👶 Travelling with kids Packing List

Family travel with children — Two alternating fever medicines and an insulated tumbler

The most common mistake when packing for Family travel with children is assuming you can just buy it there. In practice the local price is often higher, the standard is different so it does not work, or finding a shop eats half a day. To avoid that, this list breaks 11 items into 3 categories. 10 of them are essentials — without them the itinerary itself is affected — and the remaining 1 is optional, to fit the space you have left.

What defines this destination is Two alternating fever medicines and an insulated tumbler. Reusing the same list for a different country goes wrong exactly there, so it is worth checking per destination.

Essentials at a glance

Full list by category

💊 Children’s health & medicine

  • Two children’s fever medicines (paracetamol and ibuprofen) Essential

    Different active ingredients so the doses can be alternated

  • Contactless thermometer and cooling patches Essential

    For checking a night-time fever and bringing it down fast

  • Children’s bite patches and anti-itch cream Essential

    Choose products formulated for infants

  • Digestive medicine, probiotics and children’s plasters Essential

    Unfamiliar food upsets small stomachs

🍼 Baby care & feeding

  • Cabin-sized folding stroller with a rain cover Essential

    Gate-to-gate at the airport, and for naps once you arrive

  • Disposable bibs and single-serve sterile bottles or baby food Essential

    No washing up while you are away

  • Plenty of nappies and a portable changing mat Essential

    Five or six per day, plus five spare

  • Insulated tumbler (for formula water) Essential

    Hot water on the plane and out sightseeing

🎨 In-flight entertainment & comfort

  • Quiet sticker book or water-reveal book Essential

    For take-off, landing and waiting for food

  • Children’s headphones and a tablet stand Optional

    Volume-limited headphones, and download the videos in advance

  • Three or four changes of clothes and zip-lock bags Essential

    Spills and leaks happen — keep these at the top of the bag

Category notes

💊 Children’s health & medicine — 4 items

On a trip with children, the medicine you packed decides how the rest of the itinerary goes. Dosages differ from adults, so check them in advance.

🍼 Baby care & feeding — 4 items

Many of these are hard to find in the same brand abroad. Work out daily use × number of days, then add a margin.

🎨 In-flight entertainment & comfort — 3 items

These keep a child in reasonable shape on long transfers. For anything that needs a battery, check the charge before you leave.

The order to pack in

Working top to bottom through a list leaves gaps. This order leaves fewer.

  1. Documents and payment first — without these you do not board at all. Check expiry dates and balances at this step, not later.
  2. Anything that needs charging — charge it all the night before and gather the adapters and cables next to the devices.
  3. Separate what you will use in the cabin — once a suitcase is checked you cannot open it until arrival. Pull those items into your carry-on first.
  4. Everything else into the suitcase — heavy items near the wheels keep it stable when you pull it upright.
  5. Re-check only the 10 essentials at the end — going through the whole list again never happens; going through the essentials does.

Packing lists for other destinations

🧳 Check the carry-on and checked baggage rules too · 📰 See all travel tips and entry rules