9 Baby Travel Essentials I Love As An Expat In Germany

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It is hard to believe it has been over two years since moving to Munich! And even more amazing, that in those two years we have moved from a family of two to a family of three, making our life all the sweeter. Within that transition however, we have begun our expat parenting journey learning how to navigate traveling with a baby and parenting in a city of another culture (the city being as much of a change as the culture seeing as we grew up in small towns!). While our daughter is only four and a half months old, she has experienced three stamps on her passport, 6 flights over the past 6 weeks and has been a delightful little world traveler. Certainly, traveling with a baby isn’t for everyone (nor for every baby!), but with a flexible mindset towards your itinerary and the right gear, it definitely can be done.  As she is our first, we certainly don’t have it all figured out, but through these two trips and daily European living, we have learned a lot which of course I wanted to share with you all as well! So, if you are currently expecting and living in Europe, or a city or traveling or just want some help pairing down to the baby travel essentials, this post is for you! 

Wading Through The Baby “Needs” Noise 

When Charlie and I first found out that we were having a baby, I immediately jumped into research. And at first, as quickly as I jumped in, I jumped right back out, as there was an overwhelming amount of information out there for what we should have in a nursery or traveling or in a diaper bag or stuff, stuff, stuff. Certainly, these posts were meant to be helpful and once I was in the better space, it was, but at the beginning, as a new mom trying to figure out what was needed while operating within a budget and the knowledge that we were only here in Germany for so long therefore wanting to keep things to a minimum, I was so intimidated by what actually was essential. Yes, our home has evidence of our daughter in just about every room now, but really babies do not actually need too many things as long as each item you have can be fairly multipurpose. So I have to say, these 9 baby travel essentials really are workhorses that we use for sure while traveling, but also in everyday life. 

1. Najell SleepCarrier X

The first item on our roundup of baby travel essentials is truly an item we have used everyday since our daughter was born. As both a portable bassinet and playmat, the Najell SleepCarrier X can hitch into our stroller (or be laid in a stroller bassinet), carried easily or folded down into a play area. Seeing as we live in a fourth floor apartment with no elevator, having a bassinet that could be taken on and off our stroller which was light and easy to carry in one hand with groceries in another was a HUGE factor for us. Additionally, the SleepCarrier X is breathable and washable and rated for safe sleep, becoming one of our baby’s favorite places to nap. Whether at church, on flights or out with friends, we have had so many people amazed at how easily portable and comfortable this piece makes for daily living and traveling with a little one. We even have been able to have her sleep in it on the plane and as an option for hotels in the event we don’t want to bring a pack-and-play or they don’t have a crib available. 

While it is an investment, it has been by far one of our favorite pieces we have purchased! We have the SleepCarrier X (with stroller straps) and the neutral waterproof bedding, however there are so many other fun attachments and accessories for keeping the carrier clean and your little one snuggled in and entertained. 

2. Jogger Stroller 

Another item we have used both for navigating Munich daily and on trips has been our jogger stroller. When purchasing a stroller, we really wanted one that was durable, could easily handle a variety of terrain (sidewalk, cobblestone, gravel, etc.) for both city and adventure locations, wasn’t outrageously expensive and could be used for a long period of time. Eventually, we landed on finding a jogger stroller, however most joggers are not suitable for kids under 6 months and certainly can’t be jogged with until 9 to 12 months or after wonderful head control. Seeing this, we found the ABC Design Salsa Run jogger stroller (available throughout Europe), however the key element (which could be applied to options available in any country) was that the seat could lay back completely flat for us to set the Najell SleepCarrier X on top. From here, we could attach the SleepCarrier to the stroller to keep it secure. This has allowed us to have a rugged stroller (that also can fold up as one unit for easy storage) which will work well from birth up to 3 or 4 years old without having as many separate stroller pieces, attachments and purchases. If you already have a jogger stroller on hand but want to adapt it for a newborn, as long as the seat lays flat, you easily can make it work with the SleepCarrier X as we have!

3. Baby Carrier 

If traveling without a stroller, in a location that is not stroller friendly or even for around the house when needing both hands, we have loved using a front baby carrier. We have had two baby carriers, the Ergobaby Embrace for the newborn stage (and to test if our daughter even liked using a carrier) and the Najell Original Volume 2 carrier. Turns out, she LOVES the carriers, especially the Original Volume 2 (and wants every nap in it!), which is actually usable in 5 different positions as baby grows. Usable from birth to 3 years, the Original Volume 2 is washable, has belt pouch and teething pad accessory options, is extremely comfortable both for me and Charlie to wear and can be used facing in or out, both on your front and back, with additional supports or just as a toddler hip seat. Highly adjustable, the carrier has magnetic clips to make the baby secure quickly without other buckles or other clasps to worry about which is wonderful for taking baby in/out easily by yourself. All in all, if you are looking for one carrier to travel with from newborn to toddler, this is it! 

