Autumn 7.5 month packing list

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow, we get to fly to Geneva. (Sorry robbers, we do have guests staying in our home.) We’re in that last minute packing frenzy for our trip. One major change from our last trip to Geneva (at 3.5 months) and even our recent trip to Los Angeles (at 6.5 months) is that Ayo will be staying with mamie and papi for three days. That involves a fair amount of extra logistics, since he’s still nursing five times in a 24hr period at this point. We’re going to risk transporting some frozen milk blocks to supplement pumping before our trip to the UK. If you have ever seen how fast breast milk defrosts, you’ll understand how complex it is to transport milk! After a bit of research, we found out that yes, we could fly with dry ice to protect the milk, but we’d have to report it to the airline and to TSA. Seemed like a hassle, so we’re attempting to transport the blocks on blue ice inside two small coolers. It’s cold in all places we travel from and to, so we’ll just hope for the best.

There is still a lot to do (including making some baby food for tomorrow’s journey and packing my own clothes), so I will keep this post short. Here is our autumn/winter packing list for our 7.5 month old, traveling to Europe. It may not look like it, but we’re taking far less over than last time.

Inside baby’s carry-on size suitcase (checked luggage)

Clothing essentials

  • 2 short-sleeved onesies
  • 4 trousers
  • 3 one piece long sleeve bodysuits
  • 4 overalls / dungarees
  • 5 long sleeve onesies
  • 5 warm pyjamas
  • 3 pair socks
  • 3 sweaters
  • 1 warm hat
  • 1 borrowed baby jacket
  • 1 pair of baby shoes (because mamie is probably going to get him to crawl when we’re gone, snif)

Personal care essentials

  • enough disposable diapers for 5x changes per day because cheaper to buy them here (we’re not bringing cloth this time)
  • 1 baby bath & body sample (easier than taking whole bottles!) and 1 lotion sample
  • 1 baby toothbrush and 1 baby toothpaste for his two teeth (we can’t afford any more dental work)
  • 1 nail clippers
  • 1 thermometer
  • 1 pack of wipes
  • 1 tiny little newborn washcloth for bath time
  • Pump pieces, tubing, flanges and pump
  • 1.5 days’ worth of breastmilk

Non-essentials that we decided to bring and why

  • 1 stroller rain cover – cause rain is likely in Northern Europe
  • 1 travel crib sheet – so Ayo can have sleep on something familiar
  • 1 9oz bottle for feedings with mamie and papi
  • 1 sippy cup for familiarity
  • 5 milk storage bags – to store milk for bottle
  • Grains: millet and brown rice – because I have them on hand. Will save mamie purchasing them
  • 3 cloth bibs – because mamie requested not to be left with just the plastic travel one
  • 1 travel booster chair – for meals at mamie and papi’s home (or anywhere else for that matter).

Inside the diaper bag (hand luggage for 16 hours of air travel)

  • 9 disposable diapers (because you never know where you or your bags might get stranded)
  • 3 diaper rash samples
  • 1 burp cloth
  • 1 travel bib, spoon and baby food
  • 1 pack of wipes
  • 1 pack anti-bacterial wipes
  • mini waste bags
  • 1 muslin blanket (for nursing or to help Ayo sleep in bassinet)
  • safety pins (to pin blanket over bassinet – sis’ idea)
  • 2 spare outfits (in case of blowouts)
  • 1 small wet-bag for dirty laundry
  • 1 pair baby socks
  • 1 sleep sack
  • 3 toys (two are “new”, borrowed from Ayo’s aunt “Tia” and tata Rachel who think he is bored with his current selection)
  • 1 tiny wash cloths for messy faces
  • 1 travel-size hand sanitizer for mama
  • 1 mama’s phone, wallet, pen, book, contact lense solution, glasses case, empty water bottle – to fill up after security
  • 1 extra tee-shirt for mama, just in case 🙂
  • several chocolatey snacks for a breastfeeding mama (will share with papa if needed)

4 thoughts on “Autumn 7.5 month packing list

  1. Please share how it went traveling with the frozen breastmilk! I don’t know when you are going back again, but hopefully you will be able to pump while you are there and leave the milk in your parents’ (I assume that would be Mamie and Papi?) freezer for next time? I pumped and left some frozen in my parents’ freezer the first time I went back to visit my folks and it was sooo nice to go back the next time and know that I had a little stash there already.

    1. I had to bring over about 1.5 days’ worth. I would never have been able to pump the remainder of the milk in four days to cover our absence. The milk was not 100% frozen but still about the consistency of sorbet so I just refroze. Not ideal, but better than the alternative. One was thawed but cold, so we used that one upon arrival and I pumped. And pumped after every feeding. By the way, solids + BF + pumping is the pits. Actually, just pumping is the pits. It would be LOVELY to have some remaining as we’ll be back here at the end of the month. Grog (see jetlag post).

  2. Wow indeed pretty good on the packing!! You must of been sick at pumping! Manual or electric? I used both & prefer electric even if it is a “lil” weird and clunky it’s so much more faster and you don’t get a cramp of pushing! lol
    I guess you’re going to express your milk while in Enlgand?

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