After flying more than 30 times with our 20 month old, we have learned A LOT about flying with a baby & now a toddler. Although traveling with a baby or toddler is never easy, it is completely doable. On our most recent flight, a man sitting in the row next to us was so impressed with how well our daughter did on our 6 hour flight that he told us we “need to teach a class on flying with a baby.” We may not teach a class but here are our 5 top baby & toddler flying tips.
For a more complete breakdown on flying with a baby, please see our Flying with a Baby post. For more tips on traveling with a baby, see our Top 10 Baby Travel Tips post.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. That means that, at no cost to you, we may get a small commission if you purchase through these links. This helps us keep providing travel resources for you!
#1 Top Baby & Toddler Flying Tip: Attitude is Everything
When flying with a baby and toddler, attitude really is everything. You need to have realistic expectations. If you expect your baby or toddler to sleep the entire flight and not fuss or cry at all, that is unrealistic. Be prepared that things may not go exactly as you want. And that is okay! Sure, it may be ideal if you try to time your baby’s nap to align with when you are flying but that might not realistically happen. Be flexible, follow your baby’s lead and go with the flow. If they sleep the whole time and there is no fussing/crying, great, but do not have that be your expectation. With a toddler, be prepared you may have to entertain/engage with them the entire flight (depending on time of day) and that is okay too! If you are realistic about how the flight may or may not go, your experience is going to be better. Do not set yourself up for disappointment with unrealistic expectations.
#2 Top Baby & Toddler Flying Tip: Brings lots of Snacks
This tip is more pertinent once your baby is consistently eating solid foods but once they are, bring snacks and lots of them! Growing babies and toddlers get hungry often and do not exude a lot of patience when hungry. Snacks are a quick way to turn a sour mood right-side up. We use these Skip Hop Puppy Snack Cups for things that may go stale more quickly or need a more secure cover (ex. peeled clementines, apple slices, popcorn, etc.) . We also have at least 6 of these Munchkin Snack Cups we use for other more simple snacks that get quickly eaten (ex. Cheerios, Goldfish, etc.). We are sure to have a variety of choices and snacks (at least 4 different snack containers) for the flight. For longer flights (such as flying anywhere in Europe), we bring at least 6 containers and refills for the containers.
Similarly, make sure you are ready to nurse or bottle-feed younger babies on demand. Flying is not the time to stick to a strict feeding/nursing schedule.
#3 Top Baby & Toddler Flying Tip: You do NOT need Fancy Toys
A question we get quite often is, what toys do you use when flying? The answer is none. We bring our daughters stuffed Elmo (comforts her/she sleeps with) and several different books but we do not bring any toys. She honestly is more ore interested in playing with the things around her on the airplane including (but not limited to) the safety information sheets, tray for food, gift bag from flight attendant, provided pillows, etc. She also recently had a lot of fun pushing her Elmo around in the free-to-use airport strollers in the Lisbon airport during a layover. Honestly, babies are entertained pretty easily and we find snack/book space in our diaper bag more valuable than toy space.
#4: Save Best Distractions for when you REALLY need them
For us, this distraction is screen time. Our daughter rarely gets screen time at home so it is a real treat when she gets any. We only use screen time on flights with her if nothing else (snacks or other distractions) is working when she is being fussy. For you, this might be a specific type of snack or toy. Whatever it is, be sure to save that special distraction for when you really need it and do not just use it when your baby or toddler is perfectly content.
#5: If they don’t sleep or cry, it will be okay
Pairing in with a realistic attitude, babies sometimes fight sleep and sometimes they cry. That is okay! Focus on caring for your child and remember that there are likely other parents on the flight who know how it can be to travel with a baby or toddler. You getting worked up about your baby crying or not sleeping is certainly not going to make it better. Remember, it will be okay. Your baby will eventually sleep and eventually stop crying. Remember, babies/toddlers cry or whine at times regardless of flying. It is best to ignore those cranky people that like to give mean or annoyed looks. Keep in mind they are getting mad at a baby so it would seem they just have a negative attitude towards life. Also, babies and toddlers are resilient. Our daughter actually does MUCH better with time changes than we do. She tends to see when the sun is out in a new time zone and is like “okay, let’s be awake.” If only mom and dad adjusted that easily!
If looking to create a dark space for your baby on-the-go, check out the CoziGo. This portable blackout curtain creates a dark space for your little one to sleep in his/her car seat or stroller easier on-the-go. We found this works best for babies 15 months or less.
