We traveled through Thailand for over a month with our baby and we absolutely loved it. It was our first trip to Asia as a family. We had many questions up front, especially concerning traveling with our child. Luckily, Thailand is a great, fairly easy destination in Southeast Asia to visit as a family. In this blog post, we share our experience and tips for traveling to Thailand with a baby, covering transportation, packing list, food, and more. Also refer to our Thailand Travel Itinerary with many baby-friendly destinations.

Keep in mind that we are just sharing our own experience in the hopes that the information is useful. Of course, your experience may differ and not all information may be accurate. Please use your own judgement and also consult other sources. We do not take any legal responsibility/liability.

When to Travel

When to travel depends both on the weather in Thailand and on your baby’s age.

We visited Thailand when our baby was one year old. For us, this age was great because we could still carry the baby in a baby carrier, but it was old enough to take in the new experiences and interact with the new country (sand, water, people, food, …). In fact, our baby loved Thailand and took its fist steps there!

At one year, we had all recommended vaccinations completed and could feed the baby with both “normal” food and breast milk. Also, it could still fly for free on our lap and did not need its own bed, which made traveling a lot cheaper.

In Thailand, we saw many families with both much younger babies and much older kids. It very much depends on your comfort level at what age you want to travel with your child.

In terms of weather and climate, Thailand is always hot. We traveled through Southeast Asia and Thailand in March, April, and May. March and April are usually the hottest and driest months in Thailand (we often had 35°C). On the one hand, the heat can be exhausting and needs some caution. On the other hand, there were very few mosquitos during these dry and hot months. We noticed more rain and more mosquitos as the raining season was starting in May. Raining season typically lasts until October or November. Afterwards, from December until February is peak travel season with less rain and slightly cooler temperatures. Of course, prices are higher during peak season, too. Note that, April is typically “burning season” in the north of Thailand (around Chiang Mai), which means that air quality is worse during this time and you may prefer to stay down south.

What to Bring

We read up front that we would not need to bring a lot of stuff. Indeed, we tried to limit ourselves to the essentials and still had too much unneeded luggage.

It is easy and cheap to have your laundry washed and dried in Thailand. There are laundry places everywhere we went. They usually cost around 40 Thai Bhat per kilogram of laundry (which is a bit more than 1 Euro as of spring 2025) for washing, drying, and folding.

It is also very cheap and easy to buy more clothes for yourself (not so much for your baby) at stores or markets in most cities. Vice versa, it is surprisingly expensive to send unneeded excess luggage back home. In addition to postage, you will likely have to pay taxes that are due when you receive the package back home. That’s what ultimately kept us from sending home excess luggage, such that we had to carry it around with us all the time. Thus, less is more.

Useful to Bring

• Long-sleeve linen shirts and pants or other light, breathable clothing. Long sleeves help protect against the sun. Both for yourself and the baby. You also need to cover shoulders and knees to be allowed into temples.
• Sun hats, sun glasses, sun screen, UV protection clothes for swimming.
• Baby carrier for carrying the baby around. To us, this was much more useful than a stroller. When going by car/pickup truck, there were usually no baby seats and the baby could be in the carrier.
• Portable baby bed. We used a small pop-up tent by Deryan, which was incredibly useful. The smallest version fits babies of up to 1 year (even a bit more), is very lightweight, and folds into a small disk, not much larger than a frisbee. It has a built in mosquito net and even offers UV protection. Thanks to the travel bed, we did not have to rely on hotels having baby beds nor did we have to share our own bed with our baby all the time.
• Some baby-friendly mosquito spray. We traveled in the dry season and did not have many mosquitos, thus barely needed any mosquito spray. For adults, it is easy to buy spray in Thailand (based on DEET). For children, it is better to bring your own. We used Anti Brumm Kids Sensitive for children of 1+ years.
• Baby life preserver for boat trips. Most boats offer life jackets for adults but not for children. We felt safer having a life jacket for our baby, too. Inflatable life jackets seem like a handy option to save luggage space and weight.
• If your phone has an eSIM, you might want to buy a data plan for Thailand via services like Saily or Airalo. By activating these plans before your flight, you will have mobile data directly when arriving in Thailand, which is very convenient. Otherwise, you can buy a physical SIM at 7-Eleven later. SIM cards at the airport are typically overpriced.

