s/o Travel - What do I need and what do I not need?
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Anonymous
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Will be traveling with our first DD (3 months old). Two and a half hour car ride and staying in a hotel. Anything you recommend bringing or leaving at home? Example- if hotel says they have a crib, do I still need the Pack and Play?
Trying not to over pack, but I know I’ll forget something. |
Anonymous
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Hotel cribs are the worst. I would always take the pack and play.
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dcmom
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| I was about to say the opposite. Hotel cribs in my experience have always just been pack and plays. Bring the pack and play sheets, but not the actual P&P. |
Anonymous
True for us. One time it was brand spanking new. |
Anonymous
| The hotel will tell you about the crib if you call... |
Anonymous
| I brought my own P&P sheets, but most hotel cribs are P&Ps, so no need to bring yours. You really don't need a ton--bring some diapers, wipes, burp cloths, formula if necessary, bottles, etc. I bring a couple travel packs of laundry detergent in case you need to run a load; you can also buy little packs that are meant for doing laundry in a sink. Don't stress about forgetting things--most basic baby supplies can be found anywhere. |
Anonymous
| OP here - thanks for the advice. And I never would have thought of laundry detergent! |
Anonymous
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Feeding supplies was always the hardest part for me because we had to combine nursing and pumping and therefore had to lug the pump everywhere. If you're doing anything that requires bottles, make sure to bring a bottle brush and dish soap.
We also bring our white noise machine with us everywhere now. I always have trouble sleeping in hotels because of weird unfamiliar noises, so it makes a big difference in my sleep too! And bring more clothes than you think you'll need for her (or supplies to do laundry). |
Anonymous
| I always bring tylenol and diaper cream for the baby. Most of the time I haven't needed either but the times I did need them I was so glad to have them. |
Anonymous
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We stayed at a Hilton that had a pack n' play that seemed terribly unsafe for safe sleep, so we learned our lesson and always brought our own.
Lots of diapers, more wipes than you think you need because you will wipe down so many surfaces while you're traveling, more onesies than you think you need, white noise machine, dish soap for bottles (which doubles as detergent for sink clothes washing), a pair of warmer pajamas than you might normally use since hotel rooms can get colder than your home, a few toys. |
Anonymous
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Pack light. You can buy diapers, wipes, more onesies, and thing else when you get there/if you need them. Some small toys. A favorite lovie. If you bottle feed, that's a whole 'nother set of things to back.
Lightweight stroller or a carrier (ergo, Moby wrap, whatever) for getting through the airport. That really saved us. |
Anonymous
| We used the hotel crib but brought out own sheets. If your child uses a baby seat you should bring that so they have somewhere to go. We have a baby bijorn one and that is so compact and was easy to travel with. I also brought some blankets for the baby to lay/play on the floor with. Bring some toys, your feeding items, clothes, bibs, burp cloths, baby toiletries.... If you use bottles, I would buy a travel bottle brush and dryer (they are small and compact...you can get it on Amazon) and a small bottle of dish detergent to clean it. I also second the idea of bringing single use tide packets. I've had to wash clothing every single time I've traveled with my child. |
Anonymous
Just to provide a counterpoint- there have been a handful of times when we were staying at nice hotels (not like the four seasons, but totally decent), had requested and confirmed that we needed a crib when making reservations...and then the hotel just didn't have one available when we were checking in. We always bring a pack n play now. |
Anonymous
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Ours has always been a real crib.
Set up a diaper changing station as soon as you get there. It helps everything feel calmer not to be searching through a bag one-handed while trying to hold a squirmy baby with the other. |
Anonymous
And a thermometer - no fun running out to buy one if baby seems feverish. |