Airline Travel with Kids 5 and under – it CAN be Done! Here’s How!

Heading out for a vacay over the holidays? Are you DREADING hauling your tiny crew along? Well, have no fear, my lovely friends, because I just did it and have ALL of my best tips! And lucky for you, I have made enough mistakes during my travel with kids for all of us to learn from.

In fact, one time, I made a HUMONGOUS one which I wrote about here in Take THIS Essential on Your Next Vacation. Read it and weep (with me).

Fortunately, we only forgot one major item this time: the good ole’ Pack N’ Play. Good thing we noticed quickly and my Dad had picked one up at the store by the time we got to our destination. It he hadn’t, that baby would’ve been snoozing in the nearest bathtub. 😉

I’m really instilling a lot of confidence here, I know.

But honestly, despite my frequent fails, I do have some experience in the airline travel department. Our kids are 4, 2, and 9 months. Our oldest has flown more than 15 times. So check out these handy dandy tips before you hop on that next plane!

Before You Book the Flight:

1. Consider the “No-Fly Zone.” My husband and I call 12-24 months of age the “no fly zone.” 😂 We would prefer to NEVER FLY WITH A CHILD BETWEEN THESE AGES. They sure are adorable at that age, but become wild animals that cannot be tamed or reasoned with on airplanes. They will likely tear off their seat belts constantly, try to run the aisles and squeeze their body into any tight crevice they can find, kick the seat in front of them repeatedly, pull the hair of every sitting individual within reach, scream, yell, and sing without a filter. They also tend to HATE headphones at this age so even screen-time is difficult. They will spill any liquid you give them and make a massive mess with each and every snack. It will happen. Sounds like fun, right? No. It’s not. Now, of course, there are times when flying with kids this age cannot possibly be avoided, and in those cases, it may be worth a splurge on extra hands to help you, or additional entertainment items to keep them busy. Ahem. Busier. They’re already busy 🙂

2. Minimize layover time. When you book the flight, you will be glad if you can keep the layover time to 1.5 hours or less. Sometimes the longer layover is less expensive, but it may be worth the extra dollars to splurge for the shorter layover. We just did a 3.5 hour layover and it was drama drama. My opinion is that it would have been worth $25 a ticket to reduce that time down to less than 1.5 hours!

Before You Go:

3. Call the airline ahead of time. While it’s annoying as you-know-what, the purpose is two-fold: 1. You need to make sure any children under two are documented on your ticket as “infant-in-arms,” (there’s a limit to the total number of passengers per plane) and 2. See about getting assigned seats together if you don’t have them already. Before our latest trip, I called ahead to ensure that my littlest was on the ticket (as sometimes I’m not able to do this online, depending on the site I used to book the flight). This time, I was able to ensure my babe was on the ticket AND they assigned me seats over the phone, without a fee, which was IN.CRED.I.BLE. So I went to sleep worry-free the night before the flight, knowing I wouldn’t have to scramble to get someone to fix our seats at check-in, and that our of our little ducks would be in a row…quite literally. I have been separated from the rest of my helper hands on a plane before and it is a REAL FREAKING BUMMER, to be avoided at all costs!!!

4. Pack your diaper bag the same way you do on a daily basis, just with more of the things you need. The amount of things you pack depends on the length of your travel day, but I definitely recommend putting them where you usually do. When the baby is spitting up on you while also trying desperately to pull your hair out and simultaneously having a yard sale of the few rattles you just gave her, you don’t want to be digging through all of your bags trying to find the wipes and cursing yourself that you didn’t put them in their usual spot. In fact, trying to find things on flights is the bane of my existence and should be avoided at all costs. Picking bags up off the floor already requires what seems like superhuman mom strength and is annoying enough. You don’t want to then be digging for days. This also means that you should put things back where you get them, even if it’s not convenient, so you can find them again.

And just a note on packing the carry-ons: I go as far as to lay everything out before I put them into bags. I do one bag for diapers, clothes, and pumping stuff, and another bag for snacks and entertainment. This time, we also let our big girls bring their own backpacks and carry a few of their own things (lovies, water bottles, and favorite small toys).

5. Avoid bringing jackets as a carry-on item. This is really for families with multiple kids, but I have found the logistics of hauling and remembering jackets are not worth it – just put them in the checked bag. Trust me, you’ll have plenty of other things to hold and remember.

6. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. My entertainment plan has worked for us so far. I spend about $10 per kid at The Dollar Store. Then I keep the novel items under wraps until the plane ride, and slowly unveil them during the flight. When you have maximized play time with each item (and really milk it)…repeat. If your kid loves movies and you think they’ll just watch a movie the whole time, that will inevitably be the time that they don’t want to or that the movie-watching function from the plane or your device will be broken. So just be prepared with something else.

