Flying with a Toddler Tips
✈️ Flying with a Toddler has its challenges, and we’d like to talk to you about them. ✈️
We have taken 5 trips with our son and kept him on our lap all 5 times. 11 total flights hardly make us experts, but the following are the details for those flights.
⦁ CLT (Charlotte) to LGA (LaGuardia, NY) – This was a direct, 1.5 hour flight
⦁ DEN (Denver, CO) to CLT- This was a direct, 3 hour flight
⦁ ABQ (Albuquerque) to ORF (Norfolk, VA) – This had 1 stop, 7 hours total travel time where we changed planes in DFW (Dallas Fort Worth)
⦁ ABQ to CLT – This was a one-way flight with a change in DFW
⦁ PHX to PIT – Non-stop 3.5 hour flight
Check-in:
⦁ We always go straight to the counter, not the kiosks, because we add our son on to the ticket then. There are certain seats that children are not allowed to be in like exit rows. Also, only certain seats offer two oxygen masks we just learned. Going straight to the counter allows the clerk to assign the appropriate seats.
⦁ We’ve had a few flights where we weren’t assigned together. I just sent Keli ahead to convince people to move so they don’t have to sit next to a child for the whole flight. They usually have NO problem moving. 😉
⦁ Children fly free until age 2 (providing they stay in your lap). Be prepared to have proof that the child is under 2 if they are going to stay in your lap and fly free (a birth certificate will suffice). We have never been asked before.
Stroller:
⦁ We brought our big 3 wheeled “jogging stroller” on all 3 trips because it has more pockets to hold all of our odds and ends (aka crap) like drink cups etc. The small $20 stroller, while compact, just doesn’t cut it for us. We checked it in on the gangplank right before getting on the plane without a problem.
Update-Please note: The last flight from ABQ to CLT was with Keli and Shea only. ABQ airport didn’t let her check the big 3 wheeled stroller because it was over 25 pounds. Luckily I had the smaller one in the van for her to use.
Car Seat:
⦁ We brought our own car seat on all of the flights, too. We checked the car seat in at the ticket counter along with our bags. The airlines do not charge to check in a car seat.
⦁ We wanted to protect it as much as possible so we placed it in a large clear leaf bag that you can get from Lowes or Home Depot. This allows you to keep the car seat clean. It poured when we were in Dallas and we watched the luggage go from the truck up the conveyor belt into the plane, so the bag kept the car seat dry as well.
Please note: If your child has his own seat, it’s recommended to put them in a FAA approved car seat. We never did this
⦁ Most rental car companies will provide a car seat upon request, but we didn’t go with that option. We were worried that something would be broken on it or our son wouldn’t be comfortable in it. We also wondered if it had the same safety features that we love with our current car seat.
Please note: Just like when you check your luggage in, you are at the airlines mercy when it comes to handing over your stroller or car seat. We have had some scratches and dings but nothing major so far.
Security:
⦁ Baby Bottles – when we went through security in all 5 airports, we were allowed to keep the 6+ ounces of milk (breast and whole milk) or water after testing. All 5 airports administered different tests. One took the top off and was able to test the vapors, one used litmus paper, another was able to test with their laser machine, etc.
⦁ Take all of your other liquids out of the diaper bag (diaper cream, lotions, etc.) and place them in one tray to help speed up the security process.
⦁ We were, understandably, held up once for :20 minutes, so give yourself extra time to get through security for just the bottles alone. We never had to throw anything out, but be ready for all liquids to be opened and tested (i.g., we had sealed PediaSure that had to be opened).
The Flight:
⦁ FYI, If you’ve never flown with a child before, they don’t always let you board early just because you have a toddler or infant.
⦁ An idea is to have 1 adult get on the plane as early as possible to set everything up (i.e., take out the toys and snacks and put excess bags in the overhead). Please note that we never did this. We always stayed together.
⦁ Keli sings lullabies to Shea most nights to help him fall asleep. The plane is no exception. Whatever works!!
⦁ Feed the baby during takeoffs and landings- bring lots of snacks like grapes and goldfish. This will get their teeth and mouth to move so it will clear their ears due to the cabin air pressure change when taking off and landing.
⦁ If you do have an extra seat in your row and decide to spread out and give your child his own seat, beware, our son looked at the seat belt as a toy and constantly pulled it off when landing.
⦁ Sit in the window seat – it’s a good distraction for the baby and they won’t get hit with those drink carts.
⦁ Have entertainment like his favorite toys or videos/cartoons. Make sure you purchase and/or download any videos before you get to the airport. Airport wifi has given us issues in the past.
⦁ While our son has been pretty well behaved on his flights, we still apologize to our neighboring passengers before and after the flight.
Other tips:
⦁ Try to book flights at reasonable hours. We had two flights where we got up at 2:30am & 5am (normally Shea gets up at 8am) and it threw his whole day off. He was overtired and became cranky.
⦁ Even babies need passports if you’re flying internationally.
⦁ Some of the larger airports, like DFW, have children play areas. This is good to look for if you have a significant layover.
⦁ Be careful when opening baby bottles (in particular, the Camelback sippy cups/bottles) during flight. The pressure builds up in the bottle and when you release it, it squirts 3 rows back. Not that has EVER happened to us!! 😉
If this article was helpful, please share it. If we have missed something, or maybe you have some hacks to share, or more questions, comment away!