What? A VACATION???

That was my dear hubby’s reaction when I shared my odd craving with him. I had already rehearsed the reply in my mind and while jumping in front of him to grab his attention, I said, “Yes, let’s plan a shorter one? It will be fun!”

“Baby, I also want a break but how can we plan a vacation when we have already exhausted all our yearly leaves?” came his sincere reply.

Oh yes! same story every year.

So, here is the reality check. We desperately need a break but we do not have enough leaves left for this year to go on a vacation.

 It’s Simple!!!

But I can definitely write about it. 

Well, I was thinking of writing about the trip which I wanted to take but then my mind took a swirl and I got the idea of writing about some travel accessories which we found to be really helpful during our previous International Trips. In fact, I call these accessories as must have things to carry when you are traveling with a baby or a toddler. I remember many of my friends asking this question, “Don’t you find traveling with a baby too difficult?” Well, with these must-have items our travels are all sorted.

So, here goes my list of Top 5 Travel Essentials that will make your travel with kids a lot more hassle free-

1. Kid’s Trolley Bag

Take a separate trolley bag to pack your kid’s stuff, from clothes to toys, everything which belongs to the kid goes into this bag. It makes packing and arranging things a little bit easier and also saves a lot of time finding and re-arranging things when it’s time to return back home.

This is the Mickey Mouse trolley bag from the ‘House of Disney‘ which we chose to buy for Nemit’s 1st International trip and it came out to be one of our best buys.

Features of this trolley bag –

• It is lightweight and can be easily dragged or pushed.
• It has four 360-degree rotating wheels for the smooth glide.
• The outer covering is hard and made up of polycarbonate covered with water and wear resistant transparent film.
• The inner compartment is quite spacious and zipper & straps keep things in place.
• It also has the TSA lock which is perfect for International travel.

Price – INR 4319/-

Available on Amazon.

This is one travel essential which can become kids favorite travel gear anytime. Toddlers love it when they know something belongs only to them and they are given responsibility to handle it. Nemit loves pushing and gliding the bag, this is one airport activity which he really likes to do. 

2. Carrier

I always suggest parents buy a lightweight umbrella stroller or an ergonomic baby carrier if they are fond of traveling or roaming around the city. Choose as per your requirement, if your baby is clingy and prefers to be carried most of the times, then babywearing is best for you. We carried our baby till he was 13 months old but he always liked to sit in the stroller. Still, we carry both these gears as they always come handy at the airport and at places that require us to wait for long hours.

You may also read – Explore the caves at Nainital with your toddler!

We have an ergonomic baby carrier from ‘R for Rabbit‘-

• It is made up of premium cotton for soft & cozy feeling. Breathable cotton gives baby cool, padded and comfortable ride.
• It is suitable to carry 6 to 24-month-old babies ( 6 to 18 Kgs), apt from infancy to toddlerhood.
• Babies can be carried in 3 different positions.
• Wide shoulder & lumbar strap provides proper support and evens out the weight.

Price – INR 2799/-

Available on Amazon

We found this carrier really useful during our trip to Malaysia when we decided to walk on the World’s longest canopy walkway in Taman Negara. It was the most thrilling experience we had while wearing our 1-year-old in a sling. We were able to do mountain trekking and night jungle safari all thanks to our ergonomic baby carrier.

3. Stroller

Nemit prefers to sit in a stroller rather being carried in a sling. I think he feels much comfortable sitting in the stroller as he can easily move his body, arms, and legs and can also have a nice view of the surroundings.

The stroller which we are using for Nemit is from ‘Nit n Kit‘-

• It makes traveling easy and fun for both baby and parents.
• This stroller has 8 wheels for proper balance, rear wheels have breaks.
• It is easily foldable and lightweight to carry.
• Perfect for babies aged between 6-24 months.
• It has a safety bar in front for keeping the child secure.

