Flying with an Infant?
Traveling with a Toddler?
Don’t stress over the thought of flying with an infant or toddler!
Every Age & Stage
Starting at ten weeks old, I’ve flown with my children at every age and stage. In these posts, I share my concerns and then the reality of our flights. They weren’t always easy or vomit-free, but I don’t regret any of them.
And I speak from experience when I say that flying with infants and toddlers does get easier as they get older.
Each age and stage comes with their own unique issues to deal with. And, although I would never have believed it as a first-time mom, the younger the baby, the easier they are to travel with.
You can maintain your sanity when you’re traveling with children… just make like a Scout and “Be Prepared”…
Flying with an Infant…
Flying with a Newborn:
Tips for Flying with an Infant Aged 1-12 Weeks…
My daughter’s first trip was when she was 11-months-old. My son came on our first family trip when he was just 10 weeks. Bub traveled A LOT in his few years, and he was on planes at pretty much every developmental stage of his life.
Some trips were easy. Some trips were tough. But they were all worth it!
Flying with a Young Baby:
Tips for Flying with an Infant 3-6 Months…
Flying with an infant of this age means one thing for mom (or dad)… YOU’RE BUSY. But this is also one of the more rewarding and fun times to travel with your baby. They’re alert, you can usually figure out what they need when they need it, and they’re still quite easily distractible.
Unlike newborns, babies of this age are at least in the beginning stages of a routine, and while that makes your life easier as a parent, an understandable fear is blowing that routine by hitting the road.
Flying with a Baby:
Tips for Flying with an Infant 6-12 Months…
We’ve flown more with our kids during this stage than any other. And just how many pictures do we have of us on board the aircraft? Zero! In life, never mind on a plane, with a baby of this age YOU’RE BUSY. And if you’ve got an early walker on your hands (lap)? EVEN BUSIER.
But this does not mean that flying has to be unpleasant. Unlike newborns, and younger babies, infants of this age are even more interactive than their younger selves, usually well-established into routines (that will NOT be permanently ruined due to travel – promise!) and since you may be starting solids, you can now (or soon!) take advantage of the calming and distracting power of SNACKS.
But they may have moved into a convertible car seat, which can present new challenges as well.
Flying with Toddlers…
Flying with a Toddler:
Tips for Flying with a Young Toddler 12-24 Months…
Even if you have a well-traveled infant, all bets are off once they enter the world of young toddlerhood. As things change for your little one, you need to change your expectations, and come up with new tricks for managing sticky situations.
Flying with a toddler is no exception. And young, pre-verbal toddlers can definitely give you a run for your money.
Flying with Toddlers and Preschoolers:
Tips for Flying with Children 24-Months and Older…
The very thought of flying with a toddler is probably the single biggest stress that families face when planning a family vacation. And as even the most-traveled families will tell you, once a kid hits two all bets are off. Although for us *three was the new two* in a lot of cases, I’m actually quite proud to say that we have not once been kicked off a flight, that in spite of a mid-flight barf-o-rama and the odd airplane toilet drama, we made it through our toddler flying years relatively unscathed.
I say relatively, since on the flight when Bub was just-turned-three (so technically a preschooler, not matter how much that hurts to say!) he threw a full-on, screaming red-faced tantrum. Dun dun dun.
More Tips for Flying with an Infant or Toddler…
Surviving Early Morning Flights
Some charter flights take off eeaarrllyy… And since you have to be at the airport sometimes three hours beforehand, is there any point in going to bed?
Here are some tips to coping with an early morning flight with a baby or toddler…
What to Wear when Flying with a Baby
It may seem frivolous, but choosing your wardrobe for flying with a baby or toddler (yours and theirs) needs a bit of thought if you’re going to be clean (relatively) and comfortable when you arrive at your destination.
Hint** A white pantsuit is probably not the best idea.
How to Help a Toddler Sleep on a Plane
So maybe you’re thinking of drugging your toddler.
In addition to testing the medication beforehand to ensure there are no adverse effects, you could try a natural approach with these tips.
Baby Travel Gear Essentials
Lucky you!
There are so many great gizmos and gadgets that make life easier when you’re flying with an infant or toddler. Start shopping!
