Travelling with kids is as easy as a walk in the park. Said no parent ever. Nevertheless, we shall never lose hope. Armed with the right kids travel gear and genius travel items for kids – you just might survive the adventure and regain your sanity at the same time.
Okay, you can’t deny that we’re lucky as hell to be parents in an era of digital entertainment (ahem, Netflix)and, well, the convenience of online shopping. I mean, think of all the accessories and nifty travel gadgets our parents didn’t have the luxury of having back in the day where they used to take us traveling. Poor folks had to endure us wild kids for an entire long haul flight with shabby in-flight entertainment, no smartphones, tablets or fun kids’ travel toys. Just 100% raw kids. Respect to our parents.
Or, perhaps, unbeknownst to us, our loving folks quietly slipped some Phenergan into our airplane food and knocked us out until we reached our destination. If it’s any consolation, I’m pretty certain we are the lucky ones. In-flight entertainment is so impressive in this day and age that I’m willing to forgo sleep to prevent myself from getting a serious case of FOMO, onboard WiFI is almost a standard and airplane beds for kids provide our tiny human counterparts with the luxury of lying down flat as if they were in business class.
What could possibly make your travels with kidseven smoother? Perhaps this list of kids travel gear and baby travel items will be the icing on the cake.
For more hacks & tips on travelling with kids, see below:
- 10 Genius Travel Toys For Toddlers
- 28 Items for your Family Beach Vacation (Plus FREE Packing List)
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JetKids Bed Box by Stokke
“It’s a bed. It’s a suitcase. It’s a miracle.” You know what would be an even better miracle? A ride-on roller suitcase for adults that opens into a king sized bed. That, or a free upgrade to business class. Nahmean?
Suffice to say, the Jet Kids BedBox is a brilliant invention, for kids. I remember traveling as a kid with my head cradled in my parents’ laps, and my legs somewhere between the surface of the seat and up in the air. My poor parents who sat stiff on 20+ hour flights from Germany to Australia. Sorry, Mum and Dad. I love you – you know it.
Multi-functionality is the spice of life, which is exactly what the BedBox delivers. It’s the Queen B in the realm of kids’ travel gear. Functioning as a ride-on suitcase to zip through terminals, a place to store their toys and as an airplane toddler bed – this piece of genius is one of the ultimate travel gadgets for kids.
The Bed Box comes equipped with a mattress, swivel front wheels, and supports up to 35kg weight – making it suitable for kids up to 7 years of age.
For more ideas on how to keep little ones settled on flights, take a look at these clever travel products or tips on how to fly with a toddler.
Tula Baby & Toddler Carrier
The first thing I pack for any trip – near or far – is our trusty Tula baby carrier. City trip, mountain hiking or beach bumming – this is our favourite piece of baby travel gear that we couldn’t live without.
Tula carriers feature well-padded shoulder straps (without being too bulky) and wide padded waistbands that help evenly distribute weight, keeping you going on your travels for hours on end. Plus, they have some prettydope prints that’ll earn you all the cool points as a parent.
We also own the mesh version of the carrier, which is perfectly suited for trips to hot and humid destinations making it more breathable for your baby without sweating up a storm.
YOU MIGHT LIKE: 10 Awesome Toddler Travel Toys
Portable High Chair
I can honestly come up with a handful of reasons outside of camping or travelling when a portable high chair would’ve come in handy. Like when a hipster café is too hipster to have high chairs or when you’re in parts of Asia and some of the top-rated eateries are equivalent to the size of your bathroom.
ThisPop & Sit Portable Booster is super compact once folded, allowing it to fit in your luggage and transport it anywhere from campfire outings to exotic hotel rooms.
Baby Hiking Backpack
The Deuter Kid Comfort 1 baby hiking back certainly isn’t as compact as standard carriers considering it is for serious trekking enthusiasts. If you’re after the best baby carrier for your next camping trip, or if you want to be the first to climb Everest with your child (not advised), then this is your guy.
A standard baby carrier or wrap might cut it for a little while, but they’re not designed for serious hikes or treks. I mean, I love my Tula baby carrier and all, but you won’t catch me climbing a mountain with it.
Take a look at these essential tips for travelling with a baby for experienced advice on camping, flying and road trips.
Psst.. New to Airbnb? Get $40 travel credit when you book your first stay!
