It’s no secret that we absolutely love traveling, and it’s one of the best parts of military life for us as a family. We like to travel outside of our military adventures, too, however, and that tends to be a completely different ballgame. We committed early on in our marriage that, once we had kids, we were going to force ourselves out of our comfort zones and travel as much as possible. Luckily, there are a lot of products on the market that make travel – both domestic and international – a lot easier on both them and us. We’ve shared some of our best international travel tips with kids before, but today, we wanted to take the time to highlight the products and items we use to make traveling easier on all of us.
Our Favorite Kids’ Travel Gear
MiniMeis G4 Shoulder Carrier // If you’ve followed me for some time, you’ve probably seen my review of our original MiniMeis carrier here. We also have the MiniMeis G4 now, and I have to say that it’s probably our number-one favorite travel product of all time. For kiddos with little legs, traveling, hiking, and exploring can get pretty hard, but we hate bulky hiking backpacks (though they have their time and place), and strollers are usually out. Our MiniMeis – both of them – come with us everywhere we go, giving our kids a birds-eye view of every place we travel and explore. If you haven’t bought one yet, do it!
BABY JOY Travel Crib // We did a lot of research about pack ‘n plays and travel cribs this time around. We’ve tried a lot, too. Frankly, our Graco back with the boys was bulky and trickier than we’d like to set up. We saw some models that we loved, but I’m a budget-lover, and I wasn’t willing to spend $$$ on a travel crib. When we found this one, I was enticed not only by the $82 price tag, but also the great reviews. It was a fantastic choice. It’s ridiculously easy to assemble, super comfortable, and the carrying case is crazy compact. If you want a budget-friendly and amazing product, this is it.
JetKids Bed Boxes // We’ve mentioned these bad boys before, and we love them just as much now as we did back then. On our first international trip with the kids to South Africa, we saw a family in Madrid using them, and we were sold. While on the pricey side of travel gear for kids, they are well worth every single penny. Not only is it a suitcase for your kids, but they can also ride on it or pull it themselves (which gives them a little bit of autonomy on the journey), but it also converts into a bed making those long overnight flights much easier on all! It’s like a first-class seat in whatever class you choose.
Lillebaby Complete All Seasons Carrier // Honestly any carrier that works well for you is a big must when traveling with infants or waddlers. While the boys have their aforementioned Bed Boxes to ride on, traveling with a stroller tends to be bulky and, frankly, unnecessary. The Lillebaby carrier lets me wear Mieke either facing in or out, on my stomach, back, or my hip, and gives me back my hands which, let’s be honest, are much needed with passports and more. Plus, it’s a lot harder for unwanted strangers’ hands to touch your baby if they’re attached to you!
Mountain Buggy Pod High Chair // There is nothing less convenient than a bulky high chair in a busy restaurant or, heaven forbid, traveling with a booster seat to different locations around the world. We chose this amazing high chair for Mieke for a few reasons. First and foremost, it’s lighter than many alternative products on the market. Second, it is extremely compact and comes in its own handy carrying case. It actually even fits in my diaper backpack, making it more convenient than ever. It’s comfortable, strong, sturdy, and super easy to use – and even has non-slip grips so it won’t damage tables.
Sendcool White Noise Machine // Traveling throws a lot of wrenches into things, but noise isn’t one of the ones we wanted to have to deal with. Our kids do great with white noise machines cancelling out the outdoor noise, so I wanted something easy, compact, and ready to throw in a bag for travel. We found these on Amazon, and the $20 price tag was definitely an added bonus. We actually bought two; one for the boys to share and one for Mieke, which helped because we tend to share the room with Mieke when we travel. All that ambient noise? Gone. They sleep like babies!
Our favorite kids’ travel gear also includes our Amazon Kindle Fire HD7 Tablets, which our kids only use for travel, Ulubulu Pacifier Clips, MPow Daisy Chain Headphones, and more. What sort of products are on your list? What would you love to try from ours?
