Tips For Air Travel With Small Children

My husband and I have been traveling with our daughter since she was a baby. She’s flown domestically and internationally – most of the time it has been delightful, and other times, meh….

There was the day she projectile vomited on a plane from Milwaukee to Detroit. The turbulence was awful and she lost it…literally…

Then, on a flight to Vermont she spiked a 104 degree fever. I had nothing to make her more comfortable or relieve her fever.

And most recently, on a trip to San Francisco she got her head stuck in the telescope handle of my suitcase (don’t ask).

These unfortunate events have happened for one reason…to ensure that I have experiences to draw from when doling out advice for traveling with children. So here goes dear parents, here goes…

Practical tips for plane travel with small children:

1.) Make a list and check it twice! Keep a paper or electronic list of everything that you need to pack and check it off as you go. Take the list with you so that you can use it again at the conclusion of your trip.

2.) If you’re lucky enough to be traveling with a partner, put one adult in charge of taking care of the little one’s needs (potty breaks, snacks, tantrums) and one adult in charge of luggage, ticketing, security, and gate navigation. Don’t rely on one person to do it all.

3.) Dedicate specific pockets in your carry on bag to keep IDs, passports, boarding passes, car keys, and credit cards. When you are stressed, these are the first things to be misplaced.

4.)When packing your carry-on bag, make sure that you have at least one change of clothes for your child, a travel bottle of Children’s Tylenol, and a small blanket to keep your little one warm and cozy (planes can get really cold).

5.) Allow your child to pack a little “carry-on” that has books, toys, coloring supplies, and an iPad loaded with parent-approved games, movies and TV programs. Keeping your little one occupied will help make the trip go smoothly.

6.) If you drive to the airport, make sure to send yourself a text with the location of your vehicle – it takes two seconds. Parents, you can get easily distracted when you arrive at the airport and have to unload luggage and children. It’s easy to lose track of your surroundings. And believe me – when you get home from a long trip, the last thing you want to be doing is wandering around the parking garage.

6.) Once you have made it through security, purchase a small snack and beverage for your little one. Then, if the airport has a kids play area let your child run around and burn off some energy.

7.) Before you board the plane, make sure your child uses the bathroom – even if they tell you they don’t need to! I’m convinced that kids have a physiological response to a plane’s takeoff which makes them have to go potty. “Mommy, mommy, it is an emergency! I need to use the bathroom now.”

8.) Once you are on the plane, ensure that your child’s seat is equipped with a disposable bag (a.k.a. “barf bag”), and take time to locate the nearest bathrooms. Remember, it is best to seat your child in the middle seat or next to the window. If there is turbulence and one of the luggage compartment opens, you don’t want anything falling on your child.

9.) Get your child situated with their blanket, iPad and a toy or two. Let them take of their shoes and get cozy. And remind them of the universal airplane rule: no kicking the seat in front of you.

10.) At some point during cruising altitude, make sure your child uses the bathroom – even if they tell you they don’t need to. Because, you guessed it…there is also a physiological response to a plane’s landing that makes a child have to go. And there is nothing more disgusting than using a plane’s bathroom after you have landed. I was once stuck in this situation – the air circulation fan had been turned off, the lights wouldn’t turn on, and the faucet wouldn’t run.Oh, the memories! Oh the horror!

11.) When you have gotten off of the plane and are waiting, and waiting, and waiting…whether it is for luggage, for a rental car, for a taxi… involve your child in little games like “I spy with my little eye” or “find the shape”. Anything to prevent boredom. When kids get bored, they get their heads stuck in luggage handles!

In the end, if your child did a relatively good job on the trip, compliment them for it. It is tough work for a kid to spend a day in airports and on planes following instructions, paying attention and sitting quietly.

I hope these tips are helpful. I could write a book about air travel with kids…this just scratches the surface…

If you’re looking for more ideas, check out this post from My Treks and Travels!

Bon Voyage!