Inexpensive new toys for a family flight · Scene from our film (24 sec)
Playback isn’t available here. Open the full film on Vimeo ↗
Flying with a toddler takes planning, patience and a few things within easy reach. These are our family’s original 30 tips, with current child-restraint, medicine and airline checks alongside the stories from our travels.
Have a toddler and want to travel? Fear no more! While toddlers are the most difficult to fly with, in my opinion, I’ve got loads of tips to make your flight smooth.
Take heart. Parents around the world travel with toddlers every day. You CAN do this. It just takes planning, dedication, and looking forward to getting to your destination.
In case you are new around these parts, we’ve been traveling the world with our five kids for over two years! To date, we’ve flown nearly 100 flights with kids of various ages!
A few small things make a flight day easier for me to manage: inexpensive toys, a pen and passports ready for forms, and a calm response when a child cries. In my seven flying-with-kids tips, I also talk about giving the aisle time to clear before we get off. This guide takes those basics further for toddler travel, from choosing the flight to getting everyone settled.
The cheapest flight might be appealing, but remember it’s the cheapest for a reason. Ask yourself:
You can do early and overnight flights with a toddler. You know your toddler and what the limits might be. Just be aware of why it is cheap!
*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Opinions shared are my own, and I only endorse products I support. By clicking on any of the links below, I may get a small commission if you purchase at absolutely no additional charge to you. I appreciate your support.*
The other important thing to think about is where you are sitting. Check your airline’s current family-seating policy before paying for assignments. Some airlines commit to seating young children beside an accompanying adult without an extra fee, subject to conditions; the US DOT family-seating dashboard covers participating US carriers.
Resolve seating beside your toddler with the airline before departure, even for a short flight. I’ve found that we have had flights, however, where we were all assigned separately and I had to beg for help to sit by my 4-year-old.
Direct flights rule flying with toddlers. If at all possible, get a direct flight. I promise you’ll be glad.
If you need to have a layover, be strategic. Maybe find one with 12+ hours and look for an airport hotel so everyone can sleep well before the next flight.
If you want to have a nice meal, allow at least 2-3 hours.
If you have one child, arrange for an adult to sit beside them. If using a child restraint, confirm the permitted seat position with the airline rather than assuming the toddler can sit between two adults.
Some airlines permit children under two to travel on an adult’s lap, but check the carrier’s age, ticket, and document requirements. The FAA recommends an approved child restraint in the child’s own seat rather than lap travel. A birth certificate and desk check-in are not universal requirements for every route.
What if you have four seats across? You can risk it and leave a middle seat empty, hoping no one books that seat. We’ve had about 50/50 luck with this strategy. If that person does show up, some passengers have been willing to swap with us, but a swap is not guaranteed.
A window seat can be useful for family travel, but confirm the seat position permitted for your car seat. An inflatable bed is not a safety restraint and may not be permitted on your flight.
Perfecting the balancing act of packing your diaper/travel bag with a toddler takes time. You’ll probably overpack the first few times until you know what really works with your child. That’s OK!
The two most important things to pack with a toddler are snacks and toys. I tend to pack enough snacks that they could serve as a meal in a pinch because we have been in that pinch many, many times.
Food is a form of entertainment for a toddler, so pack the very favorites. Some of my favorite snacks for toddlers are:
I don’t recommend big crackers or things that crumble as they eat them. Hello, big mess!
You also need lots of lot of things to play with. You don’t have to go out and buy a bunch of new things. Usually, the ones that last the longest are the things you already have. What does your toddler love in your purse right now? A water bottle and the lid can be very entertaining.
Bottom line: bring things you know your toddler will love, that don’t make noise (or much noise.. no loud toddler toys with songs or beeps) and that you are OK to lose. Heading to the dollar store can also be a great option! They are new, you can trash them after and they can entertain for hours.
Other things to pack:
You might be bringing a car seat with you on your trip. We traveled the world with one. Check whether your seat is approved for aircraft use, fits the aircraft seat, and can be installed as instructed before deciding how to transport it.
Choose an approved restraint that fits your child and follow its instructions and the airline’s rules. A generic airplane harness listing is not proof of aviation approval; verify the exact product. This is about protection during the flight, not simply keeping a toddler still.
Strollers can be very handy, but most need to be checked at the gate unless you got foldable.
I still prefer baby carriers, even at the airport. MiaMily Hip Seat Baby Carrier is my favorite.
