Top 15 Tips for Traveling with a Newborn ( & Why Travel NOW!)

If you’re apprehensive about traveling with your newborn, that’s totally normal. I was a total wreck!

But I decided to book a last minute trip when my newborn was two and a half months old (and I’m not talking about a trip to visit grandparents). I booked a week-long trip to Banff National Park in Canada with my baby and my husband. This was a “vacation” for us, and this was the best decision we ever made.

Here’s what I learned from traveling with a newborn, and some tips for how to actually travel with your brand new tiny human.

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

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Top 10 Tips for Traveling with a Newborn

1. Just Rip off the Band-Aid & Go!

If you’re feeling apprehensive about your first trip with your newborn, that’s normal. But the best tip I can give you is to just rip off the band-aid and go!

The reality is, you’re never going to be ready to travel with a newborn baby. I got the go-ahead from my pediatrician to travel before booking anything. In fact, she was the one that told me this was the best time to travel with them.

So the next day, I was booked on a trip to Banff National Park for the following week. The prices were right, and this way I had less time to stress about it. I think the longer I waited, the more time I would have had to stress and over think everything.

And let me tell you, traveling with a newborn was the best decision I could have made. It shook things up at home, taught us how to be self-sufficient, and to go with the flow. I think my partner and I were kind of starting to loose it at home. Travel shakes up your routine to have no routine.

two parents look down at a stroller with a baby inside. They are in the middle of a winter wonderland. A snow covered lake is behind them and glacier mountains rise to the sky

2. Talk To Your Pediatrician First!

The best person you can talk to about traveling with an infant is your doctor. They know your baby, and they can give you medical advice on whether it’s right for you to travel. You might want to wait until they have their 2-month vaccines (that’s what I did).

It’s also a good idea to ask them if they recommend you getting any additional vaccines for newborn travel, these can be based on your destination.

3. The Younger They Are The Better

The reason I booked so quickly is actually because my pediatrician said this was the best time to travel with my newborn. She said, the younger they are, the better! They’re so transportable at this age, they can’t move yet, they really don’t need much – and she was completely right.

All I had to bring was formula and he was happy. I didn’t have to baby proof an entire new space, or keep a constant eye on him without a monitor. He didn’t move – I put him on the floor and he stayed there until I moved him again. I didn’t even need to pack him any toys, all he needed for entertainment was my face!

He was also very easy with sleeping at this age, and not on any specific schedule yet. He fell asleep in his car seat, even in pure daylight, and with whatever noise around him. So I never had to run back to the Airbnb because it was nap time.

a newborn lies on it's back in the middle of the floor. They are on a small play mat. There's a fireplace and a couch next to them. Above the couch is a window where you can see snow covered rocky mountains of Canada

4. Stay in your Home Country when Traveling with an Infant

For my first trip with my newborn, I was looking at a few destinations. Florida and France were both options because I had family there. But I ended up choosing Banff because it was still in Canada.

I liked the idea of staying in Canada for a few reasons. I liked knowing that I could find any of my regular baby items if I ran out (I was also formula feeding so didn’t want to change that!). It was way less stressful knowing I could find the same formula, diapers, and anything else I might have needed.

On top of that, and probably even more important, in case anything happened I was still in Canada. I know the medical system, I’m covered as a Canadian. And I could even call my pediatrician without worrying about long distance calling.

I’m also not risking any new viruses or infections staying in the same country. I didn’t need to worry about giving additional vaccines for newborn travel. And I also didn’t need to get him a passport for this trip!

When you already have so many other things to worry about, staying in your home country removes a lot of stressors.

the canadian flag proudly waves in the wind along Banff Avenue in Banff town Canada. The shops looks so tiny along the sidewalk, people are walking. But growing ever larger behind everything is Cascade mountain, it's so large you can't even see the top as it's covered in clouds

5. Go to a Destination You’ve Already Been

One of the best travel tips for infants I can give, on top of staying in your home country, is to make it even easier by going to a destination you’ve already been visited.

You don’t have to do any advanced research – you know how to get there, where to stay and what to do. But there’s also no pressure to do anything anyway. This way, you’re able to focus on your baby and getting into the groove of traveling with an infant.

So for me, Banff was in Canada, and it was my second time visiting. knew exactly where to stay, was familiar with the Calgary airport and car rental… etc. I wasn’t stressed about seeing all the main sights – I had already done everything. I also knew what places would be newborn friendly (and which places weren’t).

a woman walks with a stroller in front of her. She walks along a sall town with shops and stores. In the background is a snow covered mountain in Canmore.

6. Visit a Place Without Opening Hours

I think the best first vacation to go on with a baby is where most of the attractions are outdoors. Outdoor attractions tend to have no opening hours, making it very convenient to fit to any schedule you may or may not have!

