If you’re flying solo with a toddler you’ve probably got a million questions and are probably intimidated. I know I was! Your toddler might just surprise you though. If you’re as prepared as you can be all you can do is hope for the best.
Check out these tips for flying with a toddler alone, even if you’ll have help there’s a lot of great information!
My Best Tips for Flying with a Toddler at a Glance
- Buy a seat instead of lap infant
- Check the stroller with your bags
- Use a toddler leash
- Lots of snacks
- iPad/Tablet/Phone for entertainment
Booking a Flight for a Toddler
Let me start off with saying that I am not an experienced traveler. I have flown probably 10 times including round trips. Flying itself is intimidating to me so the thought of wrangling my 19 month old in addition to myself initially seemed too overwhelming to consider.
Well fast-forward a few months of snow and isolation and the idea seemed more and more appealing. Especially since my toddler LOVES being outside. Granted, she’s happy to play in the snow but when it’s 16 degrees out that time is limited. The thought of my girl running in the sunshine, visiting her beloved (snow-bird) grandparents, going to the zoo, and visiting the beach all made the biggest impact on my impulsive decision to book those flights.
Before I purchased my tickets I had a crucial decision to make.
I had to decide if I would be cheap and not book my toddler a seat or have her seated on my lap for the duration of my flight.
For most airlines if your child is under two you can opt for them to be a “lap infant”. This means you pay a significantly cheaper cost for them to fly, or for some airlines they could fly FREE, but they will remain on your lap for the entirety of the flight!
I had to fight against my frugal instincts and book her a seat. There was NO WAY I could keep her happily contained and entertained on my lap.
Some toddlers under 2 would probably happily sit on their parents lap for a 3 hour flight and be perfectly content, my 19 month old toddler is most definitely not one.
If she was say, 10 months? I definitely would have seriously considered it.
There is a slight chance you could get lucky and there would be an open seat in your aisle. I was not that fortunate on either leg of the trip so I’m glad I didn’t take that risk.
Once the stress of trying to find the lowest flying fare with no layovers was done, the real research began.
What essential items do we need on the plane and how the heck do I keep my 19 month old content (who hates being confined) and entertained for 3 hours?
What to Take to the Airport with a Toddler
- Umbrella Stroller
- Personal Item (Backpack)
- 1 Checked Suitcase
That’s it!
Luckily my parents bought a car seat in Florida so they would have one on hand for this summer in case they are watching her and need to leave the house.
It was not a requirement for my child to be in a car seat on the airplane with the airline I chose.
If my parents would not have bought one I would have checked it instead of bringing it on the plane with me.
My Chicco Bravo stroller has a conveniently large basket below. I was VERY tempted to bring it with me for that reason alone, instead I opted to bring a significantly lighter and more compact Kolcrat Cloud Umbrella stroller.
I made the decision to gate check my stroller when flying to Florida. When you chose to gate check you bring your stroller with you everywhere until you literally board the plane, it gets left outside the door of the airplane. You also have to wait for them to unload it at the door of the plane when you arrive.
On my way home from Florida I DID NOT gate check my stroller.
When flying solo it ended up being dead weight instead of a useful tool. It was inconvenient and stressful during TSA trying to deal with taking off my shoes, getting out the tablet and my phone, folding up the stroller, and carrying Eleanor.
After TSA I wanted my daughter to walk around as much as possible before we boarded the plane, so I folded up and pulled that stroller behind me for an hour or so.
I did not miss that stroller one bit on my way home. Okay maybe I missed it once. The ONLY time I missed it was when I had to use the restroom, I ended up holding her on my lap to try and limit her touching things.
If you're flying with a toddler you want less items to keep track of!
Personal Item - What to Pack When Flying with a Toddler
I bought this Liwag backpack on Amazon just before my flight. It looked more roomy than any of the bags I had around the house. It did fit everything I wanted to pack. I used this as my diaper bag/purse for my trip.
I will say that I think the product photo misrepresented how much could really fit (but it does fit quite a bit!). It also had loops in the front that ended up having the stitching pop off on one of the loops. Overall it was a decent purchase though, my husband will use this for work.
