This is the final post for this series on my Favorites for Fourth Trimester and Beyond! Last but not the least, these are my favorites items for travel and getting around day to day with baby. The items below are probably the biggest investments we made in preparation for baby because it involved safety, comfort, and convenience. One of our priorities is getting around easily, whether by plans, trains, or automobiles, since we have to travel to see our families. Here we go!
Stroller/car seat
For our stroller/car seat pair, we went with the Nuna Demi Grow and the Nuna Pipa Lite RX (the Lite version is now discontinued, so linking the regular Pipa!). There are so many good strollers out there, and I narrowed it down to the UPPAbaby Vista or the Nuna Demi Grow. I chose these strollers because they both convert to doubles with just an additional seat. We ultimately chose the Nuna over the UPPAbaby simply because Patryk liked the look of the Nuna more. I was gonna be happy with either option! The Nuna rides so smoothly, and is easy to collapse and stow away. Just like the Vista, it’s also just as easy to switch between our carseat or the regular stroller seat. The quality of the stroller is just top-notch. We have zero regrets, and we love our Nuna so much! One note about the Demi Grow is that they updated it to the Demi Next in 2024, so that one has even more features than the Demi Grow and I would have loved to have that one especially with the rider board addition.
For our car seat, we were definitely set on the Nuna Pipa Lite RX, regardless of our stroller. It was one of the lightest car seats in the market, and Nuna has great safety ratings. The feature I love the most about our car seat, which was a big factor in purchasing it, is being able to use it without a base. We only have one car, but we will be traveling regularly to visit family. So we need to be able to travel with it without having to take the base. The Pipa Lite RX’s flexibility makes it so convenient. Nuna also has the Urbn baseless car seat – worth checking out!
10/10 would recommend both products for sure!
Diaper bag
This is another purchase that is not “necessary” to get the nicer things. However, I am picky with my bags. I’m not a purse girl, so if I get a bag, it better look great and go with all of my outfits (and my husband’s in this case)! I wanted a diaper bag that will work for both of us so we didn’t need to repack every time. We also wanted one that will be great for our day to day with baby, as well as travel with.
We got a Mina Baie Kinney backpack for our diaper bag. As much as I would prefer to gatekeep this brand, I do have to share about it. Mina Baie is a brand that specifically designs diaper bags for every mom (parent, in general), for every phase of parenthood. My words, not theirs. I am so obsessed with their bags, I bought two more since I gave birthš They’re not cheap bags, but in my opinion very affordable. They’re well-priced for the quality you get. Besides the beautiful-looking bags and great quality, I love Mina Baie’s organization system the most. Their bags come with so many thought-out pockets to help you stay organized, and their bags fit so much! They also have multiple bag options that have a trolley pass-through for your suitcase, so it’ll be great to travel with. They come in leather, vegan leather, and nylon materials. My best friend (who I match so many things with) has an identical diaper bag and she bought it months before I got mine. Her bag has held up really well. She uses and abuses it way more than I do mine too! 10/10!
Baby Carrier
We have three carriers. I know. I kept minimal with everything baby-related, except for this category apparently. As I research the carriers, I kept seeing parents with multiple kinds. I always thought why would I need more than one!? I can see why I can have two, but three?!!?
Wrap: Sollybaby
The first carrier I purchased was the Sollybaby wrap. I got it because I didn’t want to splurge on a bigger carrier right away, especially with a tiny baby that would just get swallowed by the carriers that last until toddlerhood! I also wanted to figure out what my needs were from a carrier before investing in one. I’m really glad I made that move because I loved my Solly. I don’t use it at the moment, but I can see myself using it again in the summer since it’s so lightweight and breathable, and it’s so soft! 10/10 especially for a newborn!
Structured Carriers: Ergobaby Omni Breeze and Embrace
I was originally set on the Nuna CUDL Clik when I was putting my registry together and after trying it on, but somehow I was swayed last minute! Haha. Then it took me a long time to decide between two brands: BabyBjorn or Ergobaby. Ultimately, I decided on the Ergobaby Omni Breeze and got the Ergobaby Embrace for free! Like most carriers that are for newborn to toddler, all three brands have so many straps and buckles. The Nuna one has velcro which I was really into. They’re all bulky carriers, but we knew it came with wanting one that could last us longer, until Katerina is older. The three brands I looked at were all great, so you really can’t go wrong with any of them. I recommend going to the store and trying them on though!
