Just Press Go Travel

We’ve now been to 21 states, 9 National Parks, 7 Disney trips, I don’t know how many flights, and a good number of road trips with my 2.5 year old – and now we’ve added a second kiddo. Below are my family’s favorite travel items with links.

This is now the second version of my list, with commentary added since I first published.

As always, none of these links are commission – just information and vibes.

Essentials

• Slumberpod: My child has always been super interested in his surroundings and struggled to sleep from looking around at the new environments. Ever since we got the slumberpod, he sleeps like a champ. Whether it’s because of the fact it’s blackout, or it provides consistency of environment, we don’t travel without it. It’s roughly 5 pounds and fits in a suitcase. The rest of the items listed out are in no particular order…but this is by far my number one recommendation.
• Cosco Senra Car Seat: This is one of the most popular car seats for its light weight and low price point. It does have a lower height and weight limit than other car seats, but if you are getting one for travel or to have an extra for going with grandparents for the day, you really can’t beat this one. Note: We absolutely hate installing this thing. Safe in the Seat has a video on how to get a good install, regardless, we hate doing it. But it keeps our kid safe and is easy by car seat standards to get through the airport.
• Car Seat Bag: Lightweight. Slightly padded. Makes getting the car seat through the airport slightly easier. If our car seat was heavier, I’d probably prefer one with wheels, but this does the trick for now.
• BabyZen YoYo Stroller: Just shy of 15 pounds, fits in the overhead compartment of Southwest airplanes, and has a shoulder strap to carry when not in use. We’ve taken this thing everywhere. It is so convenient, tight turn radius, and although it doesn’t fully recline, my child that likes to fight naps has still fallen asleep on almost every trip with it. It may not have the bells and whistles of our UppaBaby Vista at Disney, but we loved how it was easier to maneuver at Disney than most other strollers and getting on and off the busses were much easier.
• Uppababy Minu Duo Stroller: Now that we’ve added a second kid, this stroller has become our new best friend. It is the most narrow side by side on the market, one handed fold, and lays flat on both sides. It also has a built in newborn foot barrier. Unfortunately, this does have to get checked so we bought the Uppababy travel bag as it provides a warranty should anything

Sleep

• Vtech Baby Monitor: Works great and super affordable. 
• Travel Sound Machine: We’ve gone through a few, but really like this one. We now have two of these and I love them.
• Pack n play: We have the 4moms pack n play and love its ease of setup/breakdown. It’s not the lightest on the market, but not the heaviest. It comes with a travel bag that has held up decently well over 20 flights and countless road trips. While most large hotels offer pack n plays or cribs, they are never guaranteed.

Eating

• Travel bottle drying rack: Preferable to just putting on counters to help all the sippy cup pieces dry quicker.
• Spinning snack holder.
• Ceres Chill: Great for storing breast milk for travel if that’s your journey.

On the Go

• Disposable changing pads: Not all bathrooms have changing tables. If changing in a grosser spot or on the ground, we prefer to use this and then just throw away instead of our reusable pad that’s always with us.
• Mommy Bag: My husband had me add this one – it’s big. It has a sleeve to go on a suitcase. It fits under the seat. It fits in the overhead. Comes with a changing pad. Has an insulated pouch. Did I mention it’s big?
• Stroller Fan. Due to the unpredictability of airplanes, we always travel with a stroller fan and keep it with us – especially for the time from boarding the plane until the a/c really kicks in, or if the a/c is malfunctioning. 

Entertainment

• Suction cup spinners: Perfect for airplane window or tray table, and any restaurants
• Doodle board. We have this one that has the pen attached. Great for anywhere, anytime.
• Tablet Holder. See previous post about how we allow screen time. We put the tablet in this and put it on the seat out of reach of the kiddo for him to watch videos. Our kids do not have their own tablet to watch anything – we let them watch ours.
• Toddler Headphones – because no one else wants to listen to the Lion King three times on one flight.
• Toddler Tablet. This is my toddlers favorite toy when we travel, especially in the car and on airplanes. You will want aforementioned headphones for it on the airplane.
• Sticker Book. These are really good reusable stickers, easy to clean to get them sticky again, and so many different options of books. Great for hotel room and for meals out. Not so great in the car.
• Magnetic Blocks. As my toddler gets older he loves these more and more. This is more for the hotel room. Have had bad experiences in the car.
• Puzzles. We have a version of this one that comes with three puzzles in one box that my toddler loves to do on repeat. Great for hotel rooms and family gatherings.
• Toniebox. Not great for air travel, but love this for the car, hotels, and family gatherings. Another use for those headphones. We also have a carrier to store it with all of the tones and the charger.
• Crayola Mess Free Coloring Set. Love this so that my toddler, who is not always the best at listening, won’t make a mess on an airplane. The only downside is that he is not good at the caps on markers so we have to help, whereas most of the other items on this list are good for independent play.
• Magnetic Drawing Board. Has been great at home and in the car, but not sure how it would go getting it through security.

When traveling with really littles

• Ergobaby Embrace Baby Carrier. This was our favorite with our first kid to get through security, and to board/deplane when our kiddo was still willing to be worn. This can be worn inward and outward facing (once kid is old enough and has neck control) which is a big benefit.
• Wildbaby Aerial Baby Carrier. This is my favorite with my second kid. It’s more padded so it does take up more space in bags, but I like the added comfort. This is inward facing only, but I like that it has added head support when I’m trying to get baby to nap.
• Tushbaby. Alternative to baby wearing. Helps to get on and off the plane depending on your carry-on situation. Also helpful depending on what you are doing wherever you go. We love this for Disney when waiting in lines. 

Ready to take on your own adventure?

Reach out to melanie@simplyperfectvacations with any questions, comments, or help booking your next vacation!