The stress of packing with infants…
The stress of packing for a 2 week holiday with infants is bad enough let alone a 3 month trip across the globe. Our trip took us to Paris, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore before starting our journey home. We travelled in November 2023. This meant we had to bring bulky winter items for Paris as well as our summer items for the warmer climate. We will write a post on this shortly however we had to make big decisions to cut down on space and weight when packing. These are some of the essential items we were glad we took on our 3 month Asia trip with infants.
- Baby Formula – Luckily our 11 month old was reducing her daily bottles but we worked out how much baby formula we would need for our trip in Asia for 3 months and packed what we needed. We wanted our daughter to be comfortable with something she is used to and something we know she likes. With travel comes a lot of change for little ones (especially somewhere so different to home) so we felt that keeping some things stable was key.
2 – Child Cutlery – We packed baby spoons, child fork, a baby bib, a metal straw and a child plate. We used them daily, at most meals. Yes there are forks and spoons (or sometimes just chop sticks) where you travel but having something your child is used to and suited to them has been helpful for their development. As they are small and lightweight we also carry them with us which means we can get meals on the go (such as 7-eleven) and not worry about using plastic cutlery or having to drink out of bottles.
3. Prams, Babyzen Yoyo – Initially we were not going to take prams after reading various forums about the accessibility in Hong Kong and Thailand but we are glad we brought them and have not had any issues. We find them useful for safety when out walking, for shade during the day and also nap time for both children. We have baby carriers with us but use the prams more frequently.
4. Medicine – The places where we travelled all have very good healthcare systems but having some items from home that you are used to definitely gave us comfort. We packed a small first aid kit and to name a few other items Calpol, insect cream (for infants as some are 2 years over), Dioralyte, hand sanitizer and a thermometer.
5. Toys, toys and toys – from long plane journeys to car transfers to relaxed days at your hotel we have tried to keep their little minds stimulated. We picked a few toys we knew they would like to keep them entertained. Sticker books, cars, dinosaurs, mess free coloring books have all come in useful and don’t take up too much space. Our toddler has his own little backpack to keep most of his toys.
Top tip – We were a little stressed about our suitcase space when packing for our 3 month Asia trip. We eventually cut down on nappies to make space and have found these available and good quality.