Winter baby must haves and toddler essentials for winter travel. How to keep your little one warm when traveling to cold weather with baby.
Traveling in winter always requires a little extra gear and this is particularly true when you are on the go with babies and toddlers.
When traveling with baby in cold weather, you want them to be bundled up and protected from the cold but you also want them to stay comfortable moving, especially if you have a new walker who will demand to tot around!
So how do you pack for baby in winter? Is it possible to strike a balance between cold weather gear and baby friendly items?
We travel in winter often but more than that, we live in a country with long winters so we have made good use of winter baby gear and have a tried and tested list of things that worked!
They were invaluable for us at home and they were also perfect as baby travel essentials when on the go in winter.
We have chosen most os these must have baby winter items to be packable and easy to transport and, as for all our buying guides, we have chosen items for a winter packing list for baby that you may already have for winter at home.
I strongly you don’t have to spend loads for a winter trip with baby or fill your house with new stuff just for one trip – unless of course you want to!
These are our favorite winer baby items and winter gear for toddlers we love.
Looking for travel gear for your family? You can find all our buying guides and favorite products here
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Table of Contents
Baby and toddler essentials for winter travel
Stroller footmuff
A warm and waterproof stroller footmuff is essentials for winter travels.
On the go, you are likely to spend several hours outside and while you may be able to warm up walking, your baby or toddler will spend a lot of time of their stroller, with the risk of getting very cold.
A good stroller cozytoes will help you keep them warm and will work better than a snowsuit alone as you will be able to easily zip it open or even remove it when entering museum/shops without having to wake your baby.
You can find our favorite stroller footmuffs here.
Stroller weather shield
Another good winter accessory for your stroller is a weather shield/ rain shield.
Used in conjunction with the footmuff, it will protect your baby from rain and snow long enough to give you the chance to find shelter.
You may already have one at home that came with your stroller or you can buy a universal one like this one and be ready for the weather!
Can seat footmuff
If your winter travel involves a road trip, then I recommend you also get a footmuff for the car seat.
You can get one specific for the seat or, even better, get a universal one you can move from the seat to stroller, so you only need to pack one.
You can find our favorite baby car seat footmuffs here.
Baby carrier cover (or babywearing coat)
I love baby wearing when traveling however, it is not fun when you are dealing with bad weather or cold temperatures as it usually posed problems closing your coat.
Unless you have clever solution!
We love these baby carrier covers and baby wearing coats that make babywearing in winter easy (and even stylish, some coats look really good!).
Travel Tip: when traveling in winter, we always carry a small travel umbrella. Used in conjunction with the baby carrier cover, they make a lovely and reliable shelter for bay and allow you to keep sightseeing in rainy conditions.
Baby snowsuit / Baby Coat
Your baby/toddler will need an outer layer and this can be a baby snowsuit or a standard coat.
They both work well and which one to choose depends mostly on your taste, the type of carrying you do and if you think you will have your baby play in snow, even just for a short while to make them feel it.
If you babywear, a snowsuit can come in handy as it will be more comfortable for baby and keep their legs protected when carrying.
A snowsuit is also perfect if you want to have them sit on the snow for a minute or if you have a toddler who will want to get in and out of the stroller and go explore.
The one downside of baby snowsuits is that they grow out of them quite fast so you want to think about the use you’ll make of it before committing.
If you will mostly use a stroller, you may simply do with a standard coat, which will give you more versatility of use.
If you have a stroller footmuff like the ones mentioned above, you can be are the legs of your baby are warm anyway and it is easer to take a coats on and off when entering museums restaurants than negotiating a snowsuit.
This would be enough for a young baby especially, since they will not be sitting outside of the stroller and run the risk of getting wet.
Top Tip: Pick a coat with a high next that protects your baby’s neck so you don’t have to use a scarf, that could get lost or worse, tangled dangerously around their neck.
Winter Hat / Mittens
You wouldn’t go our in the cold without a good hat and gloves/ mittens and neither should your baby.
I love hats that close under their neck and they are lined with soft materials so minimise the chances of them always keeping them off!
Long sleeve onesies
Love sleeve onesies are the basis of all baby and toddler outfits and you can never really have too many of them (they will get dirty).
My favorite ones are plain and white: while they may not be super exciting, they are the easiest to wash and can be easily replaced.
I usually layer a short sleeve or long sleeve top on top of them and a sweater and then layer up or down as needed.
Tops and cozy sweaters
Our second and top layer are always cotton top (long sleeve or short sleeve, we find it doesn’t matter much once you have your onesies) and cozy sweaters.
I love to bring a mix of woollen ones and fleeces: wool is usually warmer but fleeces pack super small and are very soft so they make a nice extra layer to have with you.
Warm leggings
I always seen small kids out and about in cute tights but I have never been able to get my kids to wear them as they regularly find them too annoying/ too prickly.
What we use instead are warm legging: if you get them lines, they are super soft and super warm and don’t have that awkward pull around the diaper are that makes tights to annoying.
I love to get them in several colors and load up with a few of them so that if one gets wet, you can quickly take care of a change of clothes.
Tall socks
since we don’t use tights, we need to load up on socks and out favorite are the tall ones you can pull all the way up to the knee.
The are a cool and versatile item of clothing and you can have them down around the ankle when totting around and pull them up when sitting or napping – one of the easiest way to adjust to the temperature wherever you are.
Winter boots
Winter boots are a necessity once you have a little one who walks.
A brand we like is Stride Rite which has tons of models including boots that look a little like runners and full on snow boots for boys and girls.
For travels to very cold weather, we also love the Stonz Puffy Baby Booties: they are super easy to use as they slip on with no need for laces, they have soft, non-slip soles and a 3M thinsulation that is made to withstand temperatures as cold as -20C!
They are perfect for play in the snow and super portable, perfect for travel.
Winter pajama and wearable baby sleeping bag
You never know how hot or cold a hotel room or rental room will be so I always think the it worth being prepared with a winter pajama with feet, a lighter pajama and a baby sleeping bag.
This way, no matter what temperature you may find, you know your child is comfortable and will not kick covers off, running the risk of being cold or, worse, accidentally pull them above their heads while sleeping.
Rain trousers
Rain coursers are one of the best piece of winter must haves for baby once they are up on their feet and can walk even just a little bit!
They are a top layer, so in most cases you have them on top of their normal clothes and they are perfect for rainy days or any time when the ground or playground equipment may still be wet.
Other things you need when travel with baby in winter
On tops of these winter baby items, make sure you also have you basic baby travel gear such as:
- A good travel diaper bag for all your changing needs
- A good travel stroller: depending on the destination, we love compact strollers or all terrain strollers (I love these for winter, I feel my kids are well protected when in one of these)
- Basic family first aid kit (find ours here)
- A sleeping solution for baby like a baby bassinet
- A stroller travel bag and car seat travel bag to keep your gear safe while on the move
- Teether, comforter, teddy, travel toys
Find our full list of recommended baby travel items here
Top 15 winter baby must haves for traveling – printable checklist
I hope you enjoyed this overview of winter baby must haves for travel and they helped you get ready for your winter getaway. Safe travel planning!