Taking a trip this summer? Here are the Best Kids Travel Accessories like travel strollers, cots, headphones and more
Vacation is supposed to be fun, right? If you’re like us, do you ever find yourself thinking, I just have to get through the flight, and then I can relax. But then, you have to worry about where your baby will sleep. And how your kid can ride safely in a car without having to schlep your normal car seat. And just how will you fit everything into your suitcase, anyway?
Never fear, mamas! We’ve rounded up the absolute best family kids accessories in Singapore – including a lightweight stroller you can pop in the overhead locker, inflatable pillows to help little ones actually catch some zzz’s on that long-haul flight, fold-up booster seats no bigger than a wallet, and much more – to ensure smooth sailing (and flying, and driving). And you know we’ve hooked you up with heaps of exclusive discounts and free shipping offers. Read on for all the deets, mamas!
Check out our gallery for all our travel essentials for kids!
Read More:
Top 10 Tips for Flying with Kids
Family Travel Hacks to Keep Kids (+ Parents) Sane on a Plane
Best Educational Apps for Kids
If you’re planning to bring a stroller along on your travels, a lightweight travel stroller is a gamechanger. The award-winning Mountain Buggy nano is the ultimate family travel companion, what with its compact fold that ensure it fits into overhead luggage compartments and its custom-made travel satchel bag with handy carrying strap (which is included in the price!). Kiddos will appreciate the full recline sling seat (it even has a lie-flat mode, equally perfect for newborns or jet-lagged nappers), while parents love the fact that it weighs less than 6kg/13 pounds. The nano is the ultimate simple, lightweight, and convenient travel solution.
Find the Mountain Buggy nano at www.mountainbuggy.com for US$199 (also available at Motherswork)
A good baby carrier is an absolute must when you’re traveling with a kiddo under 18 months! It frees up your hands when you’re moving through the airport, it can help settle your bubs and help them sleep on the plane, it can scrunch up to fit in a carry-on or suitcase, and it doesn’t get lost by airlines like strollers so often do!
Right now we’re loving Soul Slings, an award-winning, homegrown Singaporean baby carrier brand ergonomically designed by experienced babywearers and babywearing educators who have been there, done that. All Soul baby carriers are tested to the strictest international standards, and use 100% natural fiber textiles like linen and cotton, which makes ‘em light and breathable for parents and baby alike (again, Singapore parents know what’s up!). Baby carriers are also adjustable so they can grow with your bub from the baby stage through toddlerhood.
Another thing to love about Soul Slings: the company’s workforce is 96% female, and features flexible hours and a collaborative, team-oriented approach to ensure everyone feels empowered and able to grow in their professional role.
Sassy Mamas can use promo code SASSY10 to get an exclusive storewide 10% discount anytime through 30 June 2020. (Applicable on the Singapore website only)
One of our least favourite parts of family travel is schlepping bags through the airport while also trying to keep kiddos in check (most airports aren’t like wonderful Changi, providing free strollers, after all!). It’s also pretty tough pushing a stroller and luggage cart at the same time.
Enter the Mountain Buggy BagRider: it doubles up as a traveling seat for babies or toddlers and a rugged suitcase with 35L of storage space! With the simple twist of a button you can pop on the easy-to-attach, cushioned seat liner for your kiddo, which also comes with a 5-point-harness with adjustable straps to keep them secure and super safe. When you take the seat off, the BagRider becomes the perfect 2-wheeled carry-on suitcase with easy maneuverability. It’s been safety tested to hold up to 15kg/33lbs of weight, too!
The Mountain Buggy BagRider retails from US$139.99 at www.mountainbuggy.com You can also find it at Motherswork!
OMG packing cubes, where have you been all my life?
If you’re packing the whole fam up for summer holidays (and let’s be honest, it’s a job that usually falls to mamas), these nifty little pouches are the new key to your sanity. With Packing Pals, you can pack each family member’s clothes up in its own separate cube, where items are kept neat and easily visible. It’s also a great solution to keeping items like shoes and dirty laundry separate!
Available in sets of 3 or 6, Packing Pals are made with a mesh top and bottom and come in pretty colors like mint and pink!
Packing Pals come in a set of 3 (1 each of small, medium and large) or 6 (2 x each size), and are priced at $35.90 and $65.90. Find them at Taxi Baby and select Mothercare and Motherswork stores.
Use promo code sassysummer at Taxi Baby to take $15 off orders over $50. You’ll also get free shipping to SG & Hong Kong!
The amazing Phil & Ted’s Traveller is the only travel cot that is actually lighter than a baby! Super compact and lightweight at just 2.8kg, the Traveller quickly unfolds to become a comfy and breathable travel for crib for both home and away. It’s even adaptable for both indoors and outdoors – so you can bring bub on a camping trip or to the beach! – with an additional mesh top for shade.
Little ones also love the fully breathable mesh sides, while parents love its global safety certification, not to mention the included fitted sheet and insulated, inflatable mattress. On top of all that, Traveller’s fabric is washable and Oeko-tex certified, meaning it’s totally free of any hazardous substances. Bubs is sure to rest easy, no matter where in the world you might find yourselves!
