On the go: baby travel simplified

Between living the city life (apartment with no extra space vs house with a garage) and traveling, I've done my due diligence in selecting baby paraphernalia. Thought I'd share what's been working for us on the road.

1. Nuby sippy cups. I like these for 3 reasons. They don't spill. They don't have handles, so they fit in my diaper bag bottle pocket. Sal drinks easily from them.

2. Baby Einstein Take-a-long Tunes. Four different tunes play, and usually divert meltdowns better than any other toy we own.

3. BooginHead SippyGrip leash. We attach toys to this leash so they stay off of the Chinese streets/floors/sidewalks.

4. Munchkin Snack Catcher. Ours usually gets stocked with puffs or yogurt melts. Great for learning to self feed without ruining everything in a ten foot radius.

5. Summer infant silicone placemat. We use this almost everywhere. The only drawback is that it does not suction to tablecloths, which are quite popular here. The trough is a great catch all, saving baby's pants, and the floor from dropped food. We also use "table toppers" disposable placemats (not pictured) made by neat solutions when dining at a restaurant with cloth table tops since they adhere with a tape backing.

6. wet ones. These are all-in-one cleaners and work well for high chair trays, messy hands/faces & public changing tables.

7. Tommie tippie silicone bibs. These combined with the summer infant tray are fabulous. We can actually survive a mealtime clothed! A quick wipe down with a wet one, and they roll right back up and can be stored in your diaper bag for the next meal.

8. Munchkin disposable multi use pads. I have used these more than any other item since moving to china. Sometimes a restaurant floor is cleaner than the bathroom, so diaper changes take place in many different places (which I never in a million years thought I'd change my kid on a metro train seat!--but that's one of the cleaner places we've marked off our "I've-changed-sal...." list). These mats can be tossed after use, and provide a nice sanitary barrier for even the sketchiest of diaper change locales.

9. Gate check bags. We didn't go expensive on these. The J.Childress bags from babies r us or target work fine. The bags take a beating well. Ours have survived five flights now. Sure, you can travel without them, but dont expect to have a clean carseat or stroller when your reach your destination. They fold into a little pouch and take up very little space in comparison to the fancy ones that are sold by the stroller and car seat manufacturers. 

10. Brica foldable booster seat. This seat folds easily and fits into a large diaper bag. It attaches to many styles of chairs with a simple two clip process, and has a lap harness to keep kids from falling out ( or escaping). Great for visiting family, going out to eat, and even at home in place of a high chair (once children can sit easily on their own).