Flying With a Toddler: 15 Tips + What to Pack for the Plane
Looking out the airplane window is the perfect activity after you board to see all the planes and trucks.
Flying with a toddler is a completely different experience than flying with a baby. They want to move, explore, snack, and definitely don't understand why they're supposed to stay in one tiny airplane seat for hours.
I originally wrote this post back in 2014, when my son was between 15 and 17 months old. By that point, he had already taken his 16th cross-country flight, so we had spent a lot of time figuring out what worked and what definitely didn't when flying with a toddler. When I had my daughter, my son was 23 months old so then we were flying with two young children.
Toddler Flight Snack & Activity Essentials
Now my kids are much older, and we've traveled with them all over the world. Looking back, many of the tricks I relied on during those toddler flights are still the same ones I would recommend to parents today. I've updated this guide with what I've learned after years of family travel, along with some newer travel products that make flying with a toddler a little easier.
The biggest thing I learned? You don't need a carry-on stuffed with toys. A few good activities, plenty of familiar snacks, and realistic expectations can go a long way.
Here are my best tips for flying with a toddler, plus what I would pack for the plane.
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1. Bring Snacks You Know They'll Eat
An airplane is not the place to experiment with exciting new snacks.
A spill-resistant snack cups are one of my favorite little tricks for flying with a toddler, especially for Cheerios and other dry snacks.
I learned this quickly. If I packed something my son didn't like, it usually ended up spit out, thrown on the floor, or handed back to me half-chewed. Not exactly ideal when you're sitting inches away from another passenger.
Bring plenty of familiar favorites and more than you think you'll need. Flights get delayed, toddlers suddenly decide they're starving, and snacks can double as entertainment.
I especially liked snacks that took him a little while to eat rather than something he could finish in 30 seconds.
One of my favorite toddler travel items was the Munchkin snack catcher. My son could hold it himself and reach inside for snacks without immediately dumping everything onto the airplane floor.
For older toddlers, another great option is a divided snack container that spins! You can fill each section of the Snack Spinner Flip with something different and turn snack time into an activity of its own.
Lastly, another favorite is the snackle box. This can be used by kids of all ages and can refilled throughout the trip. My niece refilled her items in the airport lounge because she already ate the snacks on the drive to the airport.
2. Let Them Move Before You Board
If you have an active toddler, the time before your flight is not the time to practice sitting quietly.
Let them move.
FreshCruiser Tip: Save the sitting for the airplane. If there's an opportunity for your toddler to safely walk and explore before boarding, take it.
Walk through the terminal, explore the airport, and find an open area where they can safely burn off some energy. Some airports even have children's play areas, which are perfect before a long flight.
I would much rather have a toddler walking around the airport than sitting in a stroller at the gate for an hour, only to board the plane and expect them to sit for several more hours.
If you're traveling with two adults, this is also a good time to divide and conquer. One person can refill water bottles, grab food, or organize the bags while the other lets your toddler move.
3. Don't Automatically Board the Plane Early
Boarding early sounds great, until you realize you've just added another 30 minutes of sitting still. Think about whether your toddler really needs that extra time onboard.
While getting on first sounds like a perk, think about whether you actually want your toddler sitting on the airplane any longer than necessary.
There are definitely times when early boarding makes sense. If you're installing a car seat, traveling alone, or have a lot to organize, those extra minutes can be incredibly helpful.
But if you're traveling with another adult, one of my favorite strategies is to split up. One parent boards early with the bags and gets everything settled while the other stays in the terminal with the toddler until closer to the end of boarding.
That's several fewer minutes of trying to entertain a toddler in an airplane seat and sometimes those minutes matter.
4. Window or Aisle? It Depends on Your Toddler
Window or aisle? For most toddlers, I vote window. There's built-in entertainment, something to lean against, and you won't have to worry about little hands and feet reaching into the aisle.
When my son was younger, I loved having the window seat. Looking outside provided built-in entertainment, especially during takeoff and landing.
Then he became a toddler.
At 16 months old, he wanted to walk up and down the aisle. Sitting still for hours simply wasn't part of his plan.
Suddenly, easy access to the aisle became much more valuable than the window.
If you're traveling with another adult and have the entire row, this isn't much of an issue. But if you have to choose between a window and an aisle seat, think about your child's personality and age.