Not so Useful to Bring

• Baby car seat. Most cars did not even have seat belts, so there was no way to secure the baby seat. If you rent your own car or go by Bolt (in cities), this may be different.
• Stroller. Outside the larger cities, there are oftentimes no sidewalks, making strollers impractical.
• Warm clothes. One sweater per person was enough for us.
• Large toys. We only brought a few, lightweight toys, which was enough. Our baby was also easily entertained by empty bottles or anything else. Some resorts even had play rooms and toys for children.
• Mosquito net. Traveling in the hot season and staying only in air conditioned rooms, we barely had any mosquitos and did not need our mosquito net. During the raining season or in rooms without AC, this may be different.
  The same goes for mosquito spray – we brought way too much with us and barely needed any. Again, we might have just been lucky here.

Where to Stay

Since we did not have time pressure and traveled outside the peak season, we decided to book accommodations flexibly on the go. We typically stayed for four to five nights at each destination such that we had at least three full days at each destination (excluding the day of arrival and departure).

We booked all stays via the Booking app. Since we had our own pop-up baby bed with us, we always searched for rooms fitting two adults, excluding the baby in the search. When including our baby, Booking would always show rooms for three people or even two separate double rooms. Our minimum requirements for hotel rooms to have their own bathroom, air conditioning, and double bed. If possible, we also looked for places with a pool and restaurants nearby (check the location on Google Maps). When staying at the islands, we preferred beach front hotels allowing us to quickly go to the beach and swim.

Transportation

Here are tips regarding transportation to and within Thailand based on our experience.

By Air: Flights

Our baby generally was fine with flying. Even the long flights from Europe to Thailand went well. However, it was crucial that we took these long flights over night. That way, our baby could sleep on our lap during most of the flight. Entertaining the baby on the flight while it was awake was much more challenging. It is good to have a few small toys/books/snacks on board just in case.

Shorter flights within Thailand or Asia were fine during the day. We preferred direct flights during the day (not too early or late), so that our baby could take its nap during the flight.

We had flights with Finnair, Air Asia, Bangkok Airways, Vietjet Air, and scoot. They were all fine.

By Land

Car and Scooter Rental

Renting scooters is very popular in Thailand. It is easy and cheap to rent them anywhere on the island. We did see other families with babies on scooters (with the baby in the carrier), but we did not feel comfortable to rent one ourselves.

Renting cars to drive yourself is another, much less popular option. We found prices to be almost as high as in Europe. While having a rented car to drive yourself gives you more freedom, parking is not always straight forward and going between islands can be challenging or impossible. Since we did not have a fixed plan and wanted to freely move between islands, we decided against renting a car ourselves. If you do want to rent a car, a common approach is to find local rental agencies with good ratings on Google Maps and contact them via WhatsApp (the phone number is usually on Google Maps or on their website).

Public Transport

Public transport via busses is only available in bigger cities and we did not try it. We did try the metro and skytrain in Bangkok and used it a lot – it is clean, safe, cheap, easy to use and works very well. You can buy tickets at the machines or counters right at each station. The staff there is very helpful. In Bangkok, there are also public taxi boats that connect to some metro stations (such as Saphan Taksin) and go along the river, e.g., to the royal palace, which is very useful. Google Maps shows some of the boat connections, too. Again, tickets are cheap and can be bought on the spot. We did have to wait quite a bit for some boats though.

There are also some inter-city trains in Thailand that may be useful. For example, there is a night train between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, which seems convenient.

Taxis

Besides renting your own vehicle or using public transport, you can go by taxi anywhere in Thailand. Taxis come in very different ways: There are small tuk tuks and even scooter taxis, normal cars, vans, or open/closed pick up trucks with seats on the back (called Songthaew).

Especially the latter, the pick up trucks, are extremely popular and oftentimes the default transportation method on islands and smaller places. If you book a trip with hotel pickup and drop-off included, chances are that transportation will be by pickup truck. Note that there are no seatbelts on these pickup trucks. If you go with your baby, it could be in your baby carrier, so you have your hands free to hold on tight. Even if you go by car or van, chances are that there are no seatbelts. We found that we could oftentimes request transport by car/van with seatbelt when contacting the trip organizer via WhatsApp before. Almost anything is negotiable in Thailand.

Grab App

Ride Hailing

Finally, our favorite means of transportation on land in Thailand was to go by Grab, which is a ride hailing service similar to Uber/Bolt/etc that is very popular in Asia. It is only available in larger areas such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi, and Koh Samui but not on smaller islands. After registering, you can check the Grab app (Android) to see if any rides are available at your location. Sometimes there are small areas within a city/island that do not allow Grab, e.g., at the Koh Samui airport and ferry terminal. Oftentimes, you can simply walk a few hundred meters outside the restricted area and still call a Grab. That way, you can avoid the overpriced taxis that hold the monopoly in these areas.