7. Pack sensible toy choices. A few thoughts here: 1. Consider buying multiples of each toy item (1 per kid) in order to avoid fights over items on the plane. 2. Items that roll will, in fact, roll away without asking your permission. We once brought a whole bag of balls on a plane, I kid you not.  What were we thinking??! 3. Check out art supplies that use water, like Water Wow!, or even Color Wonder supplies, although pricey. This will avoid the frustration that comes from redecoration of the plane seats and walls. Here are some of my favs: Finding Dory Color Wonder (paper + markers) and Water Wow! 4. Maybe check out these other favorite Dollar Store options: coloring books, pinball-type games, little puzzles, card games, glow sticks, funny glasses, tea sets, and be sure to pack a plethora of novel snacks! And maybe a few less-healthy ones to use only if you are REALLY in a bind!

8. Be prepared for your baby’s needs. Traveling with a baby? My suggestions include: 1. Pack diaper cream. We spent $10.44 on the teeny tiniest sample of diaper cream for our baby this week in the airport. (See the ridiculous pic below). It’s definitely worth stashing one small tube in the carry-on just in case! 2. Use a pacifier clip. I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and I really don’t love pacifiers in the first place, but you know what I love less than pacifiers? A screaming baby. Until this year, I never used a pacifier clip in some sort of very real pacifier protest, but let me tell you, it is SO MUCH BETTER to have one when on a plane. Having to search for pacifiers on the floor of the plane is very difficult, and it was exceptionally nice to always know where ours was! Also, it gives you a free hand since you’re not holding the pacifier all the time. 3. Bring a bag for soiled diapers and clothes. A grocery store bag will do. I happen to have THESE because they smell nice, were cheap, and fold up smaller than a used store bag 🙂 4. Think about bringing a small blanket and travel pillow if you plan for your baby to nap. The travel pillow is actually for YOU. It is very hard to rest your arm comfortably on the armrests on the plane while baby sleeps. This will prevent your arm from falling asleep and keep you both more comfortable. (And while you’re at it, put the babe on your non-dominant hand side for sleeping if you can. This way, you can still use your dominant hand for helping out the rest of the fam while baby sleeps). 5. Be prepared with something for the baby to suck on during altitude changes. This should help ease the ear discomfort!

9. Consider bringing a surge protector, baby monitors, sound machines, and blackout curtains in a checked bag. ALL of these items have significantly improved our travel experiences every time. I wrap the surge protector, monitor, and sound machine for each kid in their respective jackets and put them in a suitcase. This also simplifies set-up on the other end!

Travel Day

10. Arrive early. Or on time. 😂After some scrambling to make the flight in my previous trips, I’ve decided the sweet spot is to arrive 2 hours before the flight. The exception is that you may want to arrive slightly earlier if it’s a big, busy airport, or slightly less than 2 hours early if it’s a tiny airport. Entertaining children at a gate is the LITERAL worst, because they are often crazed, sleep-deprived maniacs in that moment. So ideally, you show up when necessary. If you’re too early, check the airport ahead of time to find a kid’s zone or other feature that you can take the kids to prior to the flight, or you’ll be digging into your entertainment bag early.

11. Pay the $5 for the luggage carts. If you’re hauling in car seats as well as bags, this will dramatically improve your experience. Every airport keeps them in slightly different of a location, but most larger airports have them near the parking lots. In smaller airports, you may have to send someone from your party to ask the airline for assistance, in which case, give your $5 to whoever helps you. Curbside check-in is another good option if the luggage carts aren’t readily available.

12. Take a picture of your parking spot info. You WILL forget that mess if your vacation was any good at all. 🙂

13. Hands Free is the Way to Be. Repeat that lil’ mantra again and again. I cannot emphasize enough how this goal has changed my airport experience. If you have a baby, put that baby in an Ergo carrier (or something similar) or in a car seat in a stroller, but do not just plan to hold him/her. I did learn during my recent trip that you can gate check your car seat in addition to your stroller, so we brought our double stroller and car seat all the way to the plane. It was hugely helpful to have a place to set the baby during all of the airport shenanigans. You will need your hands free for all of the maneuvering through security, bathroom stops, water bottle fill-ups, etc.

14. Don’t be afraid to pump on the plane. I’m hoping this will give you other moms confidence! I just slap a cover on, try to be discreet, and pump away. On my last two trips, I’ve done it in an AISLE seat next to a STRANGER. Cross my heart. Read more about my pumping tips HERE, if you’re so inclined.

After the Trip

15. Get a sitter so you can unpack. Consider it part of the cost of travel. I got a sitter for 1.5 hours and instead of slowly unpacking all week long, I got it done and didn’t have it lingering over my head all week (or longer). SO WORTH IT if you can swing it!

I still have SO MUCH to learn about traveling with kids, but it’s getting easier every time! If you have a question about a specific part of the process, drop a comment below and I’ll give you alllll of the info I know!

Happy travels to all of you! May you have a safe (and scream-free) trip and have the BEST time wherever you’re off to!!! Thanks for joining me today!

XO!

Honestly,

AM 🙂

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More About Me: Hi! I’m Ann Marie, a blogging mama of 3 tiny gals, and a wife to a busy Orthopedic Surgeon. You can find me right here for a weekly smattering of inspiration for your motherhood journey, home, marriage (I see you other medical wives!), style, and beauty. You’ll find me most active on Instagram or Facebook for life between blog posts. And I truly can’t wait to see you there, friend. ❤️💋

To connect, shoot me an email at honestlyannmarie@gmail.com ❤️