With six kids, our latest being TWINS, we’ve learned a few tricks along the way to make our hotel stays easier. Easier on us (as parents) and our rooms more kid-friendly for sharing hotel room with baby.
While sharing a hotel room with a baby – and other kids – is always an adventure, each stay is different. Whether we’ve got the entire clan with us, or I just bring along the youngest, I’ve got a few hotel room tips up my sleeve to improve your stay!
When I have had work trips away, I’ve always brought my littlest along with me so that I can continue to breastfeed. I’m happy to say they have all breastfed well and travelled well, allowing me to breastfeed through their first year.
This is something I’m so immensely grateful for and I know that not everyone is able or wants to breastfeed, especially for that long.
One thing it has allowed me is the opportunity to learn how to travel well with a wee one and share a hotel room with a baby since even leaving them behind for a few days isn’t really an option. (I don’t think I’d want to anyway!).
Table of Contents
8 Top Tips for Sharing a Hotel Room with a Baby
Deal with Diapers
Diapers can be messy, whether at home or on the road. Deal with the mess and the stink by creating a diaper changing area.
Most times for me, this just means a place with easy access to wipes, diapers, cream and I may even have an extra towel there as well to lay my little one on in case of messes. I prefer to change diapers on the bed, so usually, this means I keep everything stocked on a nightstand (plus it allows for easy access at night).
Ask the hotel for a couple of extra ice bucket bags (the perfect solution to tie up those dirty diapers!) and you’ll be ready to deal with the mess, AND keep the stink out of the room! If you have room to pack some additional items a Reusable Wet Bag and Diaper Changing Pad are always good to have on hand.
Block it Out
What is it about hotel room curtains when it comes to sharing a hotel room with baby? They all seem to leak light like crazy and for some reason, it always hits right where baby sleeps or my face first thing in the morning! Ha.
Throw a couple of chip clips in your bag, or if you travel with those larger safety pins in your toiletry bag, those would work too… and in a pinch, a skirt hanger from the closet could be your sleep saving grace.
Use them to fasten together that large gap inevitably left between the curtains where light can pour through, waking you up after you’ve just finally started a good rem cycle.
Have light and sound leaking through the hallway door as well? Roll up a towel and stuff it near the seam along the floor to help block both. This is especially helpful when traveling through time zones to maintain your home schedule for your little one (best for short trips).
Creature Comforts
When it comes to being confined to a smaller space than usual, it is always best to have some of your littles creature comforts with you. Anything that can settle them and make them feel relaxed.
Whether that be their favorite stuffed animal, blanket, toy, book etc.
I try to apply this to all parts of their routine, if they are used to having snack time bring something like this Snack Catcher – it keeps them in routine but also keeps the space clean. If they get a bath at bedtime and your baby prefers baths over showers (we like showers, it’s always been easier for us), you may want to bring an inflatable travel tub.
Since it isn’t really feasible to travel with a high-chair – even though it was always one of the most missed items from home – I was thrilled to find this On-The-Go Harness Seat basically a padded portable high chair that works with any chair in the hotel room with baby! So convenient!
I find that remembering those little details can help make your hotel room stay with your baby way more enjoyable. I also like to travel with this Little Remedies New Baby Essentials Kit, if for any reason they are teething, have a temperature, have gas, or a runny nose, etc… this kit has something to help you soothe them.
Don’t miss this post for Essential Oils for Travel (You Don’t Want to Leave Home Without)!
In Hot Water
Use the in-room coffee maker for your hot water needs.
I use ours all the time… Yep, I make a cup of coffee for me (that is, if I’ve got my fave creamer in the fridge) and then brew a cup or two sans the coffee for the hot water!
For me and my littles, we make oatmeal this way, sanitize pacifiers, and for the baby bottle that needs to be heated, this is the perfect solution when sharing a hotel room with a baby.
Crib Tour
We can’t forget a safe place for the baby to sleep! Many hotels offer cribs in-room or a pack n’ play. For this, you’d definitely need to check ahead of time, and even then, when a hotel is extra busy and full, they may not have any left available when you arrive, so make sure to have it noted on your reservation that you need one.
While it’s convenient to use a hotel crib, I definitely like to have mine with me – especially if I’m driving and I have the extra room to bring it along. There are a few reasons I prefer bringing our own… first, I know where it’s been and who has used it. While I know our kids need to be exposed to some things, you never know who has been sick in a hotel’s playard and I would rather just keep those germs away.
The second reason I prefer our own when we can bring it along? It keeps things consistent… the same crib, the same scents, the same feel. It just seems like our babies sleep better in one that they’re a little more used to.
And another reason, the Ingenuity TravelSimple Playard that we use has a zip-in sleeper for newborn, meaning I basically have a bassinet near the bed!!! This is just SO much easier on me when I’ve got a little one to feed in the middle of the night. Plus, it weighs less than 15 pounds making it about half the weight of other portable playards, sets up in about 30 seconds, and has plenty of cushion.
This has become my newest baby-essential favorite for travel… especially on our family road trips, since we can just pop it in the back of the car! It also takes up less space in the room that a traditional playard, so it can fit between double beds or in the closet (sometimes a GREAT option to help baby sleep longer). It’s been a game-changer for me.
Update: Currently our favorite playard is sold out everywhere, but here are a couple other options that could work for you; Breeze Plus Portable Playard with Removable Bassinet and Baby Changing (with easy one-handed set up!) or my other favorite the Lotus Travel Crib, another lightweight option that can be carried like a backpack.
If you don’t have a zip in sleeper for your little one you could look into something like this Swaddle Transition Sleeping Sack.
