There are a few things we take on every single flight we board. We’ve found, over the course of 175+ flights with our kids, the stuff that works and the stuff you can leave behind. I can remember the first flight we took with Scout — I packed so much dumb shit into our airplane bag that we didn’t even pull out to use! I was so anxious about the flight that I read every single Pinterest post about “baby’s first flight EsSenTiaLs” and “WhaT yOu NeeD iN YoUr AirpLaNe BaG” and then bought every single thing 😂
Please, do not make the mistake I made and bend yourself into a pretzel with the weight of your bag! Here’s what we take for a flight with both a baby and a preschooler.
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First of all — the bags.
When we were flying with only one child, I used the Calpak Luka duffel. I love it so much, I have it in both bronze (it was a limited release and isn’t on the site anymore) and a more basic black. It has interior pockets galore, a hidden exterior pocket, a slip to attach to your roller bag, and a shoes compartment on the bottom. It would be great as a weekender, too! The only reason I don’t use it as much anymore for air travel is because I’m wearing Avett on my front side and it’s hard as hell to keep a duffel on your arm with the padding of a carrier (here’s the carrier we use, this link gives you $50 off!).
Now that we’re flying with two, I knew I wanted a backpack and something that was a little more utility-minded. I found this bag on Amazon and it has approximately one zillion pockets. It’s like the minivan of bags, organization and cubbies galore! Plus, I could easily carry it if I needed to.
Scout has been carrying her own backpack recently. We love the Pottery Barn Kids backpack for her. She has a size small and it fits all of her little things nicely. They had tons of cute colors and patterns (including Marvel and Disney). And for under $50, it can’t be beat. (Caveat: if you want it monogrammed, it will be another $15).
Now, after saying all of that, I also carry a Lululemon belt bag. It extends enough that I can wear it over the carrier and I use it to carry my wallet, our boarding passes (if we have paper passes), my phone and my Airpods. It’s nice to have exactly what we need for check in and security right in front of me (and the people behind us in line appreciate me not having to dig through the backpack for everything). It’s so easy to have your hands free!
Window Clings
These have been the surprise hit of our house! They have a bunch of different themes, but our favorite has been the farm animals. They stick to the windows, but also to the seats and the tray tables. The only downside is that if when you drop them in the floor, the pick up all the fuzz and crap they fall on, which is a little gaggy sometimes.
Magnetic puzzles
I had no idea how popular these would be, but Scout loves them! We ended up buying three different puzzles (and they’re double sided, so that’s six puzzles total). One was farm animals (do you see a pattern here 😂), one was princesses, and one was Paw Patrol. They’re all magnetic, 15 pieces, and such a good occupier of time. 20/10, would recommend so hard.
Kindle Fire Kids tablet
Listen, my friends. I’m not gonna be #smugmom and dare suggest no screen time on airplanes. That ain’t my style. We live and die by the Kindle Fire Kids tablet when we’re on the road or in the sky. Screen time limits go out the window when we’re traveling. We love having the option to download from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus, but Scout loves having games on it too. She plays Duolingo ABC and ABC Mouse (both teaching her to read) and the Duplo Lego game. SHe loves the Lego game so much. It allows her to build things, knock them down, and do it again.
Change of clothes
For each of the kids, and a new shirt for yourself (especially if you have a pukey baby like I do). Spills happen, accidents happen, and you don’t want to be 30,000 feet above the earth with no options when it does. I dress Avett in a short sleeved onesie, then put a sleeved footie over that. Double bag that baby. Then we take at least one more little outfit (sometimes two depending on the length of the flight or total travel time). Scout gets an extra outfit, plus a second pair of underwear just in case! Then Mom gets another shirt, because I have a preemie that refluxes in the most bonkers way and I’m always covered in regurgitated milk.
Lightweight blankets
We have this blanket from Target in both the pink stripe and the gray stripe and the kids love them. They’re super soft chenille and they can roll up pretty tight to save bag space. Airplanes can get cold quickly and having a small blanket handy is never a bad idea.
Snacks/Food
Moms, you know. Snacks on snacks on snacks. We like small, easy things — granola bars, Goldfish, bananas, applesauce pouches, beef jerky. As far as containers go, I tried the viral spinning one, but it was tiny! My girl is an eater and that wouldn’t even get her through security 😂 we’ve had the best luck just using Ziploc bags. For Avett, I found. these stackable formula containers on Amazon that have been great. You can measure exactly how much you need before you leave and it’s super easy to dispense whenever you need. Just grab a bottle of water before boarding and you’re all set.
My Just-in-Case bag
The catch-all bag. The emergencies happen bag. I got this Mama bag from Pink Lily and cram it to the brim with any emergency things me or the kids (or Dale!) might need — Dramamine, Pepto, Advil, tampons, deodorant, a small hairbrush, dry shampoo, a travel toothbrush and Wisps, a small pack of makeup. remover wipes, lotion, one-use eye patches, Bandaids, Kleenex, nail clippers, etc. They come in handy for delayed flights, long nights in the airport, redeyes, whatever! Anything that makes you feel any better is worth taking, imo. We also bring along the Mommy’s Bliss Melatonin and Magnesium for emergencies. It’s hard sometimes, being a little kid with your sleep disrupted, and occasionally, ours has needed a little assistance closing her eyes. This has been the best we’ve tried.
Depending on where we’re headed, we may add to the bag, but these are the constants. the non-negotiables. Have I missed anything?
