How to Fly with a Baby or Toddler: Everything You Should Know
Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links but all of the opinions are my own. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I’m referring you to my favorite things and other top recommendations for Moms. By you shopping through these links I may collect a small commission without you paying a penny more. I greatly appreciate your support of me, my family, and this blog for Moms!
Traveling with a baby can be fun!
This helpful travel guide will give you the best tips for flying with your infant.
Tips for flying with a baby
Flying with a baby for the first time can seem overwhelming! There’s a lot to pack and prepare for a baby, let alone doing it in an unfamiliar environment with hundreds of eyes on you. We’ve flown with our babies several times over the past couple of years and have learned the best strategies and tips for getting through the airport with a baby and flying with a baby. Whether you’re traveling to a national park with your baby or traveling to the beach with your baby, I’ve got you covered to help make preparing for the flight, moving through the airport, boarding the flight, and enduring the flight with a baby more efficient and less stressful.
How to purchase an airline ticket for your infant
For children under 2, you can either add them as a lap child or purchase a seat. There are pros and cons to both. Purchasing a seat allows you to have more room for your family and more space for airplane activities for your baby. If you’re breastfeeding your baby and plan to breastfeed on the airplane, purchasing a ticket for your baby also allows for more room and privacy for feeding. Some parents feel safer bringing a car seat on the plane. A car seat can also help keep your child in their seat and signal that its travel time.
Adding your child under 2 years old as a lap child means the child will be sitting on your lap for the duration of the flight. The biggest pro of this route is that it’s less costly. some airlines allow a lap child on for free while others charge around 10% if the adult ticket price. Airplanes tickets are expensive so totally makes sense to save a few hundred dollars by adding your baby as a lap child versus purchasing them a separate seat on the plane. If my child wasn’t in their car seat, I feel like they’d end up on my lap anyways so for us it makes sense to go this route. For privacy when breastfeeding I take my nursing cover on the plane and sit in the window seat. My husband is usually flying with me so he will sit in the middle seat between me and the stranger in aisle seat.
Make sure you see your child’s name on your reservation and if not, call ahead to get them added. Even if you didn’t purchase a separate seat your child will need a boarding ticket, per TSA regulations. Some airlines will also require proof of age to ensure they’re under two years old. Recently we traveled to Glacier National Park with our 6 month old and 2.5 year old and even though our baby was clearly under 2, we were asked to provide proof of age at check in. We had left her birth certificate in the car but luckily I had taken a photo of her last check up papers from the pediatrician’s office, which had her name and date of birth on it. That was a close call! You’ll need to have a passport for your baby if flying internationally.
What to pack for a flight with a baby
When flying with our baby we typically check a large family suitcase and just bring the diaper bag onto the airplane as a carry on. Using the diaper bag as a carry on, I’ll pack enough diapers and wipes for the flight plus a couple extras in case our suitcase would get lost, an extra outfit, a lightweight blanket as it tends to be cold on the airplane, my nursing cover, sanitizing wipes, pacifiers, and a few activities and toys to keep your baby busy on the airplane. If it’s a late night flight I’ll also pack pajamas and either change them before we get on the flight or change them on the airplane depending on the length of the flight.
There’s a lot of stuff that comes with traveling with a baby, but it gets easier to pack for baby over time. Download the baby packing checklist to help get you started with efficiently packing for your baby.
Baby wearing vs. bringing a stroller through the airport
I’ve found different flying strategies with a baby work well for different ages, stages, and length of travel. You kind of have to just figure out what works best for you. For instance, a stroller would be helpful if you have a long layover. If you have a direct flight you may be able to get away with just a baby carrier through the airport and checking your stroller to your final destination. Sometimes a stroller can just be if that’s the case you can just check your stroller with your other luggage to your final destination when you first check in for your flight and tag all of your bags.
If you want to bring a stroller for your baby through the airport, you will need to bring it through security and check the stroller at the gate before you get on your flight. I’d recommend bringing a stroller through the airport for an older baby or if you have a toddler too. Check in with the flight assistant when you get to your gate to get a tag for your stroller. If you have a layover, they will ask you if you want to send your stroller to your layover destination or to your final destination.
