Travel: Flying with a Toddler and 11 Month Old

My family lives all over the United States and my Dad and brother are both pilots. Needless to say I have been used to traveling my whole life whether by land or air. I have a love for travel- if you know me well you know I will jump at the chance of a roadtrip- and I am hoping to pass the love on to my children.

My Mom and I decided to travel to North Carolina to see my sister with both of the kids. It was an interesting experience flying with a 3 year old and an 11 month old, but we had great flights and learned a few things along the way.

When we decided on the trip the first thing I did was go onto the Delta website and check out the rules and regulations for traveling with children. I think each airline is pretty similar, but with Neal still being on formula and needing carseats once we get there I wanted to know what I could and couldn’t take along.

What I found out

You definitely want to have your stroller along for walking through the airport and keeping your children contained. I took my Britax B-Lively stroller and it was perfect for both kids. It fit through doorways and security and folded up so that it could be put beneath the plane as we were walking to our seats. It also has a little basket underneath that was nice to put our carry-ons in so we didn’t have to hold them the whole time.

If that stroller is out of your price range, here is another, more affordable double stroller. Here is also a good option if you prefer a wagon!

I also got to check my carseats for free. I decided not to carry those on the plane because it was too much of a hassle and they wouldn’t latch right into the airplane seats. Neal’s also would’ve been too big for the seats on the plane. I purchased one of these bags for each of my carseats so that they didn’t get damaged during transport. It was really nice to put them in the bag because on the way home I strapped the extra packages of diapers into the carseat and they still made it home without adding to the weight of my checked bag.

I took formula on in the original container in my diaper bag. It is allowed through security no problem. I could’ve also kept water in his bottle for the formula, but I chose to fill the water bottles in the airport after going through security and at the gate.

I would recommend checking out your airline’s rules and guidelines pertaining to traveling with children and infants. Go onto their website and search “infant travel” and all of the guidelines will pop right up!

Entertainment

I took two backpack diaper bags, one for each child. It was probably too much, but I wanted to have a change of clothes for each of us and plenty of diapers, wipes, and formula in case our luggage was lost. This was also during some of the formula shortage so I wasn’t sure if the type of formula Neal needed could be found where we were going or not.

I really liked this diaper bag for the toys, food and snacks, and this diaper bag for the ipad, change of clothes and anything extra I needed to throw in there.

When traveling I like to bring entertainment items that will take up small amounts of space and also not create a mess. These were my favorite toy items for the kids. I especially liked the suction cup spinners since they could stick to the window or the tray on the airplane. It also worked in the car when my sister picked us up from the airport.

Toys:

Busy cube

Felt Sticker Book

Suction Cup Spinners

Magic Ink Coloring Books

Paw Patrol Books

Disney Books: Toy Story, Mickey, Princesses

These Liquid Motion Sensory Toys that were amazing and keep the kids entertained! I didn’t have these for our flight, but I really wish that I had. It keeps them busy for at least a half hour (which is a lot in toddler time).

Another item I really recommend investing in is this Wireless charger for iphone, apple watch, wireless headphones. It is really nice to not have to lug around a million chords in your carry-on.

What other things would you like to know about traveling with an infant and toddler?!

XOXO,

Stacia