Bonus Top Baby & Toddler Flying Tip: YOU CAN DO IT
Many naysayers (who likely have not traveled with their baby or traveled very little) will say you can’t do it. Do not listen to them. You absolutely can fly with your baby and toddler. It may not go perfectly and that is totally okay. You will learn more with each trip and each flight will go a little smoother. Our 20 month old honestly travels better than many adults. Babies and toddlers are adaptable and will do great when you have realistic expectations for them. You can do it!
We hope this guide helps you plan your flight with your baby and/or toddler. Anything you’d add to our guide? We’d love to hear your feedback and questions. Please leave us a comment!
Traveling with a baby can seem overwhelming. From trying to feed your baby on the go to getting you baby to sleep in a new environment to trying to time activities around naps, traveling with a baby may seem just too complicated. However, don’t let the fears of traveling with a baby stop you. In our experience, exploring the world with our new curious sidekick has been one of the best parts of parenthood. Although traveling with our baby has never made traveling easier, it certainly always makes it more memorable. In our opinion, the extra planning and effort of traveling with your baby is completely worth it. After taking over a dozen flights and trips with our daughter, here are our top 10 baby travel tips.
Disclaimer: Every baby is different. Below is what has worked for us with our daughter who is 11 months old at the time of writing this.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. That means that, at no cost to you, we may get a small commission if you purchase through these links. This helps us keep providing travel resources for you!
Travel Baby Tip #1: Be Flexible
This is our top baby travel tip. Flexibility is key to successfully traveling with a baby. If there was ever a time to go with the flow in life, this is it. We always are flexible with the timing of everything we do traveling with our baby. We always work around her schedule. If she needs to nap, we pivot whatever we are doing to allow her to do that. If she needs to eat, we adjust whatever we are doing so she can do that. Since having our baby, we have intentionally chosen trips that allow us that flexibility.
Other than our flights, the times we need to be places are not set in stone and we remain very adaptable. We come up with a tentative itinerary for what we want to do but then adjust it based on her needs. We do not book any tours when traveling with our baby and rather research areas to act as our own tour guide. This allows us to explore each place at our own pace.
For example, we recently did a campervan road trip around Iceland when our baby was 10 months old. Having a campervan allowed us so much flexibility and time independence. We were able to be our own tour guides and create our own schedule. It further was really nice not to have to unpack and repack our luggage everyday, especially with all the extra things you have with a baby. For more information on our Iceland trip with our baby, please see Iceland with a Baby Itinerary.
Travel Baby Tip #2: Realistic Attitude, Lower Expectations & Under Schedule
When traveling with a baby, bring a realistic attitude. As one of our friends once said, his “super power” is having low expectations. Whatever your expectations are of your trip, lower them and then lower them even more. Everything takes longer and tends to not go exactly the way you expect with a baby. If you have high expectations going into a trip, you likely will be disappointed.
Realistic Expectations
One expectation and reality you need to face is that there is no way you are going to get as much done as you previously did without your baby. Don’t set yourself up for failure thinking that you can do it all. Things that used to take us 10 minutes when it was just the two of us now take 30+ minutes.
A great example of this is getting on the hiking trail. We used to just hop out of the car, throw our gear on and hike. Oh the simple days! Now, we need to feed our daughter, change her diaper/clothes, get her in the carrier and then get ourselves ready before heading out on the trail. It may not sound like that much but the reality is it always takes much longer than we think it will. And we are perfectly okay with that! However, we have learned to schedule plenty of flex-time throughout our days to accommodate for the extra time things take with the baby.
Less Is More
We’d recommend planning half (or less) of what you typically do without your baby. If the day is going well and you get more done than expected, awesome, you can do more. However, allow yourself that flexibility. If you set the expectation to do too many things, you’ll be very disappointed when that doesn’t happen.
For example, when we went to Iceland with our Baby (see Iceland with a Baby Itinerary), we made a tentative plan of things we wanted to do and then took each day as it came. We actually under-scheduled so much that at one point, we were over a day ahead of where we thought we would be and this gave us a real sense of accomplishment. However, had we over-planned and been ‘behind’, we would have likely been stressed and frustrated. Instead we were dancing for joy that we were traveling with her very efficiently from our perspective.
