What do you need when traveling for adoption? Check out this list of must have when traveling with a newborn.
After you get the call that an expectant mother has chosen you, what do you do to prepare?
If you are anything like me, you quickly start making lists who to call, what to pack, and everything else that is flying through your mind.
You don’t want to pack too much, but also don’t want to leave anything behind.
And if you are flying, you may be limited in what you can bring, or what you want to lug around the airport.
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As I read stories and tips from other adoptive parents, many people said not to pack too much, because there is always a Walmart/Target nearby.
This is probably true for most areas, but our little one was born in the middle of nowhere!
The closest Target was about an hour and a half away, which was not helpful when we needed newborn clothes on day 1 (based on other advice, we only packed ONE newborn outfit).
Luckily, we were able to get diapers and formula from local grocery stores, but did not have clothes for a tiny little one.
After moving to a bigger city a few days after discharge, we were able to get all that we needed after 4 or 5 trips to Target.
You may want to go ahead and make an Amazon Baby Registry.
You don’t have to share it with anyone and there is a setting where you can make it private. It’s a great way to keep everything you need organized.
And Amazon Baby sends a welcome package that is full of goodies.
1. Travel Bassinet
I love this simple bassinet that comes with a carrying case.
It is a little bulky if you are flying, but not too heavy. You could easily include this with your checked luggage too.
2. Ready to Use Formula
Packing the premixed 2 oz. formula and the bottle nipples made traveling with a newborn so much easier.
We didn’t have to wash bottles in hotel sinks and they were great to have in the car as we moved all over Florida.
I have not been able to find the disposable bottle tops in the store, so make sure you order some on Amazon before you leave.
3. Travel Sound Machine
This sound machine is great for the car, hotel room, and anywhere else you go where you need the baby to sleep.
Although you can download a sound machine app, having a travel sound machine makes it so much easier to put near the baby in the car or hotel room, and you can still use your phone.
The sound machine would be great to have on a plane too. You can lower the volume but keep it close enough to your little one for it to still be effective.
4. Moby Wrap
The Moby Wrap was another life saver when we had to stay in Florida for three weeks.
Ones I learned how to use it, I loved it. There are a ton of YouTube videos that show you how.
The Moby Wrap rolls up so it doesn’t take up too much room when packing.
It allowed me to get out of the hotel or AirBnb and go eat, shop, or walk on the beach.
She was wrapped up so close to me, and you could hardly see her face. The Moby helped keep nosy strangers from getting too close.
5. Newborn diapers
You are probably like duh, but we did not pack enough newborn diapers. So many people told us to pack Size 1 and they were WAY too big for Baby B.
Also, I heard many times that the hospital would send items with the baby. This was not true in our case, so don’t depend on that happening.
Next time, we will pack enough newborn diapers for at least a day or two.
6. MICROWAVE STERILIZER BAGS
The microwave sterilizer bags were extremely helpful, because I wanted to sanitize everything!
You can use each bag 20 times and they just go in the microwave, so they were easy to use in the hotel rooms.
The bags are big enough to fit a bottle or two (depending on the size of your bottles) and pacifiers.
7. Boppy Infant Lounger
Some people may think I’m crazy for saying a pillow is necessity, but this was a lifesaver for us.
Baby B did not like to lay flat in her bassinet or be put down anywhere, except for this pillow. She loved to sit in this with us on the couch and it allowed us to eat a hot meal at the same time!
Amazon has some really cute color options in this lounger.
8.NEWBORN OUTFIT FOR A GIRL AND BOY FOR LEAVING THE HOSPITAL
We had packed a few gender neutral outfits that were more for a baby boy, and got a call one our way to Florida that it was a girl!
For a month, we had prepared for a boy, but were thrilled. However, we didn’t bring the best clothing options to bring her home in.
Also, I had no idea it would be freezing in Florida at the time, and none of our clothes were warm enough.
Thankfully, our social worker had something warm enough she could wear home.
We also brought mostly 0-3 month clothes, based on friendly advice, and everything was way too big.
Looking back now, I should have bought a few cute newborn outfits that would work in different temperatures. Some may say this isn’t a necessity, but for me, it would have been nice to have for those first pictures.
9. Boppy Classic Pillow
Again, many people would say this isn’t a necessity, but this Boppy pillow made our time as new parents so much easier.
Baby B only wanted to be held for the first few weeks, so and using the Boppy, we were able to comfortably.
I think typically people use the boppy for nursing, but it makes it easier to bottle feed too.
Also, she STILL uses it today at almost 10 months old, but now she is holding her own bottles.
You will get a lot of use out of this Boppy Pillow.
10. Home study and origional documents
I am so thankful that someone told me to pack our home study documents and all of the originals.
You never know what your agency might need or the ICPC office may request. It’s a good idea to just bring everything with you.
We ran into an issue where ICPC requested a clearer copy of a document. Luckily, I had the originals and I was able to get it to them right away.
Of course we packed a lot more than the 10 items, but tried to only bring the necessities.
And we were thankful that we did not over pack, since we moved hotels about 5 times on our stay. My husband became the master at packing and unpacking the car.
Don’t overthink what you need to take and have fun getting ready to go get your new little one. Most likely, even if you end up in the middle of nowhere like us, you will be able to get anything you need.
And there is always Amazon Prime to the rescue.
You can download a complete packing list from our resource library.
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