Travel season will commence yet again in just a couple of weeks, with families visiting each other for the holidays. Hanukkah, Christmas and the New Year is just around the corner and with it comes joy, celebration, family, and a whole lot of visiting! If you are currently expecting with a due date close to the holidays, or if you have recently given birth, traveling by plane may seem intimidating. Let me assure you, it doesn’t have to be! With a little bit of preparation and the right gear, the flight I took with my son at 5-weeks-old was the easiest flight I had ever taken with a child. That being said, there are a few pieces of gear that gave me the freedom I needed while traveling solo with a newborn.

In addition to a good diaper bag packed with essentials, these are my recent picks for the most stylish yet practical bags for the season.

Receiving Blankets.
aden + anais makes the best receiving blankets that double up as nursing covers and play blankets. I have just recently fallen head over heels in love with their bamboo line which, believe it or not, takes the softness we know and love to a whole new level.

Infant Car Seat.
Even if you opt to hold your baby on your lap during takeoff, an infant car seat, like the Maxi-Cosi Mico, paired with stroller is a must for travel (you can gate-check them both). Because of a newborn’s size, they require additional support and not only does the seat provide this, it’s also great for toting baby around.

Easy-to-fold stroller.
Baby Jogger‘s strollers provide a super quick and easy one-hand fold. Their City Mini is a great stroller for whizzing around and is lightweight to boot. You can pair your car seat to create a stroller system by using their universal adaptor.

Carrier.
A good baby carrier is an absolute MUST for traveling and living life with a baby in general. After testing out pretty much every carrier out there, the one that stands out as the most supportive for both parent and baby is the ERGObaby Carrier. (If you have an especially young infant, you’ll need the Heart 2 Heart insert.)

Breast Pump.
During the first few months I prefer to nurse exclusively without using a pump. However, if the grandparents have plans to babysit or if you are looking to go for a night out while visiting relatives, Medela’s Freestyle is the way to go. This has been my go-to pump for the last couple of months and travels very well as it’s lightweight and comes in a cute little bag.