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#1 Know Your Essentials
Before traveling completely clean out the bag you intend to take on the plane for your toddler. This could be your diaper bag or another bag. We used our diaper bag.
We completely cleared it out to make sure we were not taking extra items that we didn’t need or that were not airplane-appropriate, such as excess fluids or nail clippers.
Before starting to repack think through what your essential items are.
Here is my quick list for our child:
- Diapers
- Wipes
- 2 Extra Outfits
- Pacifiers
- Receiving Blankets
- Food
- Empty and Dry Sippy Cup
- Toys and Activities
- Empty Disposable Bags for Messes
You need to focus on the same areas you always do: eating, pooping, sleeping, and entertainment. What does your child need to be happy for the duration of the flight as well as time in the airport?
What are your child’s essential items?
#2 Travel Light
Like I said before, remove all excess items for your toddler’s bag. I recommend you travel light as a group too though.
If possible check most of your baggage. You could even volunteer to gate-check it. Try to have as little as possible for you to manage while boarding and departing the plane.
We only had our diaper bag and my husband’s computer bag. Keep it simple and minimal.
Pack as few bags as possible for your experience in the airport.
Traveling with children, in general, is a lot. The fewer bags equals fewer problems.
#3 Have a Plan BUT Stay Flexible
Have simple plans for every phase of flying.
Will one parent drop off bags and kids at the door while the other goes to park the car? Will you park as a group and walk in together?
Are you taking your car to the airport or getting there a different way?
Getting through security is a phase of its own.
Assign who is in charge of what. For example parent 1 is in charge of the child. Parent 2 is in charge of the carry-on items.
Consistently carry the same items throughout the airport so nothing gets left behind. If you keep swapping bags and responsibilities it is easy to assume the other person has an item.
What is the plan once you get through security? Do you grab a snack or hit the bathroom? Know what you need to do and when you need to do it.
Think ahead on when your child will get hungry. You can’t expect them to be a happy camper when they are starving.
These plans don’t need to be anything complicated. It is a matter of you and your partner briefly discussing how you see a process going and working through it together to find what you both think will be most successful.
Remember though airports are fickle places. Flights can be delayed and the plan will change in an instant.
#4 Use Your Resources Slowly
Ideally, you are prepared to make it through. You have extra food and diapers for emergency situations. However, I strongly recommend you use your resources slowly. The moment you get on the plane DO NOT get out food or a toy.
Just take in your surroundings. If you have a window seat point out different happening on the ground. Is that a truck? Oh, look an airplane! What color is that sign?
Keep your toddler busy without using the resources you brought.
Our toddler enjoyed looking at the safety manual. It had pictures of airplanes and men and women she thought were mommy and daddy.
Slowly get out the toys and books. Don’t rush through everything you brought.
Package your food into small amounts. Get out one baggy at a time. Don’t let them know how much you brought.
You may also need your resources for an unexpected situation. You could get stuck on the runway waiting for the weather to clear or some other minor or major delay.
#5 Be Kind to the People Around You
A smile goes a long way on a flight.
You want your child to behave well and not disrupt the people around you. You don’t always get that lucky though.
Our toddler did AMAZING overall. She is a pretty chill kiddo.
One minor issue we had though was that she was a lap child. When she sat on us her legs were just the right length for her to push the seat in front of us.
She did it a couple of times and I noticed the person in front looking back. I figured they were annoyed. So I made a point to say, “Sweetie, we don’t push the seat.” I also turned her sideways as much as possible.
Did my daughter completely understand what I was saying? IDK
But the point is that yes ma’am I know my daughter pushed your seat. No, I do not think it is fine. I am not ignoring it, as some parents do. I am trying my best for her to not do it again.
I was trying to say I am doing my best and I’m sorry my child bothered you.
Show people respect.
#6 Enjoy the Adventure
You are flying with your toddler! This should be an awesome experience.
Keep a positive attitude. Your child will feel your emotions and vibe off of you.
Have plans and organization to keep calm and organized throughout the process.
Talk to your toddler about what is happening and why. Let them explore their surroundings. What do they hear, see and even feel?