My baby was an early riser at two months old (like 6:00 A.M.). Thankfully, in Banff National Park the views are open 24/7, so I was able to start my day by at 8:00 A.M. The first activity every morning was to find the best spot for sunrise over the mountains. This same goes for if you’re on more of a night time wake window, you aren’t locked out of attractions at 5:00 P.M.

I wasn’t waiting on a museum or tour to open to get my day started. Most tourist attractions will only open around 10:00 A.M.!

National Parks are good to visit with a newborn for this reason. Or any destination with outdoor attractions from view to monuments, to river walks… etc. If you’re in the United States, Washington is another good option because the National Mall is open to see all the monuments.

It was great traveling with a newborn to Banff – see all the top things to do in Banff National Park.

tips for traveling with a newborn - a father and son watch the sunrise in Banff National Park over Two Jack Lake. The sky is a crisp orange, turning to light blue over ever green trees and then mount Rundle all the way in the distance. There's a snow covered lake that would have reflected the sunrise if it wasn't winter. The father holds his newborn to watch the sunrise, so you don't see the baby's face.

7. Have Zero Expectations (& You’ll be Pleasantly Surprised!)

The best tip I can give you for traveling with a newborn is to have no expectations for your trip. If you don’t expect anything, it can only go well.

After my first day traveling with an infant, my partner and I both agreed that this was our best travel day yet. And our travel day was by no means an easy day. We had a very early morning flight (wake up was 3:00 A.M.), a five hour flight, and then a two hour drive to our destination afterwards. But we both expected the absolute worst so we were nicer and more forgiving to each other.

I also had zero expectations for doing anything on this trip. The amount of board games I brought because I thought we’d be stuck in the Airbnb the entire trip was way too many! But we ended up doing a lot more than I thought we would! (p.s. we didn’t play one board game – but that’s also because we were exhausted every night!).

Don’t expect to do what you normally would have when traveling with a newborn, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

three quarters of a newborns face so you can't see them is in moms arms, they have headphones on their head to protect their ears from the plane. They are cozy in a onesie with all different types of animals.

8. Be Flexible & Patient

Part of having zero expectations for your trip, is also learning how to be flexible and patient. Don’t plan anything for your days, unless you have something scheduled like a flight. Have a loose idea of what you want to do every day, but never plan on doing more than one activity.

Be flexible and see where the day takes you, babies are unpredictable! See when your baby wakes up that day, and their mood, and then take it hour by hour. Your baby rules all, whether you’re at home and or vacation. You’re just along for the ride!

It’s not only important to change plans based on their behaviour, but also your mood and energy levels. There were some moments were my partner and I were both exhausted so we went back to the Airbnb to just make our lives easier. Let’s be real, it’s never fun changing diapers or feeding on the go.

Also be aware that it might time a bit of time to figure out what works for you and your baby when traveling.

dad checks on on baby in the stroller in a winter wonderland. They are walking on packed snow surrounded by trees going up the rocky mountains on every side around them.

9. Work With Their Feeding & Nap Times

When your baby is young, they should be pretty consistent with their naps and feeds. If you can, anticipate your babies next move so you can stay one step ahead of them and work around their needs.

For example, when it’s time for a nap, use that as your travel time. When it’s time for a feed, enjoy coffee or a meal. When for their wake window, do something they can engage in or enjoy.

When it was time to feed my baby, I sought out a coffee. Then I gave him a few minutes to digest before moving on to our next activity. The travel would be when he would nap.

But obviously, what worked for me might not work for you.

10. Restaurants are Your New Best Friend

I found myself sitting at restaurants for a lot longer than I normally would have. I would plan the baby’s meals around my meals and it usually lined up. Infants need to eat every 2-3 hours (mine was on a strict 2 hour feed schedule at the time).

a dad enjoys bison ribs with his baby on his lap. The ribs perfectly cover the face of the baby.

I’d push my lunch to eat earlier, or later based on when my baby would be hungry. Every time I ate, I fed him too. Sometimes this made us sit a restaurant for a lot longer than I normally would have – but the staff were always super friendly.

You also want to separate ordering a food and drinks. This way, it gives you more opportunities to feed your baby in a comfortable spot. You can always pop into a coffee shop for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon caffeine and feed. It’s always nicer to sit in a nice cafe or restaurant to feed your little one rather than a park bench. I was also traveling in the winter, so it was way to cold to feed him outside.

Plus, this necessary stop would let us slow down and get off our feet. Our day mostly revolved around where and when we were eating, so try to pick nicer restaurants. Restaurants with a view were the best, or ones which were an activity (like a whiskey tasting or afternoon tea!) was offered to extend your stay if need be.

