I am not a traveler, just in case you couldn't tell from a one of my previous posts, but my sister and her family LOVE traveling! I still have yet to take my kids on an airplane.... But she has done it so many times! She is basically a pro at this now.
Since I have no experience flying with kids, I asked her to share her tips and tricks to surviving airplane flights with little kids. So, I introduce to you Cassidy Humpherys:
Flying with kids on an airplane is no joke! Especially, when they are under the age of 3!
My husband and I LOVE to travel so flying with young kids has always been a given in our lives. Our oldest daughter, Rylee, had flown on an airplane 23 times by the time she turned 2…but hey, that’s 23 free flights!
We have definitely had moments of chaos and stress, but also moments of relief. We have had the craziest things happen on airplanes that you would never think could happen in real life!
Let’s take it back to the beginning:
Rylee’s very first flight was when she was 8 months old. I was exclusively pumping at the time, and I was about to journey out on a flight by myself with an infant. Let me tell you, there is no stress like the kind of stress you experience when trying to make a bottle for a baby on a plane or pumping!
*As a side note, if you are formula feeding, bring an empty hydro flask of some sort and fill it up with hot water at a Starbucks or some sort of cafe and then add a little cold water! It always lasts us our whole flight! Click here for the one I have and have used many times! It is a lifesaver when you’re trying to make a bottle for your little one!*
Carrying on…so here I was with my little 8 month old who was not formula feeding yet and I needed to pump. I had to find a family bathroom in the airport and sit on the floor and pump a bottle for her. Looking back I honestly should have just used the manual hand pump…but hey a little adventure never hurt anyone and she slept the entire last flight! Most airports are doing so much better now at supporting breastfeeding mothers. So look up the airport beforehand and see where you can find a nursing pod and plan ahead!
Here are my tips on how to survive flying with little ones:
-Make sure you come prepared for literally anything that can happen on a flight. For starters some Ibuprofen…or a teether…because you better believe when our oldest was 16 months old she had a pair of molars pop in at 11 PM on a flight! Also, make sure you come with extra diapers, wipes, clothes, and of course food!
-Crying on a flight is likely to happen when you have younger kids. They are thrown off of their schedules and there is a lot of crazy happening all around them. Take all of the deep breaths and remember it won’t last forever! Distraction and redirection on a flight has been key for us!
-I have learned a lot since our first few flights about trying to get children to sleep on airplanes. I used to be obsessed with trying to get my kids to sleep and would stress out the entire flight if it wasn’t working. This often led to my kids feeling stressed and forced into sleep, which they just weren’t ready for. Once my children are past the age of one I can no longer rock them or get them to sleep unless it is their choice. I had to learn to let it go! My oldest daughter is almost 5 years old and now she willingly will lay down and go to sleep. My second daughter is almost 18 months and she is at the age where I just let it go. I do what I can to help her be as comfortable as possible and just let her take the lead. This has made our flights way less stressful since I have done that. Some things that I always have on a flight for her are her sleepsack, binky, snacks, and a show to watch. Something we have learned with shows for her is when she is tired and could likely take a nap, we will turn on a show but without the sound so she can watch and slowly drift off!
-One of the weirder things we’ve done, but has been a life saver, is buy an inflatable footrest–hear me out! When lap infants get close to two years old they are giant and difficult to fit on your lap. We found an inflatable footrest to stick on the floor in front of our seat and had our child sit on it instead of just our lap (just make sure you blow it up AFTER takeoff since they don’t let you have anything in front of your feet at takeoff). This is the one we have. It’s nice and small, and yes…we know this is so extra and overkill. But it was so nice for longer flights!
Okay, time for a horror story:
Recently, as in within the last 6 months, we were on a flight. We were already having a rough time because we missed our layover by literally 30 seconds and they wouldn’t open the door for us. We ended up having to stay the night in a hotel before we could catch another flight. We finally got on the plane to go home and had just taken off when our littlest one started crying and crying. She was so upset from the exhaustion of travel when suddenly my oldest said, “Mom, I don’t feel very well”. She then proceeded to throw up all over my hands and herself.
So the moral of the story ALWAYS bring a change of clothes, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, and basically anything you could possibly need in a moment like that. We did eventually make it home and all is well! Here’s a picture from that flight so I can always relive all those sweet moments...
Okay, now onto the fun stuff: What kinds of things to bring on a flight!
-Let’s start with food because that is one of the most important things! I always make a snack bag for each person. Here’s the list of snacks that I pack: raisins, fruit snacks, fish crackers, fruit leathers, Harvest Snaps green peas, and granola bars. Depending on how long the flight is, I sometimes bring Uncrustables and a bag of fruit. I also always put a sucker in their snack bags because it takes them a long time to eat it and helps with the ears! Also, don’t forget to bring a water bottle you can fill up after security. These are the ones my girls have!
-Having activities for your kids to do is a must. Some of the activities we bring on the airplane are these:
Window stickers like these ones shown below to put on the airplane window
Magnetic Drawing Board, like the one pictured.
And then just your typical drawing pad and crayons, along with books. And, of course, the tablet! We try to hold off on the tablet for as long as possible so that there is enough entertainment for the whole flight.
Now, here are some tips for traveling through the airport easily with kids:
-You can check your car seat for free right when you get to the airport so you don’t have to lug it around. I know many people don’t like to have it at the bottom of the plane, so they check it for free at the gate. However, we have found that for us we much prefer to check it right when we get there. Here are the bags we use for our carseats:
-You can bring basically any essential baby item for free with you. If you have a pump bag, it doesn’t count as any of your items. It can come with you for free. You can also bring a stroller for free if you are wanting that on your vacation.
-When going through the airport, baby/toddler wear through security and all through the airport. It has made such a difference getting through security and the airport and still having both my hands. We use the TULA baby carrier. I wear my babies in front of me until they turn one and then strap them to my back after that!
-Research the airports you’re going to be in before you go. Several airports have some seriously awesome kids' play places you can go track down if you have a long wait!
Overall, traveling with kids can be hard. But for us it has always been rewarding! The destination is always worth it. It can create memories for your kids that they would never get otherwise! If you’re hesitant about traveling with kids on an airplane, just know that kids are resilient. They can often surprise you! Just know that they are going to be okay! Keep taking your deep breaths and know that it will end soon! Put all your fear aside and go after the adventure!
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