Traveling with children can sound super overwhelming and stressful. I’m sure it actually prevents a lot of families from taking a flight. Fortunately, and unfortunately in some cases, flying isn’t an option for us. With half of my children’s family living in another country (you can read more about our romantic story here), flying is a necessity.
Despite having children in a pandemic (Teddy was born in 2020 and Tilly in 2022) we have managed to take a few flights, both short and long haul. I won’t claim to be an expert but we definitely have learned some things along the way, hopefully my tough lessons will save you the agravation.
Snacks, snacks, and more snacks
If you’re going to bring anything with you the most important thing is food. I found that Teddy wouldn’t sit down for a full meal because there were too many new things happening around him. Bringing snacks Teddy was familiar with was the best way to not only bribe him but put him at ease when he was starting to get a bit too riled up. I would just succumb to the fact that your child won’t be eating normally while you’re away. It won’t kill them, it’s one day.
Having snacks for the plane is also a great way to keep your kid occupied, especially if it’s a longer flight. One of the best snacks I’ve found for us when traveling are the Gerber Puffs. They are easy to carry and don’t make a mess.
If you’re traveling with an infant, the airline security will let you carry as much milk as you want. I BF both of my babies which helped to save on luggage room (lol?) but I would say it’s always best to bring more than you think you’ll need.
*Tip* – you actually are allowed to bring water in a water bottle through when traveling with kids so when in doubt, you can always lie and say your water is for them.
Give in to screen time
One thing I am super proud about Ben and I is that we are very strict on screen time. I’m sure this will change in time but Teddy only gets one night a week (Friday’s) that he’s allowed to watch TV. Without knowing, this has actually helped us IMMENSELY with travel. Being able to watch TV or a movie is a novelty for Teddy so he can sit for long periods of time and just watch shows. We have no rule when we travel about screen time honestly, if he’s going to sit quietly and watch we will let him.
No judgement if screen time is something you use to get through the weeks (I get it) but my recommendation would be to limit screen time a couple of weeks before a big trip. This will help to keep it exciting.
Make sure to predownload all of the shows and movies beforehand, you never want to be relying on the airport wifi to try and download programs!
Buy an inflatable foot rest
This was the best $50 I have ever spent. I’ve been served the ads for inflatable foot rest.
On our flight from Toronto to London, Teddy laid down and was able to sleep for SIX FULL HOURS. I kid you not, and in fact neither of us could believe it. Ben blew it up shortly after take off, he laid down and was super comfortable the whole ride.
Our luck wasn’t so great on the way home, no sleeping at all, however, he was super comfortable with what probably seemed like a first class seat in economy.
This is the one we bought:
Get that bassinet seat
If you are traveling with an infant and plan on having the infant in your seat, call and book the bassinet seat, it won’t cost you extra. I made the mistake of only realizing I could do this once we had Tilly. Obviously once your child starts rolling over they shouldn’t really be sleeping in the bassinet but it’s nice to have the extra leg room.
Most of the time they should put your whole party in those seats if you want it as well. We declined on the way there because we wanted Teddy to have a window seat. It made it easier to tuck the foot rest up against a wall.
Book an extra seat
Look, as someone who LOVES to save money, taking advantage of having an infant on your lap at minimal cost is ideal. However, once they get to the stage where they start to move around, if you can afford it, book their own seat.
When we flew to Prince Edward Island, I had Teddy on my lap. At the time he was 18 months old and it was a nightmare, I can’t imagine that situation on a long haul flight. I think looking back, we will book Tilly her own seat once she starts crawling (ugh).
Lower your expectations
I say this only half joking. The lower your expectations are the more satisfied you will be with the trip, and possibly even pleasantly surprised. I was more worried for the flight to Englan than the returning one and boy was I wrong. The flight home was probably the worst flight I’ve ever had. Neither kid slept and Tilly is (at the time of writing) at the age where she wants to move around but doesn’t quite know how to yet, which meant us just holding her for 7 hours straight, bouncing her up and down.
Get a hotel the night before
Again, if money isn’t as much of a concern or you have a bit extra, I would book a night in a hotel as close to the airport as possible. This is especially true if you are traveling from far away or have an early morning flight. We had a 4 hour drive in front of us before even getting to the airport and that was a huge mistake.
I know it seems scary to travel with young children, admittedly the journey to the destination can be quite scary but it’s worth it! Being able to experience new places, and especially seeing it through the eyes of a toddler is so incredible.
