Traveling With Toddlers- The Ultimate Guide

Traveling with toddlers can be a really daunting task for most parents. Its understandable that no one wants to be that person with the screaming kids on the plane. Luckily for you, I flew internationally with not only a toddler, but also a newborn! our flight was over 9 hours long, and went very smoothly! Here’s how we did it!

Plan your flight times conveniently

Of course this isn’t always possible, but if you can, try to book your flight during night time or nap time. A sleeping child is a quiet one, and the white noise from the airplane usually soothes kids to sleep. In my experience, most toddlers will be worn out after going through TSA and that whole process anyway, they’ll likely want to rest for at least part of the flight!

**Make sure you dress them comfortably in pajamas, bring a small pillow and toddler sized blanket with you as well!**

Packing The Essentials: What You Really Need

First and foremost, if your toddler has any sort of security item, make sure you have it and make sure its easily accessible from where you are sitting. Another big one is snacks, make sure you keep all packaging sealed until you enter the plane, and make sure you have more than enough to get you through the entire flight! Suckers are a great thing to have on hand to give out during take off and landing, because eating them will help your toddler pop their ears!

I know a lot of people stress about bringing tablets for toddlers to watch their favorite shows on, but in 2025 most large commercial planes have TV screens built into the seat for you. Id call ahead and make sure your plane is equipped with screens, and if its not, then worry about preparing a tablet.

Make sure you bring 2-3 cups that your toddler is comfortable using. I say 2-3 because your toddler is likely to drop or lose one somewhere along the way, and you really don’t want to be stuck without a sippy cup in the middle of your travels!

Make sure you bring more than enough diapers to get you to your next destination. Air plane bathrooms are small, but they do have a convenient fold down changing table built into the wall! bring only what you need into the bathroom, but i recommend always bringing two diapers incase something goes awry with the first one!

Nausea medicine is an absolute must have, especially if this is your childs first flight and youre not sure how they may respond to it! always be prepared with some kid safe nausea medications, just incase some motion sickness takes over!

Make sure you have a change of clothes, not only for the kids, but also for YOU! Life with toddlers is messy, the last thing you want to do is be sitting on a plane for X amount of hours covered in urine or vomit with no change of clothes!

Get New Toys For The Flight

New toys are a great tool to have in your back pocket, just in case you need it! If your little one starts to get bored or antsy, be prepared with a couple new toys they’ve never seen before! worst case scenario, if you don’t need them on the plane, you’ve got some exciting new toys to keep them entertained at your final destination!

These are the small toys i chose to have in our carry on:

• Animal reusable sticker book
• Mickey Mouse Figurines set
• Mickey Mouse Board Books
• suction cup spinners
• Water Wow Books

Snacks And Meals

Typically, if you’re on a longer flight, they usually offer a complementary meal. These meals usually aren’t toddler friendly though so you’ll want to think ahead when it comes to the meal plan!

Its not a bad idea to prepare a snack box or even just a small lunch box filled with your toddler safe foods. Just make sure everything falls in line with the TSA requirements, especially when it comes to liquids!

You can also plan to arrive at the airport extra early to go sit down and eat at a restaurant they have there. Keep in mind though, this may not be the most cost-efficient option as airport restaurants typically charge a hefty price.

What To Do If Your Toddler Gets Fussy On The Plane

First and foremost, remain calm! I know this is probably your greatest fear as you prepare for your flight, but just remember this is stressful for them too and it’s totally reasonable for them to be a little extra grumpy while traveling. Next, offer all comfort items you possibly can, including a snack or drink! if that doesn’t work, pull out those new toys I told you about earlier, and see if you can peak their interest with any of those things! If all else fails, walk around the aisle and try letting them get some wiggles out!

Why You Should Bring A Stroller

A stroller sounds so miserable to lug around an airport, but hear me out! A stroller provides you with another set of hands essentially, so whether it be your toddler sitting in the stroller, or you throwing all of your carry on’s into it. Its just overall useful to you, and it makes traveling so much simpler, especially with a toddler in the mix!

Its also just a safety element too, airports are actually pretty dangerous and im always on high alert making sure no one is messing with me or my kids. A stroller is a safe way to keep your little one confined and not running off!

Not to mention, its free to check a stroller at the gate! they will simply give you a little ticket with a number on it and once you exit the plane they’ll be right there with your stroller ready to send you on your way to the next destination! its a fairly smooth and simple process, and in my experience it didn’t take much time at all!

CARES Harness

A CARES harness is an absolute must have in my opinion. Although slightly pricey, this is a great alternative to taking your child’s entire car seat on the plane! It’s TSA approved and very easy to set up! Its fully adjustable too, so there’s no concern on the sizing for it. This harness not only keeps your child safe in the event of an emergency, but it also keeps them seated in their chair without the concern of them potentially slipping out and running lose on the plane! Another great advantage is the harness helped to keep my son in an upright position even while he was sleeping, so we knew he was safe and sleeping well for the duration of the flight.

Conclusion

In conclusion, traveling with toddlers is daunting! your child will probably sleep the entire time and make you feel so silly for worrying so much; But in the event that they don’t, you will be fully prepared from all angles if you follow this guide closely! Overall, you know your child best, so if there’s something I missed, be sure to drop it down in the comments to help others and don’t forget to throw whatever it is in your carry on!