Flying with Kids: My Best Tips

Flying with kids on an international flight stressed me out a lot! We flew from Canada to England on a 9+ hour flight with our two kids, who were ages 3 and 5 at the time. I spent a lot of time thinking and planning for how to have a successful flight. Ultimately, you can’t predict how it will go. But, you can be mindful about what you pack, prepare your kids, and prepare yourself to ensure it goes as well as possible.

_{*This post contains affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on my site at no additional cost to you. These are the products I use or recommend, but feel free to use what you have or what’s available to you!}

Mindful Packing

I felt overwhelmed by the idea of flying with kids internationally, and therefore felt the urge to buy ALLLL the things. But, I tried to stick with things we already had, and I recommend that you do too! You don’t need to go on a shopping spree (unless you want to) to have success flying with kids! I linked these in case you are interested, but I definitely recommend looking at what you already have first.

Entertainment

Most of the entertainment that we packed for our kids was things we already knew that they liked. We tried to stick to the tried and true favorites, and then threw in a couple surprises. We packed a backpack for each of our kids and were able to fit everything listed below inside it.

1. Wireless Headphones – We looked for comfort, volume control, and a long battery charge. These headphones worked out great! Make sure you pack the connecting cable to use for in-flight entertainment!
2. Water Wow Books – These are one of my favorite kid products of all time. We have used them since my oldest was 1 (he’s 6 now) and my kids still love them. There are tons of different ones to choose from.
   I packed one for each kid and one brush. I took the marker spot out on the book and packed the brush with the rest of the supplies to save space. Bring the brush empty and fill them up after you get through security.
3. Color Wonder Markers & Paper – These are great for mess-free coloring! I brought 4-5 markers per kid and then a small stack of the paper. They love these! There are tons of different characters/themes to choose from, and you can even buy blank paper that works with the markers.
4. Travel Journal + Supplies – These are my favorite souvenir from our trip. They are so special and my kids love showing them to people. My blog post about them highlights all the supplies we packed for them.
5. Lacing Cards – I brought 2 for each of them and they were a great way to fill some time. Great for fine motor skills, too!
6. Fidget Toys – This was the only “new” thing we bought for our entertainment on our flight, and we didn’t pull them out until the trip. These were 100% worth it. They were great for keeping their hands busy on the flight. Throughout the rest of the trip, they would pull them out when we were riding the bus, waiting at restaurants, etc. They were a great purchase!
7. Ipad – Download movies/shows from your favorite streaming service and favorite games. My kids really like the Kiddopia app and drawing on Procreate.
8. Coloring Book – I found these cute London ones that were perfect since we were heading there.
9. An assortment of coloring supplies. I go into more detail in my Travel Journal post, but I brought a handful of crayons, 1-2 markers, and 1-2 colored pencils per kid. I included them in a little pencil pouch with the Water Wow brush and the other supplies for their travel journals.

Comfort Items

1. Neck Pillow – These were comfortable, easy to compress into a backpack, and easy to wash. I liked that they supported their head so it wasn’t falling forward or to the side when they were sleeping.
2. Eye Mask – I let them each pick out which ones they wanted. They weren’t used a ton, but the times when they needed them, they were a life saver! My older son picked out this Frog Sleeping Mask (which was hilarious) and my younger son picked this cute Fox Sleeping Mask.
3. Stuffed Animal – They each brought a favorite stuffy from home. I was kind of terrified of losing one of them, but I think it really helped them to have a familiar comfort item. Luckily, they both made it home!
4. Blanket – Make sure it’s one that can fold up small, or be stuffed into a small bag so that it doesn’t take up extra space. These were helpful for the flights and for hotel sleeping.

Other Items

1. A Variety of Snacks – I tried to pack a wide variety of snacks to help meet different needs. My goal was things that wouldn’t give them an upset stomach, that wouldn’t make a huge mess, and that I knew they liked. We packed kid’s protein bars, goldfish, crackers, jerky sticks (we love these pepperoni ones), sour candy (for avoiding motion sickness and for my sensory seeking child), graham crackers, suckers (to help with altitude adjustment), applesauce pouches, cereal, etc.
2. Refillable Water Bottles – These are our go-to at home, and they worked great for travel as well. They don’t leak and were pretty easy to wash by hand.
3. Individual Hand Wipes & Hand Sanitizer – Self explanatory!
4. Individually Wrapped Disinfectant Wipes – Loved these for wiping off tray tables, arm rests, etc. I kept a stash of these in my bag, and then back ups in our suitcase.
5. Melatonin – I know Melatonin is a hotly debated item, so if it’s not for you, that’s totally ok. We brought it with the intention of using it on the flights, and then only if we needed to on our trip. Both kids ended up getting a decent amount of sleep on our flight, and therefore adjusting really well to the time change, so I think it was worthwhile for us! I recommended talking to your doctor before trying it.