Essentials Items When Flying with a Toddler
- Muslin Blanket
- Masks for me*
- Honest Alcohol Sanitizing Wipes*
- Hand sanitizer*
- Teether*
- Change of clothes for Eleanor
- Scented diaper waste bags
- Changing pad*
- Overnight diapers*
- Regular diapers
- Wipes*
- Eleanor’s birth certificate
- Extra plastic bags*
- Infant’s Tylenol*
- Travel Butt Paste and spatula
- Pacifier wipes
- Hair ties and comb
- Lovey
- My wallet*
- Toddler Leash***
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Snacks - Very Important for Toddler Travel
- Fruit and veggie pouches
- Empty water bottle that I filled after TSA
- Teething biscuits
- Two kinds of melts
- Meijer Organic Fruit and Veggie Bites
- Puffs
- Cup leash
- Bibs
- Suckers
Tip- I made sure to give Eleanor the fruit and veggie bites at takeoff and landing. These are chewy so I think it helped prevent her ears from hurting when the air pressure changed. It never seemed to bother her.
I did not give her the suckers. Those were for emergencies only and I never got THAT desperate!
I also did not end up needing to use her bib because she was so distracted she wasn’t interested in eating the outrageously expensive sandwich and yogurt I purchased after TSA.
Entertainment For My Toddler on the Plane
This was my biggest fear flying with my daughter. She is constantly on the go and not a fan of being confined in any way. I did not want to have my 1 year old screaming out of frustration or boredom on a flight full of people. I wanted to ensure I was as prepared as possible to keep her distracted and entertained.
Here’s what worked, what didn’t, and what wasn’t used:
- Mini Playdough – I brought this as a last resort. My daughter loves it but I was slightly worried about her dropping it and it collecting plane debris (yuck!). I did not whip this out, but I was close on the way down.
- Baby fidget toy – this did get used both ways and entertained her for a period of time. It was a little difficult for her to use though. I had to pop it in then it was easier for her to pop the bubbles out. I bought this prior to the flight but did not show it to her until we were on the plane.
- Mini etch a sketch – another item I secretly purchased and waited to reveal until she was on the plane. It entertained her shortly.
- Magic Marker and pad – honestly kind of a bust. I was surprised though, I thought for sure she would love this, but instead she got frustrated and threw the marker, after chasing it down twice I put it away. I didn’t even break it out on the way home.
- Coloring book and Triangle Crayons (to prevent them rolling around!!) – This entertained her but for a lot less time than I expected.
- Post Its – I thought for sure something new, that wasn’t actually a toy would have my toddler enthralled. Nope, not so much. I did read where others have had a lot of success with these though.
- Gel window stickers – I did not use these on the flight to Florida. Our windows were lined up weird with our seats and taller than I expected. I also didn’t let Eleanor out of her seatbelt. On the way home though I let her stay unbuckled when the lights were off and there was a window right by her seat. I also realized that they would stick to the side of the airplane. Missed opportunity on the way down since she loved these!
- Melissa and Doug Reusable Stickers – now these were a HIT! My daughter loves anything to do with animals. This kept her entertained longer than any other activity.
- iPad – Eleanor does not have a tablet. This was mine, but I found this great case on Amazon to protect it from toddler tantrums and clumsiness. I made sure to download a few toddler apps and a few episodes on Netflix prior to our trip. I saved the tablet for last. It was a tool I was SO thankful to have. On the way down I was frantically trying to avoid the tablet, afraid she would get bored with it and I’d be screwed with no more tricks up my sleeve. On the way home she was less annoyed since she wasn’t constrained in her seatbelt so I think I was easily able to hold off on the tablet a tad longer.
These items should definitely answer the biggest question - how to entertain a toddler on a plane!
Still Hesitant to Book That Flight?
Don’t be! Take your child’s age and temperament into consideration so you can decide on seating arrangements then go ahead and book it!
Did Eleanor have a mini melt down or two? Sure did, but both flights we were complimented on how well she did. I think people have that fear of the screaming child on a plane, so when she only had a few short bursts of tears and frustration they were relieved.
Recently we had an astronomically huge and very public meltdown. A meltdown that lasted publicly for the better part of 20 minutes. Every parent’s worst nightmare. I’ll write more about that in another post, but why I bring it up is:
1. I learned from it. I know my daughter was overly tired and hungry, and I did not have an exit strategy. I was more prepared this trip.
2. Most parents have been through a public meltdown with their child! You might be the parent of the screaming child today and it could just as easily be my child tomorrow. There is solidarity between most parents (and decent human beings!).
Really love the format! Its so systematic and informative! ❤️
Thank you for stopping by! I’m glad you found it informative!
Excellent for someone traveling with a toddler for the first time. Thanks!
I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment! Thank you!
Great post! I used to travel for work with my toddler (via air) before she turned 2 and I can say having TSA-pre took some of the stress out of travel day (short lines; not having to take off shoes, etc).
Crystal | http://www.amazingbaby.app
What a helpful post, I actually plan to use just about everything you suggested – sounds like me to a tee!
Excited to browse your blog!