I’ve been asked over and over for my best tips and tricks for flying with kids (especially babies and toddlers!). Now that I’m juggling two of them through an airport, I may add/subtract/tweak as time goes on, but I wanted to share with anyone who might want some suggestions. As always, feel free to drop your own tips in the comments!
Lap Child vs. Seated Child.
Did you know you can fly your baby for free until his second birthday? You designate him as a “lap child,” which means he doesn’t have his own seat on the plane (as the name suggests, he sits on your lap). There are pros and cons to flying with a lap infant. Obviously, a huge pro is that you don’t pay for the additional seat. However, you end up holding the baby the entire flight, unless you’re lucky enough to end up next to an empty seat. It’s also not as safe as carrying on the baby’s car seat and riding in that. I will say that Scout only had her own seat a few times prior to her second birthday, and they were all long haul flights. I personally will take Avett as a lap baby for every flight I can, unless the flight is 5+ hours. Ain’t no don’t have a death wish, obvs.
Security.
If you can, wear your baby through the airport (and even on the plane)! We use an Artipoppe with Avett and I. LOVE. IT. It’s pricy, yes, but it’s the only carrier I’ve ever used that didn’t make my shoulders and neck ache after the first ten minutes and the fabric feels so cushy (you can get $50 off an Artipoppe carrier here!). We also have a small travel stroller we took everywhere with Scout — it even folded down small enough to go into the overhead compartment — but you cannot push a child through security in his stroller. They’ll make you take him out, even with TSA Precheck, but you can wear baby through without a hitch. I’ve said it over and over, but one of the best investments we made when we decided to start flying with kids was enrolling in TSA Precheck. It makes getting through security so much easier!
Getting through the airport.
This is the stroller we have and we love, but I can’t find it in stock anywhere. Like I said, it folded small enough to fit in the overhead compartment, so we didn’t have to wait after the flight for gate-checked gear. It reclined almost flat, and it had a piece under the feet that popped up. That stroller has been to New York City, Seattle, Paris, and everywhere in between, and we’ve maxed out her top speeds running through airports for out connections. She’s the little stroller that could. This Cybex is very similar to our Besrey!
When to board.
When flying with kids, there is a lively debate whether you want to be the first on the plane or the last. With a baby, I liked to get on early and get my space set up. We wipe down the seats, arm rests, and tray tables with Wet Ones before we even sit down, then slowly start to prepare our space with easy access to bottles and pacifiers. With an active toddler (now preschooler), I like to wait as long as possible before we confine ourselves to our seats! The more energy they can run out before being expected to sit for hours, the better. I’d also recommend getting on early if your child has not previously been on an airplane or hasn’t flown much. Not only will getting acquainted with his surroundings help him better acclimate for a better overall experience, he might even get to poke his head inside the cockpit!
Crying Baby Phobia.
Ah, far and away, my number one most asked question about flying with kids is, “What happens if they lose their minds on the flight?” Okay, guys, this is an unpopular opinion, but here goes: if people want a childfree existence, they need to fly private. Truly, there are people out there who hate the very concept pf flying with kids, especially young kids. The hard truth is that babies cry sometimes. That’s just how they work. And no matter how we try, parents cannot always calm a baby immediately (or sometimes, at all). There is no point in giving yourself spicy armpits over something you cannot control. Give it your best, and ignore anyone who makes you feel bad. Chances are good you’ll never see any of these people again. Don’t give them another thought. And as nice as the gift sacks are, they are completely unnecessary. You are not a nuisance, your baby is not a nuisance, and to hell with anyone who thinks otherwise. //end soapbox
What to bring onboard.
Whatever you think you need, bring double. I’m 100% serious. We once had a 45 minute flight turn into a seven hour fiasco because of bad weather and backed up airports. Scout was exhausted and hungry, but we had plenty of snacks and blankets, thank goodness. I was so thankful she was a little older, or I’m sure she would have run out of diapers and formula otherwise! I have an entire post about what we bring on the plane here. There’s no such thing as “light packing” when you’re flying with kids. The nature of the beast kind of necessitates that you be prepared for anything, as you can’t just pop into a Walmart when you’re 30K feet in the air!
Flying with kids does not have to be a cortisol-raising, stress-inducing, Xanax-eating panic fest. God’s honest truth, Scout has been on over 175 flights, and we’ve had a hard time with maybe three or four of them. Just put yourself in their tiny shoes. Everything is new, there are a zillion buttons to push, their routine is out the window, and they have to stay seated for way longer than kids should stay seated. That can make flying with kids harder than flying as adults! But keep in mind, if you do some prep work, you can mitigate so many common problems that you can and will have relatively easy, successful, happy kid flights. You can do it, I promise!
