The Best National Park Packing List for Toddlers
Last Updated on October 24, 2024 by Polly Dimitrova
I love planning our national park adventures, but the packing process has always stressed me out. After quite a few travel trips with our son, some very successful, some not so much, I have learnt how to learn from my mistakes and prepare better. As someone who used to travel with just a carry-on, I have missed quite a few essentials when we first started traveling with our son. Throughout our trips, though, I learnt what is a must, what is good to have and what we can do without. Based on that, I am sharing my ultimate national park packing list for toddlers!
Toddler Gear
There are a few big toddler gear items that you would like to add to your national park packing list for toddlers:
Hiking Carrier
Your little ones will most likely get tired quickly when hiking and they will inevitably want to be carried. That is why a hiking carrier is the first item you should be adding to your packing list for toddlers.
There are two types to choose from – a soft carrier and a hard carrier/backpack. If you are traveling with younger babies, a soft carrier such as the Ergobaby Omni 360 Baby Carrier is an excellent choice.
Ones your little ones start growing out of the baby carriers, a hard carrier like the Osprey Poco Child Carrier Backpack is more suitable with its more structured frame providing additional support.
I recently learnt about Trail Magic Kid Carrier, which seems to be a very lightweight hiking carrier for kids above the age of 1 year. It folds incredibly small and can be easily put away in your normal day hiking backpack. We have not tried it yet, but it is something we have been looking at as an option.
We have been loving this backpack and have used it on numerous hiking adventures. It has a sturdy frame and adjustable harness system you can change as your toddler keeps growing. The built-in sunshade is great if your child does not like wearing a hat! While not many, there are enough pockets with plenty of space for snacks, additional diapers and wipes (all the essentials for a day hike).
Travel Stroller
We have used the GB Pockit Travel Stroller on numerous vacations from international trips to national park adventures. It is very lightweight and folds extremely small, which means you can even fit it in an overhead compartment on an airplane. Designed for easy maneuvering it is very easy to push and steer even on unpaved trails. The basket underneath is on the smaller side, but still big enough to fit the essentials (snack, water, diaper and wipes) for a short hike. The fold down design is very unique, but might take a few tries before you fully figure it out!
Depending on the national park you will be visiting and the age of your toddler, you may not need a travel stroller. Yosemite National Park, for example, is extremely stroller-friendly with numerous paved hiking paths suitable for a small stroller. However, I would not recommend bringing a stroller to national parks, such as Death Valley or Joshua Tree.
The Bob Jogging Stroller is another option if you are visiting a national park with a more rugged terrain (even if you are not planning on going for a run). While we have one at home, we never take it on road trips with us, since it is quite bulky when folded and takes way too much space in the car.
In order to avoid overpacking, I would recommend checking the official website for the national park you will be visiting. Make sure to check which trails are paved and stroller-friendly before you make a decision whether to bring a travel stroller or not. Another great resource for the trail conditions is the Alltrails Website.
Toddler Packing List for Sleep
Pack and Plays are bulky and heavy and take up a significant space in your vehicle. If you find accommodation that provides cribs and you are only staying for a night or two, it might not be worth bringing your own.
A baby monitor might not be needed if you are sharing a small room with your child. If you are staying in a larger Airbnb, though, and your toddler has their room, it might be worth bringing a small no WiFi monitor.
I like having a small travel sound machine in the diaper bag at all times. We use one at home and try to provide a similar sleeping environment for our toddler when we travel.
Pack & Play Cover
This is not an essential item, but it could be useful if you have a toddler who struggles with sleep. We never know what the exact sleep environment will be, so we like bringing it just in case (even though, we don’t always use it).
Side Note: This is a much cheaper alternative than the popular Slumber Pod.
Other Small Items
A few other items I like to pack are:
- Sleep sacks
- Blanket – our son loves this one super soft cute
- Stuffed Animal for Sleep
- 1 or 2 Night Time Books
- 2/3 Pajamas
- Pacifiers (if your little one still uses one)
- Night Time Diapers
Note: You can also skip packing all the big baby gear items and rent them out through BabyQuip.
Diapering Toddler Packing List
When visiting a national park with a baby or a toddler, you need to be well prepared for all their diapering needs, since resources inside the park are very limited. What I like to pack:
- Diapers or Pull-ups
- Wet Wipes
- Diaper Rash Cream
- Disposable Bags for Dirty Diapers
- Portable Changing Pad
- Portable Travel Potty for potty trained kids
Note: I like to bring our diaper bag as well. I normally fill it in with snacks and toys for the car ride, but do not use as a day hiking backpack.
Bath Time Essentials
Our son loves bath time and we always try to keep the same bath time routine even when we travel, as it also significantly helps with his sleep. Bath time essentials for a national park packing list:
- Inflatable Bathtub
- Travel Size Soap and Shampoo
- Baby Lotion
- Baby Washcloth
- Toothbrush and Toothpaste
- Hairbrush or Comb
- Toddler Bath towel
- A few bath toys
- Nail clippers and nail file
We have stayed at a few places where there was no bathtub, and this inflatable bathtub was super helpful. It comes with an air pump and it blows up very quick. It folds super small so it is very easy to pack and transport.
