We left Zürich with only 2 checked pieces of luggage: one large suitcase each for Kevin and Nina with Kenny's stuff and gifts divided between the two. We also had a diaper bag, a rollaway suitcase (aside from our laptop, this suitcase contained all essential baby itmes that we didn't want to risk checking), a stroller, and one small bag each as our carry on items. We returned to Zürich with 3 large checked pieces of luggage and one additional small carry on bag. We were up to 4 at one point until we ended up buying a large new suitcase in Washington, D.C. This doesn't include the box of souvenirs which Nina's mom ended up mailing from Okinawa to Switzerland for us.
Almost everything we took with us for the baby was actually used in some form or at some time during the trip, except, thankfully, the first aid kit. However, since we inevitably purchased or received gifts of new clothing and toys for Kenneth en route, we could have taken a lot less of these items with us.
Some of the more useful items that we purchased for the trip included:
o The collapsible POGY travel bed. It folds up similar to those "sunglass shades" for the car windshield. We have a big pack-n-play (i.e. portable travel yard) for Kenny, but decided to buy this smaller bed only good for young babies that can’t pull themselves up yet for the round the world trip. Kevin swears it was the best 50 CHF we ever spent. The bed fit in our carry-on rollaway suitcase, thereby eliminating one piece of luggage that needed to be checked. It was so portable that we were able to take it to the beach in Okinawa or open it up at the airport during long layovers delay for Kenny to relax in. Comes with it’s own carrying case, mattress, and mosquito net.
o Munchkin Inflatable Bath Cushion. Since Kenny couldn’t sit up yet this was essential for us. However, maybe this isn’t really necessary if you have strong arms and can simultaneously support the baby while you bathe him.
o Combi Travel Stroller: Extremely lightweight and compact. Turns on dime, folds easily, and comes with own travel bag. We used it right to the departure gates at the airport and just gate-checked it. It’s Japanese but actually can be bought for about half the Japanese retail price in the States. Very useful.
o How we dealt with the car seat issue: Since we didn’t purchase a seat for Kenny (thus, we were not able to use a car seat during the flights), instead of dragging a car seat all around the world with us, we asked each of the grandparents to buy us a cheap convertible car seat that we could use in Japan and the US respectively. The Touriva available at Walmart or Target for $40-$50 was a good investment: because it’s a convertible seat, we could use it during Kenny’s next visit too.
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