Putting it All Together

I bought this pack of reusable storage bags for organizing puzzles and games at home, but I had some extras that worked perfectly for packing things up. All of the the coloring papers/books, lacing cards, and travel journal fit in one of the larger bags, and all the supplies in a pencil pouch sized one.
Their snacks also fit in one of the larger bags. I used these bags for packing a lot of my supplies as well. They were super helpful!

Preparing the Kids

1. Think about at the struggles/strengths that your kids face on a daily basis and take that into consideration when deciding what time of day to fly. We felt like with the assistance of melatonin, a red-eye flight would be best for us.
2. Talk to your kids about how long the flight is, using comparisons that they might understand. Our flight was 9+ hours, so we tried comparing that to other things they were more familiar with. “That’s how long it takes to drive to Grandma’s” or “That’s longer than a whole day of school”, etc.
3. Watch YouTube videos and read books about what it’s like at the airport. We watched clips of going through security, riding on the tram, etc. to help prepare them for that experience.
   Here’s some that were helpful for us: The Airport Book (check if your library has it) and How it Works: Airport Body Scanner.
   While writing this post, I also found that TSA has added some TSA Kids videos on YouTube. I wish they had been up before our trip, they seem pretty helpful!

Preparing Yourself

1. Discuss Expectations with Your Partner – Make sure you’re both on the same page as far as who is handling what. Who will take the kids to the bathroom? Who will help them get their snacks? Will you each help a specific child, or will you tag team everything? Be clear about what your expectations are so that you can work well together to have a successful flight.
2. Look into Car Seat Requirements – Different countries have different requirements, so be sure you look into it before your flight. If you’re planning to bring a car seat on the flight, make sure it’s approved for airline travel.
   We bought these 2-in-1 car seats for our trip. They were great for the car, and they stacked nicely for moving around the airport , but they ended up not working out for our flights.
   We didn’t consider how the airplane seatbelt would sit on the car seat. It ended up that the buckle was right behind where the kid’s backs would be, so we decided at the last minute to check their seats. I’m not sure if there would be a way to check this before hand, so be prepared to move to plan B if you need to.
3. Pack Your Comfort Items – Bring things that will help you get through it if it’s not going well. For me, this was headphones, entertainment for myself (podcasts, audiobooks, shows, etc.), and really good snacks (chocolate, diet coke, and pretzels). I knew if the kids were having a hard time, me feeling overwhelmed would only make things worse, so I needed to be prepared to keep myself in the right headspace.
4. Make a Reference List – If it’s helpful, write a list of ways to help your child if they are having a hard time. I made a list of all the toys/snacks we were bringing and several calming/centering techniques for both the kids and parents so that we could reference it if needed.
   I didn’t end up needing it, but I think having written and reviewed it was helpful. Knowing that I had it if I ran out of ideas or was too frazzled to think also brought me peace of mind.
5. Keep Your Expectations Low – Don’t expect anything when flying with kids. Don’t expect for your kids to sleep, don’t expect to get sleep yourself, don’t expect their behavior to be perfect, etc. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best and hopefully it ends up that way, but if not, you’ll be prepared!
6. Shift Your Mindset – I had the thought that if things weren’t going well, that I would just treat it like a shift at a really hard job. I had to stick it out and do my job until the shift “ended” (or we arrived at our destination).

It’s Worth It!

As I was writing this post and was reflecting on flying with kids, it reminded me of how overwhelmed I felt when planning our trip. I wanted to bring our kids with us so badly, but it also felt daunting to just get to our destination! Luckily, our flights ended up going mostly well, and the hard things that did come up felt manageable because we were prepared.

I’m so glad we decided to bring them with us! We have so many special memories we made as a family. I loved seeing things through their eyes, and watching them be brave in so many new situations. It was absolutely worth it to bring them with us!

Favorites From This Post