!

Clek Liingo car seat

The Clek Liingo car seat was a very easy choice for us. It was the only baseless car seat available in Canada that was compatible with our stroller and airline-approved.

Having a baseless car seat (meaning there’s no separate base piece that sits in the car under the car seat) was very important to us because 1) we don’t have a car back home and 2) we didn’t want to carry an extra piece around while travelling.

While many car seats can be strapped into a car without a base, the Clek Liingo is specifically designed for this purpose. You strap it in with the car’s seatbelts or the LATCH system.

We were also able to use this car seat from birth as it works for newborns all the way up to 35 lbs. So once again, we didn’t have to buy an extra piece of gear just for travel!

The Clek Liingo is great for travel as it’s only 9 lbs and is airline approved. We bought Baby C her own seat on the plane ride from Vancouver to Toronto and Toronto to Paris, using the Clek seat both times.

On travel days, we simply click the Liingo into the car seat adapters on our stroller and have our very own travel system.

Ergobaby Omni Breeze carrier

Once again we did a lot of research when it came to choosing a carrier, eventually deciding on the Ergobaby Omni Breeze carrier after trying out a bunch in store.

We actually used a wrap-style carrier and a hybrid wrap/structured carrier when Baby C was first born. But after a few months, we were all in on the Ergobaby Omni Breeze.

Because we were once again looking for baby gear that would last a long time and that we could use at home and on the road, we wanted a durable, comfortable carrier that we could use from birth, use forward facing and to back carry, and with breathable, lightweight material.

While we don’t baby wear every day, having a carrier for travel has been essential for us.

Many European sidewalks and transit stations are not stroller-friendly, with lots of stairs, bumpy cobblestone and high ledges. It can be much more convenient to baby wear, especially if you need your hands free.

We’ve also encountered some sightseeing activities that aren’t stroller friendly. When we were visiting castles in the Loire Valley with our baby, many did not allow strollers inside.

With the Ergobaby Omni Breeze, we were able to all enjoy the castles as a family without sore arms!

Clothing

I won’t list each and every piece of clothing we packed for Baby C, but I’d say to just pack stuff you’d normally dress your baby in (adapted for the climate of your destination).

For us that’s onesies, shirts, pants, sleepers, rompers/dresses, sweaters, swimwear, socks and bibs. Like at home, we’re looking for comfortable clothing she can move in, that’s easy to clean, easy to put on her, and cute!

We’ve been doing laundry at least once a week while travelling, and have more than enough baby clothing packed to last between laundry days.

While all of our accommodations have washers, dryers are much harder to come by in Europe. Therefore we also have to factor in 1-2 days of drying time into our laundry math.

In addition to Baby C’s current clothing, we also have a small stockpile of her next size up. This wouldn’t be necessary for shorter trips, but it’s handy for us since we’re travelling for so long and received most of her clothing as gifts or hand-me-downs.

Though as I share on The Travel Mug Podcast, we didn’t actually end up getting to all of the next-size-up clothing we packed. So some of it we carried around for months for no reason!

In addition to what we packed from home, we’ve also bought a couple of clothing essentials on the road: a snowsuit, hat and jacket, and a cute Christmas sweater (because we couldn’t say no!).

We also travel with baby-friendly laundry detergent sheets – so much lighter and less of a hassle than liquid soap. We do all of our laundry together using the same detergent sheets, so we don’t have to do a special load just for baby.

Feeding

What you need to pack to feed your baby while you travel abroad is going depend on how you feed your baby and what they’re eating, so this list will vary a lot from family to family.

When we first left Vancouver, we planned to still do a combination of pumping, bottles and breastfeeding, and hadn’t started solids yet. So we packed:

• 4 bottles
• an electric pump (the one I was using is discontinued, but it’s this brand)
• a manual pump
• 50+ milk storage bags
• 2 bottle brushes
• a folding drying rack

We also had a cooler bag packed with frozen milk. We used one of the PackIt freezable lunch bags which was perfect for travel as the bag itself has ice packs inside of it!

