Fly with babies, toddlers, and children

The idea of flying with children is probably the biggest cause of stress for traveling parents. No one looks forward to carrying a load of luggage through the airport with a tired and unhappy child (or children), and the prospect of keeping them seated, quiet and happy for hours can be frightening. While we can not promise that your children will not melt, our travel tips will help you optimize your air travel and keep everyone in a better mood. We also have useful tips to make traveling with babies easier.

♡ My favorite travel toys for newborns

Getting ready

The first step is to arrive early at the airport. It takes a long time to cross the airport and security in any circumstance and will not be able to make a last-minute escape to your door as you would without a child (or children) in tow. The additional time at the airport will give your child the opportunity to exercise (find an empty door area or ask if there is a playground at the airport) between the long car trip and the flights.

When possible, register and secure your seat assignment online before leaving for the airport. Do not forget to print the boarding passes and put them in your carry-on luggage!

Be sure to pack your cargo (including any phone number you need) and a map of your destination in your carry-on baggage. There is nothing worse than struggling to find your hotel with tired children in tow.

Do you need help packing your carry-on luggage? Check out our useful Carryon packaging list for babies, toddlers, and children

Arrive at the airport

Unless you live in an urban environment with good public transport, getting to the airport can present a challenge. The need to carry a car seat makes it difficult for a friend to leave or take a taxi, but it can cost a fortune to park at the airport.

Consider parking outside the airport for short trips. A transportation service will pick you up in your car and leave you near your airline.
For longer trips, look for a local car service that provides a seat for the car. They should pick it up at home and leave it at the curbside counter. The cost is usually a little cheaper than the taxi service (partly because the meter is not running while collecting the last items and closing the house). If you choose to do this, book in advance and request a seat for the car at the time of booking. Call and reconfirm both the time and the car seat before traveling. You will also want to confirm what type of car seat you need. Wait for the driver not to install the seat for you (for reasons of responsibility), but if they do, you should verify the installation yourself to make sure it has been done correctly and that the seat is secure.

Can not find a limousine service that provides car seats in your area? Some car services will use your seat and store it until you pick it up for the return trip.

Explain to your child exactly what will happen. It can be scary for them to put their shoes and lovey on the conveyor belt and say goodbye to them.
Put everything on the safety belt and take off everyone's shoes before taking your child out of the stroller, then wait until you can put your child back in the stroller before picking up your other items.
If there is a family lane, use it! At most airports, the family lane has additional agents to help families pick up their belongings and, often, there is a little extra space where children can wear shoes.
Keep your tickets and identification easy to find until you board the plane. Babies and children are not required to have an ID for domestic flights in the USA. UU
If you are traveling with a baby, it is often easier to pass security with the baby in a metal-free sling. They can sleep undisturbed, and on my most recent flights I have not been asked to remove the baby from the sling. I have been told that this is the new regulation, but it seems to vary from one airport to another. Keep in mind that you will be asked to remove the baby from the sling before takeoff.
For more tips, see our step-by-step guide to Breezing Through Airport Security With Kids.
To learn about the latest safety rules related to children and their food and beverages, visit TSA Traveling with Children

After security

Your children have cooperated (or not) with much madness until this moment. Hopefully you have left enough time at the airport to take a break and attend to your needs now. Get them a snack (not sugar), change diapers or visit the bathroom, and spend a little time exploring with them. Now is also the time to dress your children to sleep on the plane.

• Many airports have a play area (check the airport's website or ask a gate agent for details), but if yours doesn't there is often an empty gate area to play in. Even though you’re probably exhausted from packing and getting through security you need to resist the urge to keep your child seated or contained in their stroller while you rest. There will be plenty of time to sit down once you board.
• Use this time to pick up any drinks or snacks you will need on the plane. Not all flights carry milk, and airplane tap water is not considered safe to drink (especially for children or babies). Furthermore bottled water supplies can be limited. Buy what you need now.
• If you were not able to get the seat assignments you wanted or want to know whether there is an empty seat available for your lap infant, now is a good time to talk with the gate agent.
• The gate agent can also give you a gate-check tag for your stroller.
• If your child was recently potty trained, put them in a diaper for the flight. You'll be glad you have it if the flight is delayed on the tarmac or if there is turbulence in flight.
• Wondering about nursing or pumping in the airport? Here are some Practical Tips for Breastfeeding and Pumping in an Airport

