Tips for Flying with a Toddler on Your Lap
At the Airport:
Though it is never promised that things will go as well as we hope and plan, it is always best to be prepared. I have listed a few items and tips that have helped us when traveling with Elani.
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Stroller/Carrier
Personally, a stroller works best for us because Elani no longer enjoys being in a carrier. Strollers can be checked for free right before you board your flight, allowing you to use it at the airport. At the gate, you need to get a tag for your stroller. Once you scan your ticket to board the flight, you can leave your tagged stroller in the space outside of the door to the airplane. It’s actually very simple and very convenient.
We have only ever traveled with our umbrella stroller, but having a gate check bag has been great at keeping it somewhat clean and protected.
*Note: It is also free to check your car seat. We took ours with us in this Disney gate check bag and checked it as soon as we arrived at the airport. We find it worth it to use the curbside check-in service. It may cost additional money to tip, but it’s much less of a hassle and gets your hands freed faster.
Security
One thing to always consider with security is timing. Having a young child can definitely slow you down, so give yourself plenty of time. We have found that sometimes our diaper bag gets checked more thoroughly and they look through all of the toddler pouches/snacks and other times it goes through without any additional fuss. The first time we flew with Elani we arrived way too late (almost missed the flight) and it was very stressful. We’ve learned our lesson.
Gate:
It never hurts to ask if there are any available seats. In one situation, there was an entire row open and Elani ended up with her own seat in between my husband and myself. We have yet to pay more to choose our seats and have lucked out so far. When not seated together (and on a fully booked flight) we have found others that are willing to switch seats, allowing us to sit together.
*Note: Don’t forget to do a diaper change right before getting on the plane! You may still need to do one on the plane (my husband has…I got out of it), but it is great to not have to.
On the Plane:
Take Off and Landing
We encouraged Elani to drink her water and offered her pouches to help her ears. When she was an infant, I allowed her to nurse and ended up doing that again (she does still comfort feed) on our most recent return flight because nothing else was helping.
Activities
You truly know your child best, so think about what your child enjoys when choosing activities for the flight. Elani loves coloring and has specific games/shows that will keep her attention for a little bit so I had a variety of things for her to choose from.
Coloring: I purchased the absolute best paper and markers for the airplane. Game changer! I opted for the blank paper rather than the coloring pages with characters.
Stickers: The Target dot stickers were her clear favorite on the airplane. She enjoyed sticking them on the Crayola paper (only one side works with the markers), but I also brought construction paper. I also purchased sticky notes since she could safely stick them to anything and they could be easily removed, but she did not care for them as much.
Electronics: We had planned to use a tablet and her headphones, but ended up just using our phones. We had made sure that our phones were charged and had downloaded some of her favorite shows, movies, and games. She’s still so young that our phones were sufficient.
Toys: I tied strings to three John Deere grip toys. That allowed me to easily tie them to the tray table, avoiding them falling and rolling away. Elani still preferred the dot stickers over those. Those were the only toys we chose to bring.
Snacks
This is definitely specific to what your toddler enjoys, but we made sure to bring Goldfish Baby Crackers, applesauce and yogurt pouches, healthy snack bars, and graham crackers. Though Elani loves fruit and other healthier things, we wanted her snacks on the airplane to feel like exciting treats.
Traveling with a toddler is definitely an adventure, but we just try our best to make sure we tend to the same things we focus on at home. We keep Elani fed, hydrated, comfortable, entertained and try to keep her from getting overtired. Just be prepared and always remember that you know your child best!
