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Whether or not you celebrate the holidays, now is the perfect time to take advantage of discounted travel gear.
If you’re looking for a gift for a family (or yourself!) to help get outdoors or on the road easier, here is a list of our favorite family travel gear. We’ve personally purchased all of these items new or used, and stand by these recs. We are constantly updating this list as our kids continue to grow, so check back for new items!
Read on to find:
*Best Overall Travel Gear for Babies and Young Children
*Best Baby Carriers
*Best Activities for Kids While Traveling
*Nursing Must-Haves for Travel
*Gift Guide Roundup Featuring BIPOC Makers
Best Travel Gear for Babies and Young Children
Best Travel Car Seat: WayB Pico
$360 Black Friday sale price; regularly $449
The WayB Pico portable car seat for forward-facing kids (age 2+) will blow your mind–we get asked about it almost every time we bring it out with us, which is often!
For any parent who has traveled with a kid age 0-5, hauling the awkward and cumbersome car seat alongside your luggage, all while keeping tabs on your kids, is probably one of the worst parts of family travel. The WayB Pico fills the gap by being lightweight (8 pounds as compared to our Cleck Foonf which weighs 33 pounds), foldable, and compact, and so easy to set up. It is expensive—$475 with a carrying case—but totally worth it and has a great resale value. Plus you’ll be supporting a BIPOC-run company; WayB’s CEO and co-founder Tio Jung is of Korean descent.
Some may wonder why you would purchase this car seat for travel in addition to the car seat you already have at home. Just think about what you are going to do when you take an Uber somewhere, need a car seat, and then you’re in a new place lugging your car seat around with you while trying to explore; this car seat will make all of that much easier! It’s also handy as a carseat for a second car, or to leave with another caregiver on babysitting duties.
Best Travel Stroller: Summer Infant 3D Mini Umbrella Stroller
regular price $70
We got the Summer Infant 3D Mini used for $20 and it’s not too shabby. It’s very light and compact and can be slightly reclined in case a nap is in order. It’s not the most ergonomic stroller, but it does the trick while traveling and has accompanied us on paved hikes from Oʻahu to Versailles!
If you’re looking for (and willing to pay for) a travel stroller with more storage capacity and one-handed foldability, the BBA hive mind suggests the Babyzen YOYO2 ($500), the Zoe Traveler ($249), and the Nuna Pipa trvl ($450) strollers.
Best Travel High Chair: Inglesina Fast Table Chair
regular price $89
Never again will you stay at an Airbnb or go to a restaurant and be without a high chair. The compact and washable Inglesina Fast Table Chair easily clips onto most tables and folds into a suitcase or backpack with ease.
I’ve tried a few different brands and the Inglesina Fast Table Chair was by far the easiest to use, felt the most secure, and the simplest to clean. It also allows your baby/toddler to sit at the table with you like a big kid so you can enjoy your meals together (without a baby on your lap).
Collapsible Wagon
regular price ~$110
We’ve brought the Mac Sports Collapsible Outdoor Utility Wagon with us on the plane instead of a stroller. Throw all of your luggage, gear, and car seats in the wagon while you check-in for your flight, then check in the wagon for free as your stroller.
Once you arrive at your destination, you can use the wagon as a stroller to carry your kids and gear.
Dry Bags
regular price ~$23+
Just in case you need a place to stash wet or puked-on clothes, these cute dry bags will do just the trick. We’ve been using these dry bags ever since our cloth-diapering days.
Keep a large one one handy for dirty laundry while traveling or at home, and a smaller one in your diaper bag.
Reusable Hand Warmers
~$80+
Ditch the Hot Hands and opt for a natural hand warmer made of beaver fur. Handmade by Indigenous artisans in Fort Smith, Canada (Thebacha, Denendeh), these sustainably sourced hand warmers from Indigenous-run Aurora Heat kept us cozy during our run-in with the snow in Nara and Alaska.
They are a great way to support native traditions, and also make great stocking stuffers!
Footrests
on sale for $18; regular price ~$25+
I was looking for a way to make our long-haul plane and car rides more comfortable when I came across a category of inflatable pillows that seemed to fit what I was looking for! In its most basic form, the pillow acts as a footrest while traveling. It can also be tall enough to “extend” your plane seat to be a makeshift bed for the little ones in your life.