Keep it Clean
When I walk into a room, I do a few things before we settle in to our new home away from home for a few days. First, I grab our essential oil sanitizing spray (a must for every mom’s bag and especially when in a hotel room!) and mist just about every surface, making sure not to miss areas that are heavily handled like doorknobs, light switches, faucets, even blankets and pillows, the bathtub and more.
With a baby on the move, I also mist the floor, since they will definitely need to burn off some energy down there.
Another tip if you have an especially curious little one is to have a roll of painters tape or duct tape in your bag. With this you can block off a few safety hazards, like light sockets, low drawers and sharp corners. With most of mine, we haven’t had to do this as they have stayed away from sockets, etc.
But Skylar was definitely my most curious and a couple of times for him I had to take a few extra precautions. 😉
We also like to keep wipes on hand honestly any wipes will do, but we like these Individually Wrapped Wipes for a space-saving on-the-go option.
Cool It
At most hotels you can request a refrigerator and have it at no charge for baby or medical needs. If there is a stocked mini-fridge, just request that they empty it for you and you can use it for pumped milk, formula or other items needed when sharing hotel room with baby. In worst-case scenarios, we’ve used the ice bucket and just have made sure to keep fresh ice rotating during our stay… but that’s a rarity. I’d even recommend calling ahead about the refrigerator to get it noted on your account before your arrival.
Avoid the Mess
Okay, so this heading makes me laugh because I feel like when traveling with a little one – or a few of them – the mess is a given.
BUT you can take steps to keep your space somewhat organized, and when you’re living with a few people in a small space, keeping it picked up just helps to keep you sane.
Use the laundry bags from the hotel closet, or a travel wet bag, to keep dirty clothing at bay. I like to keep baby items together so I can easily find and use them when needed.
Another great tool is packing cubes, if you have each family member’s items organized in their own cubes (you can have a different color for each person or use labels) it is much easier to know where things are and where things should go to keep things tidy. I like to pack a few extra empty ones to throw the dirty clothes into, this is a must for me when sharing a hotel room with a baby.
Sound Board
When sharing a hotel room with a baby travel with a sound machine!!!! This is huge for helping everyone to sleep well, no matter if it’s day or night.
Most of the time, we don’t actually use a sound machine, we have apps on our phones and iPad to recreate those sounds. You can find free ones easily with a quick search of the iTunes store.
But I do find this travel sound machine to be quite handy, and lately, we’ve been traveling with one more – so that I can continue to use my phone when baby goes down to sleep early.
We’d love to hear all of your tips and tricks when it comes to packing and traveling with little ones in the comments below since we’re always trying to improve our own ways to travel.
Hope this helps those of you that travel with little ones in some way!
There is never only one way to do any of this, but these tips are what have worked best for our family so far.
More Amazing Family-Friendly Travel Ideas!
Do you have any other sharing hotel room with baby tips? Let me know in a comment below!
Kristy says
Yes! These tips are so helpful. We’re going on our first trip with baby and sister in a few weeks, and I am terrified to stay in a hotel. 🙁 I wish I had that travel bassinet. 😉 I’ll be using your tips for sure!
Tabitha Blue says
Enjoy your trip!!! Hope these tips help 😉
Julie says
Such great tips!!! I love traveling…but it is way harder with kids!
Tabitha Blue says
It is, but we love it every time we take them somewhere 😉
Vheard143 says
Really good tips. We got used to travelling with one but travelling with a preschooler and a baby us a bit different! Definitely need to be more organised!
Tabitha Blue says
Haha, it’s so different traveling with little ones, and for me organization is all about staying sane! 😉
Fawn Rosenbohm says
I love this post. Such great tips that will for sure help us mamas traveling with little ones. Thanks for the post and the giveaway.
Amanda @bephoenixfit says
Great tips! I hope they work for me when I travel later this week!
thesocialbeing721 says
I can’t imagine this being easy! Keeping it clean seems very important!
Tabitha Blue says
Keeping it cleaned up helps SO much!! Especially in such a small space together 😉
Amanda Bumgarner says
Ah! I love this! My husband and I really REALLY want to get to Europe at some point. That’s where I’d go 🙂
Tabitha Blue says
Oh that sounds amazing!!!!! Me too… one day 😉
Stephanie Simpson says
Great tips and awesome post!! Such great essentials for travelling!
Tabitha Blue says
Thank you SO much Stephanie!! Appreciate it!
Vanessa says
That thing is amazing!! And the price is good to!
Kristina says
Love all of these great tips! I definitely always have my essential oil spray, too! 😉
Katie {Always, Katie} says
This is some really great advice! We only did one overnight when I was still breastfeeding our twins, and that refrigerator was a LIFEsaver!!! We did use the hotel crib and regretted it, because it was a play pen that was really low to the ground and I couldn’t reach all the way to the bottom. I was literally laying our tiny babies down while holding them precariously on my very fingertips!!
Krista Nile says
I love these tips! We cosleep so we don’t need one for sleeping purposes but it’s always nice to have a playard to keep them contained!! Lol
Donald Rosales says
Such a great tips and awesome post! These are really essentials for travelling. We got used to travelling with one but travelling with a preschooler and a baby us a bit different! Definitely need to be more organised. Thanks for the post and the giveaway.
Ryan Castillo says
“Hi, those tips are awesome and really helpful! By the way, considering transportation laws, lugging car seats can be a nightmare! Did you know that Kidmoto can solve that problem for you? Ditch the car seats when flying with a baby! A life-saver, I promise! 🙂
You can learn more at https://kidmoto.taxi/“
Ryan Castillo says
Hi, those tips are awesome and really helpful! By the way, considering transportation laws, lugging car seats can be a nightmare! Did you know that Kidmoto can solve that problem for you? Ditch the car seats when flying with a baby! A life-saver, I promise! 🙂
You can learn more at kidmoto.taxi