Everything I Packed, Used, and Swore By Whilst Traveling With Our 11-Month-Old

We recently got back from a trip to Europe with our 11-month-old, and whilst it is vastly different from traveling with a 10-week-old, it was still the best decision ever. So I want to share some of the things I highly recommend and that we used religiously while we were away, beyond the obvious stuff like his clothes, diapers, and wipes.

This is great for anyone who has a crawling baby, a baby who can walk with assistance, and a baby who's eating food.

(If you'd like my tips and tricks on traveling with a new baby, check out this post on everything I learned whilst on our trip to the South of France, Provence, and Paris when he was 10 weeks old!)

First, the Flight

The flight was sh*t, I'm not going to lie. Now that he's bigger and crawling around, it was just really challenging. I'd gotten a good night's sleep before we left, but in hindsight, what I'm going to do next time is actually have a nap the day of the flight.

We almost always fly to Europe on an evening flight, and most of our international flights are evening flights, so I'd nap during the day from now on. I fully pack our bags the day before while our nanny is here to watch him, so there's time to sleep. This time I got about 30 minutes, and that wasn't enough. He, on the other hand, slept very well on the flight.

My Plane Hack: Bags Within the Bag

A little hack I do for the plane is to sort everything into different linen travel bags inside my main carry-on. When we get on the plane, I pull out one little tote bag that has all the necessities in it: his diaper stuff, a change mat, a few toys, and some food for him. Basically everything I need on hand straight away.

Then I have a bunch of other little bags where I've separated his toys, so I can rotate what's out instead of having them flying everywhere. I also keep my own necessities in that main tote, the things I'm always reaching for, like his water bottle, snacks for me, and lip balm (I always need lip balm). That way I have less at my feet, and I'm not constantly getting up to dig through the big bags for little things.

The Homeopathic Kit (The One Thing I Swear By)

The most important thing you absolutely need to get your hands on, whether or not you're traveling, is the RMDY Homeopathic Kit I swear by (use code MONICAYATES for 10% off). I use it for myself, I use it on trips, and I use it for him the second he gets even the slightest bit ill.

When he was congested or constipated for a few days, I gave him one drop of this in a glass of water. He had one sip, sh*t his brains out, and was good for the rest of the trip. Recently in LA, he was so congested that he actually vomited because he didn't know how to deal with all the mucus in his throat. I gave him some of the homeopathics, the congestion was gone by the next morning, and it was down to just a runny nose, which is so much easier than a blocked-up, congested child.

I cannot recommend these enough. I have the big case at home, and I also bought their little travel case and put in the ones we use the most. I take all of the blends, plus any of the main ones we go through a lot, like the chamomile. I love the little travel case because I know they won't break, and it keeps them organised, instead of throwing the glass bottles into a plastic bag where they could smash.

Wipes (Pack Way More Than You Think You’ll Need)

At home, we use dry wipes and a bowl of water, and I highly recommend that for reducing toxic load. No matter how non-toxic the wipes are, they're loaded with preservatives, because otherwise the wipes would get mouldy. Duh. It's obvious when you think about it, but it took me a while to actually realise it.

When we're traveling, I pack a little glass spray bottle in his diaper bag along with dry wipes, but I also bring a small packet of Coterie wet wipes, which I highly recommend. He did about three blowouts a day (his tummy clearly loved the European food, lol). I didn't pack enough wet wipes to get us through and had to buy more over there, so hot tip: pack more wet wipes than you think you'll need.

Our Own Travel Crib and Blow-Up Mattress

He doesn't sleep super well in new environments, so we've started traveling with our own crib. It packs up smaller than the average pack-and-play, or at least smaller than the Nuna one. It's a little heavier, but you just check it as a piece of luggage, and it's no big deal. It takes me about seven to ten minutes to put together.

We now also travel with a blow-up mattress. It's just a little too small for the travel crib, but it's the best we could find. We kept hitting this problem where hotels wouldn't have a US-standard-size mattress, even in US hotels. We also have a really big baby, and a lot of the hotel cribs were just too small for him, or the mattress was really sh*t. And if I'm not going to sleep on it, why would I have my baby sleep on it? 

