Packing for a holiday with a baby: can you pack light?
Until earlier this year, I would pride myself on my ability to pack light.
A two week trip in a cabin-size case? I’ve got this. For super short trips, I’ve gone even further and used only the under seat bag included with budget airlines.
Going through the airport was second nature and buying a few bits, spritzing on Jo Malone’s Earl Grey & Cucumber and grabbing a burrito were part of the fun.
Packing for a holiday with a baby is another story. And as for packing light? Is it even possible? We recently travelled to Menorca with my five month old and put it to the test!
In this post, I’ll cover what mentally needs to change before sharing my exact packing list by bag, making it super practical for you to duplicate. This holiday packing list is ideal for babies 0-6m – as they start weaning and moving, their needs will change.
Table of Contents
From backpacker to baby packer
Okay look, I’ve technically not been a backpacker for a while. But my packing ethos had remained very much minimal!
I’ve written about packing efficiently as a solo traveller before but travelling with a baby takes it to a different level entirely.
The best advice I can give is to start your list and packing at least a week ahead of time.
When I started my packing list for our first family holiday, I quickly felt overwhelmed. It wasn’t the clothes that did it – although saying that, I overpacked for myself considering I now have minimal getting ready time. Save yourself space and take out at least a third from what you think you’ll wear.
But back to it, what really got me was the equipment. The things that are part of daily life at home – everything from the mass of feeding equipment to his bath thermometer – all needed to come with us. And because we were using them daily, we couldn’t get fully packed until we were literally walking out the door at 4am.
Before you start
Check what amenities your accommodation offers
We were lucky in that our villa offered a travel cot and high chair (although we couldn’t use the latter yet!) for free.
We also had the option to add a steriliser for around £30 when we booked via Jet2 Holidays. This removed two of the bulkiest items we’d have needed to pack, saving a ton of space and hassle.
Split hand luggage strategically if you’re not travelling alone
For example, I took the changing supplies while my husband packed his milk and bottles for the plane. However, I’d actually change this up next time.
While it’s logical to divide up items by category, if you’re separated for any reason, it can be inconvenient too so I’d take a spare bottle in my own luggage and give my husband some emergency nappies and wipes.
Group items into pouches
Instead of rummaging through your entire bag to find a teether or dummy, divide them up into little pouches or packing cubes.
This will make it way more convenient when you’re sat with a baby on your lap, especially if you have one big bag rather than one with lots of sections or pockets.
Pack a change of clothes
Having been a victim of my case getting lost, I often took a spare pair of underwear in my hand luggage.
Travelling with a baby means taking it one step further.
My son is prone to a lot of spit up and not only pooed in the airport, but on the plane too! Therefore, packing a spare top at the very least is a necessity!
Give yourself extra time
There’s assistance available for families at airports but the experience can vary massively.
Even with the most efficient service, it can take longer to go through security if it’s busy or they take extra precautions on items like baby milk.
We also weren’t able to use our baby carrier through security at Manchester Airport – a tip I’d read often online – so taking the pram added an extra element.
By contrast, the airport in Menorca was super speedy and quick to get through, so everywhere is different. Build in an extra buffer and you can’t go wrong!
Packing for a holiday with a baby: the checklist
Okay, now we’ve explored the logistics, here’s what I actually packed for our one week holiday and how. If there are any exact items that I particularly recommend, you’ll find them linked below!
Car seat bag
We had car hire included with our package so needed to bring our own car seat from home. But you can bet we were going to pop as much in the bag as we could get away with.
All of these items, aside from the umbrella, fitted into one plastic bag inside the car seat so didn’t take up any extra space in the bag.
- Car seat
- A large pack of nappies
- Pool floats for us
- Baby pool float
- Inflatable baby chair (somewhere for him to sit propped up, as he wasn’t big enough for a high chair yet!)
- Two baby towels (one for beach/pool, one for the bath)
- Our pram umbrella
Our car seat bag has backpack-like straps, leaving our hands free for the rest of our luggage on arrival.
We checked this at the oversize luggage section in Manchester Airport and with our regular luggage in Menorca.
Pram bag
While I considered buying a travel buggy, we ended up taking our regular pram from home, saving us having multiple prams at home.
Under the pram, we stored the rain cover and a snooze shade which were all bagged with the pram.
If you don’t have a small buggy for the overhead locker, I’d definitely recommend getting a pram bag for a bit of extra protection.
Checked luggage
Feeding
I’m combination feeding so there was lots of kit here! If you’re breastfeeding, you’ll have much less to worry about and pack.
Sleep
We did buy a portable blackout blind but our window had shutters so we didn’t end up taking this either!
Toiletries and bathing
Clothes
Between spit ups and having SO many cute summer clothes to choose from, we ended up packing about 2 outfits per day. Honestly, that was the easiest part!
The other clothing items included:
Hand luggage
Far from the books and snacks that filled my hand luggage previously, my hand luggage was basically pure baby paraphernalia in different waterproof pouches.
This list was split across my partner and I’s under seat bags. If you’re travelling solo, a more streamlined version again might be needed.
We definitely overpacked on milk but with the risk of delays, I’d rather have too much than a screaming baby and no food.
What I’d do differently next time
Pack fewer clothes: despite the best laid plans to look nice, I threw on the first thing I could grab each day!
Relax about the airport and flight experience: easier said than done, but with plenty of time and all your supplies, it’ll fly by.
Plus if you forget anything, just remember – they have babies everywhere. Regardless, there’s so much kit you need that when packing for a holiday with a baby, you’ll always need more luggage than before!
If you found this useful, I’ll be sharing more honest family travel content as we navigate this new era.
Laura x
For a look back into my previous life at what my packing used to look like, my SE Asia backpacking packing list tells a different story!