Now that I’m exclusively breastfeeding and Baby C is eating solid meals and snacks, we’ve pared down to just a manual pump and one bottle for emergencies.

For her solids, we packed with us:

• 1 open cup
• 1 straw cup
• 2 bowls
• 2 plates (I wish we had brought these ones with lids instead for easily storing leftovers)
• 2 spoons
• 2 silicone bibs
• 2 long-sleeve bibs (we like to use these when we eat out)
• 1 snack cup

You could definitely get away with bringing less stuff than we did or even using adult-size plates and cups that would be available at your location. Most of the time, Baby C is just eating with her hands off of her tray or the table anyway!

As for food, because we’re doing baby-led weaning, we’re mostly giving Baby C modified versions of the meals we’re eating. This has made mealtime less stressful and made it a lot easier to eat on the go when we’re out exploring.

We’ve also picked up some baby crackers to keep in the diaper bag in case she needs a quick snack. Every grocery store and drug store we’ve been in sells baby crackers, pouches, purees, etc, so you can buy your baby food abroad.

But if you’re particular about brands or a specific type of food, it might be best to pack it. Though if you’re in a big city like London with your baby, odds are they’ll have something similar or perhaps your exact brand.

Lastly, we packed a foldable high chair. This is the chair we have – I like it because its lightweight, yet sturdy, and has it’s own tray. You can attach it to a chair or use it on the floor, and you can adjust the height.

We thought about a lobster chair (the kind that connects to a table by its arms, like this one) but were worried that it wouldn’t work with more flimsy tables. They also can’t be used on the ground/without a table.

Another option is to ask your accommodation to provide a high chair. We’ve had high chairs in some of our Airbnbs, but that wasn’t something we wanted to count on. And sometimes the chairs are missing parts, broken, too big, not clean, etc.

Diapering

Once again, what you need for diapering your baby is going to vary from family to family. The important thing to remember is that babies all over the world wear diapers; unless you’re very specific about the brand of diaper you use, you can buy diapers abroad!

Our strategy was to pack enough diapers for the first few days so we wouldn’t be desperately running to a store as soon as we landed. This also gave us some wiggle room in case the new diapers we bought didn’t work for some reason – we still had a few packed ones.

So far, we’ve had no problem buying the grocery store brand of diapers in France and the UK. We’ve found these diapers hold up just as well (if not better!) than Huggies, Pampers and other name brands.

Though if you are a Huggies/Pampers fan, they’re available abroad too.

Because we’re slow travelling and staying in the same place for 4-8 weeks, we like to set up a little diaper station in our accommodation. We’ll have our diapers, wipes, a travel change pad and diaper cream all laid out on a dresser or bed.

We also have our diaper bag that has a small stock of diapers, wipes, another travel change pad and a roll of doggy bags for bagging up smelly diapers.

Toys and books

We were very minimal and intentional when it came to packing toys and books for our baby. We brought a very small number of light-weight, travel-friendly items, most of which we received as gifts or hand-me-downs.

One of my favourite items (and Baby C’s too!) are Indestructible Books. These are super light and thin books that are rip-proof and water-proof, so perfect for travel. They’re also < $5 USD/book!

I also love hanging things like a set of chewable rings on a rubber toy strap from Baby C’s stroller or car seat. They’re perfect for entertaining her while we’re on the go and with the toy strap, they don’t get lost!

As many parents know, our kids are often entertained by everything but the fancy toys they’re meant to play with. Baby C has had a blast playing with plastic yogurt cups, wooden spoons, a computer keyboard, etc.

So rather than pack toys, look around your accommodation and see which everyday items can become toys!

We’ve also bought a few toys as souvenirs, like a wooden set of London buildings. It’s a fun way for us to remember the things we did in London with our baby. Plus, it gives Baby C something to play with here and when we get back home.