There are several travel pillows for sleeping on the plane but here’s my favorite because it creates a bed for a toddler, even in the economy (where we always fly), but not all airlines allow it. Ask the airline before travel and follow the crew’s instructions; do not use a device they prohibit or let it block access.
I also like this inflatable cushion for kids that we have liked for sitting up; check whether the airline permits that exact device and follow its instructions.
Having travel documents organized and ready to grab makes life much easier. Consider a passport holder, and mark the front of your passports with washi tape and the name of the person. With 7 passports, it’s hard for me to find the right person sometimes!
Check current entry and airline document requirements for every destination and transit point. Do not assume a phone image will substitute for an original document or required paper form.
For international flights, check each traveler’s passport or other accepted travel-document requirements, including infants, along with visas and any child consent documents. Requirements depend on nationality and route.
I like to keep the travel documents together and a pen easy to reach. Our old flight footage talks about paper customs forms; the forms and entry requirements for your own route may now be digital or different, so check them before departure.
Keeping a pen and passports handy · Scene from our film (17 sec)
Playback isn’t available here. Open the full film on Vimeo ↗
Prepare your toddler for what to expect. I always tell my kids if they have to sleep on the plane, how long it will be, and roughly how it will go. Tell your toddler the rules before you get there and get them excited! If they get upset on the flight, remind them what to be excited about.
You might, mistakenly, think that keeping your toddler awake will make them sleep better on the flight. Nope! Overtired kids sleep LESS than rested kids. Another inverse relationship in parenthood. Cortisol builds up in them and makes it harder and harder for them to sleep.
Let’s face it… you might not sleep well (or at all) before your flight. There is SO much to do before a travel day. However, you can get your toddler to bed on time. It will be worth it, especially when you are exhausted.
Be calm. This is my TOP tip and the most important. If you haven’t realized it yet, your toddler is quite in tune with you and your emotions. Have you noticed how your toddler acts out when you are tired and stressed? It’s a bit cruel how it works that way, but it’s true.
For this entire flight, you will project calm. Nothing is going to ruffle you. Screaming, throwing goldfish, hitting you, kicking the seat in front… these things will not throw you off. Expect your toddler to act terribly and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when they don’t!
You need to be firm, but calm. If you have a partner to share the responsibility with, take turns when you feel your book starting to boil!
Visualize yourself in that scenario and see how calm you will be. Your emotions are going to be the most important part of this journey today. If you are calm, no matter the other circumstances, your toddler is going to take comfort in this and be calmer as well.
Arrive early. I am late for everything. I struggle to not over-commit, in general, and our schedule gets the worst of my ambitions. We were late a few times to our initial flights with kids and I swore to quit that habit right away. You do NOT want to be late for your flight, ever, but especially with kids. It is so stressful!
We now plan to arrive at the airport 2-3 hours before our flights. Often we budget more time for an international flight.
If we only have a few hours in a city before our flight, we don’t try to fit in any more sightseeing and we just head to the airport instead. Better to relax at the airport, trust me! Bring books, homework, work, whatever, and plan to do that instead while you wait for your flight.
Check your airline’s current car-seat baggage allowance, charges, and gate-check arrangements. They are not identical worldwide. Checking a seat is a baggage choice, not safer than using an approved restraint correctly in a purchased aircraft seat.
If that doesn’t feel comfortable to you, consider getting a bag to carry your car seat around.
I would NOT check your stroller. It’s too expensive and will likely get broken by baggage handlers. Check this at the gate instead (at the entrance to the plane).
We also traveled with a travel wagon (in place of a stroller) for over a year. We loved how it works and it was so handy! Ask the airline whether that wagon is accepted, where it must be checked, and whether a fee applies.
Wearing your toddler in the airport (and at your destination) can be fabulous. You don’t stress about stairs and finding elevators. My favorite for toddlers is the MiaMily Carrier.
Dealing with security checks demands patience from everyone, but parents have extra challenges. Little ones bring extra gear and demand more attention through security.
With toddlers, your biggest challenge will be all your gear.
Consider Global Entry if you travel internationally regularly. It gives you TSA Precheck in the USA as well which is amazing. This is a shorter security line that allows you to skip many of the required rules for security (like removing shoes, taking out computers, etc.).
Also, see if security has a family lane. Many foreign countries have this and you’ll go through a separate line for families.
