Let me kick off this blog by explaining that every child is different as are every family’s needs. That being said, as caregivers, if you’ve ever flown with a crying baby, screaming toddler, or tantruming child…. I feel your pain… In a very deep and guttural way. Some of my worst experiences still make me wince and cringe just thinking about them. In fairness, I didn’t set my kiddo(s) or husband (in some cases), up for a successful trip. I’ll expound upon that throughout these posts. Unfortunately, you don’t know what you don’t know until you’re already in the air.
I should mention that travel by flight is my preferred way to travel, especially with children. You often get to your destination more quickly, have the potential for trips further away, and provide lots of potentially positive learning opportunities for your kiddo(s).
That being said, what’s preferred isn’t always the easiest. Most of the really rough travel that our family has endured has been on flights when any of our children were between 18 months to nearly 3 years old. Now I’m not saying that toddlers are miniature terrorists, although it sometimes feels that way. But infants and preschoolers are WAY easier travel companions than toddlers who want all of the freedoms but understand none of the consequences. Many of you veteran parent travelers can attest to this. If your sweet toddler is what brought you here in the first place, bless you saintly people! Seriously! It does get easier though, I promise!
Here are some of my most useful air travel tips that I’ve successfully used with my kiddos.
1. Bring a small bag of new toys that you think will keep your little one busy. This is advice you’re bound to get from any family travel blog. But it’s so true and worth repeating. My kids love Legos, but they’re way too expensive to lose on an airplane in my opinion. So I found “building bricks” (aka knock off Legos for $1 at Target and $1 at the dollar store on a separate occasions. Plus plus blocks are also great for older toddlers who don’t put everything in their mouth anymore. Any type of new toy is great provided it’s something along the lines of what your child is already interested in. My only safety advice is to steer clear of the adorable magnetic toys that seem ideal for containing a mess. Many toddlers will try to swallow pieces. They seem great because they stay contained on a magnetic surface, but they’re more appropriate for the preschool age group. It’s NOT worth the trouble of wondering if you’ve lost some magnetic toys or if your toddler has swallowed them.
2. Use an FAA approved car seat or seat harness on the plane for long flights. If your toddler is anything like mine have been, they will likely break your lap as a lap child in a myriad of ways, or try to use their seat as a trampoline whenever possible as their sweet little brains forget five minutes later that airplane seats and parents are not for jumping on. And to be fair, they really can’t help it because they’re still little and learning. To avoid this mess altogether I buckle them into a light weight FAA approved car seat in their own seat. (We use the Evenflo Sonus 65 because our kids are on the taller and heavier side for their age and because it’s fairly lightweight compared to other travel friendly car seats.) It’s not only for their safety, but also the safety of neighboring passengers. Bad turbulence can make a toddler go airborne quite quickly. Thank goodness I don’t have to speak from personal experience on this one.
Evenflo Sonus 65
3. Bring backup clothes for everyone! It’s inevitable that accidents will happen. Between diaper blowouts, potty accidents, eating disasters, and toddler vomit, you may find yourself in need of fresh clothes for everyone. We unfortunately learned this lesson the hard way when our oldest puked all over himself, my husband, and myself mid-flight once during his toddlerhood. Sitting in stinky clothes for a cross country flight is not the business. These accidents aren’t common, but you’ll be happy that you’re prepared when they do. I pack my family’s carryon with an unopened garbage bag, and backup outfits for the parents. Each child’s backup clothes are packed in an individual gallon ziplock bag. Whatever gets soiled gets bagged to reduce odors and also avoids stains from setting in too. The bag system is cheap, disposable, and helps keep the inside of the carryon luggage clean.
4. Don’t be afraid of screen time. I’m not a fan of zombifying my children with electronic devices. But for a flight, especially longer flights, it’s worth the time spent in front of a screen. Whether it’s a tablet, phone, or a movie playing from the screen mounted on the seat in front of your toddler, it’s worth it for a smoother trip. Your sanity will thank you, and so will the other passengers around you. This is one of the few times screen time is actually worth it.
If bringing a device for your child they will need headphones, a charging cord to keep their device powered up, and be sure to download your toddler’s favorite shows or movies onto whatever device they’ll be using. PSA- Not all flights or airlines offer WiFi.
5. Bring snacks. My youngest will sit quietly for beef sticks. Hanger is real people! Bring protein rich snacks that your toddler will eat and enjoy because if you don’t you’ll likely end up feeding them candy, chips, or other treats more easily available on a flight out of sheer desperation. My kids generally refuse most meals on flights too. Familiar snacks on hand have been a life saver. For full disclosure, I’ve gone the junk food route before and I might even do it again as a last resort. But it usually doesn’t end well for my kiddos. They get ramped up from the treats and then crash horribly after because their little kid bodies can’t hang. I’ve also seen other families with toddlers on flights throw up the excess sugar or unfamiliar foods. Bring those snacks. You’ll thank me later.
6. Use car seat and stroller travel bags whenever you check or gate check your baby gear. Airlines do not provide complimentary plastic car seat covers anymore. It’s probably better for the environment anyway. Test out your travel bags prior to travel to make sure everything fits easily and smoothly. We have lost parts of a stroller that wasn’t covered, and had a car seat come back to us half soaked with “airplane condensation” once. Save yourself the trouble and germs and cover your baby gear.
7. Gate check your stroller unless you’re traveling with a travel stroller that can fit in the overhead compartment of the plane. Whether your toddler is sleeping, you’re waiting for a delayed flight, or have a very long walk from your arrival gate to baggage claim, you will find yourself wanting the stroller-especially if your kiddos are on the bigger size. To gate check the stroller simply talk to the gate attendant at the desk prior to boarding the plane. They’ll likely give you a special tag that identifies your stroller as a gate checked item. Checking and gate checking strollers and car seats is also free on most airlines. Fold up and cover your stroller, then put the gate check tag visibly on the outside of the stroller cover/bag. Right before walking onto the plane, at the end of the jetway, is where you’ll drop off and pick up any gate checked items.
If you travel a lot, there are several travel strollers that do fit in the overhead compartments of planes that are worth getting and even using as a daily stroller for running errands. My top 3 include: the BabyZen YoYo2 travel stroller, Cybex Libelle, or GB Pockit+ All City. All three are fairly solid choices. The GB Pockit+ is not the best option for bigger toddlers though because the seat straps are very short for taller kids. But it is the cheapest of the 3 travel strollers.
If you happen to need a lightweight double travel stroller the Zoe Twin+ is my personal favorite. I’ve used mine for several international trips and it’s worth it!
Hopefully some of these travel tips will ease your next flight with your toddler!
Safe and happy travels!
Easier Family Travel 