Now that we have two littles and more plane travel under our belt, I thought I’d share an update to this post! I’ll try to keep it to the point. I covered a lot of this in the previous post, but in a slightly different way. So feel free to look back on that one for a different angle. (I still stand by everything I said in that post, by the way!)

Daphne has already tucked 3 roundtrip flights under her belt before she turned a year old, so I’d say she’s keeping up with our fam!

First, a little terminology/heads up for new parents/parents new to flying:
GATE CHECK is a service offered that allows you to bring an item with you through the airport to your gate, and leave it right at the end of the jetway before you get on the plane. You get a special tag for it from the airline agent at the gate, before you board, and the luggage handlers stow it in a quick-to-grab place under the plane, and unload it first thing when you get off the plane, so you pick it up right when you step off the plane. If you are flying with small children, every airline I know of allows you to gate check bulky kids’ items such as strollers and car seats (You may have done this with a carry-on suitcase when the plane is full.) You can’t just gate check anything, though (check with your airline to see what’s approved – typically pack n plays do not qualify). Sometimes agents will be nice and let you gate check something random (whether you have kids with you or not), so it doesn’t hurt to ask.

And one small detail – we always take the free seat when the child is under 2 because we’re cheap like that haha. So I don’t have any tips on how to take a car seat on a plane (sorry).

BOOKING

Fly non-stop whenever possible, even if the timing isn’t as ideal or it’s slightly more expensive.

Schedule flights around your children’s schedule. This will look different based on the ages of your kids and their current schedules & needs. Here’s what has worked well for us:

• With infants who are likely to nap on the plane, schedule the flight to fall during naptime. This can make boarding a little tricky, especially if the flight is delayed at all, when baby is tired and ready for that nap, but it should make it so they conk out as soon as you get settled into your seat.
  
  • I love to use a nursing cover (Whit will use it too!) or blanket to block out light so baby can fall asleep. I find a sound machine redundant because the plane is already making a lot of white noise.
    
• For toddlers who need to nap, we don’t assume a nap will be possible on the plane, so we plan for the flight to fall before or after their regular naptime.
  
  • *Be flexible and gentle with how things pan out. Will you have a decent amount of time transferring from the airport to your destination (30 min+)? Plan for a car nap rather than trying to rush to your destination, set up a pack n play, find a sleep sack in your suitcase, etc.
    
• For babies, plan to feed during takeoff. Whether bottle or breast, sucking will lessen the pressure on baby’s ears so they feel more comfy during the altitude change, and hopefully they may fall asleep too.
  
  • Note: Whether you normally feed to sleep or not, do anything you can to make the flight easier! Remember, babies have every right to be on the plane as much as anyone else, but a crying baby isn’t doing anyone on the plane any favors. 😉
    
• For the whole fam, try not to plan flights during mealtimes (unless a meal is provided of course). Make a plan for what and where you’re going to eat before and after.
  
  • If we have an early flight, we eat a very light breakfast at home and bring something on-the-go to eat in the car, in line for security, or after we get through security.
    
  • If we have a noon flight, we either pack a lunch or make sure to allow extra time to buy food in the airport.
    
  • If we are arriving close to dinnertime, we try to book it out of the airport and not delay getting to a restaurant or whoever we’re meeting that night.
    
• Fly in the morning/early in the day whenever possible. Sometimes an evening flight is inevitable. But especially when we’re going home, it makes a huge difference to arrive with plenty of day left to settle in and unpack.

Pay to choose your seats – when it matters. I know people have varied opinions on this. We have run the gamut. (And we pretty much always fly budget class hahah.) When it was me and Whit with one lap infant, we never paid for seats. If we had had to sit away from each other, oh well, at least Arthur would be with one of us. When Arthur turned 2 and had to have his own seat, it got more complicated. If seats were super cheap we would buy 3…. if they were medium, we would buy 2 to make sure he was seated next to at least one of us. But if they were really expensive, we did not buy seats and just made sure to check in online ASAP and get to the ticket counter on the early side so we could ask them to arrange for us to sit together. It can be stressful but I’m not about to spend $100 extra on something that I believe is a right (Tiny rant: how can an airline expect a 2.5 year old to sit by themselves for 2 hours next to a random stranger? That is insane.)

If you have a toddler… choose an airline that has in-flight entertainment (screens, not dancing elephants, you silly). After flying solo with both kids, I learned the $100-or-whatever difference between Spirit and JetBlue does NOT matter because I want the free snacks and screens hahah.

For a few examples, here are some itineraries that were ideal at different stages!

Example 1: 4 month old baby: 9am-11am flight
We woke the baby earlier than usual for the morning, but they may or may not fall asleep in the car on the way to the airport (either is okay). They may have a long wake window, but nurse and fall asleep as soon as we get on the plane. After a quick lunch, we got settled in as quickly as possible to our destination for afternoon naps.

Example 2: 11 month old & 3 year old: 9:30-11am flight, 2 hr layover, 1:30-2:30pm flight
While we didn’t love having a layover, 2 hours was plenty of time to grab lunch, get energy out, and get to the terminal. Daphne didn’t end up napping on either flight, so we changed our original plans and decided to let both kids nap in the car. That meant making sure everyone had some snacks and changed/had gone potty so we could just roll once we got in the car.

