Planning your first trip with a little one? Whether you’re boarding a plane, taking a scenic train ride, or road-tripping across the state, traveling with a baby can be smooth and even enjoyable—with the right prep. Here's how to travel with a baby stress-free, featuring the best tips for traveling with baby at every turn.
Top 10 Travel Tips for Babies
1. Plan Around Your Baby's Schedule
When considering how to travel with a baby, timing is crucial. Try to align your departure with your baby’s usual nap times to help them sleep through part of the journey.
- For flights, feeding during takeoff and landing can help ease ear pressure and keep baby calm.
- For car journeys, leave shortly before a regular nap time so your baby is more likely to sleep in the car seat. Plan frequent stops to feed, change, and stretch. Ensure your aware of the top safety tips when using a car seat with your baby or toddler.
- For train travel, try to book seats during off-peak hours to avoid crowds, and choose a quiet car if available. A window seat can also provide visual stimulation to help soothe your baby.
2. Pack Smart with a Baby Travel List
Creating a detailed baby travel list ensures you have all the essentials without overpacking. Include must-haves like diapers, wipes, extra clothing, feeding supplies, and comfort items. Don’t forget any necessary medications and a basic first-aid kit.
Pro tip from our community: Pre-pack each day’s outfit in a ziplock or reusable bag, including a diaper, socks, and a vest. That way, you can simply grab a bag each day—no more digging around for that one matching sock or clean onesie!
3. Choose the Right Gear
Having the right gear can make or break your travel experience—especially when you're traveling with a baby. At the top of your baby travel list? A reliable baby carrier. It's a game-changer in airports, train stations, or anywhere that gets crowded. Keeping your baby snug and secure against your body not only offers comfort and calm, it also frees up your hands to manage bags, boarding passes, and coffee. Bonus: at many U.S. airports, TSA agents may allow you to wear your baby through security—just ask when you get to the checkpoint.
And don’t forget your travel stroller. Many airlines let you check it for free, but you won’t see it again until baggage claim. If you’ve got a compact stroller like our Metro 3 compact stroller, which fits many U.S. airlines’ cabin bag size limits, you can bring it right into the cabin. That’s a huge plus if you’ve got a long wait at the gate or immigration.
4. Create a Calm, Familiar Environment on the Go
Travel can be overstimulating for babies—with new sights, sounds, and people around every corner. Tips for leaving the house with baby can make a big difference in how smooth your outing goes. Help your little one feel more at ease by bringing a few familiar items from home. A favorite pacifier, soft toy, sleep sack, or even a familiar-smelling blanket can provide comfort and consistency in unfamiliar settings.
For naps or downtime, try to mimic your home routine as much as possible—same lullaby, same feeding timing, same snuggly wrap. Consistency helps signal to your baby that it’s safe to rest, even in a new place.
5. Maintain Feeding Routines
One of the best tips for traveling with a baby—especially when flying—is to use feeding as both a comfort tool and an entertainment strategy. If your baby is breastfed or bottle-fed, try feeding during takeoff and landing to help relieve ear pressure. For older infants or toddlers, a snack to chew or a drink to sip works just as well.
Once you're cruising at altitude, it’s all about the snacks. Pack a variety and present them in a creative way—like a pill organizer or segmented container—to keep baby engaged and happily munching. You truly can’t have too many snacks!
That said, if your little one is prone to motion sickness, keep it simple with easy-on-the-stomach options. One of our community’s top hacks? Bring a stack of disposable party cups for unexpected sickness—much easier to use than airline paper bags for babies!
Car travel tip: For road trips, regular snack breaks can break up long stretches and give baby something familiar to look forward to. Keep a cooler bag handy with pre-portioned, mess-free snacks and water. If your little one is still bottle-fed or formula-fed, having a thermos of hot water and a few pre-measured formula containers can make feeding stops quicker and smoother. Just be sure to pull over safely—never feed your baby in a moving car seat.
6. Dress for Comfort—and Contingencies
When you're traveling with a baby—whether by car, train, or plane—comfort is key. Dress your little one in soft, breathable layers that are easy to adjust to changing temperatures. Airports and train stations can be chilly, while cars and planes can swing from hot to cold quickly depending on the environment.
