Make Family Travel Slightly Less Horrible With This Ultra-Lightweight Gear
Go baby, go.
When you’re traveling with young kids, by the time you get your motor runnin’, you’re usually changing diapers on the side of the highway. The key to successful road, rail, or air travel with your baby is to travel light, always have that stuff handy, and be prepared for any situation. Here are a bunch of products that are specifically designed to let your little explorer sleep, eat, crawl, and ride in comfort through strange and distant lands. (At least, that’s what you call the grandparents’ retirement community in Boca.)
Stop putting your baby in the sock drawer of a Radisson (which, as far as the child services is concerned, is a hypothetical situation) and starting bringing along a crib that isn’t a pain in the ass to set up. The Lotus is lightweight (13 pounds), folds up neatly into a backpack, and has zippable mesh sides. Now you can gaze lovingly at your sleeping baby from the two twin beds that the hotel stuck you with.
From the makers of the longboard stroller comes the super light Yezz. Baby Gear Lab awarded it their top pick for travel, saying “Lightweight AND compact are difficult to find even in an umbrella stroller, yet the Yezz delivers here along with being easy to push, turn, fold, stand, carry, and store.” Wow, show us pictures of your kids BGL.
The 10-inch x 5-inch case is the size of a pack of baby wipes and protects your 4 to 12-year-old kid just like a giant high back booster. The concept is that instead of making your toddler the size of an adult, it makes the seat belt fit a toddler. Nobody has their hands on one (yet), but this should make taxis and carpools about a billion percent less of a hassle — give or take a few hundred million percent.
It’s the “just in case” carrier that you can easily toss into a backpack, briefcase … maybe a valise if you’re traveling by steamer ship. Adventurous Parents took their daughter on a 22 km (roughly a million miles) hiking trip in Banff National Park and this lightweight carrier held up against blowing snow. Although it’s probably good for running to Trader Joe’s, too.
Unless you plan on just hitting restaurants known for their Grand Slam breakfasts, you can’t expect a high chair at every diner, drive-in, and dive when you’re traveling. Save yourself the embarrassment of fashioning a baby sling from napkins and get a chair that easily attached to any sturdy table. Now your kid can squeeze in anywhere without the danger of tipping themselves over. (Not the same as overtipping.)
You want to get out and explore the world while keeping your toddler confined to theirs (sorry kid, just 17 more years of this.) The Navigate is a portable baby gate that you can conform to almost any doorway or opening. It’s about giving you some peace of mind in places that you’re unfamiliar with. Because the last thing you need is your 2-year-old discovering the minibar. (Who pays $10 for M&Ms?!)
Finally, a diaper bag that won’t embarrass anyone in the family. The large interior pouch of the XLR8 holds diapers, wipes, toys, and all the kid’s stuff in a separate compartment from the laptop and tablet pockets. Five smaller pockets corral charging cables, pens, and keys. Insulated side and front pouches keep bottles and food fresh. It also comes with a 7800mAh power bank to keep everything charged. Consider yourself a one-man child-rearing army.
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