10 Dos & Don’ts for Flying with Babies & Toddlers
Based on my more than a decade of (hopefully) inspiring, motivating, and helping families travel with babies, toddlers, and young children, and not wanting to seem like an apologist for genuinely horrific behaviour on planes, I feel the need to reiterate my tips for flying with babies and toddlers in context with recent headlines.
A Complete Guide to Booking & Using an Airplane Bassinet
An airplane bassinet sounds ideal for long flights, but we know you have questions… Are airplane bassinets safe? Do airplane bassinets cost extra? How do you book an airplane bassinet? Which airlines have bassinets for infants? We answer these questions (and more!) and include a complete list of which airlines offer bassinets for infants on their planes.
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See also:
- Tips for Flying with a Large Family
- How to Gate Check a Stroller
- Planning Your First Trip with Baby
- Tips for Airport Security with Babies and Toddlers
- Beach and Sun Safety for Babies and Toddlers
- The Ultimate Tip List for Flying with a Baby or Toddler
- A Complete List of our Resources & Tips for Flying with a Baby or Toddler
- Information & Tips for Traveling with a Baby or Toddler
- The Complete Guide to Baby Travel Gear
- Baby Travel Destinations
Wow! This is informative pretty awesome!
Thanks, Asmita!
Thanks for this website. We just had our baby and already had to travel twice. There’s a lot of things i wished i had known earlier. Things as simple as how do we take a cab to the airport if we must put the baby in a car seat (legally and safety-wise). We ended up taking our car with the car seat in it. Thankfully we parked at a cheap off-airport parking lot. We used onestopparking.com for Montreal
Great feedback. Thanks, Wissam!
No no no no no.
Do not fly with your baby unless you have no choice — as in you’re moving or emigrating. Do not torture hundreds of people for hours and hours because you can’t accept that babies have no self-control and that this will affect your life for some time.
I am a mother. I have needs, and I take care of them. I also recognize that I live in a society with other people. When my child was an infant, she was a big screamer for a long time. So here’s what I did: I recognized that there would be many years in which I could sit for hours in coffeeshops, and fly places with my child, but that this was not that time.
A few days ago I was on a two-hour flight with an infant who screamed like its parents were strangling and beating it for an hour. Every damn person on that plane had to share in the anxiety and unhappiness for a solid half hour at each end. It became clear that the baby was reacting to cabin pressurization and depressurization — its ears hurt, poor thing, and all because its parents were so selfish that they couldn’t wait a while to jet off again.
Some of the people on that flight may have needed sleep. Some may have been traveling with migraines, or nausea, or some other kind of pain worsened by having to listen to screaming that went on and on and on. NOBODY needed the stress those two parents generated by bringing their infant along.
DON’T DO IT. It’s selfish and anti-social. Wait till your child is older and can travel well — you’ll enjoy your family vacations then without making everyone else pay.
Might I suggest these for the next time you have to venture out into society: Noise Cancelling Headphones
two hour flight?? you couldnt just deal with it for two hours?? you have patience of a two year old!
I’m sorry, but sometimes a parent has no choice but to fly with an infant. My husband is in the military and we have to move across the country. We have no choice, but to fly with our 5month old because I’m not going to torture my baby with a 5day drive across the country just for others comfort. When flying you are in close proximity with a lot of people and it won’t always be a pleasant experience. Perhaps you need to prepare yourself to accept that you are in a public space and the world does not revolve around you. Get yourself some noise cancelling head phones or don’t fly at all.
You go, Militarymomma! Seriously… grown ups need to grow up.
Ok so I am not going to apologies to you or anyone for being a parent. Parents have enough on their plates to go catering to your likes and dislikes!! No parent would want to purposely travel with a toddler /baby unless they absolutely have to .. You think they put themselves through the stress and the agony for fun?! Shame on you for shaming parents who are just trying to do the best they can. My family will always come first…i dont owe anything to you and people like you. why dont YOU get yourself noise cancelling phones…or cancel your flight if the babies bother you that much..just grow up! “selfish and anti social” …miss queen bee here doesnt want babies around when she is travelling coz her precious sleep will get disturbed. Even when I was not a parent i did not hate on parents travelling with babies. it was just something i accepted as part of life …i would just deal with it.