The best thing which I like about strollers is that you can carry your other accessories and bags easily, many times while shopping or traveling I have used the stroller handles to hang the bags so that I can be hands-free all the time. Another reason why I like stroller is the ease it provides when you have to walk with your toddler up to the plane entrance where you hand over the stroller to the aircraft staff and can collect it back while getting off the plane right at the exit. It just makes the whole process looks so easy and comfortable.

Price – INR 2500/-

You may also read – Plan a trip to Meghalaya with your toddler!

4. Diaper Bag

Alright, this is the most common travel accessory and anyone who has traveled with a baby will know its importance. So, if you are traveling with a baby or a toddler, carrying a diaper bag stuffed with all the baby essentials is a must. Now, here I want to suggest opting for a backpack rather than a handbag or a sling bag, simply because it’s easier to carry a backpack while traveling with kids. But if you are comfortable in carrying a normal diaper handbag or sling bag, then that is also fine. The choice is yours.

Now that we have a toddler and we are done with all the milk bottles and lots of stuff which we used to pack earlier for our infant, I chose a very trendy shoulder bag from ‘Baggit‘ which is not too big neither too small but just perfect to carry the stuff we need the most.

Things which I carry in this bag are-

• 2-3 diapers and a small packet of wipes
• 1 spare set of clothes
• 2-3 small containers of different snacks
• 1 small water bottle/sippy cup
• My wallet, keys, and sunglasses.

Price – INR 3750/-

Available on Amazon

So, instead of carrying a heavy stuffed diaper bag with all the baby or toddler stuff I prefer carrying this lightweight shoulder bag. Now you must be thinking I haven’t kept any toys in my bag then how did I manage my kid without any source of entertainment. Well, there is no way that I know of which can keep a child happily engaged except toys and books and for keeping Nemit happy during the long travels I always carry a separate kid’s bag which I call a ‘bag of toys‘. It is small in size but spacious enough to carry all his favorite toys and activity books.

I have already written a post on Bag of toys, which you can read >> Here <<

Coming back to the small diaper bag once again, this will not be enough if you are traveling with an infant which requires a lot more things to be packed, more clothes, bib, changing mat, rash cream, teethers, rattles, an extra pair of shoes, etc. There is no need to carry a separate toy bag as only a couple of their favorite toys can keep them busy for hours. You can check Smart organizer system backpack diaper bag from Graco too. It’s quite spacious with all the separate pockets to keep your stuff organized. It has a separate wipes dispenser pocket which I really liked.

Price – INR 4440/-

Available on Amazon

5. Passport Holder

Passport holder is something which often gets neglected by many people as they don’t really know whether the passport covers are necessary or beneficial in any way. I will tell you when traveling with kids, you do justice to your passport by covering it with a nice sturdy passport holder. I love it when my stuff is organized and safe especially the important ones. This year we took back to back International trips with Nemit and getting a nice passport holder was on my list since then. I really find it difficult holding the passport, boarding passes and other documents in hand when managing a hyperactive toddler while waiting at the airport or standing in the immigration check queue.

I got this elegant Passport holder from ‘URBY‘. They design and manufacture travel and lifestyle essentials using the premium materials. By selling directly to the customer, they offer high-quality luxury products at very reasonable prices.

And that is what I liked the most about this brand.

• This Passport Holder is handcrafted in premium quality real leather with the rich soft interior.
• It has an easy slide-in section for passport on the right and 3 card slots on the left.
• It also has an open section for travel documents.

Apart from these features, Urby also offers personalization options. This passport holder has my Name embossed on it which I found really cool and unique. They also provide Free Shipping anywhere in India and have a 15-day no-questions-asked Return Policy.

I am already liking my Passport holder and this is one more reason that I am craving for another vacation. I have also selected another passport holder with croc-embossed leather in Sapphire blue for my dear hubby, that will be a surprise gift to him before our next trip. Click on the below link to check their amazing collection.

Price – INR 1145/-

Available on URBY

The only thing which I didn’t like about Urby is the limited prints and designs in their Passport Holders, I would prefer more quirky and trendy prints while selecting one for Nemit.

