Flying with a Toddler: A Survival Guide
Air travel with a toddler is not for the faint of heart and it shouldn’t be hard to imagine why.
Picture being stuck at 35,000 feet in what might as well be an aluminum can with at least 200 other passengers. Now picture your little bundle of energy (for those past and present toddler parents out there), also stuck in that same can, that is somehow both lout and quiet, with an awkward combination of soothing vibrations and occasional bumps that make a toddler standing tall on your thighs rather precarious - let’s not even talk about how downright terrifying those same bumps and jumps are when attempting a mid-flight poopy diaper change.
Now picture that at least half of those other passengers could give a rat’s ass that your toddler still has yet to understand social niceties like not screaming in another person’s immediate proximity.
Whether the flight is 2 hours or 10 hours, it is nonetheless stress inducing. One thing that can make air travel with a toddler less crazy? Preparation.
Just before boarding our first flight with our (at the time) infant, at the ripe age of 7 months, our little bundle of joy peed through his diaper, his pajamas, and the soft blankie he was snuggling up in. Which meant that not only was he wet, but mama’s shirt was also wet, and every thing and every one smelled like pee before we even boarded. In that moment, I was sooo grateful that I read some mom blog somewhere that recommended preparing for the worst.
Now that we have successfully navigated the 1- to 2-year-old age range with a variety of trips, flights, and adventures, I feel confident in sharing the lessons I have learned, identifying the things you absolutely need to pack, and (reiterating, hopefully,) the concepts you need to hear before embarking on air travel.
So, readers, I am here today to pass along the advice that I once scoured the internet fot tips and tricks on how to successfully fly with your young toddler.
Please note there are some affiliate links nestled in the below, where, if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Either way, I only recommend products I genuinely use or believe in - this is a no BS zone.
Traveling with a toddler isn’t easy—and it gets harder when your traveling with a toddler on an airplane. I’ve picked up some game-changing lessons that I am excited to pass along to help ease your upcoming travel concerns, starting with…
The Zero Fucks Policy.
Absolutely do not give a fuck if anyone around you also stuck in said flying aluminum can gives you eye rolls or make some dumbass snarky comments about how awful their lives are going to be for the next few hours because they have the displeasure of sitting near you and your family.
Fuck those people. They do not deserve one ounce of attention.
Chances are they are sad miserable complainers with or without the presence of children in their proximity. Chances are also that they do not have kids, have never had the magical experience of traveling with kids, or if they do (and did), they likely pawned the childcare responsibilities (aka keeping them happy and alive and fed and in clean clothes) on another member of their family while engaged in traveling activities.
If you encounter one of these miserable pieces of you know what, just ignore them and move on. Unless they plan on helping you entertain your feral bundle of joy, there is literally zero reason to expend any of your dwindling energy on them.
Prepare for the Worst.
Seriously. What if there is a projectile vomiting situation that happens out of nowhere? What if there is an explosive poop situation that smears so far up their back that you need a shower? What if you find out mid-flight that your baby has an allergy to the fruit you let them suck on?
Preparing for the worst means preparing for all of the above and more by doing things like…
Taking an extra pair of clothes for baby AND those traveling with baby, just in case, you know, the whole projectile vomiting things happens out of nowhere like it tends to do.
Take a wet bag like these amazingly adorable, washable, wet bags in the case of the aforementioned pretty gross vomiting situation, or even a significantly less disgusting but still necessary to deal with I-dumped-milk-on-myself-and-my-parents incident. Besides being useful in the event of a semi-catastrophe, they are also super useful on any vacation with a beach or pool or splash pad.
Take a tiny med kit with the necessities that would be super not great to not have if needed. I use this adorable, collapsible zip bag, which is actually a pencil case and always take: the ridiculously effective Desitin diaper cream; Benadryl, even with no identified allergens; concentrated baby-safe Motrin, medicine syringe, which should come with the Motrin, that can also be used for the Benadryl; Welly’s band-aids in the current favorite design theme (right now we’re in the dog phase), because getting blood droplets everywhere is not fun and dealing with an infection from improper care is even less fun; and Pedialyte dry packets, for those fevers that pop up out of nowhere where dehydration is a concern. (Reminder that any liquid you take on the plane in a carryon should be travel sized aka less than 3 ounces.)
Don’t forget emergency entertainment tools.
The name of the game in surviving air travel with a toddler is keeping them entertained, distracted, well-fed, and happy. Be prepared to use any and all tools in your arsenal to make this a reality. This means doing things like…
Taking and preloading an iPad with the favorite shows of the time. We don’t do a lot of TV at home with our son and never bring in a device like this for amusement in restaurants, flights, however, are the exception to the rule. Some flights, especially domestic ones, do not come equipped with TVs behind each headrest. More than some flights (domestic or not) also have unreliable WiFi, so even if you come prepared with a fully charged iPad, don’t expect to stream anything reliably that isn’t downloaded. Can you imagine queuing up Bluey only to have the show not play and instead getting screamed at for the duration of the flight? Me neither. Make sure those shows are downloaded!
