This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, it helps keep Mini Explorers running. I only ever recommend things I genuinely use and love.

Our first holiday with my son was when he was five months old. I spent weeks planning, making lists, buying things I was convinced we’d desperately need. And then we arrived at the airport with a suitcase so stuffed I could barely close it, a buggy that had essentially become a second luggage rack, and a creeping sense that something had gone very wrong.

The blankets. The spare blankets. The soft toys. All the things that didn’t quite fit anywhere and ended up draped over the buggy. Fine, until the moment we had to fold the buggy up, and suddenly I was standing in the middle of the airport holding a baby, several passports, a changing bag and an armful of loose items, with absolutely nowhere to put them.

So here’s what I actually learned. And what I’d tell any first time parent packing for a holiday with a baby.

📋The Rules Before You Even Open the Suitcase

Everything must live in a bag

This sounds obvious until you’re standing in an airport holding a blanket in your teeth. If it doesn’t fit in a bag, it doesn’t come.

The “what if we get stranded” panic is real, but misleading

I stuffed my son’s little trolley case with everything he could possibly need for a survival scenario, as though I was preparing for my five month old to emerge from the wreckage in nothing but a nappy and survive the wilderness alone. Full Mowgli. We were going to visit my in laws…
Here’s the reframe: the things you need if you get stranded are not the same as the things you need for the holiday. For a stranded scenario you need nappies, milk/food, couple changes of clothes and your documents. That’s it.

You will buy things there

Especially somewhere like Europe, US etc. where the baby shops are wonderful and you will not be able to resist. Leave room in your suitcase. We came home with twice as many tiny outfits and an extra heavy suitcase.

Nappies are available almost everywhere

I packed enough nappies for a small village. You do not need to do this. Bring enough for the journey and the first day, then buy the rest there.

If you’re staying with family, pack even less

Access to a washing machine changes everything. Half the clothes I packed never came out of the suitcase, plus my mother in law bought enough clothes for 20 kids.

🧳 How to Actually Pack

Before we get into what to pack, let’s talk about how, because it makes a bigger difference than you’d think.

Packing cubes

If you’re a serial over packer (I absolutely was), packing cubes will change your life. You assign each cube a category; one for shirts, one for trousers, etc. and you can see exactly what you have. They compress everything down and keep you from overpacking; what doesn’t fit in the cube, doesn’t come. And you have total flexibility. There’s loads of different colours, so each person can have a different one. This is the one we got and they’ve lasted us ages and are still in perfect condition.

The over-the-door organiser hack

You’ll see this everywhere, and it’s genuinely clever: get an over-the-door shoe organiser and put one complete outfit in each pocket. You can see at a glance how many outfits you have, everything is together, and when you get to your destination you just hang it up and everything is there. Plus, repacking is very fast.

The downside is that it organises by outfit rather than by category. If the weather changes or you want to swap things around, you have to unpack every pocket to rebuild your outfits. And if you have access to a washing machine, you end up washing clothes by category and then having to sort them back into outfit combinations before repacking.

My preference is packing cubes; everything has a place, you can see exactly what you have, and you keep total flexibility. But if you love a pre-planned outfit and hate decision making on holiday, the over the door method might suit you better. Let me know your thoughts. I would love to know which method works for you.

👶What to Actually Pack

👕Clothes

A rough guide: one to two outfits per day plus a few extras for blowouts, but if you have a washing machine, halve that. Don’t forget a sun hat, a lightweight layer for air-conditioned places, and a swimming costume if you’re going somewhere warm. And leave room for the inevitable holiday purchases.

🧷Nappies

Enough for the journey and day one. Buy the rest when you arrive.

🧴Toiletries, Creams and Shampoos

This one depends on your child. If they have no sensitivities or allergies, you can buy most things abroad; baby wash, shampoo, nappy cream are all widely available and it saves a lot of space and weight. Buy sun cream here. It’s usually cheaper and they always have deals.

However, if your child has allergies or sensitivities to products, pack your brand. My son reacts to almost everything, so we only use one specific brand of everything, and that comes with us. Do not assume you’ll find your exact product abroad, especially if it’s specialist. The last thing you want is a reaction in an unfamiliar country with no familiar products to hand.

😴Sleep

Whatever your baby sleeps in at home, bring it. This is not the time to introduce anything new. Their sleeping bag, their comforter, their white noise if they use it. The more familiar, the better. We use the Hatch Go White Noise and we love it. The battery lasts ages and you can clip it on to the buggy or cot which is great for travel.

💊Health and Medicine

A small first aid kit, Calpol or equivalent, teething gel if relevant, any prescribed medication. Your GHIC card (formerly EHIC) if travelling in Europe. Baby-safe sun cream; we love this one. You just roll it on and it gives full coverage without the mess or the ghost-white finish. Do not rely on buying this on arrival, especially in peak season when shelves run out. Antihistamine if relevant to your child.

🍼Feeding

Whatever you need for your feeding setup; bottles, formula, food pouches, snacks for older babies, small travel blender if your baby is starting solids. Many airlines allow you to take formula through security but always check the rules in advance.

🚫What to Leave at Home

– Seventeen spare outfits
– Every soft toy they own (one comfort toy is plenty)
– Loose items of any kind. If it can’t go in a bag, it doesn’t come
– More nappies than you need for the journey
– Toiletries you can easily buy at your destination (unless allergies apply)
– The “just in case” items you’ve never once used at home

⚖️One Final Thing

Always weigh your suitcase before you leave for home. Luggage scales are really easy to use and small enough to chuck in your suitcase for the way back. Between the holiday purchases, the extra outfits the grandparents inevitably bought and the snacks you didn’t eat, it will be heavier than when you arrived. Leave yourself some room or budget for excess baggage. Ask me how I know…

Good luck and let me know how it goes. Would love to hear your stories!

Keren x

---

Got your suitcase sorted? The next challenge is your hand luggage. I’ve put together a complete airport bag system with everything you need, in the right bag, for every stage of the journey.

---

*Planning a family holiday and not sure where to start? That’s exactly what I’m here for. Contact us today