My “loose” schedule…
(I know I said not to have a schedule, but you can have a flow for the day!)
1. Parents wake up, caffeinate, eat breakfast
2. Baby wakes up, feed, change, tummy time
3. Leave for the day, drive to first activity, baby sleeps in the car)
4. Coffee break, with a second baby feed
5. Activity during wake window, and continues into baby nap
6. Lunch with a baby feed…

feeding a newborn at a cafe in banff. The baby sits on moms lap, she is holding a bottle for him in one hand, feeding it to him, and in her other hand is a coffee cup that she is drinking. Both hands full, both drinking!

11. Bring A Carrier

I didn’t use a carrier all that much at home before traveling with a newborn, but I’m very happy I brought it. And I brought it EVERYWHERE and there were moments were I was very happy to have it!

First, if you’re flying the carrier is convenient while you’re waiting to board and getting on and off the plane. But it’s also convenient in case attractions (like museums) don’t accept strollers, which happened to me. They were more than happy to take us with the baby on a tour, but the stroller wasn’t allowed.

If you’re traveling on a more outdoors vacation, the carrier also comes in handy. I was travelling in the winter, and went on some walks where the stroller wouldn’t have been able to pass.

I recommend the Ergo Baby Classic carrier, so far I’ve been very happy with it. It gives you a lot of carrying options, from front and back to hip carry. And you can cross the straps in the back for better back support. The only negative so far is that it’s definitely takes up a lot of space to pack it.

a mom is wearing a puffer jacket with a hat inside an old cozy museum with a lot of space. On her chest is a carrier holding a very much sleeping baby in a cozy red checkered onesie.

12. Bring a Good Travel Stroller

I cannot recommend buying a travel stroller enough (p.s. you can easily get away with only buying a travel stroller for you baby if it’s a good one!).

For it to be a good travel stroller, there are a few things I recommend looking for. First, you need it to be one hand open and close. This makes it way easier to handle everything (like carrying the baby at the same time!). It should also have a carry strap, so you can in theory hold both the baby and the stroller at the same time.

It should also be newborn compatible if you are planning on traveling with an infant. This means that the seat lays flat enough so that it’s safe for a newborn to sit in and their head won’t fall forward.

a man pushing a stroller through packed snow. He's wearing heavy winter boots, a jacket with fake fur. There are snow covered evergreen trees and along the path. All the way at the end you can see a log cabin and a snow covered mountain.

The travel stroller should also be able to fit a car seat (with additional adapters usually). When they’re newborn, and you’re traveling, the easiest way to transport them is in the car seat. We went from the car to stroller immediately. There was no worrying about waking up the baby if they fell asleep in the car, and vice versa.

It’s also very convenient to have the stroller be self standing. That way if you need to put it down, even for a second you can. I also stored it underneath restaurant tables this way.

The stroller that checked all my boxes was the Uppababy Minu V3 . It’s newborn safe, and even has a built-in bassinet cover for added safety and baby coziness. It fits can work with a car seat (with adapters), has a single handed fold, and is self standing. It is carry-on friendly but it’s so easy to gate check that I wouldn’t necessarily prioritize that (it’s also important to keep in mind, your stroller counts as your carry on items).

the uppababy minu v3 sits on a roady in the winter time with snow on either side of it. It's the Dillan blue colourway. It sits face you without any baby inside. There's an extra set of adapters to hold the carseat, and the a cover to act as a bassinet over the feet of where the baby would be. There's also an attached cupholder to the handlebar.

13. Bring Double Your Changing Station

Just like at home, you want a designated changing station at your accommodation when traveling with an infant. You don’t want to constantly be taking out diapers and wipes from your diaper bag (because you don’t want to accidentally forget it when you go out!).

So I packed two of everything that I needed for a change. I used a larger travel changing matt for the Airbnb, and took a smaller one to go. I had double the wipes, hand sanitizers, and diapers!

I had everything I needed at the Airbnb all set up for an easy change!

My home away from home changing station had this travel changing pad from Amazon, dog poop bags to throw out the used diapers, wipes, and a mini hand sanitizer.

a perfect to go changing table set up. There's a larger grey padded change pad on a table. You can see the babies scrunched legs and the diaper is on. Around the changing pad is everything you need, extra diapers, dog poop bags, hand sanitizer, and wipes.

14. Book an Airbnb (or Similar)

The best thing you can do when traveling with a newborn is booking an Airbnb (or at least a place with a kitchen and laundry). I’ve also booked Homewood Suites hotels for a larger space, kitchen and laundry. This will make your trip so much easier and stress free. You can worry less about over packing, and washing bottles and accessories.

