Traveling kids can be fun and full of different challenges. There may be some different considerations for what to bring depending on age as well. A friend asked me for a list of things I do and travel with, so I wrote what I account for:

Core Gear Link to heading

  • Pack and play or Crib - Every hotel has one or the other so no need to bring along.
  • Old smartphone with Wi-Fi sharing (or a travel router and separate white noise machine)
    • Wi-Fi Sharing - My old Samsung device has a Wi-Fi sharing feature so I can create a hotspot off of hotel Wi-Fi. Set this up with your home Wi-Fi settings so you can avoid reconfiguration time.
    • WhiteNoise App - TMSOFT White Noise is my go-to. There are free and paid versions for both Android and iOS.
  • Slumberpod - This is a tent to put over a hotel crib or pack and play to black out all light. With this and white noise playing, you can still have the lights on in a hotel room and move about and not need to succumb to an early bedtime than the little one. There are a few pockets as well to put a camera and you can slide a white noise machine/phone playing white noise under the crib as well. (Note: I have seen these on sale at Ross/Marshall’s on occasion.)
    Slumberpod.

    Slumberpod.

  • Wyze Camera - Cheap but effective for monitoring little ones in the Slumberpod. When not on trips they can be used for other stuff too. The cameras have motion and sound alerts and a microSD card slot if you want to store video. No subscription is required, and you can also get these anywhere from Amazon to Home Depot.
  • Pockit Stroller - A super small and compact travel stroller that does not need to be gate-checked. When not on the road, it rests in the trunk of our car so we can avoid the big stroller as much as possible. There are a few new versions now, but this is the one I have and love it.
  • Electronics bag - No need to look for stuff or pack the core essentials when I travel. It has extra cables for all of the stuff we normally take. I a Matien bag. It contains:
    • Old phone
    • Wyze Cameras
    • Anker Charging station with multiple USB ports (for old phone + camera(s) + anything else).
    • Extra cables (iPhone, USBC, microUsb, etc)
    • Other electronics (large enough for extra proper sound machine if needed)
Electronics setup (with travel router instead of phone)

Electronics setup (with travel router instead of phone)

With all of the stuff above, our hotel room/travel destination setup has become streamlined. First I set up the crib/pack and play, then the slumberpod, followed by getting the phone set up on Wi-Fi and then the camera. All of this usually takes less than 10 minutes.

Other considerations: Link to heading

  • Car Seat - I find putting a child in a car seat on a plane easier, because it limits movement, and they know the drill once they are seated. We have an older model of the Cosco DLX, which is light. It also serves as the car seats in the other car.
  • Car seat backpack - Needs to fit the car seat. If you check in your car seat you can sometimes get away with putting in some extra stuff.
  • Cares Airplane Safety Harness - More secure seatbelt for kids.
  • Packing cubes - Using packing cubes helps keep everyone’s stuff separate or organize clothes by day. They also make compression ones too for space saving.
  • Foldable Duffle bag - This bag contains the pack and play, slumber pod, and extra sheets. Similar to the electronics bag, this bag stays packed and ready to go and keeps it dust-free in a closet. I ended up getting a second one by IFARADAY for trips and leave it folded up for when I hit space/weight limits at the airport.

Retired Devices Link to heading

  • Owlet baby monitor
  • TP-Link N300 Travel Router
  • White Noise Machine