Travel Essentials for Toddlers
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After two trips in the last month, I almost feel like we’re getting the hang of traveling with our two little guys. (Almost. Let’s be honest—travel with toddlers is never simple, right?) These last adventures were by plane, and in October we’ll tackle our first real road trip to North Carolina. Flying feels like we’re starting to get a rhythm, but car travel? That’s going to be a whole new ballgame. Stay tuned.
My perspective on life and routines continues to shift. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s having kids, but things that once felt so important just don’t quite hit the same anymore. These days, I want to make memories with my family. And even though traveling with toddlers is hard, it feels so worth it in this season. Hence, all the traveling (all of a sudden) over the course of just a few months.
Because I spent hours googling before these trips, I thought it might be helpful to share what’s actually worked for us—things that made the journey a little smoother and saved us from meltdowns (theirs and mine 🙃). This is by no means an “expert guide,” just one mom sharing what’s been helpful in the trenches. I pulled it all together into a quick-click guide with links to the exact items we use and love. The best part? It doubles as a checklist, so you can run through it while you’re packing and feel a little more prepared before you head out.
This isn’t meant to be a “perfect” or exhaustive list—more like a “here’s what really helped us” plus a few “don’t forget this!” items. Here’s the thing: every family is different, and routines vary. For us, we’ve learned the hard way that skipping certain parts of our bedtime routine is just not worth it. Depending on your destination, you may be able to buy certain things once you arrive. But some things? We never risk leaving behind—like our beloved sleep sacks and blackout curtains (hello, toddler sleep crutches). Same goes for diapers—we are die-hard Pampers Overnight fans because I refuse to deal with a 2 a.m. sheet-change situation in someone else’s house.
My Quick Click Guide is a roundup of the exact items we’ve been using and loving. Nothing here is fluff—just the practical things that worked for us and might help you too. Some of these are affiliate links, which simply means that if you decide to purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). I only share products we personally use and swear by, so think of this as a “friend-to-friend” list of travel lifesavers.
These are things that have made a huge difference for us, and I hope they can make travel a little easier for you too. You can check it out below:
Because honestly? Travel with littles will never be easy… but with the right tools, it can definitely be less stressful.