I’ve met far too many people who say “oh, we can’t fly because we have children,” or “we can’t come visit because we have young kids.”
If you’re someone who thinks they can’t fly because they’ve got young kids, or had a bad experience once, this post is for you.
A huge part of flying successfully with children comes down to your choice of carry-on baggage, not the container itself, but what’s inside it.
- Diapers: enough for the journey plus a few extra. If going international to a place with suspect diaper supply and a propensity for lost luggage, add another few day’s worth.
- Formula: same as above – the normal amount plus a few days extra.
- Changes of clothes, for when the formula kicks in and the diaper doesn’t.
- A sealing plastic bag. See above.
- Pyjamas. Nothing tells kids it’s time to sleep like getting into pyjamas, even on an airplane.
- Bottle /sippy cup (empty, to be filled after security screening or on board)
- Snacks and lollypop suckers for pressure changes
- The very best favourite bribery snacks
- Toys: things they can manipulate with their hands, while not annoying people. Think puzzles, etch-a-sketch, paper and crayons, etc. In plain English: nothing battery operated. I have seen airline staff remove loud battery powered toys from children mid-flight, it isn’t a pretty scene, especially if it was the only toy the parents packed along. Try to make some of the toys packed along “special for travel”
- Tablet with headphones. Don’t forget the charger and battery bank.
You should not count on your child carrying any of this because toddler. And should you fail to heed this warning, you will be schlepping their cute little carryon all the way to gate 99Z, the one down the stairs with the broken elevator and down the causeway to that forgotten part of the terminal half way to Timbuktu. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
When our children were all diaper age, we fit most all of this into a pretty normal diaper bag like this one, hooked on to the handles of our gate-check stroller, the indestructible Urbini Reversi. (Here’s why we think this is the best stroller for traveling with children.) That still left lots of room under the stroller for extras, like the children’s carry-on backpacks…
What doesn’t fit into the diaper bag goes into regular kids backpacks and not Trunkis. Why? Mama and Papa often end up carrying it at some point, and we’re not up to dragging around a hard-sided ride-on suitcase.
Grownups… A reminder that your carry-on needs a few essentials as well:
- Passport, and health vaccination card if required
- Paper copies of all bookings
- Wallet, cash & cards
- A change of clothes, including a sweater
- Chargers and cables for your devices
- Snacks, including chewing gum, for yourself!
Read more: 5 packing tips when traveling with kids