5 Travel Essentials: Flying with a kid
We’ve been flying with our daughter since she was 6 months old. We try to fly with carry on only, so we are careful with our packing list. She gets one small backpack to carry on that she can carry herself (at age 6).
Here are the main essential items that we pack in her bag.
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Kid’s Headphones:
When our daughter was an infant, we had noise-cancelling headphones so she could sleep in the airport and on the plane. (You never realize how loud the announcements are in an airport until you are trying to shush an infant back to sleep.) Now that she is older, she has good bluetooth headphones that also have an option for plugging in in case we forget to charge them.
Noise-cancelling headphones for infants and toddlers
Bluetooth/ wired headphones for toddlers and little kids
Kid’s Neck Pillow & Eye Masks:
When she was little, she just borrowed our basic adult pillow to lean on. However, now she has her own neck pillow for when she is feeling sleepy but will not actually lie down. Stopping her neck from being a bobble-head is always the goal. We’ve seen our daughter fall asleep with this neck pillow in the car and on airplanes. It’s the perfect size for a 4-7 year old. I would NOT try to give a little kid a grown-up neck pillow- they’re too uncomfortable.
Inflatable Foot Rest: Sleeping on the plane
If you want your kiddo to sleep well, you have a few options. If you only have one child, you can put them in the middle seat and let them spread out on their parents (we’ve done this- it was not fun). When we are flying economy (which is pretty much all the time), we put our daughter by the window, mom goes in the middle, and dad (with his long legs) gets the aisle so he can stretch out from time to time.
Using inflatable pillows has been a game changer for overnight flights to Europe (or overnight flights from the west coast to the east coast). We have used them on many different airlines: American, Aer Lingus, United, KLM and Air France. So far, we have not had any issues with our inflatable pillow, but they may be restricted on some flights.
If you use an inflatable foot rest, remember that you cannot block any other passengers and make sure you book the window and middle seat.
This 2 pack is great if you have two kiddos traveling with two parents.
I recommend practicing at home BEFORE you travel; we set ours up with dining room chairs so we could get set-up quickly.
Sleeping in economy. Inflatable foot pillow for the win!
JefDiee Inflatable Travel Foot Rest Pillow, Kids Airplane Bed
Entertainment: Art Supplies, Sticker Books, Drawing Pad
We try to keep our daughter off screens if we want her to sleep on a plane. We also do not allow screens in restaurants or other locations, but we always encourage her to create art of do something creative.
We always pack paper, washable markers, and colored pencils when we travel (no crayons because they will melt).
Drawing Pad: This drawing pad will keep your child entertained for hours on end. I promise. We have had this same, cheap set of drawing pads for 4 years. We use it for playing Pictionary, spelling out words, and for just drawing in general. If you have a kiddo who is learning to write, they can copy words off of menus in restaurants or anywhere else you visit. When we are at museums, our daughter will draw some of the things she sees.
Usborne Sticker Books: These are new to our travel bag and we found them all over the UK last summer. The Usborne Sticker books are a good alternative to coloring because you don’t need to worry about the markers going everywhere. I would recommend these for 4-7 year olds; they probably would be a bit frustrating for anyone younger.
Bonus items: Fleece Blanket & Quick-dry towel
In addition to the above items, we bring a fleece blanket and quick-dry towel from home when we travel. If you have a recently potty-trained toddler, a towel can come in handy if they fall asleep and have an accident. We travel with a fleece blanket (again- something that is easy to wash and can dry quickly) to help keep our daughter warm on a flight.
Ready to visit a new place? We’ve just visited our 20th country and we share our family-friendly itineraries every year. Read all about our trips around Europe and learn how we afford to fly during school breaks.
