15 Products That Every Traveling Parent Needs

Tested and approved by my baby and me.

This post features a mix of items that we purchased with our own money and those that were provided to us at no cost for the sake of review. (But! We’re under no obligation to write a review of those things, let alone a positive review.)

Hi everyone, I'm Conz and I'm a first time mom. Travel is one of my passions and I did A LOT of it before having my baby. I was actually a little afraid that becoming a mom was going to slow my travel down, so I decided to really look into products that would make our adventures smoother.

Instagram: @conz

1. The Guava Lotus travel crib that is not only super light, easy to install but also comes inside a backpack ready to be taken places.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

When we told our families we were expecting a baby everyone decided to offload their pack and plays on us because we surely were going to need them. They were clunky and took up space, I couldn't stand the sight of them and Ozzy seemed to hate sleeping in them.

So I did some research and found this highly rated travel crib. The Lotus is very easy to set up (they claim in 15 seconds which my husband agrees to) and so so so light you can carry it as a backpack through any airport. Bonus points for the side panel that opens so you can cuddle or play with your baby.

I love it and, more importantly, so does our baby.

Get it from Amazon for $209.

2. This super light and foldable stroller that can be carried into the plane.

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I've recommended the gb Pockit+ before, but it deserves another shout out since we really put it to the test on our latest trip.

This stroller only weighs 12lbs and it can be folded into a tiny square that can fit under your seat or in the overhead compartment. It can also be carried inside a backpack which like, how many strollers can say that about themselves?

We just took the Pockit+ on a three week trip and used it daily. It made life easier not only when actually traveling by air, but also to put into cabs or even crowded restaurants. The airport team in Argentina was truly shocked at how little the stroller was when folded so... you should get it!

Get it from Amazon for $216.90+ (available in five colors).

3. The Lobster Highchair makes any place baby friendly.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

I'll admit that I find most (if not all) high chairs ugly and hard to put away. Also, obviously, you can't travel with them. In comes the Lobster Highchair which can be used as your main chair at home and then folded and taken on the go when needed.

The chair attaches very securely to any table which means you can take your kiddo out for lunch with you anywhere. The max weight limit it can handles is 37lbs which means you can use this chair until your child is about 3 years old.

The seat is removable and washable - because yes children eating are messy AF - and the brand also sells separate seats in case you want multiples.

Get it from Amazon for $79.86+ (available in three colors).

4. This smart baby monitor that works with your phone.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

The Nanit baby monitor is more than just your regular monitor. It's smart, and it gives you insights on your baby's sleep. Like how many times they woke up, how long they slept for and how often mom or dad came into their room.

What's also cool is that it works with your cellphone and on wifi, which means you can take it with you to your cousin's farm and watch the sunset from the front porch without worrying about the range of the monitor because... it's your phone!

Get it from Amazon for $249.99.

5. The Cosco Scenera car seat is the lightest convertible car seat out there.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

I was pretty bummed out when Ozzy outgrew his bucket seat because it was just so convenient, albeit heavy, to carry him around in it. I wondered how the hell I was gonna get him into cabs or Ubers and EVERYONE I know recommended this car seat because of its light weight. It's only 11lbs!

Get it from Amazon for $59.99+ (available in five colors).

6. But, if you have a car seat with you at the airport, you're gonna need this travel car seat stroller.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

Let's say you decide to go through security with the car seat, how are you going to carry it around? Well someone that is very smart invented this thing that turns car seats into mini strollers so you can take your babe strapped into the seat through airports and train stations.

Get it from Amazon for $68.89.

7. I personally recommend wearing your baby through airports which leaves you with two empty hands to attempt going carry on only.

Instagram: @conz

We've taken a bunch of flights in Ozzy's 10 months of life and I have found that wearing him through the airport makes everyones lives much easier. He gets to look around and engage with people, security is faster because you don't have to them out from strollers or car seats and you have two empty hands to carry other stuff. Plus if you are traveling solo you can also go to the bathroom without having to juggle a baby or telling a stranger to keep an eye on them.

