Essential Tips for Traveling Abroad On An Airplane With A 6-Month-Old Baby
5/6/20255 min read
Preparing for International Travel
Traveling abroad with a 6-month-old baby can be very nerve wrecking, but with some tips and tricks - hopefully the journey can go a bit smoother. I travelled with my 6 month old from Toronto to Ireland (7 hour journey) and am happy to share the things that made my travels easier. This was a 2 week trip and we also did long road trips within Ireland that were about 3-4 hours so stay tuned for those tips as well.
Packing Smartly
When it comes to packing for your journey, consider the essentials your baby may need. Include enough diapers, wipes, and formula or baby food for the entire trip, as finding these items in foreign countries can be challenging. You should also pack multiple changes of clothes for both you and your child, as travel can sometimes lead to unexpected messes. However, since I went to Ireland - thankfully I was able to find the diapers and wipes I would use in Canada, and found suitable formula there as well. I will list out all the things I packed in my diaper bag, and then in my checked in suitcase.
Things In My Diaper Bag
Mom Bag: Instead of using a traditional diaper bag, I decided to get a backpack that opens like a suitcase because then it was easier to find things. I find diaper bags to end up like a bottomless pit sometimes
Diapers, wipes and diaper pad: For a 7 hour flight, I had with me 15 diapers.
Diaper disposable bags and disposable bag holder: This one is good for poopy diapers but this also comes in super handy when you need to collect any garbage or soiled clothes. I always carry one on my backpack
Extra clothes: I carried 4 extra pants and 4 extra tops for baby.
Baby blanket: The one I had was nice and soft
Swaddle blanket: Since I reserved a bassinet, this swaddle was perfect for when it was time for baby to sleep in the bassinet.
Hands Free Portable Breast Pump & Accessories: Since I was combination feeding I had to carry my pump around with me as well, I use the MomCozy M5 since it is easy to pump anywhere due to it being hands free. It was also helpful to carry some Medela breastmilk bags and pump wipes as well.
Baby bottle: At home I usually use the Dr. Browns glass bottles but for travelling I got these plastic ones which were nice and light weight and easy to carry
Sippy cup: For drinking water
Portable white noise machine: The plane itself is white noise, but for hotels this was a life saver as my baby can't sleep without her white noise. This one is so cute and tiny and portable.
Formula container: I got this nice portable formula container that actually holds a lot of powder and doesnt take up too much space in the bag.
Water bottle for formula water: I used the Zojirushi thermos bottle to carry water with me for the formula. I liked this one because it's nice and slim so doesn't take up too much space, and the water stays it's exact temperate for over a day. The size I got was good enough for 3 feeds of 180ML each feed.
Portable bottle cleaner with portable soap bottle inside: This was very crucial so we can wash baby's bottles and my pump on the go.
Milk warmer: I didn't carry this with me but I used this during my first child and this is the best portable milk warmer and can be compatible with many different bottles.
Bibs and burp cloths
Food bag: I carried this separate small snack bag with me, that can help to your carry on or backpack. I used this to carry all of baby's feeding stuff
Baby food pouch: The puree food pouches made good snacks for my little one, and also I gave it to her when landing to help with her ears.
Silicone Bib: To avoid mess free eating
Pacifier: I use the Bibs Pacifier. Pacifier can also help with the ears on take off and landing
Baby Crackers (Baby mum mum crackers)
Toys / Entertainment: There were a few toys that were a big hit and kept my 6 month old busy for hours on the flight; I will link the ones that she used the most:
Baby noise cancelling headphones: My baby is the lightest sleeper and wakes up too easily. This was perfect to block out any noise
Different wipes: Booger wipes, toy & pacifier wipes, hands & face wipes. I might sound crazy but all these were useful and helping to stay clean.
Vaccine passport & Health card (and obviously passport).
Extra shirt for me
Things In Our Suitcase
Ok.. so the diaper bag is one story, and the checked in suitcase is another. If you are a mom you are definitely checking in suitcases. When I think about my young adulthood and how I only travelled with a carry on. It shocks me lol. These are the additional things we had in our suitcase for a 2 week vacation:
Extra formula: for 14 days I took 1 can of formula and the travel container. And that was not enough, for 14 days I would suggest 2 cans of formula.
Clothes; here is the quantity of each clothing I packed: (I also did do laundry at my cousins house in Ireland - if you won't have access to laundry for 14 days then maybe pack some more if your baby spits up a lot like mine)
7x full sleeve onesie
7x half sleeve onesie
7x pants
3 sweaters
5x socks
1x hat
Baby food: I packed some gerber packet cereals and jarred baby food as emergency backup.
Lots more diapers
2 more packs of wipes
Medication: Baby tylenol, baby vicks, Camilia & Coryzalia, homeopathic cough syrup, bandaids, teething gel
Thermometer (Best baby thermoneter
Baby toiletries: I purchased the Aleva set for babies because it had everything I needed so it was convenient.
Vaseline
Extra bag: This bag was sooo handy because as a mother, I always have extra random stuff popping up. This bag is super compact in the suitcase because you can zip it up to be a small square, but then you can open it as an extra bag and it has so much space in it. When we took the train to London from Ireland this was super handy.
Strollers & Carseats
In Ireland, carseats are required so we took our UppaBaby mesa with us, as well as a stroller and some accessories. I will discuss them more below:
GB Pockit Stroller: This stroller was such a game changer, for my first child I purchased the summer infant because it was cheaper - but this time I got the GB pockit stroller and the extra money paid was totally worth it.
Stroller Bag: This stroller bag was so helpful because when I wore my baby during hectic places with stairs and etc, we just put the stroller in the bag and wore it as a backpack. When we were using the stroller, this bag was great to use just as a regular backpack and storing things in it.
Stroller raincover: We got this stroller rain cover that was compatible with the GB Pockit stroller and it was super handy because it rained in Ireland almost every single day!
Car seat bag: We got this car seat bag to check our car seat in, and it was useful because we put a whole pack of diapers in the bag with our carseat that saved us a lot of space in the suitcase.
Routine & Flexbility
Maintaining a routine while traveling can be challenging but can be good for your baby’s well-being. Try to stick to nap times and feeding schedules as closely as possible. Familiar items such as toys, blankets, or bedtime books can help provide comfort in new environments. While it's important to have a plan, it’s equally vital to remain flexible. Babies can be unpredictable, so prepare for changes in itinerary due to their needs. Allow extra time for transitions, and always be ready to adapt your plans based on how your child is feeling. Personally my baby's routine went out the window during travel but the flexibility made it less stressful for me.