We’ve been there, oh so many times before. You’re days away (or maybe it’s tomorrow!) from flying with your toddler on what’s destined to be an unforgettable family adventure — but you just need to get there. And for most parents (ourselves included), it’s the getting there that is the hardest part. Waking everyone up and getting from your home to the airport / train station / bus station / dock; the hours spent lining up and waiting over and over at said “station”; and of course the truly countless hours spent on the flight / train / bus / car / boat. You’re staring at your toddler’s diaper bag wondering what to bring to help you them survive the journey.
We’ve got you covered. We’ve flown more times than we care to count with both our kids throughout the baby and toddler age for the last 5 years. And ICYMI: We even started a travel goods company based on our love of family travel. Learn from our past mistakes, and please see below for the packing list we always use as our starting point when getting our diaper bag ready for a family adventure.
Our Comprehensive Packing Guide to Traveling with a Toddler
To ensure everything feels less overwhelming completely manageable, we always break down our packing list into 5 categories. Use these categories and lists as a starting point — you know your child and yourself, and you’ll know when adjustments are needed.
🩳. 1. Extra Clothes
- 2-4x Full Outfits for your toddler, including a top / bottom / socks / possibly underwear. The number of outfits you pack depends on (a) the length of your journey door-to-door and how many out fits you typically go through in that time; and (b) envisioning the worst case scenarios at meal-time and possibly in the bathroom especially if potty-training. **
- 1-2x Tops for yourself. Because your shirt is so often collateral damage.
- Note on Sleep Items: We personally like to pack our little one’s sleep essentials (e.g. pajamas, sleep sack, 1-2 loveys, portable sound machine) into our Hideaway Carry-on Duffel because we access them only once or twice per flight. If your little one is sleeping more frequently, we would put these items in the diaper bag and shift out some of the extra outfits into our carry-on.
🤤 2. Extra Food.
- 1.5x food you expect your toddler to eat should be ready by the time you board. We try to pack a good amount of healthy snacks for our toddler from home, and then plan to buy “fun” new snacks and warm meals at the airport (and on the plane!) to add some novelty to the journey. If you play your cards right, eating is very much an activity that can take up lots of time!
🖍️ 3. ENTERTAINMENT.
We recommend packing 10+ different Activities for your toddler, where ideally the majority would be new / novel items, and a few would be favorites from home. Below are the types of activities we always pack for a toddler. (Note: So often, the plane feels so novel that they’re happy to be playing with the seatbelt or staring out window for 20 minutes!)
- Magnetic Building Toy (e.g. Magna-Tiles, Magna-Qubix, Picasso Tiles)
- 3-4 Play Dough colors (or more if you buy the mini versions) with a couple tools
- Box of Crayons or Markets and a Pad of Paper
- Suction Toy (e.g. Suction spinners, Fat Brain Toys Squigz)
- Mess-Free Water Painting Books.
- 4-5 Small Vehicles + Road Masking Tape
- Sticker Activity Books
- “I Spy”-type books with very densely packed pictures
- 5-7 Small Animal Figurines
- Sensory Toys / Busy Board Books
💩🚽 4. Potty / Diapers.
No matter what, bring:
- Hand Sanitizer
- Surface Disinfecting Wipes (e.g. Clorox Wipes)
- 1.5x Diaper Wipes you project needing for the door-to-door journey.
- No Reception Club Sidekick Hip Pack to store your essentials and compactly carry them to whatever tiny bathroom you’re forced squeeze into with your toddler.
If your toddler is still in diapers:
- 1.5x Diapers you think you’ll need for the door-to-door journey.
- Diaper Cream
- Changing Pad
If your toddler is potty trained / Potty Training:
- 2-3x Extra Underwear (this should be included in your “full outfits” section)
- if needed: Travel Potty (e.g. Jool Baby Folding Travel Potty Seat, Oxo Tot 2-in-1 Go Potty)
- if needed: Travel Potty disposable bags
😎 5. PERSONAL & HYGIENE.
- Basic First Aid (e.g. bandaids, Infant Tylenol, Children’s Benadryl, etc.)
- Basic Toiletries
- Identity: Wallet, Passports
- Technology: Phone, Laptop, iPad, Air Pods, Chargers
-
Personal Reading Materials(just kidding!)
Remember, no matter what your journey looks like, you’re going to get to your destination and it will have been worth it. It always is. And while you can’t stop the “hiccups” of travel with toddlers from happening (spills, blowouts, and delays, oh my!) — we can promise that being prepared by packing the right things and using the right gear helps a lot.
Happy packing and more importantly, happy travels! You got this.
8 comments
Hi Alysha! The backpack we use is the Getaway Bag: https://noreceptionclub.com/products/backpack-getaway
Let us know if you have any questions!!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Christina! We are so glad that we could make your return journey (and hopefully all your future trips!) so much easier :)
Hi Ruby! The backpack typically stands on its own as long as the bottom shelf of the main compartment is packed. When that shelf is packed, the capacity of that section will “drop” down and anchor the bag at the bottom. We typically put our heaviest items in that area.
I just completed a trip from LA—>Chicago RT with my one year old, two year old, and nanny. For anyone planning to travel with two toddlers in this age group, God help you.
The flight to Chicago, our four carry-on bags (one for each human) and three checked bags (kids shared a bag) were a nightmare. We packed everything we needed for the trip, but it was all over the place. Between running through the airport with all these bags, installing the car seat and unpacking the toddlers’ carry-on bags into the tiny airplane row, I was stressed and exhausted.
There’s no way I was returning to LA in the same manner. I desperately searched for solutions online that could arrive in time for the departure flight and was so, so lucky to have come across the No Reception Hideaway Carryon. Those four carry-on bags became two, plus an empty canvas tote to offload the essentials into for under seat storage. The duffle went into the overhead bin in case we needed to access diapers or extra clothes, and my stress level was less than half the originating journey.
With my nanny and I both less stressed and physically drained from being my toddlers’ sherpas, getting through security and boarding the flight was so much easier. I’m serious, it was a game changer.
And while a bag can’t fix every inconvenience that comes with travel, being less stressed and tired meant both my nanny and I were able navigate these troubles with less anxiety and exhaustion. Nothing seemed as hard to us on the return journey!
Since the duffle is on the larger carryon size, you’ll need to invest in the smaller accessories No Reception offers or simply roll up a cavas tote and throw it into the duffel to pull out the essentials before boarding your flight. This makes things so much easier for everyone involved.
I’m so grateful to the No Reception for going above and beyond to be certain the bag would arrive to me on time for the return flight. I’m writing this review in-air – my kids are even more relaxed and napping. Everything is simpler with this bag!
How did you get the backpack to stand on its own? Ours always fall forward.