Greetings! As you know, this is the crazy time of year where we start traveling all of the time. Bradley and I managed to not have to go on any long travel trips with our munchkin for the first five months, but we are finally to the point where we are ready. I have to say, traveling with a baby is no joke! I know that they are small, but they amazingly take an inordinate amount of stuff to have them prepared for every situation – LOL! Not only do you have the obvious diapers and wipes, you also need helpful items in the event of sickness, spit ups, etc. We have now traveled three times with our little one, and here is what we have found to be helpful so far:
Tips For In the Actual Car:
Organize your car BEFORE the day of your trip! We purchased an inexpensive car organizer from Amazon (link HERE)
A lot of places you stop at (gas stations, fast food restaurants, etc…) are not super clean, so we prefer to change Madeline in the car. It is a huge pain to have to get all of the supplies out of the trunk when it is packed full, so we keep our necessities on the back of the seat. This makes changes a snap and super easy. We bought a cheap and cute portable changing pad from TJ Maxx (they have a ton of cute baby stuff on clearance all of the time, so this is a great place to find multiples of things), and we keep it right where we change her. If you don’t live near a TJ Maxx, then there are a ton of cute ones on Amazon, like THIS one. 
Make sure you find one that wipes clean and folds easily. Make sure it is super easy to unfold and refold back, to save time and prevent travel frustrations. PRACTICE THIS BEFORE YOU PUT IT IN YOUR CAR!!!! Some of them can be tricky to fold back, so you want to be prepared when it is “game time.” 🙂 
We keep a few diapers, wipes, burp cloths and antibacterial sanitizer in there at all times. The tiny antibacterial containers are fine for this, and can zip in the top compartment. Make sure you don’t keep the wipes and sanitizer in the car if it is very cold where you are. They can freeze, and you may be out of luck if you accidentally get stuck somewhere and need to change a quick diaper.
Also, do NOT forget to keep a few tiny bags to put dirty diapers in. I am speaking from experience!!! 🙂 You will most likely be somewhere where there is a trash can, but it is better to be safe than sorry!!!! 🙂 You can find a link for them HERE.
We try to keep a few cleansing wipes nearby since babies love to drop things in the car. I am not a big germaphobe, but it grosses me out for the toy to land in the floor of the car and immediately go back in baby’s mouth. This is personal preference, but I prefer to wipe it off. 🙂
Keep baby entertained with something they like to chew on! Maddie LOVES to have her Nuby teething ring in the car (link HERE). It has small ridges on it, which massages her sore little gums from teething. She also can hang on to it easier because of its shape. A bonus for parents is that it comes with a case, which makes it easy for traveling. Whatever type of teething object you give them, I have found that it is a good idea to attach it to a pacifier clip. Babies love to throw things, especially Miss Madeline, and they get super grouchy if they lose their toy during a car trip. This will make the parents’ trip much more pleasant if baby is entertained!!! She also LOVES her Sophie the Giraffe, which is another great teether
SIDE NOTE: Yes, it is true that a lot of this stuff you can have in your diaper bag. However, it saves a lot of time if you can have multiples both in your car and in your bag so you are not constantly digging (only if you can afford it – if not, then it is no biggie, it is just a matter of convenience)
Helpful Items To Keep In Your Trunk: Keep an “emergency box” in your car for any needed items. We went to Walmart and bought a simple plastic box that was easy to open and close. We like to keep in ours:
- A few paper towels
- Hand sanitizer
- An extra bottle
- A fresh bottle of water (if formula fed – you don’t want to have the formula powder with you and no water in case your car breaks down and your baby is hungry). SIDE NOTE – If your baby is formula fed, PLEASE don’t forget to keep an extra scoop with you so you can measure the amount of formula that goes into the bottle. We brought a refill with us once and forgot to bring the scoop, so we had to eyeball the amount of formula for Maddie’s travel bottles, which was a huge pain!!!!
- Bandaids
- Disposal bags for extra dirty diapers
- Extra bibs
- Extra burp cloths
- ****A couple of ziplock bags to put dirty items in (clothes that need to be changed because of sickness, used burp cloths, etc..) – DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE THESE OUT OF YOUR CAR ONCE YOU ARE DONE WITH YOUR TRIP 🙂 Again, I am speaking from experience!!!! LOL!!!
- Keep a blanket in your trunk, just in case you get stuck somewhere cold
General Tips:
Figure out when your baby’s “happy time” is and TRAVEL DURING THAT TIME!!!! If you don’t listen to anything else I tell you, please do this. 🙂 Madeline, for some strange reason, is a morning person. She is super cheerful in the mornings, and she also takes great naps during this time. Her fussy time is in the early evening (when the demons start to come out – LOL). On our first road trip, we thought it would be a good idea to leave as soon as my husband returned home from work……NEVER AGAIN!!!! I kid you not, she screamed the WHOLE RIDE!! It was not only miserable for her, but it was also miserable for us since we had to listen to her. We stopped multiple times to try and console her, but she wasn’t having it. She simply is not a happy camper in the early evening. For our second trip, we decided to leave early to see if there was any difference. SHE WAS AN ANGEL!!! She was smiling, slept like a champ and entertained herself the whole time. We just came back from my family’s home in Tennessee for Thanksgiving and left at 6am. Yes, we were exhausted, but she was fantastic and we only had to stop once during the drive. The atmosphere was pleasant, and it made the trip so much more enjoyable for everyone. It was funny because a few hours after we got home, the “bewitching hour” showed up again. I know that you want to travel when it is convenient for you all, but believe me, it is so much easier if you travel when it is easiest for your baby!!! 🙂
Once you get back from your trip, DO NOT forget to restock your car! I am, again, speaking from experience. 🙂 You do not want to get stuck on the road somewhere with no diapers or wipes since you forgot to restock.
Since we are talking restocking, also do not forget to have the current size diapers in your car. As soon as they go up a size, go out to your car and replace the small diapers with the bigger ones. We went to change Madeline’s diaper the other day in the car, and we realized that there were still newborn diapers in there – LOL. With the diapers that go unused, save them or give them to a friend who is about to have a baby. They are a much appreciated gift, because diapers are expensive!!!!
If you bring toys for baby to play with in the car, keep them soft. Babies love to throw things, and you don’t want something whacking you in the head while you are driving! 🙂
What do you all keep in your car that you find helpful? Also, I would love to hear from my breastfeeding mommas to see what supplies are helpful to have. Feel free to participate in the comment box below!!! Thanks, and Happy Traveling!!
XOXO,
Tiffany
