7 Essentials to Pack When Flying with a Toddler

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We have been fortunate to travel with our kids both with a single toddler and two at the same time. As with everything toddler related, be prepared! I am ready for our flights with these 7 Essentials to Pack When Flying with a Toddler.

Click on any of the links or Amazon images to head straight to the product page on Amazon or Target to purchase your own! Here are my 7 Essentials to Pack When Flying with a Toddler.

You don’t have to pack a ton of stuff (don’t because it will be hard to dig through it all on a plane!), just the right essentials to keep them busy!

If you are traveling with a baby, click to check out my 7 Must-Haves for Flying with Baby.

Carry-On Bag

Each of my kids has their own carry-on because it’s just easier to have all of their things in one place for quick access. We use their backpacks from daycare which are small enough to count as a small personal item for adults since let’s be honest, the days of bringing a book to read on the plane are long gone for this Mama! We love having the side water bottle pockets on both backpacks to hold the bottles upright and provide easy access.

Be sure the carry-on can fit under the seat in front of you so you have access to everything. I don’t recommend storing anything you may need with a child in the overhead bin. If there is turbulence or the fasten seatbelt sign is on, you won’t have access to it.

Bonus if your little one can carry their bag themselves during this very independent toddler stage!

Headphones

Little A cannot comprehend why the whole plane would not want to listen to Let It Go 50 times on the flight.  Let’s be honest, they were still gifted with her singing it a little bit…

We have these Snug Play+ headphones, available HERE from Amazon. They have a ton of colors!! We actually have them in purple and pink because we lost a pair, replaced them, then found them again while packing for our next trip. Thankfully they are reasonably priced. They also have a built-in volume limiting feature, which is said to protect little ears.

Coloring Supplies

I highly recommend triangle-shaped crayons for the tray tables so they don’t roll off.  It’s not fun trying to get under the seats to grab them!  I grab coloring books and sticker books whenever I see them on clearance and save them for occasions like this so they are exciting and new.

These Water Wow! books from Amazon are also great for travel (we also love them for restaurants and car rides!). The pens are filled with water, so no staining clothes or the plane. And once the pages dry, kids can reuse and recolor them. We have lost all of the pens for ours and they roll very easily off of tray tables so you may want to bring a backup!

Snacks

All of the snacks! My daughter thought she was so cool eating her snacks on the plane.  Usually, the flight attendants will bring another snack or two, but definitely don’t rely on that in case of in-flight service cancellation or your child not liking the snacks they offer.

Water Bottle

We bring our kids’ CamelBak water bottles with us on all trips.  Bring them empty through TSA, then grab a bottle of water to fill them for the flight. 

A tip we recently learned the hard way… Unscrew the lids to release pressure before you open the drinking valve! We didn’t do this and water literally sprayed everywhere, like to the ceiling of the plane.  I felt so dumb, but luckily everyone around us laughed and was really nice about it.

Tablet or iPad

Obviously this is up to you and your parenting preferences.  Even if you are trying to limit screen time with your child, maybe bring it just in case. Be sure to download the movies or shows in advance from Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.  If you don’t have WiFi on the plane, it could be a disaster.

Hint, double-check the shows/movies you already have downloaded to be sure nothing has expired before you leave the house. It will be much faster to renew or re-download shows on your WiFi if needed before you head out.  And don’t forget your charger!

The Kindle now has a kids’ version for young readers with a new version coming out on 10/12/2022. This is a lighter-weight alternative to filling your child’s carry-on bag with books.

Patience

While flying is a much faster way to get somewhere than driving, you do lose all control over the timing, and pretty much everything else!  Stressing yourself out over a delayed or canceled flight will put your whole family on edge, so try to stay calm and go with the flow on travel days.  Think of it as an exciting adventure for the family, versus a hassle. You will save yourself unnecessary stress that you truly cannot do anything about!

Enjoy the Ride

Overall, I feel like Little A pleasantly surprises us every time we travel now that she is 4 years old. The novelty of the plane and having her own seat to look out the window definitely helps! What kid wouldn’t want their own little table to do whatever they want and eat some snacks for a few hours?!

I hope these 7 Essentials to Pack When Flying with a Toddler helped you to prepare for your next plane ride with a toddler. What must-haves do you recommend when traveling with toddlers or preschoolers?