Flying with Kids- My Top Tips

Flying With Kids

Flying with your kids can feel overwhelming. I’m here to help you with tips and tricks that have worked for us when flying with our kids. We have been traveling with our kids since they were tiny babies in the bassinet in the bulkhead of the airplane. If you love to travel, give that gift to yourself and your children. Traveling with our children opens my eyes to things I would otherwise miss or not notice. They show us new things while we are busy looking for famous landmarks. We love to travel and see new places. I’ve heard from so many people that they want to travel, but will wait until their children are older. Our kids are great travelers, no different from if we were at home instead of abroad. So here are my top tips for making family travel with kids easy.

Our Story

My husband is from South Africa and I am from the west coast of the USA near Seattle. We met in Seattle where we were both working. Once a year we would fly 11 hours from Seattle to Johannesburg stopping for a layover in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, or London along the way. When we had children, we used this layover as a fun way to explore a European city for a few days and get the kids onto the right time zone before flying another 11 hours down to Johannesburg which is in the same timezone as Europe. Then when we moved to London, the flight to Johannesburg and Seattle because the same 11 hour flight away.

Since we got married in 2015 we have been flying between Seattle and Johannesburg to visit our families. And since 2009 we have been flying with our kids. We have some tips and tricks that have helped us fly with our kids over the years. Hopefully this will encourage you and get you excited to go on a family holiday or visit your family far away!

1. Carry On

Just bring carry on luggage, you can do it! You don’t need that pair of high heels on a family vacation, right? And you don’t need an entire sleeve of diapers or that pack ‘n play. You can get more where you are going or the hotel or accommodation will get it for you, just ask. We don’t have a lot of stuff and we want to be in and out of the airport quickly, so we each have a wheelie bag or a backpack. I use my handbag for our activities, passport stuff, and my wallet. The kids each have a backpack that they pack and carry and my husband and I have small wheelie bags.

2. Let the kids pack 

This is actually fun. They started packing when they were around 2 and 4 years old and I would usually check what they packed. But now that they are older, I don’t check as much. They ask how many days we are going to be gone and they bring that number of underwear. Then they go from there. My girls have dressed themselves since before they could talk. They pack the moment I announce the upcoming flight. My girls love dressing themselves in the morning, so packing is fun and easy for them. And it gives them control and independence. They get out their backpacks and take it from there. My youngest is 1 and obviously not packing for himself yet, so the girls absolutely love packing for him. I bring between 5-10 diapers for him, knowing we can get diapers wherever we land for the holiday.

3. Pack the night before

I know, this sounds crazy. But we don’t have a lot of clothes. I am not planning on having fancy dinners out or wearing 5 inch heels anywhere in Seattle or South Africa. My girls pack weeks in advance and modify a bit each day. Toy in, toy out, new toy in, old toy out, blanket in, blanket out, etc. But I pack the night before. I need all my electronic plugs and clothes in my daily life. I don’t know what I would wear if I packed any earlier. I always say, all I need is my passport, the rest will sort itself out.

4. How many sleeps?

My girls love knowing how many days until we see Grandma. Or how many days until we are going on whichever holiday is next. My friend make the cutest paper chain countdowns and little countdown activities for their kids which I absolutely adore, but never seem to do. She made them for my girls before we all went to an Austrian Kinderhotel one year and the girls loved it. Get the kids excited. It makes everything easier. If they are excited and on board, it’s more fun for everyone and the anticipation takes over.

5. Bring Headphones

The 10+ hour flights with the airplane issued headphones are miserable. They totally hurt my ears by the end of the first hour. Bring your headphones with you. My girls love their headphones from JVC and Kidz Gear. Although I just saw these that I might buy in the USA as they have great reviews. I bring my headphones as well which are just ear buds from an old phone. I use them on my phone to learn German and they work great in the airplane to watch movies.

6. In Flight Movies and iPads

Screen time. I know. It’s horrible. But this is the time for it. We are all well aware of screen time so I truly think the girls love to binge watch movies on the plane. They know it’s ok, they can watch them, they have their own, choose what they want, and it’s magical. This is another thing they talk about well in advance. They get very excited about movies on the plane. They get all the blankets and pillows together and are glued to their TV. For our youngest, we can put a few airplane blankets and pillows under them so they’re high enough to see the screen.

I bring an iPad for each girl and my tablet. I use my tablet a lot while I’m on holiday to read all my magazines, books, and binge watch USA Netflix since Switzerland is still in the stone ages. We load the girl’s iPad with games and books. We seem to only use the iPad if we are on a shorter flight without the individual TVs. They also come in handy when getting from the airport to wherever the accommodation is, as our children are not used to being stuck in traffic anymore.

8. Layover Shopping

We love flying through Heathrow and the girls are through the moon about it. We lived in London for a bit and the girls have found memories of some of their favorite things. We head straight for the WHSmith when we land. London literally has the market on children’s magazines. Have you seen the children’s magazine aisle in any shop in London? It’s beyond amazing. The girls each pick out a magazine or two, hit the snack aisle, and we excitedly walk to our long flight. Seriously, the magazines. This keeps mine busy for hours even after we land.

9. Fly the Red Eye

Flying at sleeping hours is wonderful. Flying the red eye is most useful for that toddler age when they don’t yet watch movies or sit still. This way they are asleep for the whole flight and just wake up when breakfast is served and the plane is landing. The kids are tired and used to sleeping at the red eye times. Sometimes to the older kids we say they can watch one movie and then sleep when the flight is super late at night.

10. Sticker Books and tape

These books are amazing. When the girls were toddlers, this was a pretty tough task. Now that they are older, they can do the book themselves. It’s fun to watch the progression of learning. Buy these sticker books. They really keep my girls busy. Although now we have the iPad app for the Usborne sticker books which is fantastic and one less thing to pack! I also put colored pencils, coloring books, Djeco card games, and Uno in my handbag. And if you have a toddler, bring tape or just regular stickers. We flew with the IPads wen the girls were little. We haven’t flown with them in a few years, but maybe with our new toddler, it could come in handy to play some games during the flight.

11. Pajamas and socks

During our London layover my girls will shop, then change from their clothes to their pajamas for the long flight. They get on the long flight, get their “bed” sorted out with all the pillows and blankets, switch the movie on and then sleep for most of the flight (theoretically).

12. Feed them

Feed them and keep feeding them. The airplanes are great at feeding us constantly, so take advantage of this. And if your toddler gets cranky and doesn’t want to watch a movie or play with the stickers and tape you brought, go to the galley in the back and get them a snack and a plastic cup. The empty cup just keeps them busy for a minute and makes a bit of noise for them.

We love EasyJet for its easy ordering and menu. We give the kids some money and they work out what they are going to order, how much it costs, and it puts them in charge and gives them independence.

Final Thoughts

What are your top tips for flying with your kids? What do you think is the key to a smooth flight as a family? I think it’s the in flight movies and food brought to them. Seriously. It’s like heaven for a kid. But seeing their family, friends, all their favorite places, or go on a new adventure is what gets them through a bit of flying.