Surviving International Flights with a Toddler

Our comprehensive guide to enjoying (or at least surviving) international flights with a toddler

Recently, we returned from a whirlwind trip to the US, including two international flights with a toddler(15 and 17 hours, respectively) with two short (2.5 hours) flights between them. Two weeks later, we flew to Tassie (1.5 hours each way) for a week-long trip. That’s a grand total of 40 hours of flight time, in one month, with a very mobile and sociable 14 month old. We don’t write many parenting posts because with only one young toddler we don’t really feel qualified. However, on the subject of flying internationally with a toddler, we logged lots of hours, and have a few experiences that help with preparing for flights with a child in general.

Flight timing and airline selection plays an important role in the travel experience. Whenever we had an opportunity, we chose flights departing 30 minutes before CZ’s normal nap time. We found this allowed her time to explore our seats, tray tables, and electronics before getting lulled to sleep in our laps. For our longest flights, we had no choice, but the flight that started before bedtime went better overall, because she was able to have a normal-ish bedtime routine on the airplane. We love flying with Qantas in Australia, and based on our experience and research, non-US-based airlines are more kid-friendly.

Packing – Check as many bags/car seats/strollers as possible.  There will be a lot of bending and squatting to talk, to pick up, and to quickly remove from hands from all sorts of treasures headed for taste bud investigation.  This is much easier to do without a shoulder bag swinging down to hit the little one’s head, or needing a hand to pull an extra rollerboard suitcase. In Tassie, we managed to get down to two carry on bags, one of which was a back pack, and it was gloriously simple. I also suggest renting a carseat with your car. It makes travel to and from the check in counter that much easier. In big cities finding a taxi with a child seat isn’t too hard, but in smaller towns you might want to call ahead and reserve a car (as we learned in Hobart).

Dress Appropriately – JZ and I both wear a our airport “uniform” that is comfortable, layered, and allows us to move quickly through security. We are still working out optimal clothes for CZ since she currently grows so quickly, but the important elements remain the same: clothes she can move in easily and layers for adjusting when the plane is warm/cold. I also pack one full change of outfits for her.

Arrive early to the airport – This is helpful for two reasons: check if there are any empty seats so you can get an extra seat if possible (some airlines will do this at bag check – otherwise you need to wait for the gate to open) and time for the baby to run around. JZ and I switched turns running through the airport with CZ the hour before most of our flights. Even when we couldn’t schedule flights around nap times, it made her more content sitting during the flight.

Book a bassinet – Many long haul flights will have a few bassinets available on the bulkhead rows. These are awesome for smaller babies to sleep during long flights and also just give you more room in your seats. CZ slept contently in the bassinet for about 9 hours at 13 months; however, she had grown a bit on our way back and woke up repeatedly whenever she tried to roll over.

Proactively address air pressure – The change in air pressure can be very unsettling for some babies and toddlers. To avoid this problem, simply have them drinking or sucking on something during take off and landing. It is the most convenient to nurse your baby, but we have also been successful with premade bottles and sippy-cup.

For in flight entertainment, we had a multi-prong approach:

• Small, noiseless toys – I brought a mix of old and new toys such as animal figurines, stickers, finger puppets, touch and feel/interactive books, post-it notes, and crayons. I wrapped them like individual presents to prolong the anticipation and excitement. The unwrapping added a little time with each toy, and in a coach seat every second counts.
• Ipad apps and books – JZ downloaded the Adobe Paint app on the iPad which CZ enjoyed so much we reserved it for take off and landing when sitting is mandatory. I also downloaded a few books from the library to the Kindle app, but she lost interest pretty quickly.
• Seat accessories – CZ loves exploring new things, and even on the return trips, the airplane provided a good bit of entertainment just being a different transportation experience. The tray table, seat belt, remote for in flight entertainment, and arm rests were all interesting to her at some point.
• Snacks – Raisins, craisins, arrowroot biscuits, banana chips, and rice crackers were all favourites. She mostly ate the food that we brought; however, you can order baby meals in advance of the flight, on most airlines.
• Running up and down the aisles – We have been lucky to fly on the Boeing A380 for all of our long trips, which has wide aisles and this awesome area in the back to stand. As soon as the fasten seat belt sign turned off, or a meal service ended we took turns quietly walking with her up and down the aisles before her restlessness became noisy.
• Softly singing all of her favourite songs when a tantrum became eminent.
• Emergency toys – Items that are not recommended on flights because they made noise, bounced, had many small pieces etc, but when we couldn’t hold her attention with any of the above options they were a last resort. There was a modular Ikea car, a percussion shaker, and a few others.

Things we should not have brought:

• Anything with pieces that could be thrown far in a fit of rage
• Crayons/pencils – she’s just not quite there yet
• Balls – why did I think that was a good idea?

Goodie-bag / Treats – Of course, you are going to bring tons of kid snacks (we love the crunchy Arrowroot biscuits because they take CZ about 5 minutes to eat one), but don’t forget about the flight attendants. The demeanor of the flight attendants can make or break your flight, as they have 2 to 14 hours for passengers to wear down their patience. They deserve our appreciation, and acknowledging small children are often more work might land you extra playtime, food, or first-class treats. Twice, Grandpa Z’s homemade chocolate-chip cookies made a world of difference on our longest flights.

So far, we are very happy with our evolving strategy for international flights with a toddler, but children are unique and constantly growing.  Did we miss anything?

Share your tips and tricks in the comments below.