Getting window cling stickers like these with animals, cars and trucks, or dinosaurs in fun colors, that are thick enough to be easy to pick up by small hands, sticky enough that they work on the windows and on the headrest screens and on the tray table and literally anywhere on the back of the seat in front of you, and not so sticky that they leave any residue or glue that will need addressing. One of these sheets of stickers will buy you a good 15 minutes of in-flight entertainment, and it doesn’t take up a lot of real estate in your travel bag.
Bring all the snacks. “All” sounds like a lot, and chances are you will not need everything you bring, but if you have a toddler that is prone to waving off snacks that are usually favorites because they’re just not in the mood, you’ll want to have a backup backup backup snack. Also, god forbid there is a plane delay where you’re stuck taxing on the tarmac for an hour and a meltdown is beginning… snacks might be just what you need to save the day (and your sanity).
Take their favorite snuggling stuffed animal or toy.
But please, for the love of god, please keep the volume down or preferably, off completely, especially if it’s one of those lovely toys that repeats the same phrase over and over so much that you as the loving, doting parent have even the intonation of said phrases down perfectly.
My goal on any flight with a toddler - get them to nap through most if not all of it. If a snuggly bunny rabbit or a Bluey plush doll is the answer to that prayer, then by all means bring it along.
Support your toddler’s ear pressure changes.
Us adults absentmindedly jiggle our jaw around or can chew gum to get those ears popping. I’m not sure how I’d begin trying to explain this to a toddler, so instead, I just give them something that mimics this effect.
A well-timed bottle or sippy cup of milk, if they’re still of age to partake, meets this need. We’ve both brought a full sippy cup of milk through security and purchased a small container of whole milk in the terminal with no issues. Whichever you choose, recommend not waiting until you get on the airplane to address this - chances are they might only have packets of cream, which will certainly not suffice (and honestly taste a little gross).
Food pouches are great to help pop those little ears. I usually get the ones that do not need to be refrigerated for trips and take enough for takeoff and landing for every plane ride (aka minimum of 4 total if taking non-stop round-trip flights). Also, cannot recommend enough these pouch control valves if your toddler is in the it’s-fun-to-squeeze-these-everywhere phase.
Wipe down everything.
We are in the era where someone with a cold so much as looks at our kid and he gets sick. To do as much as we can to prevent illness, we take an assortment of wipes with us on every trip…
Use baby-safe antibacterial wipes for the tray table, seat, seatbelt, window shade, and anything else your bundle of joy is likely to lick the moment you sit down, which, depending on the phase your in, might literally be everything in leaning distance. These antibacterial hand wipes do double duty (for hands and surfaces only, not suitable for faces) and I don’t feel (as) bad if he still gives a surface a lick after a good wiping
Bring a travel pack of tissues and some booger-removal wipes, like these face-safe saline Boogie Wipes if the nose faucet is already known to be in full force. The Boogie Wipes are great at getting off the snot already stuck/dried on the face, no matter how many layers there are (if you have toddlers, you know there can be a scary amount) and do not cause any face irritation or eye tearing.
Take a few hand and face wipes, like these Yipes! single-use packets, for each leg of your trip - even trips in the car! They can easily be shoved anywhere for quick access when that peanut butter jelly sandwich you packed ends up more on their hands than in their mouth and take up such little room that it’s super convenient to keep one or two in your pants pocket or the zip section of your handbag.
Cross your fingers or pray to whoever you need to when it comes time for a mid-flight poopy diaper change.
The thing about changing tables on flights is that they’re usually pretty small, rather precariously situated above the toilet, and in an already cramped bathroom. This is a one adult, one child activity for sure; don’t count on any support - it’s just not feasible.
My only real piece of advice is to take as little with you into the bathroom as possible for this moment. We take a small go-bag of just 2-3 diapers, wipes, and some disposable changing table covers plus a small toy if you think that will help entertain them enough to not end up in the sink (or worse).
At the end of the day, flying with a toddler isn’t about achieving perfection - it’s about surviving with your sanity intact and maybe even landing with a funny story to tell.
Preparation is your lifeline, and the more tools you stash in your carry-on, the smoother the journey. From entertainment hacks to meltdown-prevention snacks, every little item makes a big difference when you’re 35,000 feet in the air with a toddler who has zero chill.
So take a deep breath, pack like you’re prepping for the apocalypse (because, honestly, you kind of are), and remember that even the most chaotic flight is temporary.
You’ve got this, and soon enough you’ll be swapping war stories with other parents who’ve lived through the airborne toddler circus too.
Have questions? Want to learn more tips on traveling with toddler?
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