So my US born child isn’t allowed to meet her Australian family until she is considered “older and can travel well”? It’s not bad enough that we’ve been stuck here due to covid, but you’re saying I have to wait how many more years before I can travel home? How about having some respect for the fact that people with infants or toddlers HAVE to travel too, for reasons other than emigranting! Or do I just get someone to babysit for 2 months while I fly home to attend a wedding and a funeral and to finalize things from when I did emigrate just before covid? Are you offering?
During travel, we often face some problems when travel for long time with babies. Because to keep then engage at one seat is a tough task. Firstly, Great tips shared here. Agree to take some baby foods and take some toys for babies, pillows and their favorite gadgets with you.
Great article !
Hello
Corinne McDermott,
Thanks for awesome article, its very informative & helpful. before travelling anyone should read this article.
I had a wonderful family, and this is exactly what I was looking for to prepare for a trip with 2-year-olds.
Thanks Corinne!
Thanks, Alicequeen!
I want to travel with my 1 year old son. But i’m totally confused which things are best to flying with 1 year old kid. Then i saw your ideas regarding this. It seems interesting as well as excellent. Now i’m gonna apply your ideas. Thanks for sharing wonderful ideas!!!
Have a great trip, Meenu!
Travelling with a baby is a challenge itself because they need extra ordinary care. You made tasks of busy moms easier. Great piece of information very helpful for first time travelers with their infants.
really great tips.
I see and read this article ,this article is very useful and helpful for those whose are flying with their toddler .thanks for sharing these wonderful tips.
Some fantastic tips here! I have flown lots of times in my baby’s first year of life and luckily all has always gone smoothly! I’ve written some of my tips here- http://lifeasabutterfly.com/top-tips-flying-baby/
ayayayayaya can babies fly wit out airplanes???
I actually made a video about traveling with our 6 month old! Check it out hope it helps!
https://youtu.be/XYYGdm3Nygk
I want to say for every parents who are thinking about travelling with their baby they should before travelling read this article. Hope so they will be benefited from here.
All parents really deserve a gold star for flying with a small baby! Full hands, heavy luggage and those evil looks 😉 make this a supreme parenting challenge. I also went through all this stuff…
A great article! Thanks for sharing your experience! I have been on many flights with my children and i find the best thing to do is give a dose of Panadol when the flight is about to board, so if their ears do hurt with the cabin pressure it can take the edge off, and if it is a long flight a second dose 20 to 30 min before you land.
A very useful piece, So many points are amazingly covered by Corinne. Eagerly waiting for more articles from you!
Traveling with babies and kids… I always say I prefer to spend six hours on a plane with my son than to be stuck with him inside the house on a rainy day 😉
We’re getting ready for our first trip, so thank you for all the tips. I’m not worried about sleeping during a flight, because since the newborn, we implemented a sleep training from parental-love. But all other things, especially checking in, are really stressing me out…
These are great tips that you have given. I have to fly to my hometown with my toddler and was damn scared. But, after reading your blog, I am at ease and will follow the tips.
This is such a challenging thing for any parent. Thank you so much for all the tips.
Thanks you for sharing such an amazing post. .I have a newborn who is just 2 month old and a 4 year old daughter. I am looking for a lightweight stroller which is suitable for flight travels, for the younger one, which can also be used by 4 Year old. One of my friend suggested to buy this oxo tot https://www.qhousekids.com/cubby-plus-stroller-gray-melange.html.html .., i need some advice on this stroller.. Would appreciate any recommendations.?
I love these tips and how broad this article is. I just wrote an article on 10 tips as well. Would you be willing to do a back link on your article and I can back link you on mine?
You can find mine here – https://bottomlessmomosa.blog/10-tips-on-flying-with-an-infant/
Thank you for sharing such an amazing post. These are great tips that you have given. I have to fly to my hometown with my toddler and was damn scared. But, after reading your blog, I am at ease and will follow the tips.
You’ll do great!
Thank you. I am due in two months and these tips will be very helpful when I’ll be contemplating to fly with my little angel.
Thank you for sharing this amazing blog article of tips about flying with toddler. Love this great reading.
This is really amazing and informative. Tysm for sharing this.
wow, it’s really amazing article and tips about flying with toddlers. this is really informative and amazing article for everyone. thanks for sharing these amazing articles and tips.
These are really amazing and helpful tips. thanks for sharing this wonderful article and tips about flying wiith an infant or toddler.