It has taken me 5 months to get to this blog post but I am going to go ahead and blame that on #momlife HA! We have gone on countless trips with Otis from when he was a newborn to 1 year old and I am finally compiling my tips for you for Hotel travel. The best you can do is to be prepared and overpack and then hope for the best! Excited to be sharing all the things I have used and loved and continue to use as we travel with Otis. You can find everything we have used at Walmart. I am excited to be partnering with them because they continue to be an incredible resource for everything baby. They seriously have all the best high end brands and it’s always a go-to for me to shop my diapers and formula with their fast shipping because many times my formula tends to sell out in stores so I always buy it online to stock up. In October, Walmart is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Parents Choice, Walmarts exclusive baby brand. I linked one of my favorite food time hack products below from this brand. It’s a MUST when traveling to hotels and eating out. Hope you enjoy this list! Have loved every single one of these products and still use many of them with my 1+ year old little man. If you have any more favorite, please share in the comments below.
Travel Crib: While this isn’t essential because most hotels will provide a crib, there is something about using a portable crib that you baby is used to. What I love so much about this one is it folds up really small and sets up in seconds. The sides are mesh, breathable and soft and we are still using it to this day with Otis when we travel. We don’t always fly with it if we know the hotel will have a crib or we are visiting family. It does fit in a large suitcase if you decided to bring it for the plane. It’s also small enough that it fits in most hotel bathrooms. This is our trick for giving baby their own room when you aren’t splurging for a larger hotel room. We set up our monitor and usually there are no windows so it’s already nice and dark.
Non-Wifi Baby Monitor: Specifically for hotel travel, you never know if the wifi will be good or bad. In most cases, the wifi signals are not the best. So we always travel with a non-wifi monitor to ensure we can keep an eye on Otis while he is sleeping. We have loved this one that came on a recommendation of my sister-in-law. It’s super reliable and that is what you want when it comes to a baby monitor.
Swaddle: When Otis was still in a swaddle, we always packed it with us since he was swaddled everytime he slept before he was rolling. It’s an easy thing to forget when your packing so make sure to include it to recreate your baby’s sleep environment on the go. We loved this swaddle since it was a version of what we were using in our bassinet.
Sleep sack: This is another essential that can be easily forgotten to pack along. We use a sleep sack every night for sleep and this also keeps Otis warm enough. I always get a ton of questions on my sleepsacks and what I love about this one is that it’s made of muslin cotton so it’s soft and light weight and not too heavy. This sleepsack comes in heavier fabrics like this for winter and also these swaddled versions for younger babies which we also used.
Travel Sound Machine: I feel like I have gushed about this thing so often but it’s truly that good. We have 2 of them and they are a MUST have for traveling. This portable sound machine has multiple kinds of white noise, ocean noise etc as well as different volume levels. We easily hook it onto the travel crib or lay it on the floor next to the travel crib now that he is older and can grab it. You can easily charge it with a usb cord or wall outlet. It’s small but mighty and by far my favorite travel sound machine. Blake tried to buy a cheaper one at some point and it sucked and he went back to this one.
Dockatot: This is more of a newborn item but this was a must for hotel travel when Otis was little. Since we used the Snoo at home as our bassinet, the dockatot was amazing for naps at home and traveling. Always ask your doctor about safe baby sleep practices but we used the dockatot in hotels and it was a lifesaver to have a safe place for baby that he was already used to using at home. It also fits inside the bassinet of our stroller so we had a lot of places to use it. I recommend the travel bag too which is super convenient with the travel handles to sling over your shoulder.
playmat: A playmat was something we always stuffed into our suitcase when Otis was a newborn. It’s always great to have your own clean surface for baby to have tummy time or playtime and I always love the skiphop stuff.
Books: Books are a big part of our bedtime routine so we always pack at least 3 with us since they don’t take up too much space in our suitcase. This, this and this are some of our current favorites.
Portable Blackout Window Blinds: I only recently found out these existed but I bought one because there is nothing worse than finding out your hotel (or friends house) doesn’t have black out blinds when your baby is used to sleeping in complete darkness. Epic invention for people traveling with little ones.
Bottles: We used these and these bottles the most with Otis. We always brought multiple with us.
On-the-go drying rack with bottle brush: This thing is amazing. We bring it every time with us and what I love if that the brush folds up inside and the rack is super convenient for either bottles, or breast pump parts.
Formula: I always pack formula on the go so this is especially important while we are traveling. We use this formula and these containers to portion it out on the go in my diaper bag.
Snack cup: We use this snack cup to use while we are traveling and at our destinations. It keeps Otis busy before we get a meal since he has to put his little hands inside to reach for his snacks. It’s easy to put this in our stroller when roaming a hotel property also so we can give him snacks in his stroller.
Pouches: I always have pouches on hand even though Otis feeds himself whole foods. You never know when you will be on the go and having something nutritious to eat quickly is always so helpful. I like the shelf stable pouches since I don’t have to refrigerate them while staying at a hotel.
Yogurt melts: One of Otis’ favorite snacks to keep in our diaper bag at hotels. He now sees this bag and freaks out because he’s so excited for these.
Disposable adhesive placemats: These have come in handy for going out to eat at the hotel restaurants. We used these more when Otis was smaller and just learning to self feed himself. Once he got older we switched to silicone plates that stick to the table.
Ezpz food mats: This is something we have been using since Otis has been a bit older on the go but it’s a great tool for both at home and travel. What’s great about these silicone plates is that they grip to the table so it makes it harder for Otis to throw the plate off the table. It’s small enough to fit inside my diaper bag which makes its a great option to travel with.
Health Kit: We always travel with our health essentials for Otis. I bring medicines (tylenol, motrin, and benadryl), bandaids, thermometer, cortisone cream, aquaphor, and diaper cream.
Blowup bathtub: This travel inflatable bathtub is adorable. We got it and what is great is it folds nicely inside your suitcase and it’s just so damn cute. Otis has fun splashing in it! Alot of hotels will supply baby tubs if you ask but this is a great option if they don’t.
Travel size shampoo and lotion: Lots of hotels will supply baby amenities but I always bring Otis’ travel size toiletries. Babies can have such sensitive skin so I love to keep everything the same as home to make sure his skin is happy.
Baby carrier: We used this one alot when Otis was a newborn. It really made exploring the property at hotels easier to baby wear Otis and help him take a nap on me (or Blake) while we were still enjoying our day and not stuck in the room. Being hands free is a gamechanger.
Diapers: This goes without saying but you HAVE to stock up on diapers for a hotel trip. I always pack way more than we need to ensure we don’t run out. For the newborn stage we loved these diapers and now we are using a combo of these, these, and then these overnight diapers.
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This post is sponsored by Walmart. Big thank you for supporting all eat/sleep/wear collabs that help to support my family.
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