Budget More Time For Everything
Similarly, anytime we go for a hike, we budget the entire outing to take twice as long as it would take just the two of us. In reality, it typically does not actually take that long. However, we are much happier when we finish earlier than expected rather than much later than expected. It’s all about perspective. It doesn’t make the hike take any less time or any less effort, but a shift in perspective is really a game changer.
Travel Baby Tip #3: Practice Napping On-The-Go At Home
When you are at home, still have baby ‘practice’ contact naps and napping on the go. It is going to be very hard for your baby to adjust to napping on the go in a new environment if your baby only ever sleeps in one place at home. Since our daughter was about four months, she typically takes all of her naps at home in her crib. However, we still strive to do a couple contact naps, stroller naps and car seat naps every week. This makes it easier for her to nap on the go when we are not at home.
For example, when we were in Mexico when she was 8-months-old, she would nap in her stroller while we explored. This allowed us a ton of flexibility as she was able to rest on the go and we did not need to return to our Airbnb everytime she needed to take a nap (which is good since she takes a lot of naps). If your baby only knows how to sleep in a crib or pack-n-play, you are going to be quite limited in when you can go out and do things. Also, if we need to do any driving while on a trip, we typically try to do it when she needs to take a nap as she tends to fall asleep while driving in the car. This tactic can allow you to get quite far on your journey with a sleeping, content baby.
Travel Baby Tip #4: Practice Sleeping In The Pack-n-Play at Home
Similar to practicing on-the-go naps, practice sleeping in the pack-n-play or whatever baby’s sleeping arrangements will be on your trip. Typically, our daughter sleeps in her crib at home, but we attempt at least a nap a week in the pack-n-play to try to keep her adjusted to it. This makes the pack-n-play not completely foreign to her when we try to get her to sleep in it while traveling in a new environment. If your baby is somewhat familiar with the spot they are sleeping in while traveling, the environment being different might not affect their sleep schedule as much as it would otherwise.
Tip: If room sharing (especially in a hotel), get a SlumberPod, a compact portable pop-up blackout cover for your pack n play. SlumberPod is truly a must-have if room sharing while traveling. It is a portable & affordable solution for family room-sharing and getting a good night’s sleep. SlumberPod allows you to room share with your baby while they sleep in their crib or pack n play undisturbed. Use code ALWAYSHAVEATRIPPLANNED$20 for $20 off your order today!
Travel Baby Tip #5: If Your Baby Is Having Trouble Sleeping, Try Not To Sweat It
Also, if you can tell that your baby needs to take a nap or to go to sleep but is resisting it, try not to sweat it. Your baby will sleep eventually. In the moment, it is really easy to get really frustrated and think maybe you should have not taken your trip. In reality, your baby could just have as much trouble sleeping at home. With constant growth (physically and developmentally), babies have some better days, and some worse days, in regards to sleep. It is good for your baby to experience new activities and places. Raising a baby who is flexible will set him/her up for success in the future. Remind yourself of that in moments of frustration.
Travel Baby Tip #6: Use Your Stroller Everywhere Possible
Having our stroller with us everywhere we can while traveling has been a game changer. As mentioned above, our daughter knows how to nap on the go in our carseat/stroller combo travel system, and it makes us a lot more flexible. We call her stroller/carseat combo our “portable nap machine.” We do not have to worry about where/when she is going to take a nap if we have our stroller with us.
CoziGo is the portable stroller/carseat/bassinet blackout cover we use. If we are in a warmer environment, this is the fan portable stroller fan we use to help keep her cool under the canopy. The darkness this cover provides, combined with the movement of pushing our stroller/carseat combo, is the perfect environment for getting our daughter to sleep. Every baby is different but sleeping in a covered stroller has worked well for us. If your baby sleeps better babywearing on the go, you may just want to exclusively do that. Our daughter will sleep in our Ergobaby carrier, but she pretty quickly will wake up if we stop moving or have to bend over (since she was over 3 months old).
Travel Baby Tip #7: Learn to Feed Your Baby Anywhere
Our next baby travel tip is to learn to feed your baby anywhere. If you are nursing, figure out how you can make yourself comfortable nursing your baby anywhere. If good nursing tops make you more comfortable, buy those. If pumping and then bottle feeding your baby in public makes you feel more comfortable, do that. If you are formula feeding, figure out how you can have access to water (or bring it) everywhere you go while traveling. These are some of the nursing tops that Natalie used earlier postpartum. Natalie has gotten very comfortable nursing our daughter virtually anywhere while traveling. We feel very strongly that a mother should be able to nurse her baby anywhere she is comfortable. You are responsible for taking care of your baby, not other people’s thoughts in regards to how you are doing that.