Phil & Ted’s Traveller Port-a-Cot retails from $269. Find it at The First Few Years!
This isn’t the first time we’ve sung the praises of the Plane Pal, an inflatable cushion that fills the space between your child’s seat and the seat in front of them to create a comfortable lie-flat surface that they can (hopefully!) sleep on. The Plane Pal is lightweight and compact, and even comes with a handy pump for stress-free inflation after take-off. The Plane Pal is approved for use on over 40 airlines – including Singapore Airlines, AirAsia, Cathay Pacific, and many more – and can be used on trains and in cars, too!
Find the Plane Pal at TaxiBaby
Use promo code sassysummer to take $15 off orders over $50. You’ll also get free shipping to SG & Hong Kong!
Read more: Top 10 Tips for Flying with Kids
Ever had to check your stroller for a flight and warily watched as the gate agent haphazardly wrapped it in a plastic bag? Or are you one of the unlucky ones who’s had a stroller lost or damaged en route? The Pram Pal is a lightweight, durable stroller bag that’s all about protecting your stroller when you fly.
The Pram Pal is waterproof, scuff-proof, and zipper-free with a handy buckle clasp and velcro closure for easy use. We also like that it comes with an adjustable padded shoulder strap (the Large Pram Pal actually has two so you can carry it like a backpack!). The Pram Pal comes in two sizes: Regular, for narrow prams, strollers or travel cots, and Large for double prams or wider base prams (with extra space to spare for goods from those cheeky shopping trips!). It can also be used for portable baby cots and other baby travel essentials, and folds up into a small bag than can attach from your pram’s handle when not in use!
Find the Pram Pal ($55.90) at TaxiBaby
Use promo code sassysummer to take $15 off orders over $50. You’ll also get free shipping to SG & Hong Kong!
Any parent who’s ever ordered a taxi to the airport (or fretted over foreign car seat laws) will say a little prayer of thanks for mifold, the revolutionary compact booster seat that helps properly position your kiddo’s seat belt so that it’s correctly aligned with their shoulders, face, neck, stomach and lap. It’s teeny tiny, fully certified and exceeds European crash test standards, and is approved for use on children ages 4 and up.
- The classic mifold Grab-and-Go Booster Seat ($69) is ten times smaller than a traditional booster seat, yet just as safe. And it folds up to not much bigger than a wallet!
- The amazing new mifoldONE ($59-$69, pictured above) is a sleek, non-folding seat that brings the seatbelt down to properly fit your child, rather than raise them up like a traditional booster seat. The seat is constructed from EVA DenseFoam for a super comfy ride, with no hard edges. And it’s compact enough to slip into a tote bag!
- The mifold Sport ($99) offers a premium leather style cushioned seat for superior comfort.
- Coming soon! The hifold – a folding high-backed booster – is due to arrive in Singapore in August. Stay tuned for a Sassy Mama exclusive on this!
Find the entire mifold range from $59 at Taxi Baby and select Mothercare and Motherswork stores.
Use promo code sassysummer at Taxi Baby to take $15 off orders over $50. You’ll also get free shipping to SG & Hong Kong!
You can change diapers anywhere – airplane bathrooms, stadium floors, train seats, car trunks – with this nifty little fold-out pouch that easily fits into a backpack when you’re on the go. It just might be the most indispensable baby item that you will use from the day your baby is born until that wonderful day when they are fully toilet-trained! The Skip Hop Pronto consists of a fold-out, lightly padded changing mat, and two handy pouches that can hold wipes and 2-3 diapers. In our experience it’s a good backup option to put in the bag of whichever parent isn’t carrying the diaper bag (where you should follow flying guru Dana’s advice and bring at least one diaper for each hour of flying!).
Find the Skip Hop Pronto from $39 at Agape Babies, Amazon Prime Now app, Lazada, Motherswork and Pupsik Studio
Whether your child is plugged into their iPad for a gaming sesh, movies or edifying educational apps, chances are they’re gonna need headphones. But not all kids’ headphones are created equal, mama! Look for ones that are volume-limiting (to protect little ears); rugged or folding (because kids tend to break stuff); and wireless (one less thing to lose on the plane!). The models below even allow parents to control them with their own phone!
Here are Team Sassy’s tried and tested faves; for more info check out this comprehensive overview of what’s on the market!
- Lil Gadgets Untangled Pro: Come in fun colors, and don’t require a pesky cable! Priced at $99 at WonderToys.com.sg and Playhao
- JBL Jr 300BT (pictured above):For kids ages 3 to 10, with a bluetooth option and a rugged, kid-friendly design. Priced from $39.90 (wired) to $79.90 (Bluetooth); available at jbl.com.sg
- Puro BT2200: On the pricier side, these headphones were rated the best for kids by the New York Times after testing over 50 models thanks to their noise-limiting controls and the fact that kids found them most comfortable. Priced at $159.90 at Playhao
Brought to you in partnership with Mountain Buggy, Soul Singapore, Phil & Ted’s and Taxi Baby