The Best Tips for Flying with a Toddler
I get it. Taking a toddler on a plane can seem like an experience to avoid. But I promise you that traveling with your kiddo can be an amazing thing to do. And these tips for flying with a toddler will help you have the best flight experience possible.
We have an almost 3 year old. Jovie. We (or just I) have taken her on so many flights. I lost count once we hit 30 flights. We went to Iceland, we fly to the ocean, we visit family, and I’m currently planning a trip to Slovenia. We just love to travel. It was a passion of ours before we had a baby, and we vowed to do it once she was born.
And while it has not always been pleasant (seriously, parenthood is never always pleasant), for the most part it has been incredible.
Flying with a toddler (ages 1-3) can honestly be fun. They tend to love the new experience, they get to eat a lot of snacks, and they see new people. It can also be difficult. Toddlers are unpredictable, they have big feelings, and they don’t always listen.
But with this list of tips for flying with a toddler, you will be as prepared as you can be.
Maybe you’ll even have a few minutes to read a book on the plane.
Maybe.
Here they are, the best tips for flying with a toddler:
With these tips for flying with a toddler, you too can take an amazing trip to Iceland!
Prepare as best you can.
Think through the whole travel day experience and prep for each part.
This prep can feel stressful, but it will allow you to have a good travel day. Which is the goal.
If you’re driving to the airport, where will you park? Do you have a way to hold your toddler while you’re in the airport – either a carrier, wagon, or stroller? Are you bringing a car seat on the plane or gate checking it? What will you do for meals? Did you pack 17 kinds of snacks?
Have all your documents ready and easily accessible.
Having a plan for all these things will help you to focus on the now once you’re at the airport.
Also, prep for potential travel disasters.
Everyone hates travel mishaps… delayed flights, missed layovers, etc. But they become extra awful if you have a toddler with you.
Try to prep as best you can. Keep extra food in your carry-on just in case you’re stuck on the flight for longer than you think. Pack extra diapers and clothes for the possibility of having to spend the night somewhere that wasn’t in your plans.
Don’t get too deep in the worst case scenario game, but be realistic about what you should pack and prepare for.
Get TSA PreCheck.
TSA PreCheck is super helpful when traveling with a toddler. You can get through the airport faster, you don’t have to take your shoes off, and it’s just more convenient. It’s $78 for 5 years and so worth it. Toddlers can go with you through TSA Precheck without having it themselves.
For all the info, head here.
Get a travel car seat.
They have tons of travel car seat options. Super lightweight and expensive ones. Medium weight and cheaper ones. Either way, it’s helpful to not bring your regular heavy toddler car seat with you.
We use the cheap-ish Cosco one, but another blogger reviewed the best travel car seats if you’d like to invest in a better one.
Bring an extra change of clothes and a sweatshirt.
You never know what the temperature will be like on the plane. Bring extra layers for your kiddo so they don’t get cold. And bring a change of clothes for spills, potty accidents, etc.
Talk to your kiddo about the travel day and flight.
Toddlers are smart! And they’re constantly absorbing new information. Talk them through your travel day, so they know what’s coming. And tell them different rules or things to do/not do while you’re traveling.
Things like: Stay close while we’re walking through the airport. Talk quietly and don’t kick the seat in front of you while you’re on the plane. You have to keep your seatbelt on for most of the plane ride. Etc.
I promise this helps.
Try to be calm on the travel day.
Of all the tips for flying with a toddler, this might be the most important one. You may not feel calm, but you need to act calm in front of your toddler. Exude calmness because they will feed off your energy.
I am all about feeling the feelings. But when it comes to being in the airport with a toddler, your best strategy is to stay calm.
Take deep breaths, remind yourself that the travel day will end, and keep doing the things. It will be ok.
Carry as little as you can through the airport.
Some travelers are Team Carry-On, and I respect that. If you can pack all your stuff in carry-ons and save on luggage, KUDOS to you. Seriously.
But if you’re going to check bags, try to then limit the amount of stuff you have to drag through the airport. It gets heavy, and it’s harder to wrangler a running toddler if you’re carrying multiple bags.
Let them walk through the airport.
Burn. That. Energy.
They’re going to be tied down on the plane, so let them stretch their legs before you board. I make sure Jovie knows that she has to stay very close to me/hold my hand while we go through the airport, and she does surprisingly well walking with me.
And if you have time, stop at the airport kids’ play area.
Airports with kids’ play areas are amaaaazing. If you have time, let them explore.
Which leads us to…
Sanitize all the things – Tips for Flying with a Toddler.
Their hands, the seats on the plane, the tray tables on the plane. Bring hand sanitizer and/or sanitizing wipes. The last thing you want is to get sick while you’re on your trip.
Don’t board super early if you don’t have to.
I don’t really understand why anyone wants to board the plane first. We’re all going to be sitting there for a set amount of time, and getting on there first doesn’t mean your flight time is shorter.
I would like to spend the least amount of time possible on the plane, especially if I have a toddler with me.
If you have assigned seats, run around the terminal until you have to board. If it’s choose your own seats, you’ll want to board early/in the family boarding to guarantee seats together. Otherwise, just wait until later.
Bring lots of food!
All the food. All the snacks. Put them in the Munchkin hard-to-spill cups. Some of our favorites to pack are:
- Veggie Straws
- Crackers
- Cheese sticks
- Melties/Yogurt Bites/Puffs
- Pouches
- Muffins (I make them ahead of time)
- Peanut Butter Sandwiches
- Fruit and Veggies – Apple slices, bananas, berries, carrots
- Cheerios
And bring lots of plane activities.
I made a whole post about the best plane activities for toddlers… the advice can be a game changer for flights. Focus on small, quiet activities.
