We’ve just returned from a great week-long family vacation to San Diego! I’ll be sharing a full recap & itinerary next, but today is specifically about the tips and products that I’ve discovered make a HUGE HELP during travel with an infant, baby or toddler.

Brynnley just turned 2 last week (!!!) and I’ve been taking her on commercial flights since she was just 4 months old! She’s been to Arizona twice, Washington, Oregon, California, Texas, and Oklahoma. Each trip, I’ve picked up new products and new strategies to make it smooth for everyone. Especially because my daughter is particularly stubborn when it comes to sleeping in unfamiliar places, and we have made a full 180° since the first few trips we took with her!

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Tips for Flying with Babies & Toddlers

Seat Assignments:

Until your child turns 2 years old, they can fly for free as a lap infant. However if the flight is not fully booked, the gate agent has the ability to adjust your seat assignments and give your baby their own seat for free. This might mean you need to move to a different row than you previously booked, but the extra space is so worth it! You can bring your carseat onto the plane and safely buckle your baby or toddler into their seat, freeing up your lap and hands.

We’ve always listed Brynnley as a lap infant but I would say about 60% of the time she has ended up getting her own seat anyways. It never hurts to ask! Go chat with your gate agent as soon as you get through security. If they aren’t able to accommodate a seat for your baby, they will make you a tag for your car seat and stroller to be gate-checked for free as you board.

Ear Pressure:

The best way to help keep your baby or toddler comfortable while the pressure changes during take-off and landing is keeping them continually sucking. For babies, you can nurse, bottle-feed, or offer a pacifier. I always had a bottle of milk saved to offer as soon as the plane started speeding down the runway and have never had an issue with Brynnley acting uncomfortable.

Once Brynnley turned 1, I switched to bottles with water during take-off and landing but sometimes she preferred to just suck on a pacifier which also seemed to do the trick. Lollipops are another option for kids who are old enough!

*One thing that’s important to note is that every airline is different, but I have never flown on any US carrier that had milk as a beverage option on the plane. If your child drinks regular milk, you’ll need to bring your own on to the plane which means you might need to purchase some at a market or coffee shop within the airport.

Flight Attendants Can Help You:

The first time I flew with Brynnley by myself, she was 4 months old. I had my carry-on suitcase plus my diaper bag. I also used a travel bag for my breast pump and extra bottles, which doesn’t count against you with carry-on items because it’s classified as a medical device. I had Brynnley in her carseat which still attached directly onto her stroller at that time.

Within 5 minutes of arriving at the airport, I was already in need of about 6 more hands. To get through security, the TSA agent required that I take sleeping Brynnley OUT of her car seat (really?! Couldn’t he see how peacefully she was sleeping?!) and hold her through the metal detector. After I woke her up (I’m still annoyed at this haha) to hold her, I was expected to somehow hoof the car seat onto the security table and collapse the stroller to do the same thing. The TSA agent showed no signs that he was even considering coming over to my side of the table to help me. Thankfully the passenger in line behind me had the common sense to see a new mom with her hands full and took care of getting all of my belongings through the security belt for me. If the passenger in line behind you isn’t so socially aware, you are going to need to be ready to ask for some help.

Similarly, once I boarded the flight I was lucky enough to have an extra seat next to me for Brynnley so I was able to set her in her car seat. However bringing on a carseat with a baby, a rolling luggage, diaper bag, and breast pump bag, is still more than 2 hands can handle which is why I’m so thankful that the flight attendants are typically more than willing to offer their help.

(Did you know that flight attendants are not getting paid for any of the time that passengers are boarding the plane? Same with the pilots, although both are expected to be present and available for their passengers. Flight attendants and pilots are paid hourly, ONLY during the time that the airplane doors are closed. The entire boarding process is completely unpaid which still blows my mind that this is legal.)

Once during the four-hour flight with Brynnley by myself, I needed to use the restroom but Brynnley was sleeping soundly in her car seat and it’s not like airplane lavatories have much room to bring a car seat into anyways. I called a flight attendant who was more than happy to come sit in my seat to keep an eye on Brynnley for the 3 minutes I was away. If you are a mom flying by yourself, I know not everyone is comfortable with using strangers for help but in this situation it can be pretty necessary. And I was fortunate enough that this was a Boise-based airline crew that works for the same company as my husband, so I felt comfortable enough with them.

On a different trip, I flew with Brynnley by myself when she was 13 months old and we didn’t get so lucky to land an empty seat for her. She had to stay on my lap for the full flight, but this was right when she was learning to walk and was very interested in being mobile. Before the plane even took off, I was struggling with keeping her content on my lap. She just wanted to move and crawl!