Embrace this adventure and create new memories.
Suggested Items to Pack
Here is a bit more detail into what I packed and why I packed it.
Diapers
My recommendation is to use your normal diapers because you would hate to switch them up and then your child gets a rash. Now is not the time to experiment!
I will say we decided to pack our overnight diapers for our day of travel. The idea here is that you don’t know exactly what the day will bring and you will be able to get a changing opportunity. The overnight diapers are a bit longer-lasting.
Have enough diapers to get through the entire day and then add two extras. Again you just don’t know. If possible play through in your head when you will likely do diaper changes based on your flight times and plans.
Do not run out of diapers!
Wipes
Don’t travel with 5 pounds of wipes. Travel with a reasonable package of 40 wipes or so. Pack extra in your checked luggage for your trip if your need to.
2 Extra Outfits
Depending on your child I recommend 2 extra outfits. If they are a massive drooler or constantly experience blowouts pack more.
I recommend your child wear a long sleeve shirt that is lightweight. This of course depends on what climates you are traveling to and from.
People always turn on the air in planes and I find that they get quite cold. If possible avoid jackets and coats and opt for long sleeves.
Again this will greatly depend on your climates and seasons.
Pacifier
This is dependent on your child. Do they sleep well with a pacifier or lovie? Have what they need. Our nearly two-year-old still gets the pacifier for sleeping. We also thought it may help for leveling out her ears for takeoff and landing.
Receiving Blanket
I didn’t know if our daughter would sleep on the plane. I figured if she got cold or wanted to cuddle to sleep a small receiving blanket would come in handy. This was probably the least used item I packed.
Food
Our daughter has allergies so we didn’t feel like we could rely on airport food. We packed enough food for her to get through most of the day. Again you should be prepared for a full day of eating. For you, this could mean purchasing food at the airport. Nothing wrong with that.
Empty and Dry Sippy Cup
If your child is used to their specific sippy cup you will want to have it empty and dry to go through security easily. I didn’t even bother looking up the rules for toddler cups. Just empty it and dry it completely and you won’t have a problem.
Our daughter had a cup of water for the drive to the airport. We then left that cup in the car for the duration of our trip.
Your child should be able to make it through security without a drink.
We brought two types of cups. We brought the 360 cup and a straw-type cup.
I had read online that the pressure can affect straw cups and cause spills while on the plane.
This is completely true and very annoying. We thought the straw might be beneficial in leveling out our toddler’s ears so we packed it anyway.
I wouldn’t take it again.
Once you are through security you can fill up your toddler’s cup.
Toys and Activities
A lot of thought went into the toys we packed. We avoided anything with lots of parts of pieces that could get lost. We opted for quiet items that wouldn’t disturb those around us.
You can click on the item which will take you to the product or a similar version of the product.
Empty Disposable Bags
I want to say I packed 3 or so plastic bags. These could be used to hang on to dirty clothing. They could be used to bag up a stinky diaper before trashing it. They could serve whatever purpose you need them for. Roll them up as small as possible and they won’t be a burden to take with you.
Diaper Bag
Like I said previously we used our diaper bag. I organized it strategically and put items that we hopefully wouldn’t need, such as extra clothing in the bottom. Items that needed to be handy were food, water, diapers, wipes, and activities.
I consider our diaper bag quite standard in size.
I emptied it as much as possible and packed it as light as I deemed possible.
Yet our bag felt quite stuffed. It did make it hard as times to get out the activity I wanted.
The only advice I want to give here is to utilize outside pockets as much as possible and know EXACTLY where everything is in the bag.
Conclusion
You cannot always control the actions of your toddler. They can be unpredictable.
What you can do is control the environment to the best of your ability. Have items that you know they like, whether toys, food, or a special blanket.
Control what you can to make them happy.
Check Out My Articles
5 Helpful Tips for Getting Through Shots with Your Baby
How to Have a Successful First Trip Camping with a Toddler
How to Get Your Toddler to Go from Frustrated to Babbling to Talking
How to Get Your Toddler Ready to Welcome a New Baby into the Family