We opted for a basic inflatable cube pillow, which seems to be one of the cheaper options available. We brought it with us on a 4-hour red-eye flight to Mexico City and inflated it after take-off, without any qualms from our flight attendants.
My daughter looked enviable (and quite privileged, tbh) rocking her headphones, an eye mask, and her footrest/bed. She was asleep within a few minutes, whereas on our last red-eye it took her half the flight to fall asleep. And, with the footrest weighing in at only a few ounces it will be a mainstay of our travel gear!
Bonus: You Are On Native Land Hats
~$27 Black Friday sale price; regularly $35
Who wants to match?!
We love wearing this comfy dad cap—who says dads get all the cute hats?—by Indigenous-owned and -led Urban Native Era. It packs a simple yet powerful message that we love to share both at home and on our travels: you are on Native land.
Best Baby Carriers
Best Hip Carrier: TushBaby
$55 sale price; regularly $85
A fanny pack with a hip seat! This highly-rated carrying pack allows you to carry baby on your hip without straining your back.
The Tushbaby was a lifesaver for me as our toddler became a walker and wanted to be held, then put down, then held, then put down, over and over and over. With this hip seat you can pick up and carry your baby instantly without having to fiddle with straps.
Conveniently, there are three pockets to stash your keys, phone, and other items so you could also skip a backpack or diaper bag.
Some may think a child-carrying fanny pack is not the “coolest” thing, but honestly, who cares about that anymore! I even got quite a few compliments while carrying our toddler on this seat in New Zealand.
Best Activities to Keep Kids Happy While Traveling
Yoto Mini
sale price $60-$80; regularly $100
Millenial and Gen X parents can relive their .mp3 player memories with this screen-free speaker and audio player, made especially for the littles in your life! The Yoto Mini is especially great for travel (bring headphones!).
Hardly a day goes by without my 7-year-old either waking up to Yoto Radio (specifically the Yoto Daily show hosted by Jake) or falling asleep to its sweet lullaby station. Families can also program Yoto’s special plastic cards that play your choice of music when inserted into the player. I think of them as more convenient cassette tapes that our kid has the autonomy to pop in and out of the player, without having to mess with my phone or another pesky screen.
Boogie Board
$16 sale price; regularly $30
The Boogie Board is an all-in-one tablet and coloring book with markers—but better because it involves zero screen time and no marker mess!
Our kids drew on their boogie boards for hours and we even got into the fun too by playing games with them like tick-tac-toe. Our oldest was so proud of the portraits she drew of us.
At their wit’s end on their flight to Paris, Jelly and her partner started drawing pictures on the Boogie Board and had their little one guess, keeping her occupied for a good half an hour.
Melissa & Doug Water Wow
$20 sale price; regularly $24
Let your little one pass the time with mess-free Water Wow: a small magical book with a paintbrush included.
Just add water to the paintbrush, then paint have your little one “paint” to their heart’s content to see the images magically appear on the page. There are also games on the back (“how many crabs can you find?”).
Melissa & Doug Scratch Art Doodle Pad
$6.20 sale price; regularly $9
These scratch pads by Melissa & Doug are a great hit with the littles ones in our lives, and perhaps for the adults, too! There’s something satisfying about scratching the surface of the paper to reveal beautiful rainbow colors underneath.
Coloring Books & Blank Notebooks
free+
Sometimes all you need to keep a kid occupied are a few pieces of paper and some coloring pens, pencils, or crayons. These gifts are inexpensive, allow for free play and give you space to mix up the activities.
We like to trace hands, play “restaurant,” draw mazes, play tic-tac-toe, and much more. The options are endless with a blank notebook.
Nursing Accessories for Travel
Best Nursing Cover: Cocoon
regularly $100
My favorite nursing covers are those that look like you’re wearing something you might normally wear, i.e., the scarf kind of nursing covers!
These allow you to wear the cover around your neck if you need, pull them down when you need them, and pack away small if you don’t. The colors are simple and beautiful, and the fabric soft and stretchy. I’ve also put this cover on to keep baby and me warm when I forgot a jacket!
Check out the Cocoon from Amma, a sweet company who used the innovative 1980’s nursing cover design from the owners’ Italian mother/mother-in-law to create a breathable and stylish nursing cover.
Nursing Pads
$8 sale price; regularly $18
Nursing pads are a must when your milk comes in and continue to be necessary as long as you have a heavy flow.
Amma organic nursing pads protect your bra if you have a letdown before you actually nurse, or if you’re nursing on one