So we travel with the blow-up mattress, put a towel in the gaps underneath the mattress protector and fitted sheet, and it works really well. It helps that he's at an age where I'm not worried about suffocation, because he can move, get up, and pull a blanket off himself.

His Drink Bottle (With a Filter)

We use his MrSippy drink bottle religiously (use code MONICA10 for 10% off). I cannot recommend it enough. Number one, it doesn't leak, but you do have to make sure you put it back together correctly after washing it.

What I really love is that it has a filter on the end of the straw. At home, I don't use the filter, just to not waste it, because our water at home is already filtered. But when we're traveling, it removes 99% of microplastics as well as other sh*t in the water, and that takes the load off my mind of having to find glass bottles of water. That's much easier to find in Europe, but it's still sometimes challenging.

I travel with two drink bottles and bring both, just in case we lose one somewhere.

Sunscreen

The sunscreen we use is the Primally Pure Sun Cream and Primally Pure Sun Stick, and I always pack two in case I lose one. Same rule as the drink bottles.

Fewer Toys Than You'd Think

I definitely didn’t need to pack as many toys as I did, because we have a child who prefers frypans and the remote control over an actual toy. So next trip, I'm packing fewer toys.

Baby-Led Weaning and Puree Backups

We’ve practiced baby-led weaning, and he's eaten solid foods since around six months old, which made traveling so much easier because we didn't have to worry about pureeing all his food. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to do solids from the get-go was because we travel a lot, and I did not want to bring a whole suitcase of pureed foods. F*ck that. I'll link the book I recommend, it's called Milk to Meals.

That said, we did pack pureed food sachets to have on the go, and the brands are Juca and Little Harvesters. Both are Australian, and my mum brought them over from Australia. I know there are some good US brands too, I just haven't looked into them yet, so I'll add those once I have.

He wouldn't have them for every meal, but they were a great thing to have on hand in case he was starving while we waited for food to arrive, or if we were still an hour away from lunch, or if he was being a bit fussy and didn't want the food in front of him. It just takes the load off having to always worry about whether there's food he can eat. Obviously this gets easier as they get more teeth, so you don't have to think about it as much. I highly recommend packing plenty.

Teething Remedy

On the teething front, we packed the Teething Roller we have from A Thousand Roses, and they do seem to soothe him a little. They're Australian too, but I'm pretty sure they ship to the US. Great to have on hand in case your baby starts teething.

My Nursing Cover (Used as a Sleep and Sun Protector)

I've honestly never used my nursing cover for breastfeeding, because I don't care about covering up. But it was so, so good when he was in the carrier and needed to fall asleep. It blocks out everything around him, and I love it as an energetic protector too.

I have this thing about not loving him being exposed and visible when he's asleep. I love that our pram hood goes all the way down so you can't really see him when he's sleeping if you're just walking around. The nursing cover does the same job in the carrier: it helps him fall asleep faster and with less frustration, and it stops people from being able to see that he's asleep. 

It was also a game-changer for his head, arms, and legs not getting sunburned while I carried him and he slept, because I don't love constantly putting sunscreen on him. Highly, highly recommend.

A Red Light Sleep Light

I always pack our Revive Red Light Sleep Light. I'm sure you can buy other ones. For those times when you're all in one room, and he's asleep, but you want to read your book or brush your teeth, the red light is an absolute must so we're not killing ourselves trying to move around a pitch-black room.

Stain Remover

This might seem obvious, but pack the stain remover. I'll link the non-toxic one I use.

A Hip Carrier for Quick Walks

I love having a little side carrier for when we're just walking down to breakfast in the hotel. I don't want to take the whole pram, and I'm not going to bother with the main carrier for that. He's so wiggly and heavy that a five-minute walk down to the lobby feels really challenging when you're holding a baby on your hip, especially whilst carrying a handbag at the same time. The side carrier supports his weight so he's not sliding off me. Highly recommend.

That's it, besides the main things. xx