GB Pockit Stroller
An umbrella stroller that folds into the size of a backpack? Shuddup and take my monies.
Forget fancy dancy McLaren lightweight strollers or Bugaboos, the GB Pockit Stroller is the best travel stroller if you detest all things bulky and heavy.Folding down to a ridiculously compact size, it’s small enough to pass as carry-on and even fits in the stowaway space beneath the chair or overhead storage compartment.
Weighing in at 4.3kg (9.5 pounds), it’s a wee bit heavier than a newborn baby, yet still maintains a large enough seat for your kid to sit comfortably on.
Portable Toddler Travel Bed
Let’s face it, a portable cot is sometimes too bulky to take on your vacation on top of all the other kids travel gear you’re forced to haul around for them. Meet this ultra portable toddler travel bed. Far lighter and easier to pack than a cot – the only downside is having to inflate it. But that’s what Dads are for, right?
It’s the perfect bed for sleepovers and travel, thebest feature of it being its squeak-free material and design because, let’s face it, that’s what puts us all off inflatable mattresses, right? The mattress comes with a small electric pump that inflates it in under 30 seconds.
RELATED: Top 7 Toddler Sleep Beds for Airplanes
Portable Kids’ Bunk Bed
Yes, these contraptions actually exist. Who would’ve known that bunk beds can be made portable and travel-friendly? Queue *jaw drop*. The only thing you’ll have to deal with on your travels is… who will get to sleep on top?
The Disc-O-Bed Kid-O-Bunk converts to a bunk, sitting bench, or even two single beds. Pretty nifty, huh? Oh, and each bed can hold up to 90kg (200 pounds) in weight, meaning that mum and dad may just end up on these while the kids take over the King in the hotel room.
For an option that’s on the lighter side, take a look at this list of bed rails perfect for travel.
A Diaper Bag That Will Earn You Cool Points
‘Diaper bag’ and ‘cool’ don’t usually fit into the same sentence, but with the HapTim Diaper Travel Backpack, you might just be the coolest mum on the block. It has all the functionalities that you would expect out of a standard diaper bag, except it looks like a super hip Herschel backpack.
Featuring 3 independent compartments with a detachable divider to store clothes, diapers, drinks, snacks, and even pockets for your smartphone, iPad and wallet – this truly is the all-in-one to make your transformation to ‘cool mum’ complete.
On the plus side, the backpack still straps onto the pram securely, and the chances of convincing your hubby to wear it are exponentially higher. Cos hubbies just wanna be cool too.
RELATED: 28 Must-Haves for your Family Beach Vacation
Ride-On Carry-On Suitcase
This is the be-all and end-all solution for when you need to get from A to B stat, but your kid is not complying because they obviously do not see the urgency of the situation, like a final boarding call.
Strap ’em in the revolutionary Mountain Buggy Bagrider, get rollin’, and get to your gate. Unstrap. Boom. Too easy. No tears, no fuss, no yelling.
The Bagrider transforms from standard carry on luggage to toddler tower with a simple twist of a button, and holds up to 15kg (33lbs) in weight. The child seat comes equipped with a cushioned seat liner and 5-point safety harness, so you can tow, swing or swivel with a peace of mind. Just don’t go too crazy.
Alternatively, you could always snag yourself the Lojel Cubo carry on luggage, which we used as a diaper bag, laptop carrier, and toddler seat. It worked for us on 10 flights through 7 countries.
SEE MORE: 21 Accessories to Pack for International Travel
Kids’ Luggage Scooter
Sometimes, well, most of the time – kids just wanna have fun. What better way to positively reinforce “hurry the flippin’ hell up – we need to get to the gate” than to provide the little ones with a fun incentive to actually get to places on time.
That’s where the ZincFlyte Luggage Scooter comes into play – I mean, genius, right? A carry-on suitcase and scooter combined into one fun-packed rolling contraption.
With 25L capacity, there’s plenty of room for all their toys, books and devices, and best of all – it’s cabin sized. So, they can have all the fun scootin’ around right from check-in through to the gate.
For more hacks & tips on travelling with kids, see below:
- 10 Genius Travel Toys For Toddlers
- 28 Items for your Family Beach Vacation (Plus FREE Packing List)
WATCH: Essential Kids Travel Gear in Action
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How do we survive travelling with kids? Check out our list of packing essentials that we take with us on every trip.
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