[trip style = any]

I interrupt my regular TS programming to bring you a little ditty about the bare necessities for traveling light with little stylers {something many people have asked me about given we mostly travel with carry-ons}.

Trip styling around the globe with and without tykes in tow, I've learned a thing or two about what and how to pack. Case in point: In the past two years we've only checked a bag once in 50-or-so flights. Here are the essentials that allow us to travel light with tots:

1. Infant Car Seat + Stroller Combo
Our infant car seat and travel stroller set has logged a bazillion miles. The set is based on an easy-fold umbrella stroller capable of holding our infant car seat for easy-breezy handling. Word to the wise: If you plan on traveling more than once a year, don't bring your at-home stroller on the road. My travel stroller has been punctured and damaged more times than I can count, and if these nicks and pricks happened to my everyday stroller, I'd be an angry styler.

Trip Styler Tip 1: Use your stroller as a high chair if your hotel, restaurant or vacay rental doesn't have one.

Trip Styler Tip 2: Lots of baby-toting travelers swear by baby slings/carriers; they aren't my fave because I have a weak back, though I find their hands-free flex helpful for airports and exploring.

2. Diapers + Wipes + Creams
I've purchased diapers all over the world, so I typically bring a starter pack and buy more when I arrive, but diaper cream and wipes are the TWO things I don't mess with. Bring MORE than you think you'll need of your fave cream {mine is Desitin} and baby wipes, and don't forget yeast cream for your baby's bum—especially if you're going somewhere hot, as it's hard to explain to a pharmacist that your little one has blisters on their bum IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE.

3. Meds
For teething, fevers, colds, and anything else that afflicts little ones, pack a medi-case with items your child might need, for example: Tylenol, Benadryl, teething gel, eye drops...whatever you have used in the past, bring along just in case.

4. Scarf/Burp Blankets
The amount of times I've been spat-up on in-transit is laughable, so I always wear a beautiful and easy-wash scarf that can double as a baby burp cloth. Also, I never leave home without a baby swaddle-blanket for, well, everything, think: wipe mouth, clean up spit-up, feeding shield, etc....

5. BIG Purse {FORGET the ugly diaper bag}
I'm NOT a fan of diaper bags, which is a bold statement considering I have two small stylers in diapers! To save space and maintain a hint of style, I place my diaper bag {a mini football-sized cosmetics case} into my purse. After all, it's not like there's room in lavatories for a giant diaper bag anyway. Plus, a big purse is way more chic than a bulky diaper bag.

6. Diaper Baggies
When Blue Styler was born my friend Lauren gave me a bunch of travel diaper baggies, which have saved my nose and the noses of many others from eau-de-diaper. Buy the bio-degradable version to contain diaper-scent in your hotel room {between cleaning} or changes on the go.

7. Extra Outfits
The amount of times I've had fluids of all sorts on me while trip styling with small ones is laughable, including the time Pink Styler had such an up-the-back explosion that the flight attendant thought I'd spilled coffee on her back {um, NO, it was something else which I had to change...during turbulence in a lavatory without a changing table}. All this is to say: ALWAYS tote an extra outfit for every person in your pack to avoid wardrobe mishaps.

8. Pack 'n Play // Travel Crib
Most hotels have cribs, but if you're traveling to see friends or staying in a vacation rental, you'll need a travel crib or a pack 'n play. Over the past few years, we've brought both. {Our ultra-compact travel crib fits into our carry-ons, while less-compact versions can typically be checked with no extra charge}. From a packing-light perspective, it's easiest NOT to tote a crib, so always check with your accommodation of choice about their crib type and availability. A few months ago we went to Sweden and even though we were staying in an Airbnb, our gracious hosts purchased a pack 'n play-style crib for us to use.

9. Baby Monitor App
Finally, the most important item, to moi, doesn't even take up space in my suitcase! Enter the Cloud Baby Monitor app, a little piece of digital wizardry my friend Caitlin told me about two years ago. Best $3.99 I've EVER spent. The app connects to iPhones/iPads/Macs via WiFi turning two units into a baby monitor with sound and video monitoring, as well as music and white noise. G e n i u s. If you want to peek on your baby at night via the app, it does not have night vision; however, you can use the iPhone's flashlight to illuminate baby for a quick check-in {I don't use this feature often, but it's nice to have}. Finally, this app is a battery-suck; therefore, when using its functions, connect your device to a power source.

[photo by @tripstyler]

9 Essentials for Trip Styling with Tykes

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