Choose outfits with snap or zip closures for quick diaper changes in tight spaces. For road trips, avoid anything bulky that could interfere with the safe fit of a car seat harness.
Plane or train travel tip: Always pack at least one full change of clothes for baby—and one for yourself if you’re the designated lap cuddler. Accidents, spills, or travel sickness are almost guaranteed. Keep spares in an easy-to-reach part of your diaper bag or carry-on.
Car travel tip: In cooler climates, warm your car up ahead of time and dress baby in thin, warm layers. You can add a blanket over the car seat straps once baby is safely buckled in, but avoid padded jackets that prevent a secure fit.
Bonus tip: Pack an extra pair of socks or booties. Baby socks are notorious for vanishing into the void mid-journey!
7. Ensure Safe and Comfortable Sleep
Bringing familiar sleep items, like a favorite blanket or sleep sack, can help your baby rest better in unfamiliar environments. And the best part? Our Ergobaby sleeping bags have special slots for harnesses, so whether you've got a late night / early morning drive or you need baby to sleep in their stroller you can keep them in their sleeping bag the whole time. Make sure you pick the right TOG or weight sleeping bag for your destination.
If staying overnight, consider a portable travel crib to provide a consistent sleeping space and if you use white noise or are used to black out consider a travel black out blind.
8. Pack Portable Entertainment That Works Anywhere
Keeping your baby entertained on the go doesn’t mean packing a suitcase full of toys. Traveling light is possible with a little planning and the right multi-use items. A few thoughtfully chosen items can go a long way, whether you're in the air, on the rails, or hitting the road.
On a plane, go for lightweight toys with quiet sensory features—think fabric books, soft crinkle toys, or a rattle they can grip easily. Suction toys that stick to tray tables are also a win. Rotate toys every 30 minutes to keep things feeling fresh.
On a train, you’ve got more room to play. A small stacking toy, board book, or even a new object (like a colorful wristband or silicone kitchen spatula) can offer novelty without noise. Looking out the window and narrating what you see is also a great way to engage them and bond.
In the car, focus on safe, soft toys that baby can explore independently while buckled in. Clip-on toys that attach to the car seat or soft mirrors work well. And don’t underestimate the power of music—singing along to favorite lullabies or playful tunes can soothe or energize, depending on your needs.
Pro tip: Save a “surprise toy” for when you really need a distraction—like during long delays or fussy spells.
9. Stay Flexible and Patient
No matter how well you plan, traveling with a baby always comes with curveballs. Delays, skipped naps, messy diaper blowouts—you name it. The best approach? Flexibility and a deep breath.
Build extra time into your itinerary so you’re not stressed by tight connections or unexpected stops. Try to keep your baby’s basic needs—feeding, comfort, sleep—front and center, even if that means adjusting plans on the fly.
For car trips, allow for extra pit stops for feeds, diaper changes, and short breaks to stretch your legs. Babies often need more frequent stops than you expect.
For flights or train rides, go in knowing you’ll likely be up and down a lot. Walk the aisles when it’s safe to do so, or take your baby to a quiet spot to reset if they get overstimulated.
Most importantly, remind yourself: you’re doing great. Babies don’t need perfect—they just need you.
10. Organize Your Essentials for Quick Access
When you're juggling a baby and bags in transit, the last thing you want is to be digging through your entire diaper bag for wipes or a pacifier. Organizing your essentials for quick access can be a travel lifesaver.
Use pouches, zip bags or even easier a portable changing pad with storage to group items—diapering, feeding, medical, toys—and store them in a way that makes sense for the type of travel.
- Plane or train: Keep a compact “grab bag” under the seat with just what you'll need for the next hour or two (diaper, wipes, snack, toy, pacifier), and stow everything else overhead.
- Car travel: Use a seatback organizer or keep a caddy up front so you don’t have to pull over just to find a pacifier or teether. A small cooler bag within reach is great for bottles or snacks.
This system not only reduces stress but also makes it easier for a travel partner to jump in and help, because everything is where it should be.
Wherever you're going, the journey doesn't have to be stressful. With these tips for traveling with a baby—whether flying, training, or road-tripping—you’ll be better prepared to enjoy the adventure.