There are several advantages of using Grab over local taxi providers, especially when traveling with a baby: All cars are fairly new, clean and have seat belts. The Grab drivers seem more professional and drive more carefully than the local taxi drivers. You see the route and costs up front and do not have to negotiate; the prices are oftentimes even cheaper than by local taxi. It is easy and fast to request a ride anywhere.

Discounts

To further save money, you may try Grab Ultimate, which is a subscription that gives you some discounts and is free the first few months. Just make sure to select monthly payment and cancel in time. Alternatively, there are country packs that you can buy in the Grab app for a few Bhat that also contain a number of discounts. When you book a ride with Grab, you can select the vehicle size according to your needs (number of people and luggage). In Singapore, we could even select cars with baby seats installed – maybe this is available in Thailand in the future, too. Before requesting a ride, make sure to activate any discount codes as shown in the screenshot. We almost always had 10-50% off and saved hundreds of Bhat that way.

Other Grab services

Note that Grab offers much more than just ride hailing. We also used the app to order food from restaurants when we did not feel like eating out or to have groceries delivered. This is especially useful for bottled drinking water because Grab delivers it right to your hotel without you having to carry it. Same goes for baby related groceries such as diapers or baby food that may not be available at the nearby stores/7-Eleven.

By Sea: Boats

There are different kinds of boats in Thailand. Ferries, speedboats, and long-tail boats all transport tourists to various Thai islands. In general, it is a good idea to check the weather before going by boat. If it is very windy or even stormy, it is better to go on another day. Many boat companies go independent of the weather, but the ride can be very bumpy during bad weather.

Ferries

When traveling between islands in the south of Thailand, there are different options for transportation. Between the big and popular islands (e.g., Koh Samui, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao), there are usually larger ferries. These ferries fit many people, oftentimes have air conditioned compartments, and go steady but rather slow. They are a convenient and cheap option when available.

Speedboats

Speedboats are the smaller, faster, louder, and more bumpy alternative to ferries. They go between almost all islands following fixed schedules. Conveniently, speedboat staff usually handles the loading and unloading luggage. The boats are open air, so there is no air conditioning. Usually, seating is quite tight but the ride is typically rather short. If you go, take ear plugs with you since the motors can be really loud.

Ferries and speedboats can usually be booked via the hotel. Alternatively, you can contact the corresponding companies directly. In the southwest of Thailand, the Andaman Sea, a prominent speedboat company is Bundhaya. In the southeast, i.e., the Gulf of Thailand, a prominent company with large ferry-like catamarans is Lomprayah. Even if you can book tickets directly on their websites, it is usually worth contacting them via WhatsApp and asking for a discount. We oftentimes got hundreds of Bahts discounts when negotiating and booking directly via WhatsApp. While the booking process via WhatsApp and the coordination at the ports may seem a bit chaotic, we never had any problems going by boat in Thailand. On the contrary, we were impressed by how well everything everything went.

Long-Tail Boats

Finally, the most iconic way to travel by Sea in Thailand is to take a long-tail boat. These small, wooden boats have a large motor at the back with the rotor on a long stick (as the name suggests), making them quite nimble. They are much smaller, less steady, and slower than ferries and speedboats. Their advantage is their low price, the unique experience of traveling by long-tail boat, and their flexibility.

You can typically approach people at the long-tail boat directly and ask for a transfer. Sometimes, there are fixed schedules (e.g., in Krabi to Railay Beach), where you can join a group going on the same long-tail boat. This is the cheapest option. You can also rent an entire long-tail boat for yourself and enjoy the full flexibility of going wherever you want whenever you want. Similar to speedboats, long-tail boats can be quite bumpy and loud, so be prepared by bringing ear plugs.

Money

In Thailand you will both need a credit card and cash. Cards are accepted at more fancy/expensive restaurants/cafes, at 7-Eleven, and most hotels. However, they often require a minimum spend or come with an increased 2-4% fee compared to paying by cash. At small, local shops or at market places payment is typically only possible by cash (or Thai QR payment).

Exchanging cash into Thai Bhat up front or within Thailand often comes with comparably large provisions or bad exchange rate or shady tricks. As in other countries, we preferred to bring a credit card and simply withdraw cash in Thailand. A suitable credit card (ours was from Barclays) will not charge any fees for paying or withdrawing cash in foreign currency. ATMs mostly charge a flat withdrawal fee of around 220 Bhat (around 6 Euro in Spring 2025). Hence, it is worthwhile to withdraw larger amounts of cash at once. The maximum at most ATMs was at 10.000-20.000 Bhat. While we always felt safe everywhere in Thailand, carrying huge amounts of cash might still be risky.

