After a few months of tummy time and bonding spent mostly inside or near your home, the stir crazy might be setting in. It’s time to spread your parenting horizons—with your baby at your side!
So, do truly infant-friendly vacations exist?
You bet! Yes, the packing is more involved than it once was. But can absolutely plan and enjoy infant-friendly vacations with your littlest family member.
Infant-friendly destinations
La vida loca in Cabo may be on pause for now, but you can still plan a fun-filled getaway.
Whether you’re considering a vacation with a newborn or a 6 month old, there are plenty of places to go with your baby. From local parks to beach trips perfect for infants, you'll find many baby-friendly destinations to explore and enjoy. Here are some baby-centered travel tips to keep in mind when choosing a destination:
- Travel time. It’s natural to feel anxious at the thought of traveling with your baby for the first time. But infants often sleep through much of the travel experience. Trust your comfort level. You can keep it local by choosing a destination within driving distance, or you can opt for a cross-country family adventure via plane.
- Healthcare facilities. Look for destinations that are near several hospitals and urgent care centers, peace of mind should a sniffle or unexpected illness arise.
- Climate. Babies are more sensitive to extreme temperatures, so consider a vacation with a consistently comfortable climate. A moderate temperature also makes for easier packing.
Infant and parent-approved accommodations
For your first few trips with your baby, it can feel more relaxing to book a rental from a trusted platform like Airbnb. Home rentals offer more space, allowing you to relax while your little ones sleep (and not have to go to bed the minute your baby does).
Accommodation features for infants
Not every rental or hotel will be stocked with the necessary accommodations for an infant or toddler-friendly vacation. So before you go, double check that wherever you’re staying has the following must-haves::
- A crib or bassinet
- Flexible check-in and check-out times
- A separate living room and bedroom
- A kitchenette (helpful for warming and storing milk)
- Proximity to places like grocery stores, physicians, and pharmacies
Packing tips for traveling with babies
What to pack when traveling with a baby? As you prepare for your first family vacation with an infant, plan for not one, but two essential bags. The first is your overnight suitcase, packed with baby essentials such as:
- Diapers and necessary toiletries
- Baby clothes
- Bottles and a bottle brush
A reliable baby monitor. Nanit’s Traveling Camera Bundle provides everything you need to ensure your little one sleeps safely, including: The Nanit Pro Camera and Breathing Band to track your child’s breathing motion while they sleep, delivering real-time updates to your phone. The included travel case makes packing and protecting the camera and Flex Stand easy. And Nanit’s camera uses secure encryption and requires a WiFi connection with a password, protecting your baby’s sleep analytics and data.
The second bag is the diaper bag. Along with the usual suspects, pack these helpful travel essentials:
- Resealable bags for soiled diapers or clothes
- Extra pacifiers (if your baby uses them)
- Infant Tylenol or ibuprofen (if appropriate)
- Travel-sized soft toys
Sleep in vacation bliss with Nanit at your side
With a little preparation, there are plenty of places to go with a newborn that allow you to relax and enjoy your time away. And with the right baby essentials on your packing list, you’ll be able to feel confident about your upcoming vacation.
Nanit understands the challenges of traveling with little ones. Which is why we’ve made it easy to bring along your Nanit Pro Camera and its monitoring accessories.
Get ready to make some memories. Your stress-free getaway awaits!
Key takeaways
- Choose baby-friendly destinations. Consider travel time, proximity to healthcare facilities, and climate when selecting a family vacation spot.
- Select infant-friendly accommodations. Opt for rentals or hotels that cater to infants and include amenities like cribs, flexible check-in/check-out times, separate living spaces, and kitchenettes for meal prep and storage.
- Pack essential baby gear. Prepare two essential bags—a diaper bag and a suitcase with diapers, clothes, bottles, and a reliable baby monitor like Nanit’s Traveling Camera Bundle.
Sources:
What to Expect. What to Pack When Traveling With Baby. https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/what-to-pack-when-traveling-with-baby/
Resort Pass. Take a daycation. https://www.resortpass.com/
Pregnancy Birth and Baby. Babies in Hot Weather. https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/babies-hot-in-weatherNanit is dedicated to delivering high-quality, reliable content for our readers. Our Parent Confidently articles are crafted by experienced parenting contributors and are firmly rooted in data and research. To ensure the accuracy and relevance of the content, all articles undergo a rigorous review process by our team of parenting experts. Additionally, our wellness-related content receives further scrutiny from Nanit Lab, our think tank of scientists, engineers, physicians, academic experts, and thought leaders.
Our primary objective is to furnish readers with the most current, trustworthy, and actionable information concerning a host of parenting topics. We strive to empower our readers to make informed decisions by offering comprehensive and respected insights.
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CONTRIBUTORS
Natalie Barnett, PhD serves as VP of Clinical Research at Nanit. Natalie initiated sleep research collaborations at Nanit and in her current role, Natalie oversees collaborations with researchers at hospitals and universities around the world who use the Nanit camera to better understand pediatric sleep and leads the internal sleep and development research programs at Nanit. Natalie holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of New England in Australia and a Postgraduate Certificate in Pediatric Sleep Science from the University of Western Australia. Natalie was an Assistant Professor in the Neurogenetics Unit at NYU School of Medicine prior to joining Nanit. Natalie is also the voice of Nanit's science-backed, personalized sleep tips delivered to users throughout their baby's first few years.
Kristy Ojala is Nanit’s Digital Content Director. She spends way too much time looking at maps and weather forecasts and pictures of Devon Rex cats and no-cook dinners. A former sleep champion, she strives to share trustworthy somnabulism tips with other parents—praying for that one fine day when no tiny humans wake her up while it’s still dark out. Her kids highly recommend 3 books, approximately 600 stuffies, Chopin’s “Nocturnes,” and the Nanit Sound + Light for bedtime success.
Mackenzie Sangster is on the Brand and Community team at Nanit. She supports content development and editing for Nanit’s Parent Confidently blog as well as other marketing initiatives. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her friends, cooking, being active, and using the Pro + Flex Duo to keep an eye on her fur-baby, Poppy!
Holly Hays is a contributor and writer for Nanit, channeling her years as a mama and former magazine editor to create fun, useful content for fellow busy, trying-to-do-their-best parents and caregivers. Holly has written for a wide range of brands and media outlets (Ergobaby, HGTV, Manhattan Toy Company, OXO), loves to cook and read mystery novels, and leans heavily on her two daughters to keep her up to date on all the latest slang.