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I’m not a big fan of flying and the thought of flying WITH kids is something I’ve dreaded. Before our cruise to Alaska and Canada 2 weeks ago I racked my brain and asked friends for tips to make flying with kids easier (or at least bearable).
We flew to and from Seattle (~5 hours) with our 4 year old daughter and 2 year old son and it was much easier than I anticipated. On the way back we had a few minor bumps that I’m hoping you will also learn from.
Here are my tips to make flying with kids easy.
#1 HANDS FREE
Carry only the necessities. I had by husband with me so it was one adult per kid. This makes a big difference.
If you’re outnumbered you can’t have your hands full of luggage and wrangle up kid(s) at the same time. You need octopus arms to hold little hands, grab food, take out and put away boarding passes and ID’s, etc.
We had the things we needed for the flight in a backpack, our important documents in hand or in my purse, and our carry-ons with the double stroller.
#2 STROLLER FOR LUGGAGE
If your kids are older this is irrelevant.
We went back and forth trying to decide if we should bring our double stroller or not. Both our kids love running around, but we did so much they literally clonked out in the stroller multiple times each day. I am so glad we brought it because I did not want to get stuck carrying them around while they slept.
At the airport the stroller made it easy to get our luggage and move with the kids.
#3 HEADPHONES
Another tip to make flying with kids easy, (and cheaper) bring along kid’s headphones.
Check with your individual airlines to see what they offer and their rules. Some have TV screens at every seat to watch movies and shows while in flight. Others may only let you rent individual devices.
Both airlines charged for headphones (~$5).
I forgot to bring our own headphones so the flight attendants (there and back) were nice enough to give us complimentary ones to use with the Leafrog Pad we brought with us. Also to keep the kids appeased I’m sure 😉
The headphones that were given on the airplane were ear buds and not the most comfortable. My daughter didn’t like them because they were too big for her and kept falling out, so do yourself a favor and bring headphones just for the kids.
#4 IPAD/LEAPFROG PAD/COMPUTER
If you have a mini computer or gaming system that your kids like to play with bring it with you (fully charged).
We brought our daughter’s Leapfrog pad loaded up with new games and only gave it to her once we were in the air. If you give it your kids the electronic devices before the flight they may get bored with it sooner rather than later.
#5 SNACKS/CANDY
Your ears tend to pop when they experience changes in altitude. With babies and kids this can be a new, weird and uncomfortable experience.
Bring along their favorite snacks or treats so that they can munch on something as the air pressure changes and their ears can adjust more quickly.
Even if the airlines provide snacks, they hand them out long after your ears get used to the altitude.
We brought along lollipops, but the woman flying with 2 kids gave us two gummy snack packs and they worked much better.
#6 COMFORT IS KEY
Make sure you dress your child in layers. If they’re hot they can take layers off and if they’re cold they can put them on.
Bring a little blanket with you because the airlines also charge for them.
On a longer flight you might want to bring an inflatable pillow for the kids. It’s hard for them to sleep comfortably because their heads sway back and forth while sleeping.
#7 CARSEAT
To make flying easier with small kids bring their car seat on the airplane with you.
It can make them feel more comfortable in their seat and if they fall asleep in your car they’ll probably do the same on the plane.
We opted not to bring our son’s car seat because we were going from the airport onto a cruise. Now if we were flying to a place where we would be driving I would definitely bring it.
#8 PASSENGER CARE PACKAGE
My biggest fear of flying with kids wasn’t them crying. I’m a mom, I’ve dealt with my fair share of crying.
My fear was getting seated next to a “difficult” passenger who wasn’t understanding or sympathetic when it comes to traveling with kids and them rolling their eyes, making rude comments, or complaining.
If this is one of your fears put together a little care package for your fellow passengers. Include a small bottle of alcohol (if the airline allows), earplugs, candy, snacks, mints, gum, chapstick, pen, hand sanitizer, etc. See these cute gift bags I made for the nurses when I was pregnant.
Write a note that says something like “Hi! My name is X. This is my first time flying. Please accept these goodies that my parents packed for you to enjoy and ear plugs in case you don’t like my singing. Have a great flight!”
Kids cry and sometimes you have no control over it. My son was very upset on the flight back home because he was overtired and when he woke up he would start yelling. I did my very best to comfort him so that he could go back to sleep and not disrupt anyone, myself included.
Don’t feel the need to apologize. Babies cry, especially in new situations. If you want to put together a care package then do it, but you certainly don’t have to. People need to be understanding and most of the times they are. If they aren’t they suck.
#9 PICK THE RIGHT TIME
Our flight to Seattle was in the early morning and my kids had a blast. Our son slept most of the way there and our daughter was so excited seeing everything.
On the flight home we had a late night trip. Our kids were very grumpy. It was past their bedtime, they were overtired because we were out all day. It was bad because my son would fall sleep, but then get startled awake and start crying very loudly.