4. Pack & Play

The last larger item on this list of baby travel essentials would be the pack and play. Now, we have not traveled extensively with our pack and play beyond visiting family and a short hotel stay, however it sets up, breaks down and uses very easily, especially compared to other options we have tried. Breathable with a baby bassinet and bedding included, the UPPAbaby Remi Playyard can function as a play space, bassinet and travel crib as our daughter grows and can be completely set up (by only 1 person) in about 3 easy steps. It packs away just as easily as it assembles and fits into a compact bag which can be checked if flying. Overall, if you need a travel crib or play area solution bigger than the SleepCarrier X, I have been very pleased with this one. 

5. Backpack & Diaper Changing Set

Now that we are finished with the big items, let’s talk about the smaller stuff!

First on this part of the list would be a diaper backpack and changing set. Regarding the diaper bag, we opted to reuse a traditional leather backpack from Portland Leather Goods that we already had purchased for travel and work several years ago instead of buying a new diaper bag. Certainly if you want to use a traditional diaper bag, go for it, however almost any backpack or larger purse can be repurposed for this. Using a backpack instead of a purse though makes traveling extra easy, especially if wearing your baby in a front pack. Our backpack is large enough to fit both her items and my purse inside so if I want to wear it on my back and her in the carrier on the front, it helps to eliminate having so many separate bags. 

Whether you are buying new or using a bag you have on hand, the real key is a portable changing pad set. While ours was made and gifted to us by a friend, a changing pad set like these options (OPTION 1 | 2 | 3 ) are essential for quick diaper changes when traveling. With pockets to keep wipes, diapers, cream or other essentials, these portable changing pad sets fold up easily and can be quickly added to a purse or bag to ensure you have everything you need for changes on the go.  

6. Travel Organizers – Packing Cubes & Mini Toiletry Set 

Another key item when traveling with a baby is a travel organizer. Packing cubes are almost always a great travel piece regardless of age, however for a baby especially, having a cube to fold her little clothes into and another for her toiletries, burp cloths, bath items etc. makes the packing process so much easier. By using packing cubes, we recently were able to pack for the three of us for a 6 day trip in only carry-on bags plus her stroller / carrier as our items were able to be much more organized and condensed. 

Much like how packing cubes help keep baby clothes consolidated, utilizing a mini toiletry bottle set is also extremely helpful, especially when flying. If flying with only carry on items, or if needing to save space, using a mini toiletry bottle set like THIS ONE can help organize any needed baby lotions, shampoos, dish soap (for bottles or pumps), oils etc. 

7. Thermometer 

Also very important for traveling (or really living) with a baby in Europe, is a bath and room thermometer. As our apartment and many hotels can have extremely hot water, it is important to measure the water temperature for baths to ensure you aren’t allowing the water to be too hot or cold. Similarly, like most of Europe, our apartment does not have air conditioning and as many hotels also do not have AC, having a thermometer to display the room temperature can be extremely helpful to determine which sleep sack or clothes layering is needed at bedtime. THIS Philips Avent Bath and Room Thermometer helps us monitor both the bath and room temperature and has been extremely useful both at home and while traveling. 

8. Baby Bottle & Breast Pump 

Just about rounding out our list of baby travel essentials is our baby bottles and breast pump. Now, if you are using formula you may not need a breast pump, however you still may be interested in THESE Philips glass anti-colic natural bottles. I have found them to be very sturdy, easy to clean and love knowing that she is able to drink out of glass for less exposure to plastics. While I have been pretty much exclusively breastfeeding, I do occasionally pump for a bottle to ward off any recurrence of complications I have had in the past and have really appreciated how the Phillips manual breast pump can screw directly onto the glass bottles. This allows me to pack quite light as it pumps directly into the bottle with an extra bottle top on hand. If looking to pump more regularly, an electric breast pump would perhaps be more appealing to be hands free, however since I only pump on occasion, for traveling, I have found it easiest to pack both the Philips manual pump and one bottle to keep items to a minimum. This is entirely personal preference though so be sure to find what is most comfortable for you for pumping and which bottles your baby takes best. 

9. Portable Speaker 

Last, but certainly not least, is a portable speaker. While a portable speaker might seem an unusual member of this list, we have found it extremely helpful to play soft rain sounds near her bassinet at night. Certainly, many people love a white noise machine, but again I love a good multipurpose / repurposed product so THIS portable waterproof Bluetooth speaker was an item we already had on hand that we wanted to use instead of purchasing another product. By using a portable speaker, it can be clipped or set nearby and linked to our phone to play rain, white noise, music or anything else we might want as she sleeps. Likewise, a portable speaker is particularly helpful if you are traveling to the beach, on a hike or other adventure in which you might want to clip the speaker to a backpack, tent or other item to use for music or a podcast while the baby is not sleeping. 

Final Thoughts

While traveling with a baby can seem daunting and of course has its challenging moments, it also can be such fun! As a friend shared with me, there is no “perfect” time to travel with kiddos, so just slow down your itinerary, keep a positive attitude and go for it! Certainly it helps to be prepared, so if you can integrate baby items into your daily life that have many functions, including the ability to travel, it will be SO helpful in the long run. I have found these 9 baby travel essentials to be wonderful for both daily life as an expat in Munich, while also being heavily used throughout our travels. But if you have traveled with babies, are there any other essentials you have found to be helpful? Let me know in the comment section below and be sure to send this post to a travel loving friend!

Happy traveling!

Chloe

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