Boarding

As flight time nears, stay close to your gate and listen for the agent to announce pre-boarding. It is helpful to get on the plane first and get yourself organized before everyone else is trying to board. If you are able to split up, send one person ahead with the carryon baggage and car seats while the other parent stays with the kids. This way the first parent can get everything organized and ready without the distraction of kids, and the kids get a little bit more time to move freely. The second parent and kids can be among the last people to board.
Once on-board, make sure that you keep any items you need during takeoff or the beginning for the flight within your reach while seated.
If you gate check your stroller, make sure it has a tag with your name, address, and phone number and get a claim ticket from the gate agent. At the bottom of the jetway, collapse your stroller and remove any loose items. Do not expect that the airline personnel will know how to collapse and stow your stroller without damaging it. It is also a good idea to put your stroller in a plastic or cloth bag to protect it from damage. Most airlines consider strollers to be fragile items and will not reimburse you if they are damaged or destroyed.
If you expect your child to sit in their own seat during takeoff, discuss your expectations before the final seatbelt warning. You don’t want to be one of the handful of families each year who delay (or are removed from) flights because their child refuses to be belted into their seat.


Flight Delays with Kids
Here are some ideas for dealing with a flight that has been delayed after boarding.

• If the plane door has not been closed yet, ask whether you can let your children walk and play on the jetway. Flight staff are often cooperative (they don't like crying children either.) Try walking your children up and down the aisle.
• Get your children involved in some positive play with the neighbors in front of and behind you. (Peekaboo is hard for even the most stoic travellers to resist). They'll be a lot more understanding when your children have a difficult time later if they've seen them being cute.
• Even though you're frustrated, try not to let your kids know it. They'll only pick up on your mood.
• Resist the temptation to keep your kids (temporarily) quiet with juice or sugary treats, it will only make them harder to manage later. High protein snacks (especially ones that take a while to eat) are a great choice though.
• Engage your kids in quiet play. If they're old enough, try making up stories about why the flight is delayed (maybe squirrels in the cockpit?), where the plane should go instead, or make a list of things you would pack if you were staying at your destination for a year.
• For more ideas, check out our blog article on Surviving Flight Delays With Kids

Takeoff
Babies and young children do not know how to clear their ears to reduce the pressure during takeoff and landing. Unless your child is asleep, you will need to help them. For older children, gum is a good aid. For babies, nursing, a bottle, or a pacifier will work. In addition to helping with ear pressure, milk also acts as a mild sedative, so feeding your child can set the stage for drifting off to sleep.
If your child is tired, consider going through as much of your sleep routine as possible during takeoff (reading stories, singing quietly) and tell them that you’ll be sitting for a long time, so this is a good time to sleep. Young babies often sleep well in flight with the motion of the plane and the engine noise providing a very soothing environment.


In Flight
Set expectations about what behavior you expect before your child gets into trouble. Acknowledge that it’s really hard to sit still for so long and tell them that you know they can do it and that you will help them when it gets difficult. Remind them about all the fun things you will get to do when you land. Here are more Tips for Keeping an Active Child Calm on a Plane

 You need to make your travel toys last, so try not to bring them out until your child asks for them or gets bored. They’ll probably be amused for quite a while with just looking around, talking to the neighbors, and having some one-on-one time with you. When you do get out toys, get out one at a time so that each has a period of novelty. It’s fun to have some (or all) wrapped as gifts. The wrapping won’t add significantly to your load, but it will provide a little extra excitement and entertainment for your child. When possible, choose toys that work well together. For example, I might start with a Playmobil person and horse. When that gets boring, I could add a stroller, or a wheelchair or a car to the mix.
Not sure what to put in your in-flight busy bag? Check out our helpful tips for:
Keeping a Child Occupied on a Plane
Ten Great Travel Toys You Already Have at Home
Our Favorite Travel Toys

In turbulence, the FAA recommends that "Adults holding infants should provide as uniform support as possible to the infant's head, neck, and body, and lean over the infant to minimize the possibility of injury due to flailing."
Baby noses sometimes get stuffy during flight. Consider bringing along some saline drops (available at the pharmacy) and a small syringe. You can drip a few drops into baby's nose during or after the flight to clear things up. Some sources also say that cleaning the nose helps reduce baby's chances of getting sick Others recommend using expressed breast milk (if you have it) because it is non-drying and antibacterial.
Will you be nursing on the plane? Check out our helpful guide to Nursing and Pumping On an Airplane

Landing

As with takeoff, you’ll have to help your child with pressure in their ears during landing (if they are awake). If you need milk, water, or juice, get it from the flight attendant before the landing process begins.

After landing, it is easiest to wait until the other passengers have de-planed to gather your belongings and children. Despite your best efforts, some of their toys will be scattered on the floor or around the seat, and you won’t want to lose anything. If you’ve gate checked a stroller, it won’t be available immediately anyway, so you might as well wait in your seat instead of at the bottom of the airplane door. Best of all, not being part of the crush of passengers exiting the plane will also give your children a chance to peek in the cockpit.