Every child is different, but one woman with kids told me that she never does late night flights because they backfire. I think if my kids had taken a nap earlier in the day like they normally do it would have been fine.
#10 COLORING/BOOKS/FAVORITE TOY
Even though I said to carry light, bring onboard your child’s favorite toy or book.
I brought along stickers and a coloring book for our kids to play with.
Be mindful when packing toys. Don’t bring anything the kids will fight over or anything too heavy.
For a fun surprise bring along a new toy!
Related posts:
* Cruising with toddlers – what you need to know
* 6 Easy tips for raising independent kids
* 6 Tips to make snack time healthy
#11 BATHROOM BREAK BEFORE BOARDING
Another tip to make flying with kids easy, take them to the bathroom right before you board. This eliminates the likelihood of them having to use the bathroom while in flight.
Bathrooms on board tend to be small a.k.a. there are no changing tables.
#12 TIRE THEM OUT
This backfired on us because both our kids were overtired by the time we boarded.
Know the cues and make proper arrangements. We should have stopped earlier in the day to make sure they took even a small nap before the late night flight.
#13 PREBOARD/WAIT TIL LAST MINUTE
You have 2 options. If your airline allows, you can board early when you travel with young kids so that you can get situated and put your bags away.
The other option is to wait until your seat is called to board.
The benefit of boarding is early is to make sure your bags are in the overhead bin near your seat before they get full. The con is that you are sitting on the plane for longer and that could increase the likelihood of your children getting restless.
We opted to board when called because everything we needed would be under the seat in front of us and our stroller was getting checked before boarding.
Flying with kids can be stressful, but you can make it much easier on yourself.
Don’t forget kids’ headphones, snacks, toys, a blanket, and anything else that will make your little one more comfortable.
I hope these tips make your next flight with kids easier. Enjoy!
Very good tips – I do think that carrying only what you need is such a good one. You’ll already feel like a pack mule and it’s no fun to be trying to carry so much you are dropping stuff everywhere!
LOL! Yes exactly 😉
Excellent suggestions. All of these tips were very helpful when my kids were small.
#14 Benadryl. Hahaha. Just kidding (ish). I used to be so nervous about flying with my kiddos, but they always did so much better than I expected! This was a fun read and I LOVE your cute infographic!
LMAO! I heard it either works really well or does the opposite effect and hypes them up. 50/50 odds weren’t good enough for me lol
Great tips! Traveling with little one is always a struggle!
This is a great list! I agree though, know your kid and watch for the warning signs.
Thanks. Yes I agree. Although I don’t want to disturb other passengers I also don’t want them disturbing me either lol. Toys and treats help a lot.
These are some great ideas. It’s always hard to travel with toddlers. Thanks for the post!
I loved my umbrella stroller when flying. Lightweight and fit down the aisle of the plane!
That’s a good idea! If it was just one kid I definitely would have brought that instead.
Great tips!
I dread the day I have to fly with kids 🙄
Yea, I really didn’t want to be the parent with “those bad kids” on the flight. Thankfully they were better than expected and people were more understanding than anticipated too. I got myself a drink to take the edge off.
These are great tips!! Flying with kids can be so stressful!
Great tips! My niece and nephews are older now, but when they were small we used many of these items on flights. Headphones are such a good idea, and I like the idea of a new toy as well.
Love the idea of a passenger care kit.
These are great tips! I love it when I see little kids whose flights go well!
Great list! I remember flying with littles before – quite a task! My boys are older now, so they know how to keep themselves occupied, but this is a handy-dandy list for those who are going crazy trying to figure out how to manage.
Thanks. Now that we made it through that first flight I feel much better lol
These are some of the best tips for traveling with little ones! Thank you!
Thanks! I’m so glad you think so. I definitely want to make it easier for other parents to fly with kids.
Great list! I don’t have kids but I know that traveling with young children can’t be easy. Gotta keep them occupied!
Thanks!
Those tips are very useful. Thanks!
These are so many great tips! I travel often with my toddler, and so far, it’s been great. We try to fly at night because he’s a good sleeper. I hope that lasts!
Thanks. I think night flying would have worked if we didn’t make them overtired before the flight lol
Great information. I travel with my grandchildren sometimes and have done many of these things.
Hi, these are some great tips. Just like you said each airline has their own rules in addition to government rules that are always changing. Thank you for writing this.
This was one of the best post I’ve read on travelling with kids. We use to fly with our son all the time but that was before he was one and he was still nursing. It was super easy to just nurse him and put him back to sleep. Now that he is three, I am terrified to go flying with him. It’s like he doesn’t know how loud he is and I know we would be an annoyance. However, I have found that I am much for forgiving of others parents who are struggling with their kids on planes. It’s not easy but your tips have really helped.
I know we put a lot of pressure on ourselves as parents, and moms in particular. I too try to help other parents because the struggle is real lol Whenever you go bring snacks and some favorite toys and you’ll be fine.