Negotiating is very common in Thailand and not considered rude. Of course, it is important to stay friendly and respectful. We particularly recommend negotiating when buying anything at a market place, when booking tours, or when ordering a taxi or boat trip. We often got 50% and more discounts compared to the original price. Negotiating does not seem suitable to us at super markets, more fancy restaurants or cafes, doctors, entrance fees, etc.

Culture

Thais Love Babies

Being in Southeast Asia for the first time, we found Thai people to be very friendly and welcoming. Especially with a baby, many Thai people will smile at you or wave at your baby. Babys are welcome everywhere in Thailand and we were never uncomfortable with our baby being loud and making a mess at a restaurant or hotel.

At times, people’s adoration for babies can even feel a bit intrusive when they try to touch your baby or take pictures without asking. We just clearly but politely asked them to stop touching or photograph our baby, which was respected in most cases. Vice versa, if you are fine with other people holding your baby, chances are that some of the staff at restaurants will want to hold and play with your baby while you can eat in peace.

Etiquette: Smiling and Temples

Generally, it is common to smile at each other in Thailand and to avoid shouting or getting angry. Even if you are unsatisfied with a situation, try to stay respectful and friendly. Most Thais understand English fairly well, particularly in tourist areas. Lots of communication, e.g., with hotels, taxis, tour agencies, etc, works via WhatsApp. Typically, you can find their phone number off Google Maps or from their website and contact them via WhatsApp, which is very convenient. Sometimes the communication via WhatsApp was a bit scarce and ambiguous, so it can be helpful to double check, e.g., when asking for pickup by car/minivan with seatbelts rather than open pickup truck.

Temples are sacred sites in Thailand. You usually have to take off your shoes and hat and cover your shoulders and knees. At some temples, you can rent or buy suitable cloths if you do not have any. Feet are considered impure. When sitting inside a temple in front of a Buddha statue, the feet should not face directly to the Buddha. However, taking pictures with a Buddha while turning your back towards the Buddha is also sometimes considered disrespectful. In contrast to feet, the head is considered holy and should not be touched by others.

Food & Groceries

We loved Thai food and ate at restaurants most of the time. It is delicious and cheap compared to western standards. Babies were welcome at all restaurants we visited. Many but not all of them have baby chairs – it is worth asking if you want one. They are also happy to prepare some child-friendly food, e.g., steamed vegetables without any salt. When buying smoothies, note that they usually have extra sugar or sirup added. For your child, you might want to ask for smoothies without extra sugar.

The best option for buying fresh vegetables and fruit is from a local market place. There are lots of delicious and exotic species to discover. We had the best mangos (and other fruit) of our lives in Thailand. To be safe, only buy fruit that is freshly peeled or peel it yourself.

We bought groceries usually at small stores like 7-Eleven or local mini markets, which are everywhere in Thailand. Most of them do sell some baby products like diapers but do not have a large variety and not always all sizes in stock.

A convenient alternative is to order groceries via Grab directly to your hotel. This is particularly handy for large or heavy items like bottled water or large packages of diapers (mini markets usually sell small packages with only around 10 diapers each). We also found more specific baby food on Grab, which was not available at 7-Eleven. Prices on Grab are quite comparable to those in the market. Oftentimes, there are discounts that can be activated before finalizing the order.

Hospitals & Doctors

We needed medical advice twice during our trip. Once we went to a hospital in the middle of our night with our baby. Our experience is overall very good.

Full health insurance coverage is absolutely crucial even health services are cheap compared to Europe / US. Our insurance paid 100% of the costs.

It is a good idea to check the doctor and/or hospital closest to your hotel. Ideally, have the address and phone number ready with and idea of how to reach it. That way, you do not have to panic or spent time searching in case you need medical help. For real emergencies, call 1155, which is Thailand’s multilingual tourist emergency number.

There are plenty of well-stocked pharmacies in Thailand. Still, you should bring critical medication and have it with you as you travel. Note that there are specific restrictions for bringing medicine into Thailand. Also check the regulations of the countries you may travel through on your way to/from Thailand. E.g., Singapore has strict regulations even for simple transit, i.e., without immigration.

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We hope you found these general tips for traveling to Thailand with a baby or child useful. If you have open questions or comments, feel free to leave them below.

As a follow-up, check out our Thailand Travel Itinerary and start planning your visit to Thailand!