By a stroke of luck, I happened to be seated next to a very kind older couple on their way to the Caribbean who said they were patiently waiting for their own kids to give them their first grandchild. Brynnley was extra squirmy in my lap, and kept reaching for the stranger next me. The woman said “I don’t mind holding her, if you’d like?” Again, I know passing your baby to a stranger is rarely going to be something moms are comfortable with but in this case the woman seemed friendly and warm, and I was struggling to keep Brynnley content in a 9 cubic-foot space so I gladly accepted the help and Brynnley loved sitting on the new woman’s lap. They read some of Brynnley’s books together and practiced clapping, and Brynnley enjoyed the flight much more having two laps to roam across. Not that this situation is likely to happen to everyone, I’m just sharing this story to say that being open to assistance is something that has always helped me have smoother travel days.

Diaper Bag:

You’re going to want to make sure you’ve recently restocked your diaper bag for the travel day. In addition to your usual diaper bag items, I’d also pack:

• A couple extra changing pads because you can only imagine how germy the changing tables in an airplane and airport will be.
• A pack of sanitizing wipes as well, especially for your tray table since your little one will most likely be eating off of it.
• An extra outfit for baby AND mom. You never know when they are going to spit up on you, and right after take-off seems to be a pretty popular time for a gnarly blow out ;)
• You are allowed to bring breastmilk and formula through security, even if it exceeds the usual 3.4 ounce limit. The TSA agent will just take a sample to test.
• Plastic or zip-lock bag for any soiled or wet clothes that you can’t attend to until you’re at your destination. (Honestly on a travel day with so much to juggle already, I would probably just throw away a blowout outfit…)
• Did I mention sanitizing wipes?
• More sanitizing wipes.

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You can also check out this video I recently uploaded to my YouTube channel with my top tips and items to pack for travel with a baby or toddler:

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Here are links to some of the items I mentioned in the video:

Airplane Entertainment Activities for Littles:

• Water WOW Coloring Books: I love that these can be re-used so many times, and have a few different pages for your child to “paint” or “color” with just water! Mess free and no pieces to lose!
• Crayola Magic Marker Coloring Sets: Similar to the Water WOW books, these coloring pages are mess-free because the magic markers only color on the special papers included. Not on skin or fabric!
• Wikki Stix: Super lightweight and small to fit in your travel bag, these are waxy sticks that can be molded into whatever shape your child can imagine. Brynnley especially likes making eyeglasses with them.
• Magnetic Puzzle Book: Brynnley is a puzzle lover! The book has three different puzzles, but the entire book is magnetic so the pieces stick strongly to it and help prevent you from losing pieces!
• Reusable Sticker Books: toddlers love stickers! These can take up quite a good chunk of time and help work on your toddler’s language skills at the same time.
• Kids Amazon Fire Tablet: we try not to rely on screens for the majority of the travel time, but they definitely come in handy once your activities are getting old and the snacks have run dry. I don’t usually bother figuring out the inflight wifi, I just make sure to have a couple episodes of Brynnley’s favorite shows downloaded to the device. The battery on this lasts a very long time!
• Kids Tablet Carrying Case: This is the travel case for the tablet that we have. It comes in a couple different colors.
• Toddler Over-the-Ear Bluetooth Headphones: Headphones are required when listening to anything on your device on an airplane. These are wireless so you don’t have to mess with tangled cords, and they connect with bluetooth to the tablet we have. They look so cute on Brynnley!
• Portable Charger: You might want a portable charger in your travel or diaper bag, and this one is super compact.

Travel Items for Baby/Toddler Sleep & Safety

• Portable Blackout Curtains with Suction Cups & Travel Bag: Brynnley is used to a dark room for naps and bedtimes, but most AirBnB’s and rental homes don’t have blackout curtains in their guest rooms. These blackout travel curtains have suction cups around their perimeter to easily secure onto a window and completely block out daylight. They fold up small and fit into a travel bag that is included. We bought a set to keep at my parent’s house when the babysit!
• Blackout Pack n’ Play Cover for Infants: This is a stretchy breathable material cover that fits over the pack n’ play with a few different windows that can be zipped open or shut. It blocks out daylight for a dark sleeping environment but would really only work until your baby is able to stand up. Once they are mobile and standing, I would opt for the tent listed next.
• Blackout Pack n’ Play Pop-up Tent: There is a popular brand of blackout pop-up tents called Slumberpod, but it has quite a high price tag! We tried this less expensive version, and haven’t had any complaints about how it fits over the pack n’ play and blocks out ample daylight. We love it!
• Car seat Travel Bag/Protector: When you fly, the airline will check your carseat and stroller right as you board for free. It is not required to have a case or bag for your carseat but it is something I would recommend! Many carseat bags are $15-20 and will help keep your baby’s items from getting dirty or scratched.

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I think that covers my major products and tips that are now must-haves for us on travel days. Anything I missed that you’re curious about? Leave me a comment! I’m happy to cover any more specifics if there’s something you are interested in!

As someone who has always loved to travel and explore, as well as someone who’s spouse flies almost daily and offers flight benefits, I didn’t want to let the fear and unknown of traveling with a baby keep us from having great experiences. I’m proud of how much we have done with Brynnley, and it definitely gets easier each time!

Alright, I’ll start writing up our San Diego family vacation recap and itinerary and get that posted here next. Thanks for reading!

Love, Kenz