Find a notice board after security and double-check your gate and flight info. Sometimes, in the process of boarding a plane, your gate might have changed. Even worse, your flight might be canceled! Best to find out now and not at the gate.
Get out all the wiggles! Walk on the moving walkways, play hide and seek, and let them crawl around as much as possible.
Either change diapers or go potty right before getting on. It’s always easier than on the airplane.
If your airline accepts your stroller for gate checking, you need a stroller tag. It’s a big hassle and embarrassment when you go to board the plane and don’t have it, so get it now. Ask the desk attendant in front of your gate.
Ask about family boarding. Every airline is a bit different about family boarding. While you are getting your stroller tags, ask about family boarding, and make sure you are in the right spot at the right time.
Ask the gate staff where to leave your stroller. Depending on the airport and aircraft, it may be collected at the gate, aircraft door, or another designated point. Follow staff instructions and do not leave it in an exit path.
Usually, you will get it when you get off again, but some international flights send it with your other luggage to the baggage claim. If you aren’t using your car seat on the airplane and didn’t check it already, leave that now too.
The big moment is here! Remember to BE CALM. You are now looking for your seat.
You’re going to get some looks. People are worried your toddler will make their flight miserable. You’ll get some smiles too.
Once you are settled on the plane, take a minute to meet your neighbors. Clear the air right away and chitchat for a minute or two. Ask them about themselves and they will see you more as a person than an annoying toddler mama.
Never be ashamed to be on a flight. You paid for a ticket, you deserve to travel and your toddler will benefit from this travel with you. If your toddler starts to fuss your new friend might even offer to grab the dropped toy or give you a consoling look.
I’ve heard of bringing small gifts for the people sitting around you. Think of a cute gift/snack/candy to share with your immediate neighbors. You might even include a note with something like, “Grace is taking her second flight today near you. She promises to do her very best, but sometimes toddlers are unpredictable! Thank you for your patience today!“
I like to make important items easily accessible. I put them on top of the diaper bag or carry them onto the plane. Getting to your seat, buckling, and dealing with fellow passengers and a toddler can get tricky.
Get your diaper bag where you can reach it and take out the things you’ll need right away: a sippy cup, snacks, any travel accessories like your neck pillow, headphones, etc. Get comfy and be as relaxed as possible!
Use a restraint approved for aircraft use and appropriate for your child’s size, installed according to its instructions. Verify the exact harness model’s approval rather than relying on an online listing, and follow crew directions.
Flying with a toddler requires you to be an entertainer. All of the flights. Lose those grand dreams of reading a book or taking a nap. You are going to cycle through toys like a master until it’s time to nap, then cycle some more. As soon as interest wanes, switch to a new toy.
Most toddlers will not be interested in screen time until 2.5 – 3 years old. You’ll wish for this day and it’s glorious when it comes. If your toddler likes screens, let them go for it! We have no limits on screen time for flights until it’s time to sleep.
See this page of my favorite toddler toys for planes. Big winners: gel clings for windows, water pen coloring, or erasable drawing pads. Other ideas: headphones, things with buttons that snap (like a small wallet), lipstick or chapstick (but be careful with this one!), stickers, and a small notepad.
Small, inexpensive toys give us something new to bring out when the flight starts to feel long. I prefer things I will not worry about losing under a seat. Choose age-appropriate items without small parts that could be a choking hazard.
Speaking of naps, don’t force it. Expect that sleep may not happen, and plan familiar comfort items and a normal sleep routine where possible. Do not use melatonin for a toddler’s flight nap based on our article; discuss any sleep aid with your pediatrician first.
If the flight is less than 5 hours and during the day, I wouldn’t even worry about a nap.
Fussiness alone is not a reason to give pain medicine. If your toddler may have an ear infection or seems unwell before travel, ask their clinician about assessment, fitness to fly, and any medicine. If medicine is advised, follow the child-specific dose and timing instructions; do not give Tylenol simply to make boarding easier.
The American Academy of Pediatrics advises discussing melatonin with a pediatrician. It is not a routine way to get a toddler to nap on a plane.
It’s going to happen eventually. Expect it. When it does, do your best to ignore everyone else and stay calm. Imagine yourself and your toddler in a private room at home. Pretend no one else exists.
Remember, you have as much right to be there with your toddler as anyone else on the plane. Calmly and slowly use your techniques to soothe your toddler. Is he/she hungry? Overtired?
