First of all, good job for having the courage to take a flight with your kids! With the right preparations, you’ll feel more at ease and create the best experience and memories with your children.
Food, how to avoid h(a)ungry kids
When traveling with kids, it’s essential to bring plenty of food. I recommend packing more than your baby or toddler typically needs. This keeps your kids happy and prepared for any delays. Consider bringing:
- Bought or made fruit puree: If you make it yourself, use reusable travel pouches, you can fill them up with your own fruitpurree and your baby can just drink them as a smoothie. Premade options are convenient and stay fresh longer on long flights.
- Easy-to-eat fruits: Bananas, grapes, or berries are perfect.
- Bread and spreads: Astor loves hummus. Once, airport security questioned us because they couldn’t believe we brought it for our little one!
- Lots of water! You can already bring heated water yourself, ask a cafe or warm it up in an child area of the airport. Or ask the steward(e)ss to heat it up in the airplane itself.
Tip: try to keep milk or water for when you go up, it is a must for the babys ears to drink something. If they are older, you can give them something to drink or chew on. the most important thing is that they chew something
Toys, how to keep your kids entertained
Pack small toys that don’t take up much space. Some of our favorites include:
- Fidgets: Perfect for hanging on the windows.
- (Color) Books: Keep them entertained and engaged.
- Teething toys: Essential if your baby is teething.
- Small cars/animals: Great for imaginative play.
- Tablet: Load it with their favorite TV shows downloaded offline.
- Cuddle(blanket) for sleeping or when they need some comfort.
Clothes
We always bring a smaller packing cube with spare clothes for our child. Depending on the age of your child and the length of the flight, you may need a couple of these cubes. We learned the hard way when Astor got sick on one flight.
Our go-to packing list for longer flights includes three extra bodysuits or t-shirts, two extra pairs of light pants or leggings, and a pair of pajama pants. Additionally, we pack one extra layer, a sweater, for chilly air-conditioned cabins.
Practical Stuff
- Carrier: A carrier is invaluable for keeping your hands free and taking your kid on the plane easily.
- Buggy: Great for holding your hand luggage or your kid during long walks through the airport. You can leave the buggy behind before boarding the airplane, or you can buy a foldable buggy that fits into the overhead compartment. Make sure to ask for a tag for the buggy if it is going into the cargo hold.
- Car Seat: Recommended in two situations: if renting one is more expensive or if your child is under two years old and it’s more comfortable for them. We bought one in the USA because we didn’t have one that fit in our campervan or was allowed on airplanes. Ensure it’s an airplane-approved car seat and legal in the country you’re traveling to. Look for an FAA sticker or an airplane approved stickers when searching for a airplane Car Seat
- Medication: always bring the basic with you, something to spoel the nose, some painkiller for kids and we also bring a nosespray, because you never know your kid has an earinfection.
- Priority boarding: even if you didn’t pay for priority, all airplanes we took allowed us or even insisted to go through priority boarding.
Sleep Situation
Our child sleeps best when it’s fully dark. When he was a baby, the noise of the airplane lulled him to sleep immediately, but now he needs a moment to settle down.
Baby Bed/cot
We usually look for night flights to align with our child’s sleep schedule. When your baby is still small, you can request a baby bed (bassinet) from the airline. Make sure to call customer service to reserve these seats and beds as availability is limited. The length of the baby beds is different for each airline, therefore always check the baby page.
Tip: Even if you’re unsure if your baby will still fit in the bassinet, it’s worth reserving the seats. You’ll get extra legroom, which is also helpful if your baby needs to sleep in your lap.
Extra Seat
We booked an extra seat for our child before it was necessary (from 2 years old) for added convenience.
Tip: Try to book your seats in a row of four with one seat in between. If the airplane isn’t full, they will likely leave the seat empty, giving you an extra seat that can serve as a bed for your baby. If someone is seated between you, you can always ask them to switch. We did this and were fortunate to have four seats for the three of us!
Car Seat
Refer to the previous section for details on car seats.
Creating a Dark Sleeping Space
We always create a dark tent or cocoon with blankets. Sometimes, you can secure the blanket between the air vents, or drape it over the chairs to make a tent. Creating a small, dark place without distractions helps enormously!
Bathroom Situation
Every plane has a fold-down changing table in the bathroom. However, we always bring a soft, portable changing pad for extra comfort. When your baby has a number two, ask the flight attendants for a plastic bag. Knot the bag tightly before throwing it in the trash to ensure the airplane doesn’t “enjoy” your baby’s smell.
No Stress on a flight with your kids
By planning and packing thoughtfully, you can ensure a smooth and enjoyable flight for the entire family. When you are relaxed and prepared for the worst, your baby will be fine too! Happy travels!