16 Tested Tips for Easily Traveling With a Toddler and a Baby (Tips to Make Your Trip Go Smoothly!)

If you’re thinking about traveling with a toddler and/or baby let me tell you this – you can do it!

My toddler was born right at the beginning of the pandemic and my second child was born 19 months later, so my husband and I had not flown anywhere for some years. Now that my toddler is just over 2 years old and my baby is 6 months old, we finally took the leap and bought tickets to see family in Spain. I have to admit, just the thought of taking the plane with two kids who had never set foot in an airport made me anxious, but the whole experience was amazing and I’m so glad we did it.

Let me share with you some tips I gathered from the trip and some things that I would have done differently.

1. Fly direct when you can

2. Pack lightly

We were lucky enough to be able to do laundry during the trip since we were staying with family. The most essential items of clothing were a couple of light cardigans or sweaters. I also made sure to pack two pairs of shoes for my toddler (a pair of sandals and sneakers). We traveled in the spring, so make sure you check the weather at your destination before you do your packing.

3. Pack a diaper bag for each child

I absolutely hate rummaging through bags trying to find what I need. To avoid this, I packed all my toddler’s things in her own diaper bag that my husband carried, and all my baby’s things in another diaper bag that I carried. If my husband took the baby to get changed, we would just switch diaper bags and vice versa. This made it so much easier to find anything we needed for each child. Here’s what I put in each diaper bag:

Our total travel time each way was about 14 hours. I packed 6 diapers and 1 overnight diaper in each bag. My toddler isn’t potty trained yet so you may need to pack some extra underwear or training pants if your child is. I think I could have skipped the overnight diapers, but my hope was to avoid any leaks if either child fell asleep for a long period of time. We didn’t have any leaks throughout the entire trip except for a blowout before boarding on the way back – so pretty good if you ask me!

I also packed pajamas as extra clothes in hopes to make my daughter understand that she had to sleep on the plane since both of our flights were overnight. I packed 2 sleep and plays for my baby and I was glad I did. The onesie was helpful for our return flight because it was super hot in the airport for some reason. She also spent the whole time either in the stroller or in our arms, so she had lots of body heat to keep her warm. Because I’m paranoid about the baby being cold, I also packed a cotton sleep sack (if you’re even more paranoid than I am I also like these fleece sleep sacks). We didn’t end up using this on either of the plane rides, but if you have extra room in the bag, it doesn’t hurt to pack it!

The formula dispenser was essential because I didn’t have to worry about spilling – especially while juggling a toddler. This dispenser came with 4 compartments. I pre-filled them before traveling. Since my baby’s bedtime bottle is larger than the others, I filled one compartment with more formula to keep it consistent and just marked the container by putting a rubber band around it (I used this rubber band to keep the can of formula shut throughout the rest of the trip). I also pre-filled her bottles with water after going through customs so I would just have to pour in the formula when she needed to eat. I also packed a bottle cleaning brush and a travel container of dish soap in a gallon-sized ziplock bag so we would have clean bottles if we needed them.

The Moby Sling Ring was great for the plane as well as for walking around during our trip. It provided the baby with a warm and snug place to sleep on the plane, while also making it easier for either my husband or myself to hold her for a long period of time. It was also super helpful to pull the fabric over her head just enough to block the light during the flight. My six-month-old gets very distracted by her surroundings and she would have had a difficult time falling asleep had we not been able to cover her line of sight.

4. Toys

I packed as few toys for each child as I could. Since we were visiting family, my kids spent the majority of their time playing with them or exploring their new surroundings.

I filled my toddler’s travel backpack (I got this one from Target because I can use it when my toddler grows out of it) with new and quiet toys that she could discover when we got to the airport. This is what I put inside:

• The Quiet Book
• coloring books with stickers (make sure the ones you get fit nicely in your bag and don’t forget to pack crayons)
• suction cup spinners
• water coloring booklet
• magnetic drawing board
• mess free markers
• books (my toddler is really into the Duck & Goose books these days)

5. Gate check baby gear

I recommend asking for a gate check tag for any baby gear – we just brought an umbrella stroller that I had my kids take turns using (I also brought the Moby Ring Sling carrier for the baby – this carrier is easy to travel with and my baby can still sleep in it). Gate checking the stroller was helpful because we could still use it to carry one of the kids around the terminal, as well as any jackets or bottles. This Summer 3D Mini Stroller was exactly what we needed – cheap, easy to fold, lightweight, and it was comfortable for both our 6-month-old and 2-year-old.

We didn’t bring any car seats with us, but you can also gate-check those. Since we were mostly just staying around our families’ homes and walking to places, we decided to avoid bringing them with us. We hired taxis that supplied car seats in order to get to and from the airports and the AVE train. I recommend calling a couple of different taxi companies ahead of time to see what they have available as well as what their rates are.

6. Check TSA guidelines for flying with children

Read over the TSA guidelines for traveling with children ahead of time. There are different requirements for children under the age of 12, such as not having to take off their shoes when walking through the scanner. I know I was glad I didn’t have to take an extra step like this one with my toddler. We also made sure to have any liquids and electronics easily accessible since you have to scan these separately. If you are traveling with formula or breastmilk (or toddler snacks or food purees), there is a section in the TSA guidelines that goes over what you can or cannot bring with you.

7. Look for play areas or lounges in the airport

Because we were traveling with two littles, we arrived at the airport early. We had extra time before our flight in Barcelona, so we had our toddler play in a little play space. Even if it’s for 10 minutes, this time gives your child a chance to disconnect and get out some wiggles. If you absolutely have to have a layover, then I would say this is a definite must!