For a toddler who is happy looking out the window and playing in the seat, the window can be great. For one who needs frequent bathroom trips or movement breaks, I'd choose the aisle.
Just remember that even if your toddler desperately wants to walk, there will be times when they can't. The seat belt sign, turbulence, meal service, and takeoff and landing can all keep you in your seats.
Which is why I always wanted another trick ready in my bag.
5. Bring a Few Good Airplane Activities, Not a Bag Full of Toys
You don't need to pack an entire carry-on full of toys to entertain a toddler on an airplane.
Pack a few small activities your toddler hasn’t seen recently. Novelty goes a long way at 30,000 feet.
In fact, I think fewer is better.
Choose a handful of small activities and keep them hidden until you need them. Bring out one at a time, and don't introduce the next one until your toddler is getting bored with the first.
When my son was a toddler, two of our favorites were Melissa & Doug reusable sticker pads and Water WOW! books.
The reusable stickers were great because they were lightweight, easy to pack, and could be used over and over again.
We also loved Melissa & Doug Water WOW! books. You fill the little pen with water and your toddler "paints" the pages to reveal the pictures. Once the pages dry, they can do it all over again.
Even better on an airplane: no crayons or markers constantly rolling onto the floor.
Reusable sticker books are great as they can even “decorate” the seat backs. We gave one to my son before we left for the airport to get him excited about the flight.
There are also some great mess-free travel activities available now that I wish we'd had during our toddler-travel days. A few I would look for are:
Reusable sticker books, especially ones with a fold-out scene so toddlers can move the stickers around. It’s large so I tear a page out with the stickers and put in my backpack rather than bringing the whole pad. Then each time we fly, there’s a new scene to do.
LCD drawing tablet – lightweight, thin, and no crayons to lose.
Reusable busy books – look for one that's compact and doesn't have dozens of loose pieces.
Crayola Mess-free coloring book – another easy activity that doesn't involve chasing markers around the airplane floor.
Skip Toys With Lots of Little Pieces
This probably deserves its own rule.
If it can roll under an airplane seat, assume it will. You don't want to spend the flight crawling around the floor looking for the one tiny piece your toddler suddenly can't live without.
Tiny cars, balls, puzzle pieces, and toys with lots of separate parts can quickly become more work for the parent than entertainment for the toddler. Visit the Dollar Tree and grab a few new toys to hide away and bring with you on the flight. Bonus points to save a few for the return flight.
Airplane activities should be quiet, lightweight, and as self-contained as possible.
6. Don't Feel Guilty About Screen Time
Look out the window. Watch the luggage being loaded. Talk about the airplanes. Have a snack.
Airplane day is not the day I worry about normal screen-time rules. Don't forget toddler-friendly headphones. Download your favorite shows on a tablet before you go in case there are not individual screens on the plane.
Then bring out an activity.
When that loses its appeal, put it away and bring out something different.
I'm all for bringing activities, snacks, and other ways to keep a toddler entertained on an airplane.
But I'm also realistic.
On one flight, my son was completely overtired. We had tried the toys, snacks, books, walking the aisle. Everything. Eventually, I pulled out my phone and started showing him videos of himself.
He was fascinated.
Sometimes you just need to get through the flight.
Today, it's even easier to have some backup entertainment ready. Before you leave home, download a few favorite shows, movies, or videos onto your phone or tablet. Don't count on airplane Wi-Fi working when you need it most.
If you're bringing a tablet, toddler headphones are also worth packing.
FreshCruiser Tip: Download everything before you leave home. A toddler who has been promised their favorite show is not going to understand that the airplane Wi-Fi isn't cooperating.
7. Plan Around Nap Time—but Don't Count on a Nap
Booking a flight that overlaps with nap time sounds perfect.
If your toddler will sleep on the plane, consider it a travel win. Familiar comfort items and flying around nap time can help but toddlers don't always follow the plan.
Your toddler will eat a snack, snuggle up, fall asleep, and you'll spend the next two hours peacefully reading a book.
Or not.
Airplanes are exciting. They're noisy. There are people everywhere. The snack cart keeps coming by. And some toddlers who normally nap like clockwork at home suddenly decide they have absolutely no interest in sleeping on an airplane.
If you can choose a flight that works well with your toddler's normal schedule, great. I just wouldn't choose a much less convenient flight solely because it lines up perfectly with nap time.