Try handing the toddler to your partner, if you have one with you. This will give your toddler a change of scenery and let you chill for a second. Take turns if you can. If nothing works, just keep doing you and endure.
Before descent, use the bathroom if the crew permits and the seat-belt sign is off. No one wants to stress about not being able to get up and having a dirty diaper or squirmy toddler. You might need to do customs when you get off anyway.
Start gathering all the toys, shoes, etc. slowly and get ready to land. Stay calm. You are almost there!
It’s ok to take your time and not pop right up. If your toddler is sleeping, be the last one off. Let all the anxious people off first.
With our bags and five children, waiting for the first rush to clear has sometimes made getting off easier. This is one of those choices I adjust to the connection time and crew instructions, rather than a rule that every family should be last.
Letting the aisle clear before we leave · Scene from our film (15 sec)
Playback isn’t available here. Open the full film on Vimeo ↗
You made it! Congratulations!! No matter what happened on the flight, leave it on the plane. It’s time to start relaxing now and highlight all the things to your toddler they did right.
Remember that we all get better with practice. Our kids are absolute experts and so easy to fly with, but it didn’t start that way.
At the end of the day, your flights are just the stepping stone to amazing memories together. Travel days fade in your memories, but this trip won’t. You won’t regret going, I promise!
This flight day was with all five children, rather than a toddler-only trip. It captures the practical juggling behind these notes; airline procedures and the safety guidance linked in this article should be checked for your own journey.
A safety note on our older film: Our family stories and jokes are not instructions to sedate or physically hold a child to make them sleep. Holding a sleeping child is not a substitute for an approved restraint: the FAA recommends an approved child restraint in the child’s own seat. Follow the device’s instructions and crew directions. Discuss any sleep medicine with your child’s pediatrician.
Our seven flying-with-kids tips from a past family flight · Full film (6 min 28 sec)
Playback isn’t available here. Open the full film on Vimeo ↗
An older family flight with all five children. This film includes past advice and personal asides; use the current safety notes immediately above and the airline rules for your route.
Watch the related version of our seven flying-with-kids tips on YouTube. That is a separate provider version; the excerpts here use the exact Vimeo source.
Xoxo,
Leslie
Get your family’s travel insurance from World Nomads
Capture your best family memories while traveling with a GoPro, Sony camera, or our favorite drones: DJI FPV, Air, and Mini
Check out other travel necessities from a comprehensive list of all the 7Wayfinders Travel Must-Haves. Click Here!
Flying with a baby too? I’ve got tips for Flying with a Baby.
How To Save Money When Traveling With Kids
10 Tips For Surviving Jet Lag When Traveling With Kids
Facebook
Pinterest
Youtube
I’m flying to New York with my 3-year-old son this December, and since it’s his first flight, I’m worried he might not be comfortable during the trip. It’s good that you mentioned that food is a form of entertainment for toddlers during travels, which is why we should remember to pack their favorite snacks and small things they have to eat one at a time instead of those that leave crumbs. I’ll make sure to remember this and look for good airplane snacks to consider packing for him once I find a blog online to check for toddler travel advice before our trip.
I’m flying to New York with my 3-year-old son this December, and since it’s his first flight, I’m worried he might not be comfortable during the trip. It’s good that you mentioned that food is a form of entertainment for toddlers during travels, which is why we should remember to pack their favorite snacks and small things they have to eat one at a time instead of those that leave crumbs. I’ll make sure to remember this and look for good airplane snacks to consider packing for him once I find a blog online to check for toddler travel advice before our trip.
I’m flying to New York with my 3-year-old son this December, and since it’s his first flight, I’m worried he might not be comfortable during the trip. It’s good that you mentioned that food is a form of entertainment for toddlers during travels, which is why we should remember to pack their favorite snacks and small things they have to eat one at a time instead of those that leave crumbs. I’ll make sure to remember this and look for good airplane snacks to consider packing for him once I find a blog online to check for toddler travel advice before our trip.
I’m flying to New York with my 3-year-old son this December, and since it’s his first flight, I’m worried he might not be comfortable during the trip. It’s good that you mentioned that food is a form of entertainment for toddlers during travels, which is why we should remember to pack their favorite snacks and small things they have to eat one at a time instead of those that leave crumbs. I’ll make sure to remember this and look for good airplane snacks to consider packing for him once I find a blog online to check for toddler travel advice before our trip.