Eight Survival Tips for Flying with a Toddler

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Flying with a toddler scared me shitless. I can’t even lie. Our first family trip was at a lake resort that was a two-hour drive from our house. Our daughter was only 6 months at the time and it was breeze.

For our second family trip, I decided to up the stakes and planned a trip to Charleston, South Carolina– a two-hour plane ride! This time she was 18-months old and I knew I had trouble on my hands.

But I was dedicated to showing my kids the world and I knew that meant flying with a toddler to teach her at a young age how to travel. And let’s be honest, to teach myself how to travel with kids.

As soon as those plane tickets were booked, I started researching ways to keep her entertained and how not to lose it in the air. I knew I had to be ultra-prepared for this venture! Read on to see what I did to keep our sanity while flying with a toddler.

It dawned on me that we’d be in the airport for a minimum of two hours, followed by a two-hour plane ride. Plus we couldn’t pull the plan over if we needed to take a break or change a diaper.

After compiling all of the tips I found for flying with a toddler, we embarked on our trip and I put them to use. Here’s what worked for us!

Flying With a Toddler? You Better Fly Southwest

No, I’m not being paid to say this, though I wish I was! Southwest is the most accommodating to families in my opinion.

You don’t pay for checked bags, they check car seats and strollers for free and they do family boarding so you are guaranteed to sit together. Read all about flying Southwest over at Trips With Tykes!

Book Flights at the Best Time for Your Toddler!

Some people like booking flights to coincide with nap time, and others like booking them late at night so they take-off at bedtime. We personally chose a morning flight on the way there because Georgia is an early riser and never napped in the car.

We figured the same would be true on a plane so we booked it for the time of day she is in her best spirits. Also, since she was a lap-seat, we knew we might have to hold her if the flight was full.

I did, however, know she would nap in our carrier. So for our trip home, I booked a flight that was right around nap time. I popped her in it and walked the airport while we waited to board.

She fell right to sleep and was about to get almost an hour nap in before we took off. It was just enough to keep her from being a beast during the flight home. Do what works best for you when flying with a toddler!

Let Your Kiddos Run Free in The Airport

Okay well, not totally free but don’t keep them cooped up in the stroller the whole time. Once we were all checked in and in our terminal, we let Georgia out of the stroller.

She roamed the airport, under our supervision of course, because we knew she wouldn’t be moving for 2.5 -3 hours between boarding, flying and deplaning. So if you get to the airport and you have time to kill, let your kids walk around the airport or find an empty gate and let them climb up and down chairs.

Gate Check a Stroller

Simple tip yet a lot of people don’t know this. Most US airlines let you gate-check your stroller for free. It doesn’t count as one of your checked bags and you can use it in the terminal.

They simply tag it and when you board they fold it up and take it from you. We like to use this gate check bag to keep our stroller clean and this car seat check bag to keep the car seat from getting dinged up but you don’t have to. When you deplane, your stroller will be waiting for you. You can also do this with your car seat but we did not because Georgia flew as a lap-toddler.

Choose the Best Seat 

This specific tip pertains to flying with a toddler on YOUR LAP. As in, flying with a toddler under 2 years old who doesn’t have a ticket but is flying for free because they will be sitting on your lap for the flight.

It’s a controversial topic and not everyone shares the same views but I have personally flown with my toddler as a “lap seat” and this is my tip for possibly securing a seat for them. Again, this is never a guarantee if you choose not to purchase a ticket for your toddler and can only be done until they are 2 years old.

If you fly Southwest, you get to pick your seat. When you get to the gate, ask how many free seats are available on the flight. If there is even ONE seat free, you’re golden.

When it’s time to board, take the last row and take one aisle seat and one window seat for you and your significant other. Now that middle seat is the worst seat on the plane and if no one has to sit there, no one will!

Now I’d don’t recommend this is it’s a completely full flight. If that’s the case, take the aisle and middle. But I’ve yet to be on a flight with my kids where there wasn’t at least one seat free.

Now if you’re flying with a toddler as well as other kiddos, this strategy might not work as well. But I still recommend going all the way to the back of the airplane to get the best luck with free seats.

Now you have a seat for your toddler, phew! Can you bring your car seat for a lap toddler? You will get a different answer from everyone you ask, I swear. Some will say yes, some will say no. Some flight attendants are amazing and will let you bring it on if there’s a free seat and some won’t.

So I bought a CARES Harness in case we did get a seat. It attaches to the existing seat belt to become a 5-point harness and it’s FAA-approved if they are between 22-44lbs. It worked great! It’s a tad pricey but we’ve used it for both of our girls now and we’ll get use out of it with our son too!

Pack a TON of Snacks….Then Pack More!

Food will get you everywhere on a flight. Special treats they don’t typically get are best. We brought the following: Chocolate Brownie Kids Clif Bars, Goldfish, freeze dried fruit, Teddy Grahams, applesauce pouches, crackers, Dum-dum lollies, and Skittles.

We alternated snacks and activities on repeat. You are allowed to bring formula, breast milk, and juice with you but it will be subjected to additional screening. We just brought Georgia’s Contigo water bottle with and filled it once we got through security.

Pack the Right Activities & Make Them Last

The key to making it through your flight is too keep your toddler entertained. Point blank. We brought our iPad for Georgia but she was only 18 months old at the time and we knew she wasn’t going to pay attention to it the whole time.

I scoured Pinterest to come up with some tried and true activities that were easy to pack and then came up with a few on my own. Here are some ideas:

♦ Window Clings. They can put them on the window and even the seat. They stick to pretty much anything but don’t leave any mark behind. YOu can find them at Target for a couple of bucks. I got two packs, one for each flight, so I didn’t have to worry about preserving them after the flight.

♦ Coin Bank: I made this game up using an empty puffs container and a package of fake coins from Dollar Tree. I cut a coin slot on the top of the puffs lid, big enough for the coins to easily pass through, and filled it up with the fake coins. Georgia spent a good 45 minutes playing with this toy. She’d fill up the bank, pull the lid off and then do it again. We practiced counting and sang silly songs about coins while we did it. $1 well spent!

♦ Stickers: Grab some fun stickers at Dollar Tree and a notebook. (Or find some at home if you hoard craft supplies like I do:) Let them pull stickers off and put on the paper. Easy, fun, cheap activity!

Also, check out my post on things to do on a long car ride for a few other ideas that will also work on a plane ride! Quick, easy Amazon Prime options, lol!

Stretch Your Legs

Gotta throw a great Office reference in for this one:) Being on a plane with a lap toddler is a “run out the clock situation”. If you feel comfortable walking through the aisles with your toddler, do it! Whatever it takes to kill time. Especially if they are fussy, this can help a ton.

Personally, I love getting up and stretching my legs a few times throughout any flight. It refreshes me a bit and I try to get to the next hour and then do it again. Especially if your kiddo likes to be in an Ergo or a similar carrier.

Strap them in and walk a bit. The flight attendants are usually extremely nice about it and will even let you hang out by the back of the plane will you bounce your babe.

Okay so that about sums up my survival guide to flying with a toddler on your lap. Get through the flight as best you can but don’t stress if your kiddo is crying or fussing. You’re doing an amazing job and travel is one of the best things we can do for our kids.

Be sure to check out my post for traveling with your kids in a hotel if your travel plans include that as well! I’d love to hear in the comments where your best family vacation was.