Bring whatever normally helps your child sleep—a pacifier, lovey, small blanket, or other familiar comfort item—and hope for the best.
If they sleep, enjoy every minute of it.
If they don't, this is why you packed all those snacks and activities.
8. Bring Their Favorite Comfort Item
A flight isn't the time to decide your toddler has outgrown their favorite lovey.
Bring it.
Whether it's a small blanket, stuffed animal, pacifier, or something else they associate with home and sleep, having something familiar can make an unfamiliar environment feel a little more comfortable.
Just make sure it's something you can keep track of easily.
If your toddler has one irreplaceable stuffed animal that has been loved since birth, you may want to think twice before bringing the original on a trip. Losing it somewhere between TSA and baggage claim is not the kind of vacation memory anyone wants.
9. Have Something Ready for their Ears on Takeoff and Landing
Our toddlers loved chewing on these for take off and landing. For older toddlers, save a special snack for take off and landing.
The change in cabin pressure during takeoff and landing can be uncomfortable for little ears.
Depending on your toddler's age, drinking, sucking on a pacifier, or eating a snack can encourage swallowing. The important part is having whatever you're planning to use within reach before the airplane starts moving. For young toddlers, I used the “P & Q” teethers and the banana brush and eventually, I gave them lollipops when we started the descent.
You don't want to realize the cup, pacifier, or favorite snack is in the overhead bin once the seat belt sign is on.
10. Pack Your Carry-On for the Flight, Not the Vacation
When you're flying with a toddler, what goes under the seat in front of you matters almost as much as what you pack for the entire trip.
I like to think about what I might realistically need during the flight and make sure those things are easy to reach.
It’s important to look for a carry-on backpack that has a lot of different compartments to help you stay organized. I having been using The North Face Surge for years.
Snacks, wipes, diapers or pull-ups, a change of clothes, activities, headphones, comfort items, and anything you need for takeoff and landing should stay accessible. Spend time to find the right bag. I love a backpack as it keeps my hands-free. I’ve been using The North Face Surge for years and it was worth the investment. A friend recently left me a voice message thanking me for convincing her to use a backpack for airplane travel. She’d never regularly use one, but said that it has been the best advice.
Pack an Extra Outfit for Your Toddler and Yourself
Most parents remember to pack extra clothes for their toddler.
Pack something for yourself, too.
A diaper leak, spilled drink, airsickness, or toddler covered in applesauce can very quickly become a parent covered in the same thing.
You don't necessarily need an entire second outfit, but an extra shirt takes up very little room and can make the rest of a long flight much more comfortable. Bring a large resealable plastic bag works too. You don't need to buy a special travel product for everything.
11. Make Airplane Diaper Changes as Easy as Possible
Changing a toddler in an airplane bathroom is never going to be luxurious.
The bathrooms are tiny, the changing tables are small, and there isn't much room to bring your entire diaper bag inside with you.
Instead, make a small diaper-changing kit that you can pull out of your larger carry-on.
I would include:
One or two diapers or pull-ups
A small pack of wipes
Disposable diaper bags
A change of clothes
A portable changing pad
Then, when you need to make a diaper change, you can grab the small kit instead of wrestling your entire carry-on into the airplane bathroom.
And always bring more diapers than you think you'll need. Flight delays have a way of happening when you are least prepared for them.
12. Use Your Stroller Strategically
A stroller can be incredibly useful in an airport, even if your toddler decides they would rather walk.
A recommend taking your stroller through the airport and gate check it before boarding. That means you have it for getting through the terminal, and it can also become a very useful luggage cart when your toddler refuses to sit in it.
If you have a long connection or a large airport, having a stroller waiting for you can be especially helpful. If you're bringing an expensive stroller, I would also consider using a travel bag to give it some protection while it's being handled. I would recommend a simple and inexpensive Gate Check Travel Bag as it offers more protection but doesn’t take up a lot of space and easy to replace if used a lot.
Just make sure you understand your airline's current stroller and gate-check policies before your trip, especially if you're traveling with a larger stroller.
13. Pack for Delays
This is one of the biggest differences between packing a suitcase and packing a carry-on.
Your suitcase needs to get you through your vacation.
Your carry-on needs to get you through everything that could happen before you get there.
Don't pack exactly four diapers because your flight is four hours long. Don't bring just enough snacks to last until your scheduled arrival time.
