11 Essentials for International Travel with Littles

The other day I had a realization that should be obvious but I hadn’t consciously thought about it in years. When most people talk about vacation or travel, they are referring to something several hours away or even a 3 to 5-hour domestic flight. When we talk about travel, we are usually referring to international travel. Even if we are going to a nearby country, it’s at least a 24 hour day of travel which often includes inefficient systems (wink ;-), immigration, taxi rides, and eating snack foods (or whatever we can find) for multiple meals. I’d like to say we are getting used to it the longer we are here, but since we have added 2 kids in 2 years, I feel like I am starting from scratch again. It’s truly a whole new world traveling internationally with little ones.

Here are 10 items that I’ve been using lately as we travel internationally to other developing counties. If you are traveling to a more Western country, your list might look different. As always, I don’t ever want you to feel like you need to buy these items. They will not magically make your trip easy– it is probably going to be difficult no matter what, but these have definitely come in handy and I wanted to pass on the ideas.

1. Matador Pocket Blanket (changing mat, blanket)

We bought this pocket blanket before having kids and it has come in handy in every season, both with kids and without. It weighs next to nothing and has become the perfect changing mat and baby floor mat for travel. We’ve used it on airport floors, random places to change our kids when there are zero options in bathrooms, picnic blankets, and even as a mat for me to sit on at Disney when everything was wet from the usual afternoon Florida rain.

2. Blowup Baby Pool

A blowup baby pool (like this or this) has come in handy so many times since very few places in South and East Asia have bathtubs. Letting our toddler relax and play in a small tub has been the perfect ending to many long or hot travel days.

3. Drain Stopper

I love traveling with a universal drain stopper (like this or this). I’ve used it to plug sinks to bathe my baby or wash clothes. We’ve also used it when we have come across a bathtub that didn’t have a drain stopper. You could even use it at home if you bathe your kids in a massive plastic bucket (which I know many people overseas who do). Create a drain by drilling a hole in a large bucket and plug it with the drain stopper.

3. Touch Night Light

It’s difficult for kids to sleep in new environments and they often wake at night. Touch lights are much easier to manage in the dark and less harsh than a bright light on a phone. I absolutely love this larger light and have used every single light and color option during night wakings or for nursing. Here is a similar smaller option for travel.

4. Labeled Packing cubes or 2.5-Gallon Ziplocks

Packing cubes are like drawers for travelers. They keep your things organized and easy to pack when it’s time to go. I label ours on the zipper of each bag using binder rings and hole-punched cardboard or laminated labels. This makes it much easier to find each persons clothes and you can even have a different color for each member of your family. You could also use 2.5 gallon storage bags. I love this size for storing kids clothing, organizing with limited storage space, and protecting items mold during insanely humid conditions (aka: Monsoon).

I also use zippered bags (like these) or packing cubes to organize my backpack or diaper bag. I’ve learned the hard way how important it is to know where everything is located and be able to access it quickly. Whether you have a hungry child or need to change a diaper in a matter of seconds, a few zippered bags can go a long way in helping you stay organized.

5.Diaper Covers

My youngest is 4 months and still in the prone-to-blowout stage. The last thing I want is to be boarding a plane and having to deal with an emergency blowout situation. While this can’t be completely prevented, it can certainly be minimized with a diaper cover. We use cloth diapers at home and have realized that the covers come in handy even when we are out and about using disposable diapers. Diaper covers can help contain the mess and prevent blowouts from going all the way up the back. They can also help prevent toddlers from undoing their diaper, especially when disposables on this side of the world seem to be a lesser quality product. Here is a cover similar to what we use but any cover would work.

6. Baby Carrier

In our experience, a baby carrier is vital for baby and toddler travels. These days, I carry our baby in a Baby K’tan or Tula and my husband makes sure to put our toddler in a carrier on his back before boarding the plane. The carrier has been a life-saver to help promote toddler sleep on the plane, as it becomes a safe and cozy place to sleep on mom or dad.

7. Room Thermometer

I have found it helpful to know the room temperature when you are traveling, especially when your children are babies and you don’t want them to be too hot or too cold. We love this small portable temperature and humidity gauge that connects to your phone.

8. Stasher Snack Bags

Stashers have quickly become my new favorite travel companion for food and even sanitizing pacifiers and Haaka or bottle parts. They can go in the microwave to sanitize items or cook food. They are great for outdoor adventures, take up minimal space, and are easy to seal and clean.

9. Carabiners

A carabiner or two, always seem to come in handy. Sometimes I clip a snack cup to the stroller using a carabiner in order to keep the contents from being chucked out while waiting in one of the numerous airport lines. I have also used two carabiners to attach an O Ball (a great travel toy) to chairs and benches for baby floor play.

10. A Norwex Travel cloth

We have found ourselves rationing wipes during travel so I love to have another option on hand for messy hands (haha-I had to). We use the small Norwex Travel Cloths for everyday kitchen use as well as for travel. They are somewhat self-cleaning when rinsed under hot water and take a while before they start to smell weird. I always put one in a tiny Tupperware for travel and use it frequently. I wash it whenever we can do laundry a day or two later or wash it in a bowl by adding soap and hot water and letting it soak for 20 minutes.

I’d love to know something you always travel with when adventuring internationally with little ones.