Packing List for Our First Trip with a Baby

At the end of this month, we’ll be heading off to Lake Michigan for our first vacation since our honeymoon four years ago, and our first trip EVER with our 6-month-old-baby! We’ll be driving and staying in an Airbnb for about five days, so that allows us to bring some extra stuff that we wouldn’t bring if we were flying.

I expect this packing list will be longer than all future ones simply because it’s our first trip and it’ll be a learning experience. I’d rather bring a little more than I think we’ll need this first time around so we can learn what doesn’t get used and adjust accordingly next time.

PACKING LIST

• Gear
  • Boppy (it will also double as a pillow for us adults in the car!)
  • Snuggle Me? (she still takes her naps in this and we were going to transition her out of this next, but maybe we’ll wait until after the trip? We’re not sure yet.)
  • Pack-and-play, sheet
  • Carseat
  • Stroller (with necessary attachments)
  • Stroller fan
  • Deflated exercise ball + pump — this is the best and easiest way to put her to sleep. No shame!
  • Diaper bag with all the usual stuff that goes in it (click to read What’s in My Diaper Bag)
• Diapering
  • Diapers
  • Wipes
• Sleep
  • Sleepsack
  • Travel sound machine
  • Baby monitor
• Clothing
  • 8 ish outfits for various temperatures
  • 5 pajamas
  • Sweater
  • Socks
  • Sun hat, a couple of turbans
  • Swimsuits (including a long sleeve one)
  • Sunglasses (let’s be honest, probably most useful for pictures)
• Toys
  • Teether
  • Music box toy (ESSENTIAL!)
  • Stuffed toy
  • Ones that clip to the stroller/car seat
• Bath
  • Tub insert? (I’m not sure what the tub/shower set-up is where we’ll be staying)
  • Baby soap
  • Bath thermometer (paranoid mom over here — it won’t take up much room, ok!!!)
• “Baby essentials kit”
  • Tylenol
  • Thermometer
  • Nose Frieda
  • Baby sunscreen
  • Hand/face wipes
• Eating/drinking
  • Sippy cup
  • Food pouches for easy meals
  • Bib
  • Spoon
  • A bottle or two (she still breastfeeds)
• Other
  • Pacifiers, paci clip
  • Two blankets (one thin, one thick)
  • Burp cloths
  • Extra batteries
• Mom essentials
  • Breast pump
  • A few milk bags

That’s the general list! I’m sure some things may be removed or added, but this is the list I’ll be working from. Additionally, I considered getting her a shade tent for the beach, but I don’t know how much time we’ll be spending at the lake day-to-day because this is new for us. Justin and I have done a weekend trip to Saugatuck, Michigan before for a collaboration and LOVED it, but we have never spent this much time there, not with family before either, nor have we ever stayed in an Airbnb. So basically, this whole trip is a test to see how it is and whether we’ll continue doing it in the future.

I hope this post is helpful for those of you who will be traveling with your baby for the first time soon too and if there’s anything else you recommend I bring, please share! My next post will likely be a Life Update because life has been really kicking me while I’m down lately. 😅 Anyway, as always, thanks for reading!