Here’s a quick list of what you should bring:
- Magnetic Drawing Board
- Play Doh
- Poke a Dot Book
- Coloring Books
- Sticker Book
- Fidget Popping Toy
Encourage your kiddo to use the potty before boarding the plane.
I cannot fully describe the terror that you might experience if your toddler announces they need to poop during bad turbulence. I told mine that we couldn’t go because the seatbelt sign was on and the plane was too bouncy. She looked me dead in the eyes and said, “it’s going to smell really bad.”
I’M SORRY WHAT.
I sat there, sweating, while I imagined all the scenarios of her pooping in her underwear in her car seat. None of the scenarios were fun.
(She held it. We were fine.)
Try to get them to poop and pee before the flight. Even if they say they don’t need to. Explain that they may not be able to use the potty while you’re on the plane.
You can also consider putting them in pull-ups just.in.case. We also brought a travel potty seat when she was new to potty training. The big toilet seat freaked her out too much. Set them up for success!
If they have to go during the flight, take your chance while the seatbelt sign is off. And if you truly can’t get out of your seats to go, I don’t know what to tell you. Distract them while you pray to the toddler gods that they don’t poop their pants.
This was right after she said “It’s going to smell really bad.” She just kept looking at me like this, pointing. Flying with a toddler is wild.
Mentally prepare to entertain your toddler for most of the flight.
Toddlers never really want to play by themselves, do they? Gone are the days of finishing a good book on a plane. You want to try to avoid having your toddler lose their minds on the plane, so plan to be as attentive as possible. Play with them, talk to them, and generally pay a lot of attention to them.
If you get to screen time and they’re tuned into a movie, you might have a few minutes of peace to yourself. Enjoy those minutes.
Help their little ears during takeoff and landing.
We all know to chew gum or yawn during takeoff and landing, and little kids need to pop their ears too. We usually do snack time, but you can also do a pacifier if they use one, suck through a straw, or get them to yawn — honestly, the yawning option is the best option. Once they figure it out, they’ll pop their ears on their own.
Try to get them to sleep on the plane, but let it go if they won’t.
I WISH our toddler was a good plane sleeper (or a good sleeper in general ha). Getting a kid to sleep on a travel day is one of the best feelings of parenthood. You accomplished something difficult, and now you get to freaking relax for a second.
I’ve read blog posts on this subject, but none of them have ever really solved our bad little sleeper’s problems. Here’s one post that you could try because I would not even try to claim to be an expert at this.
We usually try to have Jovie do something really boring, and she’ll sometimes drift off. My go-to is walking in the airport with her in the carrier to put her to sleep, and sometimes she’ll then sleep through part of the flight.
And if they won’t go to sleep, let.it.go. Just relax. They’ll survive. You’ll survive. One missed nap is not the end of the world.
We had an 8 hour flight home from Iceland, and she legitimately only slept for 10 minutes. 10 of the 480 minutes. I wish I was exaggerating. It was not a fun time for us, but we kept her entertained and relatively quiet and eventually the plane did land.
Don’t worry about others.
This is a big one. Obviously, try to teach your toddler to be respectful of others. Don’t let them kick the seat in front of you, try to keep your voices low if people are sleeping on the plane, and generally just do your best.
But if your toddler is having a meltdown, focus on you and your toddler. Toddlers have big feelings. Help them through it, and don’t panic about what other people are thinking of you. You’ll never see them again. Deep breaths for you and your little one.
Break out the ipad or screen last. And don’t forget toddler headphones!
Once we get the screen out, our toddler doesn’t want to play with anything else. We exhaust all our other plane activities and save this one for last.
Don’t worry about screen time on airplane days.
We usually download some toddler games/shows ahead of time, but usually our toddler ends up watching Shrek on the Southwest app. Travel days are not the days to fret about screen time. We all use screens more on airplanes, right? You’re just sitting there anyways. Let them watch something if it’s keeping them calm and quiet.
FAQ — Tips for Flying with a Toddler
When is the best time to travel with a toddler?
This can change depending on your child. If your toddler sleeps well on the plane, book your flights during nap time/overnight flights. If your toddler does not sleep well on the plane, you might want to book during a wake window.. either in the morning before nap or in the afternoon/evening after nap.
Once you travel a handful of times with your kiddo you’ll get a feel for what works best for them.
Do I have to pay for a toddler’s seat on the plane?
If they are under 2 years old, no. They can fly as a lap child. Just know that they truly will have to spend the whole flight on your lap. We have asked gate agents and have sometimes been able to get an empty seat in our row for our car seat/somewhere to put our lap child.
But if they are 2 years old or older, yes you have to pay for their seats just like you pay for your own.
What documents do they need?
If you’re traveling within your own country, just bring their birth certificate. Sometimes no one even asks to see it, but it’s good to have.
If you’re traveling internationally, you’ll need to have a passport for your toddler.
Is it worth all this hassle?
Yes yes yes. If travel is important to you – whether it’s seeing the world or visiting family – do it with your toddler. It opens their eyes to new experiences, you get to do what you love, and sometimes it’s good to mix things up! We love traveling with our toddler, and sometimes it’s honestly nice to break up our routine with a day on a plane.
Also, the last time I flew with our almost 3 year old, she did SUCH a great job. I was so proud of her I could have cried, which is a nice feeling to have as a parent.
Tips for Flying with a Toddler
Did I miss any good advice? I truly write these posts to help other parents travel. If I missed anything please comment below, and I’ll add it to the post. And if you had a successful plane day with your toddler, comment that below too! Thanks for reading!
Happy Toddler Travel!
Read Next:
Pin The Best Tips for Flying with a Toddler 🙂
Comments? Ideas? Advice? Leave some!