Travel Baby Tip #8: Start Small For Your First Trip
For your first time traveling with your baby, start with a short trip not too far from home. This will help you gain some confidence traveling with your baby and help you figure out what you really need. For example, we went on our first trip with our baby to Pictured Rocks/Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which is less than 6 hours from our house, before going on our first big trip to Hawaii . You may want to start even closer to home than that though.
This road-trip helped us test out traveling with our daughter and helped us figure out the things we really needed to pack when exploring with her. We very quickly realized there were a lot of items we did not bring with us on this first trip that we would have liked to have had. We made a list of all these items so that we were more prepared for our next, longer, trip.
Travel Baby Tip #9: Label Mishaps As Plot Twists
One of our most important baby travel tips is having a positive attitude. A positive attitude really goes a long way when traveling with a baby. Labeling mishaps as plot twists help make the unpredictability of a baby part of your adventure. Baby won’t sleep in your hotel? Plot twist. Baby not tolerating the baby carrier on a long hike? Plot twist. Baby has a blow-out on the plane during take-off when you cannot get up to change it? Plot twist. In the moment, these plot twists can be quite stressful. However, with the right attitude, you will get through them and maybe even look back on them fondly. Some of our most comical memories are mishaps that we viewed as plot twists.
Travel Baby Tip #10: Invest In Baby Travel Items
We stick to a budget and borrow many baby items (we lend them out too). All the below items we have found to be worth the small investment and very helpful to have while traveling. We are only recommending the items we have repeatedly used and loved.
Sleeping:
Sleeping is the MOST important aspect of successful baby travel. The SlumberPod & CoziGo are must buys when traveling with a baby:
SlumberPod: SlumberPod is a portable & affordable solution for family room-sharing and getting a good night’s sleep. The SlumberPod allows you to room share with your baby while they sleep in their crib or pack n play undisturbed. A true lifesaver in any room sharing situation. Use code ALWAYSHAVEATRIPPLANNED$20 for a discount on your order today!
CoziGo: We use this portable blackout curtain to create a dark space for our daughter in her carseat or stroller. This helps lull her right to sleep in her carseat, especially if we are driving. This also works on a convertible carseat which is huge since you no longer have the handle to use to drape a blanket over the carseat to create darkness. Total game changer. Can also use it as a sunshade on walks. Use the link here for a discount!
Carseat/Stroller Items and Flying:
Carseat/Stroller Combo Travel System: We love this travel system. We have found it easier to travel with a combo travel system so that we have less items
CoziGo: We love this portable blackout curtain to create a dark space for our daughter in her carseat or stroller. This helps lull her right to sleep in her carseat or stroller on-the-go. This also works on a convertible carseat which is huge since you no longer have the handle to use to drape a blanket over. Total game changer. Use the link here for a discount!
Ergobaby Carrier: You will see us using this literally everywhere. It is so comfortable for both us and our baby. We use it on every hike we go on.
Baby Rain Suit: This rain suit has worked great for us when the baby is cooperating but the weather is not.
Swim Zip Sun Hat: We love this sun hat! Our smaller sized one was a hand-me-down from some friends and we just bought it in a bigger size too. We use it traveling and everyday on walks.
No Reception Club Diaper Bag: Our favorite travel diaper bag. This is an investment but worth every penny. The level of organization with this bag is unmatched. Read more about why we love and tote this as The Best Travel Diaper Bag.
Contrary to popular belief, you really can continue to travel, adventure and explore with your baby. Travel does not have to end when you welcome a baby into your life. Although it requires more planning, patience and time, in our experience, it is completely worth all of it. Traveling certainly looks different than it did before we had our daughter but, in our opinion, it is even more rewarding with more memorable, and unexpected, moments. We have made so many priceless memories with our daughter while traveling that will last a lifetime. We hope these baby travel tips give you confidence that you can travel with your baby too.
Anything you’d add to our baby travel guide? We hope to inspire you to adventure with your baby! Please reach out to us if you find this post helpful and inspiring. Hearing from our readers motivates us to continue to put out more content for you.
