Bringing baby on a trip is inevitable and lets face it, they come with lots of stuff. On our recent trips to Seattle and the Sunshine Coast, we realised there were only a handful of items that were really essential, some that made life easier and others were just add on's. Sleep; At 3 months, the bassinet was all we needed. Which was perfect since it was on the stroller, then on a rocker at our destination. At 10 months we opted for the Guava Travel Crib, currently the lightest one on the market and packs up small enough to pass for carry on luggage. Nice and compact. I used it daily in the home too as a play pen when I needed a safe place for baby to hang out in, so it was worth the cash in the end. The good thing is it's a familiar space so when babies environment changes, the crib offers a bit of comfort. It also has a handy zip front to allow baby to crawl in and out as they please during supervised playtime. We also brought along the baby monitor which was so helpful in allowing baby to sleep peacefully in one room while we enjoyed the evening in another. Eat; There are a few clip on high chairs on the market, one of the more popular being the Lobster by Phil&Ted. A lesser known version, also by Phil&Ted under their Mountain Buggy brand is the Pod Portable chair. It's half the weight of the lobster, at only 1kg, making it easy to slip into a suitcase without adding a lot of extra weight. While it doesn't suit all tables, it suits enough to make it worthwhile. Clip it onto the breakfast bar in your rental home for easier mealtimes. Travel; For day to day getting around and sightseeing, you can't avoid the stroller. There's a few good options for light weight umbrella style strollers, but as of now, we've stuck to our Uppababy Vista for the handy storage space, ease of use and padded travel bag we invested in for plane trips. You'll want to gate check the stroller anyway so may as well make the most of it. We also can't get around without our baby carrier. Not only does it keep our ever growing baby engaged with the environment and entertained, it's nice when you want to move about with less stuff and if baby needs a nap. Forget bringing a stroller to the farmers market, pushing past people between stalls can get difficult at the best of times. We use the Ergo 360 since it'll last for a few years and helps me walk the dog with ease. There's plenty of others out there, but do a little research on hip dysplasia first to make sure you're not unintentionally injuring your baby, especially if they'll spend a lot of time strapped to you in their developmental months. Not every carrier designed with this in mind. You'll also want something ergonomic to save your own back! Other; You'll want to bring along a few of baby's favourite toys, feeding essentials, diapering needs, sleep sack and clothes of course. We accidentally left our baby clothes bag at home on one short trip and soon realised we didn't need half the stuff we so carefully packed! A quick trip to the local thrift shop had her in enough clothes to get through the weekend without breaking the bank. There's a lot to consider when traveling with a baby, where to sit on a plane to make use of a bassinet, feeding upon take off to help their ears, bringing baby milk on board, entertainment, packing a car effectively and more. So hopefully these are just a few ideas to make the trip a little easier. Bon Voyage!