GEAR & LUGGAGE

Time to figure out the puzzle of what bags/gear you’ll be taking. Here are the typical choices:

• Stroller
• Car seat(s)
• Pack n play / toddler bed
• Suitcase(s)
• Carry on(s)
• Personal item(s)
• Diaper bag – This doesn’t count towards the total # of carry-ons or personal items (as long as your child is 2 or under). But we always use it to replace a personal item because we only have so many hands
• Food and/or milk – You are allowed to bring food and/or milk for your baby or toddler. It is subject to a security screening with TSA
• Breast pump – This is a medical item and doesn’t count towards the total # of carry-ons.
• *Make sure to buy and bring any travel bags for car seats and strollers to protect them!

When it was just us and Arthur, we only ever traveled with one checked suitcase, plus our diaper bag and Whit’s briefcase, and any other large items we needed like stroller or pack n play. As much as possible, we flew Spirit so this was the cheapest route and we loved it. This worked great for a time! (Sometimes we sent items with parents who were driving before or after us, when applicable!)

With Daphne and now that Arthur’s clothes are bigger, we need more space, haha. Lately, we have been loving JetBlue. The three of us each get a free carry-on, as well as 4 personal items total. That can add up to be a lot of bags that we have to haul with us through the airport and on the plane though, so we try to minimize as much as we can (2 carry-ons, plus 3 personal items works for us).

If you want to pack more minimally, YOU CAN DO IT!! Consider whether you ACTUALLY need every item on your list. (Are you really going to work on your laptop or can it stay at home? Do you need the sound machine or can you borrow one? Do you think you’ll have time to read 3 books? And so on). You ALWAYS need less clothes than you think (unless you’re already a super minimalist, in which case you can feel free to pack one more thing! haha). Re-wear stuff, do laundry there. You’ll never miss it… but you will regret lugging 18 bags through the airport both ways (and packing and unpacking it all….).

BORROW BORROW BORROW. Ask to borrow as much as you can at your destination (or buy it there). We have only flown with a car seat 2 times. It’s a giant pain. If someone has a car seat we can borrow, we use theirs. Sooo much easier. We use our parents’ or siblings’ cribs & pack n plays. When our baby didn’t like the pack n play because she’d never slept in one before, we called up my cousin and borrowed their bassinet. I was about to buy a used one on Facebook Marketplace. Use your resources! Have no shame.

Specifics. Figure out how many THINGS (giant or small) you’re going to be toting through the airport. This is the hardest segment of your trip (most likely). Traveling ain’t for the faint of heart. Think about your setup and make sure you can physically manage it all. (Sometimes you can’t, and that’s where there are people all over the airport looking out for you! Look around and ask an agent or a family or nice looking person for help.) Gate checking is free and nice, but only if you don’t have a ton of carry-ons and personal items. Here are a couple scenarios that have worked for us:

Note: We always use a baby carrier at some point in the airport, and stow it away in the bottom of the stroller when it’s not in use. Also, sometimes I will wear a fanny pack or a small crossbody in addition to the baby carrier and/or diaper bag just so I can have my phone, ID, and tickets at the ready.

Scenario 1: 2 adults + 1 baby/toddler
CHECK: 1 large suitcase
CARRY ON: Diaper bag, backpack/messenger bag, snack bag
GATE CHECK: Travel stroller + pack n play (we have always asked if we can carry our pack n play on the plane or gate check it and we’ve only been told no once! In that case, we had to pay to check it.)
BORROW AT DESTINATION: Car seat

Scenario 2: 2 adults + 1 baby/toddler
CHECK: 1 large suitcase
CARRY ON: Diaper bag, backpack/messenger bag, cooler with pumped breastmilk and pump (I only brought a little bit of milk and stashed the actual pump inside the cooler on the way there)
GATE CHECK: Full size stroller + pack n play
BORROW AT DESTINATION: (Decided we could get by with no car seat, and used public transit instead)

Scenario 3: 2 adults + 1 baby + 1 toddler
CHECK: Infant car seat
CARRY ON: 2 rolling suitcases, diaper bag, backpack/messenger bag, toddler backpack (he carries it himself onto the actual plane but not through the airport)
GATE CHECK: Travel stroller
BORROW AT DESTINATION: Convertible (aka toddler) car seat, toddler bed, crib/pack n play

SETTLING IN

*One more note on after you arrive to your destination. Don’t assume your child will follow your expectations. When children are in a new environment, it can be overwhelming. Remember, they’re processing a lot – a new experience (flying), overstimulation from crowds and tight quarters and loud airplanes, their sleep may be off, they may have had different things to eat at strange times, and now they’re in a new place. Maybe it’s your parents’ house and you’ve been there countless times – but it’s new for your child (even if they’ve been there before, they might not remember it). They may be excited, overwhelmed, overstimulated, curious, nervous, etc. Give them time to adjust to the new environment. Maybe they’ll be ready to pass out in their pack n play as soon as you arrive – don’t force them to stay awake for the meal and chitchat with a bunch of relatives. Maybe they need to be held or rocked to sleep (even if they normally sleep fine on their own). Maybe they are HYPED UP and want to play and totally skip their nap – plan for an early bedtime. Plan to keep their schedule as normal as possible, but in the back of your mind, let whatever happens on the first day happen, and then do your best to get them back on track the following morning.

Okay, so maybe it’s not so simple after all, but figuring out the puzzle of schedules and luggage is all part of the adventure! (At least for me anyway). I hope that was helpful! PLEASE feel free to drop specific questions or suggestions below, or email me if you have a longer question!