How new parents navigated a 3 night vacation with our 4 month old! (& a free packing list download!)
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Wow! We just returned from a lovely mini-vaca with our sweet baby girl! It was PERFECT! I highly recommend anyone considering traveling with their baby to go ahead and try it! We did not take a babymoon – so this was a bit like a babymoon but better for us – with the baby! I will say, we have been completely blessed with an easy baby. However, I was prepared for difficult moments should they arise. I will be sharing what I packed, and what we did to prepare for this trip! From one new parent to another – I hope it helps 🙂
First of all, we traveled to a beach within driving distance (4 hours). This felt like a really good distance – we felt “away” enough, but it was about the max I would have felt comfortable driving with our baby. We stopped once on the way, and twice on the way home. She got a little antsy in the car both times, but nothing crazy.
Second, we took this trip at the end of my maternity leave which happens to be mid-September. This was considered the “off season” for our hotel so it was very quiet and perfect. Mostly older couples and other families with young children/babies! We never had to wait for a table at breakfast etc, and had plenty of chairs available at the beach/pool.
Third, we stayed at a wonderful resort with all suites! Therefore, we were in a “one bedroom suite” which made it easy to put the baby down for a nap or for bed early, and we could still enjoy the balcony/watch TV in the living room area. We opted for an ocean view room since we knew we’d be spending a good amount of time in the room during her afternoon nap. We also had a full kitchen, and small washer & dryer! This was so reassuring since I am still pumping, and in case anything happened, and we needed to wash her clothes/blankets/towels! If you are able – I would highly recommend finding a getaway with these amenities!
Now, I’d like to share some of the items I packed that were so helpful!
- Fisher Price Dome – This is pretty pricey for the short amount of time you can use it, but I was able to find mine on Facebook Marketplace for $20! I highly recommend trying there! This is also a more affordable option, and folds a little smaller than the FP Dome does. However, it seems a little smaller than the dome, and the dome had a full coverage canopy option! I would definitely look into getting one of these. It was a must have – my husband said its the best $20 I have ever spent! Our little one napped at the beach in this every morning and I loved that it kept her out of the sand. We really only needed to use half the dome shade option because we also put it under the umbrella (provided by the resort).
- Trunk Organizer – I keep this one in my car all the time anyway, but for this trip specifically, it was so helpful and reassuring to have extra diapers/wipes/burp cloths in the car. I also kept an extra car blankie and extra outfit. I also keep hand wipes/bottle wipes/paci wipes in this organizer. For this trip, I put all those necessities on one side, and put toys and books on the other side. I sat in the back with her for most of the trip. I love this organizer specificaly because I love the diaper changing mat it comes with (and take it out and use it for other times), but this is another good option.
- Fisher Price Playmat – I wanted baby girl to have something to stretch out on so I brought this and laid it on a blanket (that I brought) in our room. We were so happy we brought it! It comes apart nicely so it was easy-ish to pack. I also planned to bring the piano piece to put in her dome at the pool or beach if needed, but never ended up needing to. It would also be a nice idea to keep the piano part out for the car ride!
- Pack n Play – of course we needed to bring this, and this is the one we have. I also have these sheets for it, and I love them! They are so super soft. This was her first time sleeping in the pack n play so I was a little nervous she wouldn’t be as comfortable as she is in the bassinet at home, but she was very happy!
- Stroller – of course we also brought this, and this is the one we have. We used this all around the resort (except on the beach – even though I’m sure we could have). We also walked to dinner with it one night. I love that she can lay down in it, and I can even change her diaper in it in a pinch.
- Baby Carrier – This was what I used to carry her down to the beach.
- Packing Cubes – I shared a suitcase with baby girl and this made it easy to keep our items separated.
- Baby Sun Essentials – These sunglasses fit her the best that I could find! These are another great option for a bigger/older babe. This was our favorite hat for fit, staying on, and coverage.
- Baby Heat Essentials – While she was in the shade, I used this stroller fan strapped to her baby dome. I also used this cooling towel on her head while she napped at the beach to keep her from getting too hot!
- Beach Bag – I love my aloha beach bag and the pouches that go inside. We used the bigger one for baby girl’s items [diapers, swim diapers, wipes, hat, toys, pacis], and it was nice because when we would just run down to breakfast or dinner, I’d throw her pouch under the stroller and not have to bring the whole baby bag. The smaller pouch was good for our items – phones/wallets. This bag also looks like a good, cheaper option! A bogg bag is always a great go-to as well, but bulkier to carry depending on the amount of gear you’re bringing down to the beach!
- Baby Monitor – I brought our monitor so we could sit on the balcony while she napped. We have this awesome attachment for it which made it really easy to set up anywhere in the room.
- Hatch Sound Machine – this sound machine is lightweight and easy to pack. It was nice to have her listening to her familiar sounds from home, and also helped drown out any noise we were making in the room. The night light feature was helpful and I didn’t have to bring our regular night light on the trip. I guess they already came out with a newer version – I wish I had this one!
- I have a few of these clear packing pouches at home – and used an extra one to pack baby’s Tylenol, thermometer, and nail trimmers just in case.
- Towels – I brought her own bath towels and wash cloths because I knew the hotel ones would be rough and I still use Dreft detergent for her. I was happy to have an extra towel to wrap her in at the pool instead of hotel pool towels – but this wasn’t a necessity.
- Vacuum Bag – ok I happened to recently purchase these to pack away clothes she’s outgrown. I had an extra and decided to use it to pack the towels/blankets I mentioned bringing above. It was super helpful and I was able to even pack the little pump so I could vacuum the bag again to come home! It was especially nice because I ended up washing her towels in the hotel room, so I was able to keep the clean towels separated from dirty clothes in the suitcase.
Phew! This has been a lengthy post. Enter your email below if you’d like the packing checklist sent directly to you!
I hope that this will be helpful to someone preparing to travel with their little one – and I hope you have as relaxing a time as we did!!