Since we’ve been doing lots of traveling since Zayd was born it was important to us to be able to travel as lite as possible. Here are some products that we found essential and very practical while on the move. Enjoy!
For a list of 5 of my favorite baby sleep products click here.
PHIL & TEDS TRAVEL COT
This is the perfect travel cot for anyone who wants the lightest most compact infant bed out there. Traveling is so much easier when you can pack up the baby’s bed and fit it into a suitcase as opposed to it being an extra piece of luggage like most cots on the market. We’ve been using this playpen since Zayd was 10 months old. It’s pretty long as well so you can use it for a good amount of time (Unless you’ve got a little basketball player!). You can also take this cot to the beach or use it outside at parks or in a backyard. The company recently came out with a traveller bassinet accessory that would be really useful for smaller babies who need to be higher up and closer to you in bed.
PROS
- This is one of the lightest travel cots at the market weighing less than your child at only 6 lbs!
- It comes with a self inflating mattress that rolls up really compact which is very convenient. (We also like to add Zayds nest on top of it for some extra padding and comfort).
- The sides which are made of mesh allowing for airflow, zip down in case you want to lay next to your child to nurse him or comfort him to sleep.CONS
- It takes a few minutes to put together, but once you get the hang of it it’s not too bad (Waseem is officially a pro!).
- I sometimes wish there was the option of having the mesh sides covered up so Zayd wouldn’t see us in bed next to him for example.
PHIL & TEDS LOBSTER HIGH CHAIR
The Phil & Teds lobster high chair is a great product. We have been using it ever since Zayd could sit up on his own and he’s absolutely loved sitting at the table with us ever since. While traveling in Asia we found that it was really hard to find restaurants that provide high chairs. This made it pretty inconvenient to go out to eat and made it hard for Mom and Baba to enjoy our meals running after Zayd the whole time. This chair was a life saver for us!
PROS
- It fold down flat and comes with a convenient carry case, making it easy to take out to restaurants or Grandma and Grandpas house.
- This chair can also be used at home as an everyday high chair since it clips right on to the table. Kids love sitting at the table with you during mealtime.
CONS
- It is not machine washable, which we found to be extremely inconvenient. Our chair got so messy when we were away and we like to let Zayd feed himself, and even after trying to hand wash it I couldn’t get it as clean as I would have liked it. (Note: I eventually threw it in the washing machine (no dryer) and it came out spotless and as if it were brand new. Not sure why they don’t want you to put it in the machine but I will definitely be doing that from not on)
- It comes with a plastic removable tray that we found to be kind of useless since you attach it after the chair is hooked on to the table. Zayd quickly figured out how to remove it and throw it on the floor and that was that.
- The chair unfortunately doesn’t fit on all tables (only ones where the lip hangs out far enough and is wide enough for the chair). We sometimes had to check the tables at restaurants before we could eat there.
BABYZEN YOYO STROLLER
We love love love our babyzen yoyo and couldn’t have imagined doing the amount of travel we did without it! I was so lucky to find this stroller at a second hand store being sold for a fraction of the price (they obviously didn’t know what it was worth!). We gave it a good scrub, purchased some new fabric for it and voila we had our brand new yoyo ready to take on our trip! (I don’t think we would have been able to afford one otherwise and I pride myself for finding it – well my cousin Nour was actually the one who pointed it out to me – and consider it one of the best deals I ever got!)
PROS
- The babyzen yoyo’s most popular feature is the fact that it can fold down so small to fit in the overhead compartment of an airplane. This is a really awesome feature, and we’ve used it several times, my only issue is that airlines still haven’t received the memo that this stroller can be placed in the overhead and more than once we were asked to leave it at the door of the plane. Not anymore, we’ve since learned our lesson. We make sure to fold it up before we get to the gate (so the airline employees don’t even see we have it) and hide it in it’s carry bag. When the staff ask us if we have a stroller it’s a quick nope! haha Works every time!
- A parent with his or her hands full can easily close or open this stroller with one hand! It’s actually pretty amazing. Almost like a magic trick!
