I recently took my 17 month-old toddler, Baby P, on her first flight. I was very excited but also nervous about this so during the weeks leading up to this I did a lot of research. I watched several YouTube videos and read a lot of articles to help me prepare. When the trip came I felt very prepared and now that it is over I feel confident enough to share some tips and tricks!
6 Tips for Flying with your Toddler
1. Get a great stroller
Having a great stroller really made navigating the airport a lot easier. For this trip I purchased the Summer Infant 3D lite convenience stroller and it truly is convenient! Baby P sat in the stroller during long lines at check in and while waiting at the gate. The only time I needed to take her out of the stroller was to go through TSA screening. This process actually wasn’t bad. The stroller easily collapses and opens so I was able to get her in and out of it quickly and without help from others.
I suggest keeping your stroller with you and checking it at the gate right before you board the plane. Be sure to stop at the gate attendant to have your stroller tagged for you. We dropped the stroller off right at the door of the plane during family boarding and picked it up at the door as soon as we got off the plane. I collapsed the stroller and carried her down the ramp to the plane so that I could drop it off at the door and board the plane seamlessly. These other parents boarding with children can be a little hasty, so this will help you board without losing your place. I did not buy a stroller bag for this trip but I did buy a travel bag for my car seat from Amazon. There was no damage done to my stroller or the car seat during the flight.
2. Diaper check before you board
About 10 minutes before we were set to board I checked her diaper. Our Flight was only 2 hours so I was confident that outside of a massive poop, we could make it without having to enter the airplane bathroom. If you are on a long flight I highly suggest changing your baby’s diaper as close to boarding as possible.
Because my flight was shorter and my baby is older, I knew we probably wouldn’t need to use the bathroom so I was able to sit in a window seat. This helped avoid chasing a curious toddler up and down the aisle or her grabbing people as they walked past. I think this is a good strategy but if you are on a long flight and anticipate using the bathroom to change your baby you may want to find an aisle seat.
3. Back-ups
Just because you are bringing a baby doesn’t mean you have to have twice the luggage and bring two of everything, but some things you should bring two or more of. I put an extra outfit in my carry on bag for my baby and sure enough, we had to change her clothes right after I checked my suitcase because she had a diaper leak. I also packed an extra pacifier, just in case we lost her main one. I put an empty sippy cup in her bag in case she wanted juice or water on the plane. I had more back up outfits in my suitcase but these are the only extras I packed in my carry on.
4. Plan ahead: 
Planning ahead, and anticipating your toddlers wants or needs during the flight is the most important tip.
Bring snacks
A lot of the videos and articles I read emphasized bringing snacks and toys on the plan with you to help your toddler cope with take-off/ landing and also keep them out of in-flight mischief. My toddler loves to snack when we are at home so I was slightly over prepared in this aspect.
Here’s a list of what I had in my carry on:
-cheese puffs in a no-spill container
-Mini apple juice bottles
-An empty sippy for juice or water
-Milk in a sippy
-2-3 Fruit squeeze pouches
-2-3 slices of raisin bread in a sandwich bag
She did drink her juice, ate some cheese puffs but nothing else. She handled takeoff and landing really well so a lot of this was not needed.
Entertainment
I made sure to download episodes of her favorite TV show and 1 movie on my phone. An iPad does offer a bigger screen but using your phone just helps cut down on the items you need to keep up with while out of town. I purchased a pair of children’s headphones from Target for $14.99. She loved them.
When she was done with the phone we moved on to some books. The peek-a-boo books with interactive flaps keep her entertained for a good while so I made sure to pack two of these. She ended up playing with the books until she fell asleep and we made it the entire plane ride without a toddler meltdown!
*Pro Tip: On the way back home I let her run around the airport as we waited to board the plane. Although I didn’t want to chase her back and forth for as long I did, it was effective in burning off all of her energy. She slept for the entire 2hr flight. I highly suggest this method!
6. Don’t stress & over think it!
The most important tip is to not overthink it. There is only so much preparation that you can do for a trip like this. Remember, toddlers are very unpredictable people so you will have to be flexible and equip to deal with whatever they throw at you but don’t assume you will need everything and your kitchen sink to make it through this trip successfully!
As long as you read the guidelines set up by your airline for checking strollers and car seats, TSA guidelines for liquids/foods for passengers traveling with children, remember to bring a copy of your child’s birth certificate, if they are a lap baby, and you will be fine!
