How to Fly Stress-Free With Kids

Flying with young kids is hard.  No one really likes sitting in a pressurized metal tube 30,000 feet above ground… especially a few categories of humans that include: babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.  Maybe you have one, two, three or more in this category and have some upcoming air travel?  It’s time to make a game plan. Here’s how to fly stress-free with kids:

This post was originally published in November 2019 and updated in May 2019.

Don’t fret!  I’ve flown over 36 flights with my boys.  Our flights have ranged in duration from one hour to nine hour direct flights. We’ve had our share of up to 8 hour long delays in airports, connecting flights, and red eyes.  Our kids have flown with us since they were newborns; now our oldest is a preschooler and the youngest is a toddler. 

We travel frequently because my husband works as an airline pilot which gives our family flight benefits. Here’s some suggestions for others who travel with kids too. 

If you have a family vacation coming up, here’s how to fly stress-free with kids:

Disclaimer: Many of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you–I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

Navigating the Airport

How to Fly Stress-Free with Kids Before Boarding

A lot of people search the internet for advice about how to keep babies and toddlers happy during flight, but they forget about all the time prior spent in the airport.  Getting through security and to your gate can either be super stressful and hard or it can go smoothly.  It’s all in the prep and planning.  Here’s how to make it flow:

A Single Stroller

Unless you have multiples that can’t walk yet, skip the double stroller and just bring a single stroller.  The stroller does wonders for you in the airport.  Yes it’s a bit of a pain to breakdown when you go through security checkpoints, but it frees up your arms to let you comfortably stroll through the terminal.

Although an umbrella stroller is tempting due to its lightweight frame and collapsibility, it won’t do you much good if you can’t hang bags off of it.  If you have more than one kid, make them take turns walking… it’s a great way to get out energy before being cooped up on the plane.

Travel Hack: If you’re traveling with a baby who still uses an infant car seat, bring a stroller that is compatible to carry it.  You could check the carseat with your other luggage, but I suggest bringing it with you through security to the gate.  Chat with the gate agent; ask if there are any extra seats available, and if you could have one for your infant (assuming you did not purchase them a seat… which is another topic). 

If the flight is not full, you could score a seat for your baby without paying anything extra.  Bring your infant onboard in the car seat carrier and boom–you just freed up your hands for the whole flight.  If the flight is full, no worries, the gate agent will put a pink tag on your stroller and carseat and you’ll see them again right when you deplane. This has happened to us on several occasions and we were so glad we kept the infant car seat with us. 

Wear that Baby

Maybe you prefer the minimalist approach.  Maybe your destination will not be suitable for a stroller or when you visit family they have one you can borrow.  Another great option for you is to wear your infant in a sling or baby carrier.  If you also have a preschooler whose legs get tired on occasion (like we do), maybe he can hop on board your roller bag. That was our approach when we flew to Austin, TX.

Locate the Family Restrooms

A lot of airports have family restrooms or even rooms for nursing moms.  These are wonderful places that you can roll in all your stuff (especially if traveling alone) and get everybody what they need.  On our next trip, I’m planning to bring this travel toilet training seat cover that a friend recommended for those new to using a potty.  I’ll also make sure to pack a waterproof wet bag  in my diaper bag just in case one of the kids needs a change of clothes.

Pre-Flight Activities

A Stress-Free Airport Experience is Key for How to Fly Stress-Free with Kids

So you’ve made it through security and to your gate, but you’ve got some time on your hands.  Or maybe your flight is delayed.  Whatever reason you find yourself spending more time in an airport than you’d like, make sure you’re prepared. I wrote another post called 7 Ways To Pass Time in Any Airport with Kids… hope it helps if this is you right now.

In Flight Strategies

How to Fly Stress-Free with Kids in Flight

My main advice about surviving the flight portion of your trip with little kids is to breakdown the time into 15 minute intervals.  There’s five things you need to make this flight fly by (sorry, bad pun): activities, toys, books, snacks and electronics that will keep their attention for those 15 minute chunks. If you have a 4+ hour direct flight (our longest with kids was 9 hours to Hawaii), you’re also going to want to think about what you can do to help them sleep on board (it’s hard to do, but possible).  Here’s what I’ve found to be useful:

1. Activities

The Best Activities for How to Fly Stress-Free with Kids

If your child is preschool aged, activities are your best friend.  Talk to your crafty mom friend and get some ideas from them or get these no-mess activities from Amazon shipped to you in a couple days: 

WikkiStix

These WikkiStix, moldable craft material, are perfect for the airplane and my choice over crumbly Play-Doh because it’s hard to make a mess of it.  Design your own airplane or the landscape of your destination. 

---

Melissa & Doug Water Wow

Take out this activity after the flight attendants come through the cabin offering drinks.  Make sure you request a glass of water and fill up this “pen” and your kiddo is ready to “paint!”  When a page dries, it’s back to its blank form and ready to be painted again.

---

2. Toys

The Best Toys for How to Fly Stress-Free with Kids

You don’t need to buy a ton of new stuff for a trip.  Look through what you have or swap some toys with a friend.  Wrap up 3-4 items and reveal a new one every 10 minutes or whenever your child gets squirmy.  A friend did this for me once before a long flight.  She gave my son a super old cell phone with real buttons. It was like a gift from the flight gods.  He played with it for like 45 minutes.  Which is super long for a toddler!

I will shamelessly plug my favorite airplane toy… I always travel with some type of magnetic tiles or blocks for my kids.  These don’t roll away and don’t litter the bag since they all stick together.  The Tegu Block Set is also just a great thing to leave in your diaper bag for everyday use when you find yourself in situations that require some distraction!

Tegu Magnetic Wood Blocks

---

3. Books

Travel Themed books for How to Fly Stress-Free with Kids

In addition to packing a couple of your child’s favorite stories, it’s nice to bring one or two new books to read together.  You could pick a book about where you’re going, or about airplanes or airports.  Books will buy you another 15-30 minutes and you can always revisit them later!

---

4. Snacks

Snack Delivery is Key for How to Fly Stress-Free with Kids

The magic here about snacks is not about what snack you bring (assuming you’re bringing something your child likes); the trick is in the delivery.  You want to stretch out snack time as long as you can.  Again, you’re trying to buy 15 minute chunks of time.  I went ahead a tried the “pill box hack”… where you fill up a large pill box like this one with finger foods.  It takes so long for my toddler to eat all his raisins and goldfish! Such a wonderful delivery method.

Apex Pill Organizer

---

5. Electronics

Great Products for How to Fly Stress-Free with Kids

If screen time is a thing in your family, you’re in luck, because this is a wonderful solution to passing time on an airplane with toddlers and preschoolers.  You can bring your own device, just make sure it’s fully charged and that you’ve downloaded some movies or shows. Browse the app categories for preschoolers and download a couple of those too before leaving home.

Pick up some over the ear headphones for kids like these and “practice” wearing them before your trip.  Many planes have built-in entertainment screens on the seat-back so even if you forgot your device, but remembered the headphones…you’re in business. This ought to buy you more than 15 minutes. Score!

When you’re back on the ground, why not pop your head in the cockpit and see if your kiddo can check it out?  Many pilots are happy to do so if they don’t have a quick turn.

I hope these ideas will help you on your next flight with kids.  What have you tried on your flights to keep your kids content? What else would you suggest for how to fly stress-free with kids?

Don’t miss this great hack for getting cheap airfare and check out our suggestions for Mother’s Day gifts!