Flights get delayed. Connections get missed. Checked luggage occasionally doesn't arrive when you do.
For a toddler, I would rather have too many diapers, too many snacks, and an extra change of clothes than find myself trying to buy all three during a flight delay.
You don't need to carry your entire house with you.
Just pack enough that a few unexpected hours at the airport won't turn into an emergency.
14. Give Yourself Extra Time at the Airport
Flying with a toddler is rarely completely predictable, but a little preparation can make the day much easier.
Everything takes a little longer with a toddler.
Getting through security, changing a diaper, buying food, filling water bottles, walking to the gate and stopping to look at every airplane you pass.
Give yourself more time than you think you'll need.
I'm not suggesting you arrive so early that you create another two hours of toddler entertainment for yourself. But rushing through an airport with a toddler makes an already stressful travel day much harder.
I'd rather get through security with time to spare, find the gate, get everyone fed and changed, and then let my toddler walk around before boarding.
It also gives you a little breathing room for the things you can't predict. A last-minute diaper change is much less stressful when boarding doesn't close in five minutes.
15. Your Attitude May Be the Most Important Thing You Pack
After all the snacks, activities, extra clothes, careful flight times, and perfectly packed carry-ons, this may be my most important tip for flying with a toddler.
Try to relax.
Toddlers are unpredictable. You can do everything "right" and still have a toddler who cries, won't sleep, refuses every snack you packed, or suddenly decides sitting in an airplane seat is the worst thing that has ever happened to them.
Even if the flight isn’t easy with your toddler, it doesn't mean the trip wasn't worth taking. It is only a small part of the overall trip.
One of the biggest things I learned from all of our flights was to stop worrying so much about what everyone around me was thinking.
Of course, be considerate. Don't let your toddler kick the seat in front of them. Pick up the snacks that inevitably end up on the floor. Do what you can to keep your child comfortable and entertained.
But if your toddler cries despite your best efforts, concentrate on your child—not the stranger three rows away.
Most people understand. Many of them have been there themselves.
And if someone doesn't understand? You are probably never going to see them again.
Flying with a toddler isn't always easy, but a difficult hour or even a difficult flight, doesn't mean the trip wasn't worth taking.
Prepare as much as you can. Pack plenty of snacks. Bring a few good distractions. Expect that something probably won't go according to plan.
And remember: eventually, the plane lands.
Final Thoughts
Enjoy the ride as they grow up so fast, and flying with them will only get easier.
I always tried to have a couple of options ready because, as anyone with a toddler knows, the snack they loved five minutes ago can suddenly become completely unacceptable.
Have another snack. Pull out another activity.
And when you've exhausted all of that? That's when I have absolutely no problem bringing out a screen.
The goal isn't to entertain your toddler perfectly for the entire flight. It's to have enough little things available to get you from takeoff to landing.
What to Pack When Flying With a Toddler
Every toddler is different, but these are the essentials I would want in my carry-on when flying with a toddler. You don't need to bring everything your child owns—just enough to handle snacks, entertainment, diaper changes, spills, and the inevitable unexpected delay.
Snacks & Drinks
Plenty of familiar snacks
Water bottle (Odwala) or toddler cup
Something to eat or drink during takeoff and landing
Something to eat or drink during takeoff and landing
Diaper Changes & Clean-Up
More diapers or pull-ups than you think you'll need
Wipes
Portable changing pad
Disposable diaper bags
Hand sanitizer
Reusable wet bag or large resealable bags
Extra Clothes
At least one complete change of clothes for your toddler
An extra shirt for yourself
Light sweatshirt or layer for a cold airplane
Airplane Activities
Mess-free coloring or drawing activity
One or two small favorite toys
A couple of new activities saved for later in the flight
Screen-Time Backup
Phone or tablet
Favorite shows or movies downloaded before leaving home
Charging cable
Portable charger
Comfort & Sleep
Favorite lovey or small stuffed animal
Pacifier, if your toddler uses one
Small blanket or other familiar sleep item
Don't Forget
Any medications your toddler may need
Stroller and stroller travel bag, if you're bringing one
A little extra of everything in case your flight is delayed
FreshCruiser Tip: Keep the things you're most likely to need during the flight in the bag under the seat in front of you. The perfect toddler airplane activity isn't very helpful when it's trapped in the overhead bin and the seat belt sign is on.