in the desert sun's Profile

Hi all,

My baby is 11 months old and we have traveled internationally with him eight times-- with 4 flights being longer than 13 hours. I think the above list is mostly impractical for international travel. First of all, if you are traveling to many countries in Asia or Africa, there are no seat belts in the cars, so no point in dragging along a car seat-- we just got home from Nepal, and I can assure you, a car seat would have been pointless. Also, if you need to pack light, you can't drag along most of these things, with the exception of the maya wrap (although hot and can be awkward for men) and the smaller booster seat. If ya'll are interested, here is my list for hardcore travelers with babies:

1. Peapod travel sleep tent-- weighs only a few pounds and is easy to pack-- (has a self-inflatable mattress think thermarest). I wouldn't use with very young babies though. Our baby slept great in his.

2. Tonga baby carrier from France-- is much easier to use than the Maya wrap and takes almost no space and is not hot to wear. Is comfortable and good looking for men or women to use-- low profile and streamlined- can fit in your back pocket when folded.

3. Aden and Anais muslin cotton blankets-- great to use for swaddle, blanket, burp cloth, breast feeding cover, peek-a-boo on the plane, etc. Easy to wash in the sink for backpackers and dries quickly.

4. Dr. Bronner's soap to wash bottles and clothes while traveling

5. Milton's sterilizing tablets-- to sterilize bottles without a microwave or sterilizer while traveling (esp. important in less-developed nations). We also travel with a pop-up "sink" to sterilize the bottles in-

6. One special book for baby

7. A few toys (one or two) that don't make too much noise (for plane ride) or take up too much room.-- we usually buy some cool little toys during our travels

8. One small pack for plane with several diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, a few plastic bags for dirty clothes/diapers, a muslin cotton blanket, a toy, formula or milk, a bottle, and hand sanitizer. You don't need to take a whole bunch of "stuff" on the plane-- snacks are usually available on the plane, as is plain milk. Bottles can be rinsed out by the attendants. Our baby eats solid food, but we usually just give him milk on the plane as it is streamlined and less messy-- we feed him solids before we get on the plane and after we land.

I hope this list may be helpful!