Your Baby Travel Survival Toolkit

It's summer holiday season and while the prospect of taking your baby on their first holiday can be exciting, it can also be incredibly daunting. Questions like, What should I pack? What am I allowed to take on the plane? How will my baby cope during the flight? are likely to be running through your mind.

To help take the stress out of travelling with a baby, we've teamed up with travel expert Laura Brackstone, founder of Escayp Travel Group, to share her top tips to make the journey easier and her ultimate baby travel packing list for parents. 

Travelling with children under 2 is not for the faint hearted. It takes time, it takes grit and it takes preparation, but you should know it is wholly doable with the right approach.

At the tender age of 37, I was fortunate enough to welcome my first son, Hunter. It has been through learning how to travel with him that I realised just how much fear around family travel comes not from the journey itself, but from feeling unprepared for it. 

So many people feed into this anxiety with taunts like “everything will be different when he arrives”, “you can say goodbye to your holidays” and “holidays with kids aren’t holidays, it’s just parenting in a different place”. 

Well, whilst some of the above may ring true, I am here to tell you that YOU CAN still have a holiday, YOU CAN still have your freedom, and even though it’s different, YOU CAN still enjoy it. The key is accepting that travel may look different, but different does not mean worse.

Travelling with a baby can feel like stepping into the unknown. Routines up in the air, new environments, and a suitcase full of “just in case” items. You should also know that if your stomach turns at the thought of airports, long drives, or even a simple overnight stay, you’re not alone. The good news? With the right preparation and a few clever essentials, travel becomes less about anxiety and more about adventure.

A helpful first step in easing travel anxiety is simply recognising where it comes from. Babies thrive on routine, and travel naturally disrupts that. At the same time, parents often feel an unspoken pressure to keep everything running smoothly, whether that’s in the airport, on the plane, or once they arrive at the hotel. Much of the overwhelm comes from trying to prepare for every possible scenario while being away from the comfort of home, unsure of what you’ll need. And as a result, those small, niggling worries begin to stack up, quietly fuelling the anxiety before the journey has even begun. 

The practical tips that follow are designed to assist in reducing anxiety by helping you, as a parent, feel organised, prepared, confident and most importantly, in control in a bid to stop you from bracing for the worst and refocus your mindset on making your holiday with your baby calmer, smoother and far more enjoyable.

Babies thrive on familiarity, so keeping everything as close to normal as possible is key. This does not have to mean that you forego activities, miss entertainment or be held hostage by naptime. By using some of your baby’s home comforts, and some clever hacks, you can still bask in every moment of your holiday without sacrificing your baby’s needs. 

Anxiety is a huge driver on how we pack, trying to consider every possible eventuality. The first holiday I took Hunter on, at only 10 weeks old, I only just stopped short of the kitchen sink! I was over baggage limits and still had items I felt were necessary to pack. So, let’s break it down into what is essential to keep your baby safe and happy while on holiday.

• Sterilisation
• Feeding
• Sleeping
• Entertaining
• Safety
• Transport
• Clothes
• Toiletries

By breaking your packing list down, it allows you to think of and pack the necessities. I have included a downloadable packing list for parents here 

Helpful hint: Remember to check what your resort offers too. Some offer the works, including car seats for travel, cots, baby baths etc. Also, spare clothes for yourself on the plane, you never know when a vomit or a poonami may mean you are also covered

We all pack the basics, but there are a few things I always make room for because they genuinely make life easier once we’re away. I’m sharing my must-haves here so you can feel more organised, more prepared, and have a smoother trip when travelling with your baby.

It’s worth taking a moment to appreciate what Nuby have done here with the RapidTeam. They’ve taken the stress and guesswork out of making up formula on the go, with a system that aligns with NHS guidance. Even better, they’ve completed the set with bottles and a sterilising solution, so you can travel lighter while still having everything you need to manage the full feeding routine.

The WriggleEase harness does exactly what it promises: it secures your baby on your front while they sit in their seat, using a five-point harness. On a plane, that hands-free freedom is genuinely a gamechanger. Need to grab a bottle from your bag? Hands free. Dropped a toy? Hands free. Baby drifts off on you? Hands free. And yes, if you manage a prosecco… you guessed it, hands free too. To add to the genius, it is fully airline approved.

Hunter has super sensitive skin, so the Child’s Farm Oat range is what always comes away with us. Of course, skincare isn’t one-size-fits-all, but if your little one is on the sensitive side, these gentle, naturally derived formulas can really help keep skin calm, comfortable, and protected throughout your holiday.

They’re simple little stickers you apply to your child’s clothing, using a natural citronella-based formula to help repel mosquitoes, with zero contact on your baby’s skin. It’s a small thing, but it can make evenings feel far more relaxed and enjoyable. NatPat also do patches for other needs too (including sleep, calm/“Zen”, focus and tick prevention), so they’re definitely worth a look.

A wise man once told me, “Laura, safety is not a dirty word” and I have never forgotten it.

A first aid kit is one of those things I always make room for, because it quietly removes so many of the “what ifs” that tend to sit in the back of my mind when we’re away. Mine covers a lot of bases while still being a travel‑light item. I start with the basics (plasters, gloves, an eye patch and a sling), then add a thermometer, liquid paracetamol/ibuprofen, teething gel, any prescribed medication, and a nasal aspirator. It’s not about planning for the worst, but about feeling reassured that if something small does crop up, I can deal with it calmly and confidently, without panic taking over.

When you’re travelling with a baby, you don’t have the headspace (or the spare hands) to think of everything at once; so let’s break it down into a few simple, sanity-saving hacks.

Tight on luggage space? This one is a lifesaver: place an order to collect from Boots in the departure lounge. Think milk, sun cream, shampoo, nappies, literally anything bulky that’s pushing you over your weight limit. Order ahead, pick it up after security, and suddenly you’ve freed up space (and a bit of breathing room) in your suitcase.

Travelling with a baby is wonderfully unpredictable, and as a parent it helps to meet that with kindness and grace rather than resistance.

Naps will be missed sometimes, and days won’t always unfold as planned, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. With the right preparation, a flexible mindset, and a toolkit that supports both you and your baby, travel becomes something you can approach with confidence rather than fear.

What I’ve learned from travelling with Hunter is to give yourself permission to let things go, adapt moment by moment, and trust that your instincts are enough.