Sleep essentials

Because we knew we’d be travelling for 10 months and moving around a lot, we wanted Baby C to have a consistent and safe sleep space. So instead of requesting cribs at each accommodation we book, we bring our own travel crib.

After a lot of research, we landed on the Guava Family Travel Crib. It’s lightweight, easy to set up and tear down, has its own carrying backpack, and can be used from newborn to three years old.

This is the only crib that Baby C has ever slept in (except a bassinet she used for the first couple of months). We used it at home and now we use it on the road.

I love that we didn’t have to buy a separate thing just for travel and that this crib will grow with her.

In addition to the travel crib, we also pack these items for sleep:

• portable white noise machine (it can also hang off the stroller or car seat for naps on the go)
• Woolino 4-season sleep sack
• portable blackout curtain
• 2 crib sheets
• WYZE Cam (this is a home security camera but we use it as our baby monitor)

The Woolino sleep sack is another item we were very intentional about getting because it’s so travel-friendly. It’s expensive, but I think worth it!

Rather than needing to pack a bunch of sleep sacks as Baby C grows and to adapt to the different temperatures, the Woolino is designed to be used from 6-24 months and in all temperatures.

Toiletries

Like everything else, we tried to keep our toiletries for Baby C very minimal. We have a small baby first-aid kit and another small baby toiletry bag.

In our first-aid kit we have Baby Tylenol, a digital thermometer, the Nose Frida (IYKYK), saline solution, a baby nail file and clippers, and a few bandaids.

We probably could’ve bought all of this locally, but it feels better to know we have it anytime we need it.

In our baby toiletry bag we have:

• baby shampoo (poured into a 100 mL bottle)
• 2 soft wash cloths
• baby hair brush
• vitamin D drops
• baby lotion
• baby toothbrush and toothpaste

Since getting to Europe, we’ve been bathing Baby C in the kitchen sink, which has worked quite well. No need to worry about having a bathtub or baby bath available.

And she just shares my towel, which is a light-weight Turkish towel, perfect for travel and soft on baby skin. A muslin blanket also works well as a baby towel.

Miscellaneous items

Lastly, here are a few more items on our packing list for travel with a baby that didn’t quite fit into any of the other categories:

• 2 muslin blankets
• 8 burp cloths
• 2 teethers

We also used to pack pacifiers, pacifier cases and pacifier clips, but we stopped using the pacifier a few months ago and so have gotten rid of those.

Get the free PDF version of my baby travel packing list when you subscribe to my travel newsletter here!

Wrapping up: The hardest part about packing for travel with a baby

For me, the hardest part about packing for travel with a baby is you don’t know what you’ll need to pack as they grow and their wants/likes/needs change. This is especially hard when packing for a 10-month trip like we’re on!

Of course, I know Baby C will outgrow clothing and need more diapers. But things like burp cloths and first-aid supplies are so hard to predict.

It’s also difficult to follow any baby travel packing lists you may find online (including this one!) because what works for one family might not work for another.

Your baby may hate the thing that another family swears by – and sometimes the only way to find out is to try it for yourself. That’s why I recommend sourcing things secondhand and trying them out at home first, so you’re better prepared once you’re on your trip.

The thing to remember is that there are babies everywhere in the world. If you forgot something or find out something you packed isn’t working, you will probably be able to find what you need wherever you are.

Remember too that babies are resilient! They can go without the subscription box toys, luxury diapers, and living room full of gadgets and gear. You don’t need to pack everything you have at home in order for you and your baby to have a great trip.

And don’t forget that you not only have to pack your bags, but you also have to schlep those bags across airports, train stations, cobblestone sidewalks and hotel hallways. Embrace minimalism, your back/arms/body will thank you!

I’d love to know: What are your packing list essentials for travel with a baby? Share in the comments below!

And don’t forget to use my code TEASPOON10 for 10% off LEVEL8 suitcases!