I received this classy and elegant Wanderlust Passport Holder from >> Urby << to write my honest review of their product. However, the opinions and views shared are my own.

Use GWNEMIT17 to avail 10% off on your purchase!

This special offer is only for Growing with Nemit’s lovely readers.

I hope you liked this post and found it useful. Do share it with your friends and family. And now tell me are you also craving to go on a vacation? Do you want to add any other travel essentials to the above list? Share with me in the comments below. I would love to hear from you!

The post Traveling with Toddler – Top Five Travel Essentials appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

The 1^st two months which I mostly spent inside the room, breastfeeding my little baby day and night, I was glued to shopping sites online. I wanted to buy almost everything which caught my fancy and I did buy a lot to feel good.

But that experience taught me how everything available in the market is not useful for our baby. In fact, I realized that we should invest in baby items very cleverly & cautiously. Not all babies find sleeping in a crib comfortable, not all babies like sitting in the car seat, so our decision of buying such stuff has to be as per our baby’s nature and needs.

I have prepared a list of Must-have items which u can consider buying for your bub (infant to toddler)-

1 – Umbrella Mosquito Net

An umbrella mosquito net is quite useful, it’s super light, portable and foldable. This net ensures that your baby gets an undisturbed sleep and no mosquitoes get any close to him/her.

2 – Diaper Bag

A spacious diaper bag will be your companion in all your outings. And, in case you are fond of traveling alone with the baby search for a bag which can be carried as a backpack too. Trust me it looks more trendy & it’s comfortable to carry. Here’s a post where I shared the backpack diaper bags which I really like along with other travel essentials.

Traveling with a toddler – Top 5 Travel Essentials

3 – Baby Carrier

Babywearing is a saviour if you can do it right. Go for the carrier which can be used for an infant as well as a toddler. There are some babywearing groups on Facebook too which you can join to understand the concept better. When I started babywearing, there were not many known brands in the market, so didn’t get many choices. I used this baby carrier from R for Rabbit

4 – Baby rocker

There is no need to explain what is a rocker but many parents ignore its usefulness. I used it to make my little one sleep during the daytime, used it while working in the kitchen, even took it along for short loo trips. It’s a perfect way to keep your little munchkin near you. Also, it’s foldable & lightweight. And the best part, it grows with your baby.

This one is Newborn to Toddler rocker by Fisher-Price and this is one of my best of the best purchases.

5 – Booster seat/High chair

I feel booster chair is much better than a high chair since it’s lightweight and easy to carry. You can even carry it with you to the restaurants where baby chairs are not available. It can be easily attached to any chair and you can make your toddler sit by your side at the dining table.

And if you prefer a high chair, go for a combination one which can be separated and used as a table & chair too.

6 – Car seat

A car seat is a must for your child’s safety even though in India it’s not compulsory to use. Apart from safety, having a car seat can have many advantages. If you can drive a car, you don’t have to depend on anybody to take you out. Even if you don’t drive, making your child sit in the car seat is a good habit which will turn out to be helpful in the long run. Trust me, you need to invest in one as soon as your baby starts sitting without support.

Do check for all the safety features and customer reviews before investing in one.

7 – Stroller

This is again one of our best buys, bought it on Nemit’s 1st birthday and used it for more than 2 years. We still use it occasionally when we know Nemit won’t walk or if he’s too tired to walk. I would suggest buying the one which can be pushed back into the sleeping position.

The best thing about strollers is that these are multifunctional. I can hang my handbag and shopping bags and be hands-free while taking care of the baby when outside. We have carried the stroller on all our travels, it’s compact & lightweight, easy to carry as it can be folded and fits easily in the back of the car.

PIN IT!

So, these are the 7 must-have things which I feel one should invest in to have an easy time with their baby and toddler. Hopefully, this post will help new parents in making informed decisions while spending time and money on shopping for their babies.

If you liked this post, do share it with your friends and family.  And if you think I have missed something then do add that essential item, share it in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

The post 7 Must have items for baby – Infant to Toddler appeared first on Growing With Nemit.