My Solo Travel Essentials

If you’ve been following along on Insta, you know I recently took my first solo trip with the babies in over two years. It was a 4 hour flight to Houston, TX to celebrate my Dad’s 70th birthday. He is down there for health reasons so celebrating his 70th as a family was worth the risk of travel for us. I know the consideration might not be the same for you and my goal with this post is NOT to promote traveling during a pandemic. When and if you find yourself cruising the friendly skies, though, I hope the below list makes your trip a little easier. 💕

I have written about traveling with littles many times before. If you are looking for details on the logistics of travel once we touch down (where we sleep, how, changes in time zones, etc..) this is the post for you! If you have younger babes and are looking for more in-depth tips for the flight, this post has you covered. If you are traveling with an infant or newborn, this post talks about how we handled traveling during that phase.

Solo Travel MVPs

• Baby Zen Yoyo stroller and ride along board, AKA the magic travel stroller: If you are a regular here at LTL, you’ve been hearing me sing the Yoyo’s praises for quite some time. I’ve had this stroller for 5 years and it truly has stood the test of time. The Yoyo folds and unfolds very easily (like, you can do it one handed) and gets so small it can fit in the plane’s overhead compartment. When traveling with both alone I often keep the kiddos in the Yoyo and roll them straight to their seats! Doesn’t get any better than that.. I found it in stock at BuyBuyBaby but if you are not yet ready to purchase, my advice is you wait until Nordstrom has it back in stock as their customer service is unbeatable and with a high price item like the Yoyo, you want to make sure you can return, exchange, etc.. The colors are interchangeable, so don’t worry about that. You can find the ride along board here.

• WayB Travel Car Seat: Approved for kiddos 2+ this carseat is not cheap but worth every penny, in my opinion. It folds up TINY and weighs only 8 pounds! You can purchase a backpack to transport it (mine is an older version and came with it) but astute readers pointed out it’s shoulder strap can be attached to rolling suitcases. The WayB is seriously easy to install in both the car and the airplane, if you prefer kiddos use a car seat while cruising the friendly skies.

• Tiny Booster Seat: Approved for kiddos 4+, this tiny but mighty booster seat is a travel dream. You’ve heard me rave about this guy many times before because its just THAT GOOD. When traveling, I pop it in the WayB backpack but we use it often for city Ubers and after school playdates. Its so small Chick can carry it in her backpack. it works differently than other boosters– instead of lifting the kid up to fit the seatbelt, it brings the seatbelt down to their level. You can learn more about how it works here.

• Single Serve Milks: Another tried and true LTL classic– I’ve mentioned my love affair with single serve milk packets (and the precise moment when to give babies the milk) many, many times before. Single-serve milk packets are great for airplanes and long car rides alike as they don’t require refrigeration and keep for MONTHS. Recently, TSA updated their policies and in order to get the single serve milks through security you have to undergo a full body pat down so make sure you give yourself a little extra time for this. #worthit

• Activities: For the plane ride AND the trip itself I packed a big pouch of activities that REALLY came in handy for the plane and the whole trip, really. I am including a carrousel with our favorites below. This cute Go Fish set was a hit with the 5-11 year old crowd, all the cousins played together at every meal, it was the cutest! UNO was also a favorite. I packed tiny play dough packets for the 2-3 year old crowd when out and about in restaurants but opted for modeling clay for the plane– flight attendants HATE play dough and I can’t say I blame them… This stuff is much less sticky and equally entertaining. Water Wow no mess coloring books are a also a favorite for us. When in doubt, Wikky Stix are sure to keep them busy. Find these and more in the carrousel below ☺️

• Travel Backpack: I am truly obsessed with this backpack. There is pocket for EVERYTHING and I’ve never felt more organized in my life! I purchased the largest size and although it can feel a little too big during my everyday it was PERFECT for traveling. I do wish I had purchased a darker color though, as it’s way overdue for a wash. My backpack is 25% off right now with code REFRESH 💥

• Water Bottles: These babies hold ice like it’s no one’s business, Yetti cooler status. Rather than fighting with TSA (the milk fight is enough 😅) I fill them up to the brim with ice and just continuously pour water in them whenever I see a bubbler. The Mama version is life as it is HUGE but skinny enough to fit in the cupholder of the car. I’ve full on sprinted with this water bottle in my backpack and promise you it doesn’t spill. You can’t beat that for $18!

• Travel Potty: Ted is one month into potty training and really getting the hang of it! We are so proud ☺️ but not taking it for granted, so the travel potty came everywhere with us on this trip. When I first posted the travel potty you guys had me ROLLING with your stories of mom and dad using the potty during road trips… you really never know when (and for whom!) the travel potty will come in handy and ain’t that a beautiful thing! 😇

• Screens: Chickie’s favorite thing about traveling is unlimited screen time. We normally have very strict limits on when she can watch TV because it makes her REALLY grumpy.. not on travel days, though. We usually sit down together as a family a couple nights before the flight and pick out shows and games to download together. For younger kids, these soft headband headphones are great! For older kiddos, these are very comfortable and cushy.

That’s it, my friends. Normally I would include snacks, but given COVID and wanting to keep masks on for as much of the flight as possible, we’ve pivoted away from snacks and more to protein filled bigger items like peanut butter sandwiches. When do have to eat, the two times we’ve traveled during COVID, I made sure to do it at times when the rest of the plane was not eating– aka, NOT when the snack/food cart goes by.

I hope this is helpful. Shoot me a DM if you have any questions or additions. I hope this post makes traveling a little easier for you and your babes. Thanks for stopping by!