When we traveled to Glacier National Park with our toddler and baby, we brought a lightweight double umbrella stroller for the airport. We gate checked the stroller but chose to have it sent to our layover destination since we had a long layover at a large airport, instead of sending the stroller through to our final destination.Here is the single version of the umbrella stroller, which we also have and used exclusively for trips and airports with our first baby. I would not bring your fancy stroller through the airport. Let’s just say the airlines don’t care about your things as much as you do, and I personally wouldn’t risk ruining your nice stroller. Instead find an inexpensive stroller like those I’ve linked so if your stroller does get ruined on your trip, you’re not out hundreds of dollars.
Tips for getting through airport security with a baby
For TSA, you will need to take your children and anything else out of your stroller, fold it up, and put it on the belt to go through the scanner. You can bring baby food, formula, and breastmilk through TSA as each item is considered a medical necessity. Baby food, formula, and breastmilk can be brought in quantities greater than the 3.4 ounce rule for other liquids, but you will want to notify the TSA officer beforehand. You’ll likely have to remove them from your carry on and they may need to go through extra testing.
If you plan to fly more than a couple times per year, I recommend looking into TSA pre-check. It makes moving through the security lines so much easier and faster, especially with children. You don’t have to remove shoes, belts, liquids, laptops, or jackets. That doesn’t sound like a lot but when you think about every single person in front of you having to do that plus doing that for your own family, the time adds up!
How long to get to the airport ahead of time when traveling with a baby
Make sure you have enough time for yourself to use the restroom, get food and water, or whatever else you need to do before boarding for your flight. You’ll also want to make sure your baby has a clean diaper before boarding. The restrooms on the airplane are so small that it’s hard to change a diaper. If you can, I’d avoid the airplane restroom and do diaper changes right before and right after your flight. If you do need to change a diaper on the flight, just bring the diaper and wipes and a change of clothes if needed into the restroom. You won’t want to bring your entire diaper bag in a restroom that small.
If possible, you may also give your baby some time to stretch out before getting onto the flight. If you’ve packed a blanket you can just lay this down in front of your seats at your gate. No judgement for laying your baby directly on the floor too. I’ve done it!
Boarding the airplane with an infant
Most airlines have family boarding in some shape or form. Some airlines have pre boarding before most passengers and some airlines just say they will make sure your child under a certain age is seated by an accompanying adult on the flight. Southwest, for example, does family boarding right after Group A boarding. Other airlines have age stipulations for family boarding such as American Airlines and United Airlines, which prebaords families which children ages 2 and under. If you want to know what to expect ahead of time, look to your airline’s family boarding policy so you’ll know when your family will be boarding the aircraft.
Once you get onto the airplane, go ahead and get everything out that you know you’ll need on the flight- water bottle, pacifier, nursing cover, etc. Place your diaper bag or carry on bag beneath the seat in front of you if possible so that you have easy access to your things. A child breakdown is bound to happen at some point during your flight and having access to your things to help calm the situation, whatever it may be, will lessen your anxiety that you are bothering your neighbors next to you on the flight.
If you brought activities and toys for your baby on the flight, I recommend hanging onto those for a bit instead of busting them out at the beginning. Get settled into your seats, open the windows and let you little one look around or watch the people coming onto the plane. You’ll want to save the toys for when your baby is really getting bored or fussy and you need a good distraction.
Tips for during the flight with a baby
Feeding your baby during takeoff and landing can help relive the pressure from their ears. If they don’t want to eat, try using a pacifier for that similar sucking motion.
Try not to get too worked up about bothering people around you. Most people I’ve encountered on flights are super friendly towards my children. You’ll have a few bad eggs every once in a while but honestly, their attitude is not your problem. Kids are kids and there is only so much you can do to avoid their emotional breakdowns. Try to remain calm and positive because your kids, even babies, can totally sense your energy.
When the breakdown hits, it’s time to get out your airplane activities for your baby! New toys can keep their attention for longer. If your baby is old enough for solids you can also break out a snack to distract them. I introduce one thing at a time so I’ll hopefully have enough toys and snacks to last for the duration of the flight.
