Holiday Travel Tips

Holiday travel is coming — which means airports full of sparkly sweaters, highways packed with cookie-fueled road-trippers, and families everywhere gearing up to bring their tiniest members along for the ride. Whether you’re headed to Grandma’s, a rental cabin, or a hotel, traveling with a baby can feel like an adventure sprinkled with equal parts magic and chaos.

As a postpartum doula and babyproofing professional, I’ve seen the full spectrum of “first trip with baby” energy — from cool and collected to “I have packed the entire house because we might need the Instant Pot.” (For the record, I was DEFINITELY the latter when my kids were tiny.) Good news: You can absolutely do this. Even better news: your baby won’t remember any of your travel chaos, but you will remember those gorgeous moments of snuggles and adventure.

Here are a few tricks to make holiday travel with your little one as peaceful, safe, and enjoyable as possible.

Part 1: Postpartum Doula Travel Hacks

1. Pack Like a Pro

You don’t need to bring your entire setup on the road. You do need:

• A change of clothes for baby and for you (holiday blowouts have no respect for festive outfits)

• A small, organized diaper kit that can move between bags and is easily accessible during long car rides.

• Ziplock or wet bags (your tiny travel miracle workers)

2. Feedings on the Go

Whether you’re nursing, pumping, formula feeding, or doing a mix, it can work!

• Nursing: A muslin blanket works great as a nursing cover, emergency burp cloth, and car seat cover. Many U.S. airports now offer private lactation/nursing rooms (sometimes called pods), which can make feeding with privacy far more comfortable than a cramped airplane bathroom.

• Formula: Pre-measure portions into travel containers; add water on demand. Don’t worry too much about heating the bottle - most babies are fine with room-temperature.

• Pumping:

  • Yes — you can travel with a breast pump and breast milk. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) considers breast milk and pumping gear medically necessary, and they’re exempt from the usual 3.4 oz liquid rule.

  • That means you can bring any amount of expressed milk (fresh, frozen, or thawed), plus pump parts, ice or gel packs, and a cooler bag, without worrying about the standard liquid limits.

  • At security, just declare that you have breast milk / pumping supplies. TSA may screen them separately (X-ray or swab/visual check), and if you prefer, you can request alternative screening instead of X-ray.

3. Honor the rhythm, but keep it relaxed.

The season is about presence, not perfection. You can keep the general outline of your baby’s schedule without being quite as strict as you normally would.

• Keep some consistency with wake windows.

• Use familiar sleep cues (same PJs, same lullaby).

• A portable blackout curtain is basically a holiday miracle.

4. You Get to Have Needs Too

Holiday travel can be a lot, and you deserve just as much care and compassion as your little one. Take advantage of family and friends who are itching to love on your baby and enjoy an uninterrupted meal, take a nap, and engage in adult conversation. It’s your holiday, too!

Part 2: Babyproofing on the Road

New places are full of new hazards, but you can still keep things safe.

1. Do a 90-Second Sweep When You Arrive

Before you let baby loose:

• Look for loose cords

• Move breakables

• Secure wobbly or tip-prone furniture

• Move decorations, plants, or precarious holiday décor temporarily.

2. Bathroom + Kitchen = Hot Zones

Cleaning products and medications are especially tricky in houses that are not set up for little ones. Pay special attention to these areas.

• Put all products up high

• Keep bathroom doors closed

• In hotels, unplug hot appliances like coffee makers

3. Build a Mini Travel Safety Kit

• Skip outlet covers — since many are now considered choking hazards.

• Painter’s tape makes a great alternative and can be used for a variety of safety jobs (magical, removable, endlessly useful)

• A foldable play yard is perfect for a defined safe zone

4. Sleep Safety Still Matters

Whether it’s a hotel crib or a pack-and-play:

• Firm mattress

• Fitted sheet

• No blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals

• Place it away from windows, cords, and heavy decorations

Try to set it up before baby gets overtired — no one wants to troubleshoot a travel crib while wearing your holiday best and holding an overstimulated baby.

Final Thoughts: You’ve Got This

Holiday travel with a baby is brave, beautiful, and often chaotic. But it’s also full of memory-making moments — sleepy snuggles, wide-eyed wonder, and family welcoming your little one with open arms. Happy holidays, indeed.