Get a Tula carrier from Amazon for $179 (available in six styles).

8. If you decide to check your car seat, I highly recommend getting a bag so it doesn't get all damaged.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

The first time we checked our carseat I nagged my husband to put it inside the bright red bag I had purchased. When we got our luggage he noticed how dirty the bag was and realized that our then 3 month old baby would've been sitting in all that ew dirt had we not bagged the seat.

So do it.

Plus it makes it easier to identify your stuff once it comes out of the belt.

Get it from Amazon for $23.99.

9. These noise cancelling head phones are great for keeping your kid napping in loud environments.

Amazon

Whether it's a busy airport or the plan loud speakers or traffic honks, you don't want anything waking up your baby from a nap because that just means cranky baby. No one wants a cranky baby while traveling, let me tell you that.

These headphones are noise cancelling and safe for babies and toddlers. Just practice putting them on before hand so they don't have a major freak out when you need them to wear them.

Get it from Amazon for $24.95+ (available in 26 colors).

10. Travel cubes are excellent to pack baby clothes and not have to dig around for them.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

We recently took a three week trip which obviously meant that I overpacked for all of us. Thankfully I had used the travel cubes that I had bought for myself for Ozzy's clothes which made our life SO MUCH EASIER. I put all the pajamas in one cube, all pants and sweatshirts in another and all onesies in the last. This made finding clothes so fast and also meant we had extra cubes to use for dirty clothes when we didn't have time to do laundry. 10/10 would recommend, plus you can use them for yourself when kids grow older.

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+. (available in seven colors).

11. These reusable swim diapers are great for not taking up space in your suitcase but also awesome for the environment.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

TBH I think everyone should be using reusable swim diapers on their kids because they are so much better for our planet, but if you need some convincing let me tell you that they are awesome for traveling because you only need to pack one or two versus a million of the other ones.

These diapers contain poop but let pee go through, so only stick your kids in them right before swimming or there will be accidents.

Get it from Amazon for $10.29+ (available in 16 styles).

12. If you wanna get fancy and get your child his own seat on a plane, you NEED this pillow that turns the seat into a bed.

Instagram: @conz

We had an 11 hour overnight flight booked with Ozzy when he was 9 months old and I was freaking out about sleep because neither of us were physically or mentally ready to hold his 21lb body for that long. People on Instagram recommended me these inflatable pillows that can turn a seat into a mini bed for children and let me tell you IT WORKS.

Yes, that's Ozzy happily asleep on the plane. And yes, I am mega proud as you can tell.

Get it from Amazon for $18.98 (available in grey or blue).

13. This portable activity station allows you to be hands free while your little one plays.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

My husband was totally against us having a baby bouncer because he found all of them ugly and in the way. Of course I laughed when he showed up with this portable one because I was sure baby would hate it.

Well I was wrong. Not only baby loved it, but he loved it so much he could play there while we cooked or did other things around the house. The best thing about it is that it is foldable, so mega easy to store and perfect to bring with you in your next camping trip.

Get it from Amazon for $49.95 (available in seven colors).

14. This leak-proof cup that will have you stay dry when your kid drops it on you.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

The Munchkin 360 sippy cup claims to be leak proof. I obviously had to put it to the test, and yes, they are correct, it works! It also comes with a lid so you can throw it in your purse and have it stay clean and kid safe.

Get it from Amazon for $14.75 (available in six colors).

15. This portable cleaning and drying rack that can make any sink suitable for washing bottles.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

Cleaning and drying bottles in a hotel bathroom can be complicated. I found that all of our bottles smelled funny because they were not fully drying when facing down, but then again not really draining when facing up.

Enter the Sinkboss that makes any sink and surface perfect to wash and dry bottles, toys, pump parts, you name it!

Get it from Amazon for $44.54.