A comprehensive list of everything you need to pack before travelling with a baby.

Travel. For most of us, it’s a word synonymous with adventure. When you’re travelling, you’re truly able to go with the flow, to let a new place and culture wash over you. To let a new place and culture wash over you, to immerse yourself in new experiences, to leave your plans on the tarmac and truly surrender to the unexpected. 

Unless you’re a parent, that is, in which case you'd better go back to the tarmac and get your plans immediately because you’re going to need them.

When well-meaning people assure prospective parents that they’ll still be able to travel with a baby, they aren’t lying (technically). They’re just not telling the whole truth: you can still travel with a baby, but you must be very, very organised or you will live to wholeheartedly regret the day you ever spoke the ill-fated sentence, "It’s not like they won’t have nappies where we’re going!". (They will certainly have nappies where you’re going, but you will also certainly need them much sooner than you can find them.)

The good news is that I have walked (driven and flown) this path ahead of you, so you’ll never need to struggle through a poorly packed nappy bag in an economy class toilet again. 

You are so welcome.

1. FESS Little Noses Spray

Image: FESS. 

Is there anything worse than a baby struggling with a cold? Of course there is, and it’s a baby struggling with a cold on a long-haul flight.

As any parent knows, a snotty nose is bound to strike at the most inconvenient time. When babies have trouble with nasal congestion, often they can’t feed properly and when they’re hungry, they struggle to sleep, which is just about the worst-case scenario when you need to spend hours on a plane or in the car. 

Image: Supplied. 

FESS Little Noses Spray is designed for use on babies (the volume of spray is controlled so it's easy for even the most flustered traveller) and is a non-medicated, preservative-free way to clear out nasal congestion which might strike in transit. It can be used on babies as often as necessary, so it’s worth keeping in your carry-on for those 'just in case' moments.  

2. NailSnail Baby Nail Trimmer, $24.95

Image: NailSnail. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re relaxing on a foreign beach, going on safari or just heading up the coast for the weekend: when baby nails need trimming, baby nails need trimming. 

The NailSnail is a foolproof solution to any fears about snipping tiny baby fingers and as a bonus, it’s small enough not to present any packing challenges whatsoever. This is exactly the kind of thing you don’t want to be shopping for in an unfamiliar chemist, so it’s always best to pack your own.

3. ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Air Mesh Carrier, $349

Image: ergobaby. 

I’ll put my hand up and admit that I don’t love to baby-wear. Both of my kids have been big fans of the pram and living in a walkable neighbourhood with lots of footpaths, prams are king. But when you’re travelling, a pram can be a huge liability regardless of your destination (think cobblestone alleys, sandy beaches and of course the pram’s mortal enemy: stairs). And that’s not to mention navigating an airport, where you’ll need to check your pram at some point before boarding.

An adjustable baby carrier is a travelling parent’s best friend because it leaves your feet totally free to explore, and your hands totally free to hold cocktails. 

It’s also wonderful for naps on the go, meaning you don’t need to miss out on any valuable sightseeing time.

Image: Supplied. 

4. Tommee Tippee Portable Blackout Blind, $32.95

Image: Baby Bunting. 

Let’s face it: nobody sleeps particularly well on the first night away from their own bed. And babies… well, if my own experience is anything to go by, babies don’t sleep particularly well on any night away from their own bed. 

The best you can do is roll with the punches and try to replicate their home environment as much as possible. Which often involves keeping the room dark. Portable blackout blinds are the answer to those hotel curtains which never quite close the whole way (what is up with that?).

5. the memo Holiday Organic Baby Swaddle, $46

Image: the memo. 

The muslin wrap is the MVP of baby travel. 

At my last count, it had at least 174 uses including but not limited to: a swaddle for a jetlagged infant, a privacy screen for breastfeeding, a shade cloth when the sun unexpectedly appears, a baby towel after an impromptu swim and a sarong (assuming you, like me, have packed 14 adorable outfits for your baby and no adorable outfits for yourself). 

This style from the memo is called 'Holiday', which in my opinion says it all.

6. Sleepmac Portable White Noise Machine, $29.99

Image: Amazon. 

There are no two ways about it. Travelling is noisy. Save hiding away inside all day — which I do not recommend — there’s very little you can do about the external environment a baby is exposed to while you’re away. 

What you can control is how much of it they hear, and how much you block out with white noise. A portable white noise machine in a pram or cot creates a little bubble of peace for your bub, regardless of what else is going on.

Shop FESS Little Noses, available at your local pharmacy, Woolworths and Coles. 

Always read the label and follow the directions for use.

Feature Image: Supplied/FESS/ergobaby/Amazon/Baby Bunting.