I’ve done a fair amount of work travel with me and a baby. Traveling with no other adult is hard mode, but it is doable. Most recently N and I went to the UK for some work meetings before Jeff and the big kids joined us.
Carrying enough stuff for you and a baby is hard on the back — I’d be more reluctant if I had back trouble. If you want to minimize the amount of hauling you do, stay in places with elevators or minimal stairs, and use taxis rather than public transit. Strangers are often happy to help, too.
A jetlagged baby is no fun with two parents, and even less fun with one. If you need to hold your baby on the flight, you may not be able to sleep. And if you’ve crossed time zones, your baby may be up at odd hours once you arrive. You may want to arrive a day earlier than usual to let you both recover.
See also: the childcare guide for childcare at your destination.
Stuff I bring:
Travel crib. A pack ’n play is convenient for keeping at the grandparents’ house or travel by car, but it’s very heavy for air travel. We got the Phil & Ted’s Traveler, which seems to be discontinued. It was the lightest but a hassle to assemble and disassemble — if you really want something that’s not too big or heavy and can go inside a suitcase, it might be worth getting a used one. There are a bunch of others, but I’m not sure if it’s feasible to pack them inside a suitcase.
If you normally cosleep, maybe you won’t bring a crib. Cosleeping away from home can be more difficult — it may not be easy to set up the bed as you usually do so the baby doesn’t fall down next to the wall or off the edge.
For a baby who’s not yet crawling, you might not need a crib. On one early trip with A, I had her sleep on a folded up towel on the floor. This meant I could lie down next to her, nurse her to sleep, and then get into my own bed.
Portable high chair. This is the same one we use all the time; it’s a Fisher Price high chair / booster that buckles onto any normal chair. This isn’t essential, because you could hold the baby while they eat, but it’s convenient to have a place for them to sit and mess around with some food while you have your hands free to eat.
Baby carrier. I’ve never traveled with a stroller; it didn’t seem worth having another item to transport, but I see a lot of parents with them in airports so I guess some people like them. The carrier means the baby can sleep wherever we are, and I can have my hands free. If you can breastfeed in the carrier, even better because the baby can eat as you’re navigating the airport, etc. Carrying the baby centered on your body is easier on your back than carrying them in the carseat. Plus it’s good for walking / sightseeing at your destination.
Carseat. For Ubers and such. Also provides a place to set the baby down, have them nap, etc.
Feeding stuff.
If I’m going to have the baby the whole time, I just breastfeed and there’s no stuff needed. If someone else is going to be feeding her, I bring:
Bottlefeeding stuff. Two bottles. Formula if using. If staying in a hotel that won’t have a kitchen, I also bring a bowl to wash things in, a travel-sized shampoo bottle filled with dish soap, a dish brush, and a dish towel to dry things on.
Pumping stuff. I bring a rechargeable battery-powered pump rather than a more serious plug-in pump. A lot of places you want to pump while traveling (like bathroom stalls) don’t have an outlet. Here’s a double one; there are also single ones like this. Or you could use a manual pump or Haakaa type pump, which are slower and more work but don’t need power at all.
Diaper bag. With diaper kit, a few toys, and a couple of changes of baby clothes.
Enough diapers and wipes to last until you go to a store. On shorter trips if it’s going to be inconvenient to go to stores, I often bring enough for the whole trip.
For babies eating solid food, a little not-too-messy snack food. I bring a baggie of cheerios, which can keep a baby occupied on the plane for a while. Bibs and a baby spoon or two.
A large pack of wipes has enough liquid that it sets off the scanner in airport security – they might be better in a checked bag.
Electronics
If you’re traveling where wall current is a different voltage (e.g. between the US at 110 volts and the UK at 230 volts) your electronics may not work right. If your device has a range printed on the plug that includes the voltage where you are, it should be fine. If not, you may fry your device like I just did with our baby monitor chargers. You can get a voltage converter, which is not the same as a plug adapter. But converters are bigger, so I’d probably try to do without whatever the device is.
Other stuff
Stuff in case the baby gets sick. I bring a thermometer, fever reducer, and a nose suction thing.
Large ziplock bags. For dirty diapers, dirty baby clothes, pump parts.
Because I’m wearing the baby basically anytime we’re outdoors, if the weather is cool I bring a jacket big enough to wear around both of us. I got a too-big jacket for this.
How I pack it:
The travel crib parts go in the bottom of the suitcase. You can also pack it in its own bag, but I find it easier to put the pieces loose in the suitcase. This works with a very small travel crib, but I’m not sure if it works with larger ones.
Pack clothes or other soft stuff in the hollow parts of the high chair. High chair goes into the suitcase. Then pack everything around it.
When walking around, e.g. in the airport, I wear the baby in the carrier on my front and a backpack on my back. Diaper bag/purse over one shoulder. The carseat handle loops over the handle of the suitcase, and I pull the rolling suitcase behind me. This leaves one hand free.
Airplane tips
The bassinet offered by many airlines is hit or miss. My first baby wouldn’t sleep in it, though I think my current baby would be more amenable. The Aer Lingus one was literally a cardboard box filled with pillows. If you go for a seat with a bassinet, it will be a bulkhead seat so you won’t be able to keep a bag under the seat in front of you. So you may need to keep your personal item / diaper bag in the overhead locker, which isn’t easy to reach while also holding a baby. Other people including the flight attendant will usually help you out if you ask.
The flight attendants will usually help you out if they realize you’re alone with the baby, including possibly holding the baby while you use the bathroom.
Even if you don’t buy a second seat on the airplane, you can usually bring the carseat onto the plane. If there’s an empty seat next to you the baby can often sit there, and sometimes flight attendants will move you to a spot next to an empty seat. They will sometimes want to check if the seat is FAA approved and has the words “This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft” (even though the alternative is your lap, which seems obviously less secure).
Good luck!
For what it’s worth, yes, a pack and play flies fine in a large rolling duffel. That’s my preferred approach. I also much prefer having a stroller in the airport – how do you handle cleanup after a diaper change solo without one?
I put the mat on the floor, change the baby on the mat, use hand sanitizer, put the baby in the carrier, go wash hands properly if needed.
It looks like the pack and play is 22 lbs vs 6 for the traveler crib – I don’t think I’d want to navigate hotel stairs, etc with an extra duffel since I already feel maxed out with a large suitcase, backpack, diaper bag, and baby. But maybe more doable if you only stay in places that are wheelchair accessible (I’ve stayed in some older hotels recently.)