- The stroller had a big zippered pocket under the handle which is really convenient for phones, wallets, keys or even baby essentials if you don’t want to take a diaper bag out.
CONS
- The sunshade unfortunately doesn’t go out far enough and I always feel like poor Zayd’s cooking in the sun.
- We purchased the parasol thinking it would solve the short sunshade issue and actually decided that it’s actually one of their poorest accessories. I found that it’s really difficult to keep Zayd shaded with it. It can be attached to either side so I guess the idea is that you move it around based on where the sun is, but I found this to be extremely inconvenient especially if I’m walking down the street and he’s shaded and then I turn the corner and he’s in the sun again. I actually wish I looked up the reviews before I bought it. I later found that the reviews for the umbrella are pretty bad everywhere. It’s not cheap either!
- We were lucky enough to buy the yoyo used but it definitely is one of the most expensive lightweight umbrella strollers out there. Not sure a lot of people would buy one as a second stroller but I’ve seen some people use it as their only stroller as it can can be used from birth with the bassinet attachment.
ELLA’S KITCHEN ORGANIC FOOD PACKS
This is the BEST baby food on the market hands down! It tastes delicious (Yes, I’ve tried almost all of them!) and uses only organic ingredients. They don’t put anything extra in the packs but wholesome goodness. Zayd loves any packet of food I give him from Ella’s Kitchen but will outwardly reject other brands we’ve tried. We stocked up on these while in Jeddah and actually took around 30 of them with us to Asia. Lifesavers is an understatement!
PROS
- All organic ingredients with no extra additives. This makes their products easy to feed to your little one with peace of mind knowing he’s not getting junk.
- Ella’s kitchen has lots of options from packs of just fruit or veggies, to textured meal packs like beef stew and spaghetti with meat sauce to toddler granola bar like snacks.
- They even make products for kiddies with special diets like gluten and lactose free and vegetarian. I imagine that’s got to be really awesome for parents who struggle feeding kids who can only eat certain things.
No cons except that these products might be a little hard to find since they are from the UK.
BUMKINS REUSABLE SNACK BAGS
These snack bags are really great. I love all the different colors and patterns they come in and the various sizes options. Perfect for small snacks like crackers or raisins and some sizes can even fit a sandwich. You can really use them for anything, even diapers, wipes or toys. What I love most about them is the material makes them easy to clean since they are machine washable as well as dishwasher safe! Needless to say, we used these in all our travels.
BUMKINS BIBS
Bumkins also makes the best bibs. They’re made out of the same material the snack bags are made out of so they can also be popped into the washing machine. They offer a few different sizes that can grow with your child. And of course the patterns and colors they use can’t be beat!
MUNCHKIN MIRACLE 360 SIPPY CUP
If you’re going to invest in one sippy cup to rule them all, this is the one! We only have one and we take it absolutely everywhere with us. Munchkin makes a bunch of different sizes and colors. They even make some with handles and some without.
PROS
- The fact that there’s no spout and your child can drink from anywhere around the rim (simply tilt the cup and suck on the valves edge) supports dental health and is dentist recommended.
- The cup automatically seals when the child stops drinking meaning no spills! (Except if your kid’s anything like Zayd and likes to let us know hes done with his drink by flinging his cup halfway across the room!)
- Easy to clean in the dishwasher and easy for little hands to hold.
No cons, just lots of love for this great cup!
THINKBABY SUN BLOCK
Finally on the list is our favorite sunblock. We used this on Zayd as well as on ourselves. This is one of the safest, if not the safest, sunblocks on the market. It’s free of harmful chemicals found in most other sunblocks, is not tested on animals and won more awards than any other sun care line! It’s a little on the pricier side but is totally worth it in our opinion. We love that it comes in stick form as well, making it really easy to apply to Zayd’s face without a fuss. Oh, and it smells really great too!
Hope you enjoyed my favorite baby travel products. For a list of 5 of my favorite baby sleep products click here.
Bohemiano Arabiano 