At this age, my baby would blow out of his diaper every time we were out, and the amount of spit up was too much. I would have had to bring a suitcase just for burp cloths and bibs (these are my favourite burp cloths). I packed a few days worth of burp cloths and then I just did laundry. Even if I didn’t need the extra clothes, it was nice to be able to quickly do a wash if he peed or pooped on his clothes. I did bring my own laundry detergent to use though.

The kitchen is handy for multiple reasons. It’s convenient to be able to make breakfast every morning, and dinner while the baby is sleeping in the evening. I was so thankful I didn’t have to be at a restaurant dealing with him during his witching hour. But now we also had the space to clean his bottles and pacifiers.

And because it’s typically a larger space, there’s usually a second area to go when the baby is sleeping.

Pro Tip: If you can, book a better Airbnb or hotel room than you normally would (with an extra room or even with a view). I knew there was a chance we’d be spending a lot of time at the Airbnb, and I still wanted to feel like I was in the Canadian Rockies even if we couldn’t be outside. My Airbnb had almost a panoramic view of the mountains that surrounded Canmore. This way, even when I was inside, I felt like we were in the mountains. P.S. See my tips for booking the best Airbnb possible.

a mom sits on the couch feeding her baby a bottle. It's in the evening, the sky outside is a light dusk blue, you can see the three sisters of canmore

15. Ditch the White Noise & Black Out Blinds If Possible

This might be a very unpopular opinion, but trust me. It might be harder at the start, but it might make your life easier in the long run!

My baby was very young when I traveled with him for the first time, but since day one, I never got him used to white noise or black out blinds. That worked to my advantage when we decided to travel with him. He was able to fall asleep in completely new environments, with all different noises around him.

Instead of getting your baby used to sleeping in the same dark environment with one constant sound, get them used to changing environments before your trip. Take them to restaurants, to the mall, even their grandparents house. It also trains you to get this to sleep in new environments.

P.S. I used the Pack and Play from the Airbnb, but I did bring my own sheet to use. I asked the hosts in advance which pack and play they had to be able to bring the right size sheet. This made it easy because it was one less thing to bring on our first trip. But for future trips, I bought my own Guava Lotus Travel Crib.

a pink and grey graco pack and play with polka dot sheets sits next to the bed in the master bedroom - all ready for newborn travel sleep.

Bonus: Book a Direct Flight

I shouldn’t have to say this, but book a direct flight when traveling with a newborn (if you can). This will depend on your destination, but you might want to choose a place where with a direct flight.

Connections are never fun, even without a newborn. Make your travel day just a bit easier for yourself and choose

P.S. You Learn A lot from Traveling with a Newborn, Take That Home With You!

On top of teaching me how to be flexible, it also taught me how to be self sufficient, adaptable, and way less reliant on gadgets and people. I had some help at home, which is very nice, but after this trip my partner and I felt like we could take on anything. We didn’t have any help for an entire week, and we survived. And we couldn’t bring fancy chairs or toys.

And as it turns out, my baby was also a lot better on vacation. He slept A LOT better and I was way less frustrated with him during the day. I noticed it was most likely because we were doing more with him, going on walks and to restaurants. So I took some of what we did on vacation and applied it to my home life.

all the bags are packed to travel with a newborn. There's the baby in the car seat, attached to the stroller, A baby carrier not in use, sitting on a cotopaxi backpack. A pikachu hard shell suitcase carryon. and a larger suitcase with an osprey backpack sitting on top.

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I cannot recommend the Uppababy Minu V3 travel stroller enough. The only negative is that the basket is a bit on the smaller size, but otherwise it’s perfect for an every day stroller at home and a travel stroller. It has a single hand close, it can fit a bucket car seat, it’s newborn friendly, and it fits in the overhead bin.

With the travel stroller, I also recommend bringing a carrier, like the Ergo Baby Classic. This is great for boarding a plane, and for when the stroller isn’t accepted (or just when the baby is being fussy and needs to sleep!).

I bottle fed my baby and used a Reduce 40 oz water bottle to store his bottle for the day. I used Dr. Browns Bottles and the Reuse Bottle. It fit the bottle with a few ice cubes to keep it cold for the day. The reusable bottle also fit in the Uppabbaby cup holder to keep the bottle up right and easy to carry.

To travel lighter, you can ask your accommodation for a crib or my travel crib of choice is the Guava Lotus. It is on the pricier side, but I like that it has a zipper side opening, a backpack bag for hands free carrying, and is very light.

New baby travel posts to come soon!
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5 Money Saving Tips For Booking Direct Flights Online

Top 15 Tips for Traveling with a Newborn ( & Why Travel NOW!)