Starting a family shouldn’t stop you from traveling the world or even your own backyard. I found that traveling with my son was even easier than I expected and I have yet to regret taking him anywhere. He has already been to Punta Mita and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Orlando, FL and New Orleans, LA all before he was 8 months old! So if you’re debating taking your little one on an adventure, I have some tips that I really think will make your next family vacation easy-peasy.

1. Purchase Diapers, etc. When You Land

This was the best advice I ever got. I can’t speak to traveling out of the country for this one but when we went to New Orleans, my son was almost 4 months old and had just started to be exclusively on formula. That and diapers would have taken up so much room in our luggage so we decided to just pack enough and then a little extra for the travel day and hit the store after we checked into our hotel.

One additional piece of advice is to be honest with yourself about how much energy you will have after traveling x-amount of hours. We were pretty wiped from a day of traveling and being worried about what could go wrong that first trip that it was actually a pain to go to the store that evening. But we were still glad that we didn’t have to stuff our luggage with things that we could get once we landed. We didn’t have too much extra formula (we put the powder into bottles for future use) and just enough diapers to reload baby boy’s backpack.

Additionally, it’s super important that young babies have sterile bottles, nipples, spoons, etc. I used a folding baby bottle drying rack like this one and it really put my mind at ease that our son’s bottles would remain clean like they are at home. I didn’t worry too much about steaming them but if you are, I recommend microwavable sterilizing bags like these.

2. Use your carrier

I cannot stress enough how amazing the ability to wear your baby is. We parked our car, popped him into his ergo baby and wore him literally the whole day unless it was time for a feeding, diaper change or a little play time. We were able to wear him through security and because he slept like a superstar on the plane, we put him to our chest, and strapped him back in so we could all take a small nap. Having our hands free for literally anything else was priceless.

3. Reserve Car Transfers WITH a Car Seat

I hope you didn’t read that and think, “well, duh”, because this was something that I thought only at the last minute. Prior to baby, we would Lyft to the airport, no problem. Lyft/Uber and most taxis do not have car seats in them and I was not going to bring our huge rear facing seat. But even if you drive yourself to the airport (which is our go-to now), what about when you land? A lot of hotels have shuttles and you don’t need a car seat in a shuttle, at least that’s what my research told me. So if you arrange to have a shuttle pick you up or a car service that can provide a car seat, you’re good to go.

4. The Outfit Situation

I definitely overpacked for our first trip away from home. My son has had enough blowouts while we’ve been out of the house for me to be overly cautious and want to be sure I had enough clothes for him. Needless to say, most of my luggage was the baby’s clothes.

My not-so-secret weapon: Packing Cubes

You can find packing cubes everywhere but I prefer these ones because they’re simple and affordable. I got a set so I can vouch for their durability and might even get a few more for a winter trip to Europe in December. We use the smaller one for my son’s toiletries (nail clipper, brush, nasal spray, vitamin D drops, etc.) so that his every day things are in one place and we can throw them into the backpack for overnights to my parents’ house some weekends.

Packing cubes also allowed us to continue being a #carryon family by making it much easier to get three people’s worth of clothes and shoes into two carry-ons (and backpacks).

5. Use a Backpack instead of a Diaper Bag

Backpacks are all around easier to carry and get into; at least for us. Diaper bags tend to be the shape of oversized purses and they get in the way for me; we find that our diaper backpack is much more efficient and easier to travel with. Plus, it follows along with the theme of maintaining a full range of motion by having baby in the front and the backpack, well, on your back.

6. Make Sure You Have the Right Travel Documents

This can really put a damper on your travel day. Trust me. I had four trips booked for this year before our son was even born and I completely lost track of which trips I had added him as a lap infant on and which I hadn’t. On our way to the airport to fly out to Orlando for my family reunion, not only had I forgotten to add him to the itinerary, I had also forgotten his passport (easier for us than traveling with his birth certificate) which I was going to need to add him at the airport check-in counter. Luckily, we weren’t that far from home when I called to double check so turning around wasn’t the end of the world but that could have truly been a disaster if we’d gotten all the way to the airport, parked and shuttled in only to be told that baby boy couldn’t fly.

Some airlines also require you to show proof of identification for your child even if they are already on the itinerary and some do not. Check with your airline to be absolutely sure.

7. Relax and Have Fun!

I know that traveling with a child at any age can be stressful and worrisome. I also understand that some parents aren’t big travelers and the thought of packing ALL of your little one’s things for even a short trip can be overwhelming. But I promise you, it is not as difficult as it seems. I can also tell you that the younger they are, the easier it is to travel with them. Our son is going on 9 months old and I miss the days when he slept most of the day while traveling or he was small enough to comfortably change on those ridiculously tiny changing tables in airplane restrooms (don’t get me started on those minuscule restrooms! Who are they for anyway?!). And if you’re concerned about the length of a flight, book something that’s only 2-3 hours away by plane before embarking on a long-haul flight.

Good luck and happy travels! Let me know your tips for traveling with an infant, toddler or even more than one kiddo at a time!