Traveling with toddlers or babies is not always easy. My family took a trip from California to Atlanta, Georgia, with my then 3-year-old and 4-year-old. And on this trip, I learned a lot about what it’s like to fly with kids. So I’d like to share with you some of my top tips and hacks to make flying with toddlers or babies a bit smoother.

On this trip, we had some long travel days. The first travel day was over 12 hours long, including layovers. The second travel day was a little better, but still long – it was 7 hours from start to finish. 

The girls were pushed to their limits. But with some careful preparation, we were all able to make it through the long travel days.

Travel Tip #1: Talk about the trip with your toddler at least 2 weeks before leaving.

A lot of the work starts even before our travel days. We want to spend some time emotionally and practically preparing our children for the trip.

If you have a toddler, preschooler, or older child, you want to prepare them for the trip at least 2 weeks before. Start talking about where you’re going. Look at pictures of where you’re going and show them on a map where you live and where you’ll be traveling to. You can discuss some of the fun things you plan on doing when you get there. You can even use this opportunity to get their input on what they want to do on your family trip. During this conversation, you want to get them excited to go. You can end the conversation with, “What questions do you have for me?” 

Then a few days before the plane ride, we played airplane games where they got to pretend to be the passengers or the pilot and practiced putting on their seat belts. Make it fun and engaging, but also follow their lead as you warm them up to the idea that we’re going to be on a plane ride for a long time and this is what to expect.

During the play with your toddler, you can say…

• “Let’s listen to what the pilot is saying. We have to stay in our seats.” 
• “These are the steps that happen when you’re on a plane. This is how we’re all expected to act.”

Travel Tip #3: Let your toddler pick a special toy and snacks for the plane.

Invite your child to pick out a special toy they want just for the plane ride. But don’t let them open it before the plane ride since it’s only to open on the plane. The toy can be a great way to give your child something to look forward to and help them  stay busy during a long flight.

Also, you can invite them to pick out a snack. Something you wouldn’t normally let them eat, but as a special plane ride snack that can be handy as you’re traveling. Not only will it keep them from being hangry, but it’ll also serve as another distraction and something to look forward to.

Travel Tip #4: Let your toddler know your expectations when traveling.

The day we left for Atlanta is the day that I let them know my expectations. I told them…

• “When we get to the airport, it’s going to be very busy. I expect you to stay close by, hold mommy and daddy’s hands, and follow directions.”
• “On the plane, I expect you to have calm bodies, to listen and try to use your words to tell us what you need. No screaming or yelling.” 

Identify the most important expectations you have, but keep it to only 3. You don’t want to overwhelm your child with too many directions and expectations.

After setting my expectations, I told my girls, “If you follow all the rules, we will go to Target when we get to Atlanta, and you can pick out a toy.” This worked really well. Throughout the flights, they’d ask me, “Did I get my toy?” It was a great way for them to check in with me and for me to check in with them about their behavior.

You might decide not to use a special reward, and that’s okay. But if you decide to use a reward, this works best with an older child closer to three or four. 

The younger they are, they won’t be able to grasp the idea that something in the future is happening. They’re going to be all about the moment, and it’ll be hard for them to understand that concept.

Travel Tip #6: Bring your stroller and car seat.

When you bring your stroller, you can gate-check it instead of checking it in with the luggage. The stroller can be handy – especially if you have little ones – because it’ll help them take a nap if they need to or if they get fussy and tired from walking. 

We also brought our car seats and can also be gate-checked with the stroller. This will also save you a lot of money instead of having to rent a car seat when you get to your destination. 

Check with your airline if car seats travel for free – when we flew to Atlanta, we didn’t pay a luggage charge for the car seats when we checked them with our bags. If you’re flying with a baby and they have their own seat, then it makes sense to fly with the car seat or baby carrier. 

Expert tip: If you have a young one, bring the baby carrier. You can always put your baby in the carrier and walk around the plane if they get fussy.

Travel Tip #7: If traveling with another adult, divide and conquer.

If you have a baby, a toddler, or a young child and you’re afraid they’re going to get restless on the plane, have a plan on how you’ll divide and conquer the situation.

Airlines like to let families board first, which is nice, but sometimes it’s too much time on the plane – especially if you already have a long flight. So what can be beneficial is to have one parent go on the plane, put all the luggage away, and get situated. 

The other parent has the baby or the young toddler and then boards the plane once everybody’s already on the plane. This helps cut back on the time you’re actually on the plane. We didn’t do this with our girls because they’re older, but it can be beneficial depending on your child’s needs and personality.

Travel Tip #8: Try to book a flight time when your child is usually their happiest, calmest, best self.

And then they were restless. They wanted to go to sleep, but they couldn’t get comfortable. They didn’t have a bed or a pillow. After trying for so long to get them comfortable, we eventually gave up on sleep and let them use their iPads for the remainder of the flight. 

So I would say to book it for a time when your child is their happiest, calmest, best self. For our girls, it would be in the morning.

Travel Tip #9: Bring lots of snacks

Think of snacks on the plane as an extra activity. So bring out the chips, bring out the Cheerios, bring out the special snacks that your child doesn’t normally get, and the special ones you let them pick out.  

Spread out the snacks and give your child a bit at a time. Here is my favorite snack container to use for travel and all things snacks.

Travel Tip #10: Bring lots of activities

And try not to feel guilty about it. This is an extra special situation, and we have to do what we need to do. 

Here are some of my favorite plane ride and car trip activities and toys:

• Pop Fidget Toy
• Writing Tablet for Kids
• Imagine Ink Magic Pictures Coloring Activity Books Set
• On The Go Water Wow
• Reusable Sticker Pad + Stickers

If you need more activities or toy ideas, check out my Amazon store.

If you’re using a tablet or iPad for your child, here are a few items I found useful:

• iPad case
• Children’s headphones

Travel Tip #11: Put your toddler in a pull-up for the flight.

If you’re currently potty training or even if your child is already potty trained, don’t be afraid to put them in a pull-up during the flight.

That’s what we did. They walked around the airport in their underwear, and then right before the flight, I had them go potty and then put on pull-ups for the flight. I didn’t want to have to worry about trying to take them to the small bathroom on the plane. I just wanted to cut my losses there. 

Check out this video for a complete rundown of potty training essentials while traveling! 

At the end of the day, all you can do is try your best when traveling with your toddler.

When it comes to the tantrums during traveling, we can’t always prevent them. You can try these travel tips, but for your child on that day, it may not work.

So when a tantrum happens, try to stay calm, try to stay grounded, and try to tune everybody out. Know this has nothing to do with you as a parent and just do your best in that moment. Read my blog, How to Deal with Your Child’s Tantrums Without Losing It: Tips for Staying Calm During Big Feelings, for more help.

Go into this knowing you’ve got this and that your kid will be just fine. 

Rooting for you, 

Dr. Jazmine

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