We like to bring our own towel from home since my son has very sensitive skin. You can honestly use any bath towel, but we like this one because it is very soft and takes just a small corner in my son's suitcase.
You can probably skip packing bath toys if your little one can stay content and happy for a little bit. I like to bring these little boats as they do not take too much space, dry very quick and can entertain him for a few minutes during bath time. They can also double as toys during the day.
Feeding Essential for a Toddler National Park Packing List
The feeding packing list for toddlers depends primarily on your individual situation. If you are traveling with a baby, you might need to bring items related to pumping, breastfeeding or formula feeding.
When we traveled to Yosemite National Park in April, for example, our son was still having milk from a sippy cup before bed, so I had to keep that in mind.
If you have the space for it, smaller toddler utensils and bibs might be helpful as well.
- Toddler Water Bottle
- Sippy Cups
- Snack Container
- Bibs
- Toddler Utensils
- Disposable Placemats – if planning to eat out
- Snacks!
For Smaller Babies:
- Bottles
- Portable Bottle Warmer
- Bottle Brush & Travel Size Dish Soap
- Breast Pump (if pumping)
- Breast Pump Backpack (if applicable)
- Breastmilk Storage Backs (if applicable)
- Formula
- Formula Dispenser
- Burp Cloths
- Nursing Cover
We went through many portable bottle warmers, some broke and some just did not work well. This is absolutely the best one we could find! Very small, fits perfectly in a diaper backpack and quite inexpensive. Yes, it does take a little bit of time to warm up your bottle so you need to think ahead of time.
I initially got this breast pump backpack for an international trip and it served me so well for months after. The pump fits perfectly in the bottom compartment, leaving room for bottles and pump parts in the top one. It also comes with a smaller cooler bag that can fit up to 4 bottles even with the cooler ice packs inside.
Since my son was combo fed as a baby, we struggled for awhile to find the best way to bring formula on the go. We finally found these formula dispenser containers and they were absolutely great for both international traveling, road trips or even short walks to the park. Now, we use them as snack containers!
Medicine/First Aid for Toddlers
While you do not need much, I always recommend adding some basic medicines to your packing list for children.
- Toddler Ibuprofen and Tylenol and syringe
- Thermometer
- Bug spray
- Kids Sunscreen
- First Aid Kit – you can buy one, but we personally make our own at home.
- Hand Sanitizer
Entertainment
This is one of the sections that I keep very simple and straightforward. When we travel to a national park, we tend to spend most of the time outside in nature. Our little one gets to play with rocks and sticks and run around. I only bring a few toys, which are primarily used during the car ride. Since I do toy rotation at home, I tend to grab items that have been in storage for a bit and my son has not played with in awhile, so they can be fun and exciting. I grab a few books as well. The All Aboard National Parks is on theme and my son is obsessed with trains so it is always a must.
Clothing Packing List for Toddlers for a National Park Holiday
Last but not least we have the clothing category of a national park packing list for toddlers. The type of clothing you need to pack would depend on what time of the year you are visiting and what activities you are planning. It often gets much colder at night time, so warm layers are always a good idea to bring.
Since our son is not yet 2 years old, he gets messy and dirty very quick. I like to pack 2 outfits per day just in case. The weather in the national parks changes often and it is best to plan for varying temperatures by layering your clothes.
Since we spend most of the days outside, I like to pack comfortable and breathable clothes allowing for lots of outdoor play.
- Sunhat/Sunglasses
- Swimsuit
- Toddler Hiking Shoes or Trainers
- Sandals or Water Shoes
- Rain Jacket
- Lightweight Jacket
- Socks
- Pajamas and Sleep sacks
- Long-sleeve and short-sleeve shirts
- Pants and Shorts
- Sweaters or Hoodies
- Gloves, Hats and winter coat (if applicable)
Packing Tip: Once it comes time for packing my son’s clothes I start with more than what my son would usually need. As I start going through the clothes to fold and pack, I put back some of the clothes, which are in “excess”.
We have this 3 piece suitcase set by Samsonite and I always use the smallest one/carry on size to pack my son’s clothes as I find it easiest if his clothes are separate from ours. Since children’s clothes are much smaller and take a lot less space than adults I just layer them straight into the suitcase. I like to use travel cubes to help with organization when packing our clothes, though. If we need to pack big winter jackets, we also use compression bags for travel to save on space.
Packing Tip: I always bring 2 or 3 big trash bags with us. I use them to put all of our dirty clothes at the end of each day. This way they stay separate from the clean ones and it makes packing a breeze on the last day of our vacation.
Organization Tip: I have a small drawer in my son’s dresser, which is dedicated to all the small travel items part of my toddler packing list. It helps massively with organization and makes it very easy to find what I need when it comes time to packing his suitcase. I always keep a copy of my national park packing checklist for toddlers in there too!
What is something else you always have on your national park packing list for toddlers? Let me know in the comments section below!
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