THE KNOT HIROSHIMA ｜HOTEL REVIEW
Risa
Okaeri Sweet Home
Travel hack: How to minimize your belongings to travel with 1 year old
Risa
Traveling with an infant or toddler can be quite challenging due to the numerous belongings involved. As a minimalist family, we typically travel with only checked-in luggage to save significant time waiting at the baggage claim at the airport and to minimize the risk of lost luggage.
Today, let me share our latest travel hack for parents, especially on how to minimize the belongings needed for travel. We have learned from some mistakes and improved our approach again and again. We hope that our experience may contribute to making travel with kids easier!
Contents
Tips to minimize your belongings
Bring a disposable item
I typically don’t bring my daily skincare products when traveling. Instead, I bring face masks and leave them at the hotel as disposable items. For my 1-year-old son, we usually use a stick toothbrush at home, but during travel, we simplify things by using toothbrush wipes.
Wash your cloth during your stay
We bring one changing cloth just in case and mostly wash them by hand in the basin during our stay. Baby clothes are small, making them easy to wash and dry. It doesn’t have to be a perfect wash for just a few days.
While hotel laundry services are often expensive, if your accommodation or a nearby facility has a laundry machine, it’s more convenient. However, honestly, hand washing is just fine for me during short stays.
- Hand wash your clothes using whatever soap is available in the hotel room.
- Squeeze the cloth to remove excess water.
- Use bath towels to further absorb excess water.
- Hang the clothes to dry.
Use a travel compression bag
Seriously, using a compression bag is like magic. You can easily find one at a dollar shop in Japan, such as Daiso. I use one for clothes and diapers. Simply place the items in the bag, then squeeze to remove the air. If you’re not great at removing air manually, you can also use a vacuum cleaner.
Check the hotel amenities
If you’re staying at a 5-star hotel, inquire whether they provide baby soap. You can also request a baby crib via email in advance. In my past experiences at Sofitel and Sheraton, they readily supplied baby soap, so I didn’t have to bring my own.
From an environmental perspective, some hotels have eliminated plastic amenities in the bathroom, such as toothbrushes, shavers, and combs. Keep in mind that some hotels may charge for these amenities, so it’s advisable to check their website or contact them directly. Or you can simply bring your own 🙂
Buy at the local store
This time, we bought bananas for my son at the supermarket!
During the early days of traveling as a mom, I used to bring more than enough diapers. I remember feeling a bit stressed about the space they occupied and the challenge of bringing them back home. If you ever run out of baby products, consider buying them at a local supermarket. It’s actually enjoyable to explore what they have, especially in different countries.
Remember, as long as you have your smartphone, house key, and credit card, everything will be fine!
Lists of 2 night 3 days belongings
Backpack
- Passport x 3
- Wallet
- Chapstick
Baby items
- Selected toys x 2
- Banana x 1 ( Eat in the airplane)
- Baby food x 1
- Baby snacks x 2
- A silicone baby bib x１
- A silicone baby plate x 1
- Scissors for baby food x 1
- Ziplock x 1
- Wet wipes x 1
- Sanitization Sheets x 1
Baby Callier
- Changing cloth x 1 set
- Wipers (Almost finished) x 1
- Diapers x 2
- Deodorant bag x 10
- Ziplock x 3
- Water
I highly recommend this baby carrier because it has a spacious pocket for storing many items, and it can also be used as a hip seat. I bought it for just 3500 yen, and we’ve been using it for more than a year now—totally worth the purchase.
As for wipes, I use the Costco brand. When there are about 15 sheets left in one pack, I keep it aside for traveling. Ziplock bags are very useful for containing not only diapers but also snacks and other trash.
On board luggage
Toiletries
- Baby soap and Moisturizer
- Baby toothbrush wipes (Disposable）
- Lens x 3 set
- Face masks (Disposable) x 4
- Hair oil
- Hair Treatment
When I use hotel shampoo, mostly my hair will become squeaky. Therefore, I only bring one small hair treatment but I still use a hotel shampoo.
Cloths
- Underwear x each 2
- Bra Camisole x 1
- T shirts x each 2
- Socks x each 1
For adults, we typically wear the same jeans or trousers with a jacket for a 2-night, 3-day trip. We simply change socks, underwear, and T-shirts. As a not-so-fashionable family, we don’t pay much attention to what we wear during the trip. Consequently, clothes are our least priority to pack, considering their space and weight.
Baby items
- Socks x 1
- Medical thermometer x 1
- PJ x 1
- Milk sticks x 4
- Milk bottle x 1
- Baby snacks x 6
- Baby food x 1
- Diapers x 10
Others
- iphone charger x 2
- Make up items
- Glasses
ABOUT ME
A Japanese working mom based in Nagoya, Aichi. Studied International Tourism Management and worked in a 5 stars luxury hotel in Bangkok for total 8-ish years.
Sharing our culture, lifestyle, local tips, and experiences in traveling, especially in Nagoya and Aichi 🇯🇵