I couldn’t decide between Ergobaby and BabyBjorn, but on the day I was ordering them, I saw the Omni Breeze came with a free Embrace. Patryk really wanted me to order a carrier that day, and I thought it was more bang for my buck. Also, this way, we’ll have two to choose from in case the Omni Breeze didn’t work for us. Love and use both equally, to be honest. If I’m taking a carrier with me and need to pack it in a bag, I go with the Embrace since it’s less bulky and softer-structured. If I’m baby-wearing as I leave the house, or when it’s cold, I go for the Omni Breeze. It has more cushion and it just looks like it will be warmer for Katerina when we’re out and about. 10/10 recommend both my structured carriers!
Portable sound machine
Definitely not a necessity for some, but it’s been really helpful for us! We use the Hatch Rest Go, which is the rechargeable, portable version of our Hatch Rest sound machine at home. The portable version came out just before I gave birth too, so it was great timing. There’s many good options out there (yogasleep and baby shusher are popular ones), but I wanted to match our sound machine at home so we have similar sound options that Katerina will already be familiar with. We use the sound machine as part of her routine after all, so we wanted to stay consistent.
The Rest Go is very affordable at $34.99, and we use it often for naps on-the-go. We even started using it with her when we were at the hospital so she wouldn’t get startled by our loud night nurse! (Our day nurse was great, I loved her. Haha.) It’s been very useful when we go to other people’s houses and she needs to nap. Not to mention how pretty they are!š Overall, very happy with our portable sound machine, especially for the price. 10/10!
Travel Crib/Pack n Play
Our Pack n Play was a long process to decide on, but I’m very happy with what we ended up getting! Before I ramble on, I’ll get to the point and tell you which one we chose. We got the Guava Lotus Travel Crib.
One of my close friends told me that one thing she wishes she invested in sooner was a good pack n play. So I searched and read a lot. When I was putting my registry together, I had the UPPAbaby REMI Play Yard. I was set on it, but we didn’t purchase it right away because we didn’t need one yet. I was definitely not in a rush to purchase a $300 pack n play. Few months in, we booked a flight for a friend’s wedding and I started thinking about how inconvenient it was to check in luggage with a pack n play, gate check a stroller and a car seat, blah blah blah. I wanna be as hassle-free as possible especially when I have my baby! So I started researching again and found the Guava Lotus.
Two main reasons we got the Guava Lotus: It folds into a carry-on size backpack, and it has a bassinet conversion (additional). The bassinet conversion was not a necessity for us, but because the crib doesn’t have a maximum weight limit, the bed was on the floor. We feel better having the baby off the gross hotel floors for as long as possible. It also makes it easier to pick her up and put her down, especially for a short person like me! The first time I used it was at a friends house where we spent pretty much all day. It was so easy for getting around and to assemble, and Katerina napped really well with the Lotus and the Hatch Rest Go combo! We also packed her sleep sack since it’s her cue to go to sleep and is part of her nap routine. 10/10 recommend!
Final Thoughts
What are your must-haves for traveling with baby(ies)? We will be taking Katerina on her first flight this month, and I’m personally pretty excited but also anxious about it. I’m a good traveler, and I’m always prepared. However, even after flying so many times, I know flying with a baby will be a new adventure! After this flight, we plan on doing an international trip to visit family so this will be a good test-run for flying with her, but also for our baby gear. Fingers crossed it will go as smoothly as flying with a baby can go. It will never be perfect; it will be challenging. But we did pick out these items to make it as close to easy as possible!
This post ends my three-part series on my favorite items for the fourth trimester and beyond. I hope this was helpful for you if you are expecting or if you are helping out a friend or family in preparing for their little one! If you have any questions about any of the items I shared, I’m more than happy to chat more so feel free to DM me!