8. Don’t forget to bring medication

We were glad we brought Children’s Tylenol with us because the baby ended up getting a fever one night. It was good to have just to make sure she got some rest since our days were so busy.

My baby also takes medication that needs to be refrigerated. The flight attendants were able to put it in their fridge during the flights and we refilled the thermos with ice at cafes in the airport so it would last until we got to our families’ homes.

9. Snacks

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that my toddler gets cranky when she is hungry. I packed a bag (I like these organizer bags) with familiar food for my toddler and it was extremely helpful for the flight there – these snacks were the only thing she ate at the airport and on the plane. I also packed more in our checked bag in case she had trouble eating the food in Spain. I looked for snacks that were packaged in small individual baggies. These pouches were the biggest hit. I also brought this snack cup for when we were on the go during our trip. This one is great because it comes with a lid to keep all the crumbs from spilling once it’s empty.

My baby just started eating solids, so I didn’t pack any snacks for her for the plane. Since she’s only mostly had pureed foods I’ve made, I packed a baby food jar in our checked bag just so she would have something when we got there. I also packed my baby’s silicone self-feeder. I fill this with fruit for now and she loves sucking the juice – it keeps her very happy and entertained during meals!

10. Take advantage of the benefits of traveling with kids

When you travel with kids, especially young kids, you get special treatment! You get to board the plane first (this is how we were able to fit our umbrella stroller in the overhead compartment behind our luggage on the way there instead of gate-checking it). In Spain, they even had a separate security line. There was no wait and it allowed us to gather our belongings calmly.

11. Help the kids with the change in air pressure

We gave my baby a bottle during take-off and she used a pacifier during landing. My toddler sucked on her first lollypop ever (she was SO excited) during take-off and also took sips from her water bottle. I had told her prior to the trip that sometimes our ears can hurt on the plane and that drinking water helps them feel better. We had her just take sips from her water bottle for landing. Neither my baby nor my toddler had any issues with the change in air pressure during the flight. I’m not sure if this is because of the precautions we took, but either way, they did great so I would do it all again!

12. Pick your seats ahead of time

We reserved a seat for my toddler but not for the baby. We choose to hold the baby during the flight, especially since we were flying overnight. Some airlines have the option to pay for a bassinet. This attaches to a seat that has extra legroom, so this may be an option for you. It was important to us to pick three seats that were next to each other. One of the flight attendants was nice enough to move the person sitting in the 4th seat in our row to a different open seat in order to give us extra room. It never hurts to ask for extra accommodations when traveling with littles – people understand what you’re going through!

13. Diaper changes

We made sure the kids boarded the plane with clean diapers. There were always changing tables in the airport bathrooms. I used the nursery so I could lock my toddler in the room with me while I changed the baby. There was always a changing table on the airplane right above the toilet. My 2-year-old is not potty trained yet, so she needed a little more convincing to lay on this table (I let her play with turning the water on and off while changing her since it was such a tight space), but we also changed her diaper while standing if it wasn’t a messy diaper (if you know what I mean). My husband is also pretty good at changing the baby’s diaper right on his own lap in the airplane seat – you need to get creative while traveling!

14. Acclimate to the new schedule as soon as possible

Every time I have flown to a different time zone, I have always had the most success adjusting to the time difference by following the new sleeping and eating schedule right away. We did the same for our girls. They took their naps around the same times they would have had we been home, and they ate their meals and snacks around the same times, as well. Even though we landed at 6:20 am Madrid time, it was really 12:20 am in Boston for us, but we put the baby down for a nap when we got to my family’s house (around 9 am – which is around the same time she takes a nap back home). The wonderful thing about traveling with young kids is that they still need naps throughout the day, so this helped them get in some rest so they can go to bed around the same time they normally do back home.

15. Talk to your toddler about the trip

16. Be flexible

My last tip for traveling with young kids is to be flexible. Even the least eventful days are full of stimulation for young ones. They’re surrounded by new things and people, and this is exhausting for little minds. We took advantage of on-the-go stroller naps the first couple of days so they could sneak in some rest in between their regular naps. And even if they weren’t napping in the stroller, going on walks allowed them to rest and get in some downtime. My toddler can be a picky eater, so we were more lenient with her eating snacks the first couple of days. After that, she was more willing to try new foods and we were able to leave the snacks in the suitcase (still great to have just in case or if you’re on the go).

The takeaway

Traveling with little ones doesn’t have to be challenging. We were absolutely exhausted after our trip, but it was beautiful and we made very special memories. Try to stay organized throughout the trip and remember to work together with your spouse or partner if you are traveling with one. You’ll both be presented with new situations and it’s best to tackle them as a team. Also, remember to be flexible. We put the kids to bed later in Spain to allow them to have time to meet family members who would come to visit later in the day. The later bedtime combined with all we were doing throughout the day was a lot for the girls, but we adjusted their schedule to make it work. There were some mornings we let our toddler sleep until 10 am, and she still went down for a 2-hour nap at 1 pm and then fell right asleep at bedtime at 9 pm. This is not what her day looks like when we are home, but it worked for her during our trip. It gave her the extra rest she needed and also gave her time to enjoy doing activities. So, keep the kids’ schedules in mind, but adapt them if necessary.

One thing I’ve learned since becoming a mama is that your kids are capable of so much more than you think. So take them on adventures, have fun, and show them love. That’s all they need ☮♡

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