Traveling around China for a month with Noey was a dream come true. Here are all of the things we packed for the trip! All of the things below are most helpful for a 0-6 month old baby. In total, we checked in two large suitcase and brought on a carryon, a diaper bag, a backpack for our electronics, and the stroller.
What We Packed
Big Items
- Travel stroller – After months and months of research (Ke and I have never been so picky about a purchase before) we settled on the Babyzen Yoyo w/the bassinet attachment. This stroller is very expensive but we found a Black Friday deal and justified the cost because this will be our one and only stroller as Noey ages. I think it’s the perfect stroller for traveling with an infant. Noey loved sleeping in the bassinet, it folds up small enough to fit in the overhead, and also has a carseat attachment.
- Carseat – After deciding on a stroller, we then chose on the Nuna Pipa as our infant carseat. We chose this carseat because of how easy it is to install with and without the base and because there was an adaptor for the stroller. I think it’s the perfect carseat to travel with because it’s relatively light and is easy to secure without the base. The Nuna Pipa has a latch in the back for the top loop of the seatbelt which makes securing it in a taxi for example extremely fast and easy.
- Travel bassinet – for our trip to China, we stayed with family and in Airbnbs so we needed to bring a travel bassinet with us. Since we were traveling with Noey at a young age, we were able to make do with a smaller travel bassinet that fit in our suitcase. We bought this about a month early and got her used to sleeping in it before the trip.
- Baby carrier – the smallest of the “big items” was our baby carriers. Ke and I LOVE babywearing so we brought two carriers – the Ergo Baby Omni 360 and the Sakura Bloom Scout carrier. Both are a bit pricey but we got the Ergo Baby with our baby registry completion discount and the Scout from a sample sale.
Daily Essentials
- Medicine (Zantac, Gas Drops, baby Tylenol, and Vitamin D) + syringes
- Nosefrida + nose spray
- Toiletries bag (brush, nail clippers, thermometer)
- Pacifiers + clips
- Small toys + 2 books
- Diaper cream
- Teether
- Bibs and burp clothes
- Baby lotion for dry skin/eczema
- White noise machine
- Washcloths
- My go to cleaner for blowouts
Clothing
- Halo sleep sack
- 2-3 pairs of pants
- 6-7 onesies and foot pajamas
- Favorite cute outfits
- Headbands and hats
- 2-3 jackets
- Socks
Things for Feeding
The main reason why I wanted to breastfeed (besides the health benefits) was the ease it’d allow for travel. I also wanted to give others a chance to feed her so I brought the following:
- Pump – I have the spectra S1 thanks to a generous friend. I highly recommend this one over the S2 since its battery powered and more portable. (I honestly only used it once so could have probably saved space and not brought it)
- 2-3 Bottles – Typically we cycle through 4-5 bottles between pumping, storing, and feeding but I wanted to bring as little as possible.
- Milk bags – I use the Lansinoh milk bags. I like pumping directly into them as well to save on bottle cleaning
- Bottle brush – love this brush. This is something I felt was easier to bring vs. buying there.
- Nursing tanks and bras – my favorite nursing tanks are these from H&M and my favorite nursing bras are these from Amazon. I bought a more expensive nursing bra but never used it and actually thought these cheaper ones were more comfy for me.
- Nursing cover – I love this multi-use cover from Copper Pearl. I get so many compliments on it haha.
- Nursing pads – my favorite nursing pads are also from Lansinoh.
Things we bought in China
- Diapers
- Wipes
- Additional clothes
- Baby wash
- Laundry detergent – (all the Airbnbs ended up providing this)
Flying Tips
How to Get a Bassinet (w/United)
When purchasing tickets to Asia from SFO, we went with United. To get a bassinet on a flight you first need to reserve bulkhead seats – but these seats tend to be at the Economy Plus fare. To avoid the extra costs, I booked regular economy seats and then called customer service right after booking. United upgraded us to the bulkhead seats for free and reserved a bassinet for me.
Once we boarded, I immediately requested a bassinet from the flight attendant. They were a bit slow with providing it but after the first meal service they brought it. I was expecting the bassinet that attaches to the wall in front of the bulkhead seat but United sometimes has floor bassinets. It did the job just fine though! We were able to get her to nap in it twice. On the flight back we got the bassinet that attaches to wall and I preferred that one more.
Gate Checking
For this trip we decided to bring the stroller on the plane with us and gate check the infant car seat. We used this bag for gate checking because it was super light and folds up into a small bag and bought this bag for our stroller. The stroller bag was SO helpful when traveling around China. It made it easy for us to travel around touristy areas with steps or train stations for example.
* This post contains affiliate links to products I purchased. If you use these links to make a purchase, I receive a commission.
