Packing Guide: Airplane Carryon for Babies Toddlers and Kids

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I try to keep my airline carryon as light as possible. Nothing wears me out faster than trying to juggle too much stuff on the trek through the airport. I carry everything in a backpack to keep my hands free for the kids. My favorite airline carryon is the Baby Sherpa Diaper Backpack

Tip:

Make sure you understand and follow the TSA Guidelines regarding Liquids. If you are travelling with formula or expressed breastmilk, it can be helpful to print and bring a copy of the TSA Guidelines Regarding Liquids for Children and Babies.

Travellers transiting through London may have special requirements regarding baggage size and liquids. Check the Heathrow Airport Website for details before you travel.

Baby Essentials
  • Two times more diapers than you would typically pack in your diaper bag. You never know what the air pressure will do to little tummies. Plus wipes and a few disposable changing pads.
  • Any medications you or your child might need on the trip (you don’t want to risk losing them in checked baggage). Don't forget to write dosing information on the bottle, and separate any liquids into your ziplock.
  • Plastic bags for diaper disposal or soiled clothes
  • For toddlers and older children, consider using a CARES Airplane Seat Harness on the plane, rather than bringing a carseat. The less you have to carry, the better! If you are travelling with a car seat, or with the CARES system, make sure to bring documentation demonstrating that it is FAA approved.
  • A change of shirt for you and your child. For babies, you may want spare pants as well.
  • PJ’s for your child if you expect them to sleep on the plane. Putting on PJs will help set the stage for sleep.
Utility and Safety
  • Passports and travel documents (babies and children are required to have a passport of travelling abroad, but not required to have ID for domestic flights). It's useful to have emergency contact numbers as well.
  • It’s useful to attach a couple of carabiner clips to your bag. They always seem to come in handy
  • Any important documents (passport, immunization or medical records, etc)
Snacks and More
  • An empty sippy or bottle if needed.
  • Non perishable food for your children, especially if you’re travelling during mealtime. I’ve never successfully gotten baby or toddler food on a flight, and while older children may be able to eat the meals, many airlines are cutting back to light snacks or nothing at all. Nothing makes kids grumpy faster than being hungry and having nothing to eat. If you cannot bring something from home, pick something up in the airport. If your child requires special utensils (E.g. a baby spoon) bring one.
  • Our favorites: sliced cheese, freeze dried fruit, Cheerios. puffed wheat. You're likely to be in close quarters with other kids, so avoid allergens like peanut butter. If your child is old enough for solids, avoid liquids like applesauce (which need to be declared separately at security).
  • If you have a baby who drinks formula, it’s easiest to bring powdered formula and mix it with water on the plane. Note: Never use tap water from the airplane bathroom to rinse or fill a bottle as it may not be safe.
  • Milk if your child will need it during takeoff or landing. Note that you need to buy this after clearing security at the airport. While some airlines are happy to provide milk during takeoff and landing, others carry enough milk only for coffee service and will not make more than a few ounces available for your child.
Busy Bag
  • Pack a bag within your bag with some quiet toys, books, and music for the plane. For ideas, check out our Guide to Travel Toys and Building an Airplane Busy Bag
    • Comforts
  • Your child’s lovey or blanket.
  • A light blanket, jacket or sweater for your child that you can add or remove depending on the temperature of the plane
  • Any electronics or cameras you are travelling with as these often “disappear” from checked baggage and most airlines will not cover them. In a pinch, saved pictures on a digital camera are great entertainment for toddlers and small children.
  • A magazine or book for you (and some wishful thinking?!). A magazine can double as entertainment for a child. Send them on “treasure hunts” looking for a picture of something specific in the magazine, or flip the pages asking them to make up stories about the pictures they see. For very young children, it can be entertaining just to look at and name the pictures in a magazine.
    • Child Safety Seats / Car Seats

    If you need a Car Seat at your destination, you may need to carry it on board with you. Check out our handy guide covering everything from whether you'll need a car seat on board the plane to the best ways to get the car seat through the airport.

    Part I: Which Babies, Toddlers and Kids Need a Car Seat Onboard A Plane
    Part II: Checking, Renting and Carrying on a Car Seat When Flying
    Part III: Airport Car Seat Carriers (Product Reviews)
    Part IV: Travel Car Seat (Product Reviews)

    Related Links:
    Guide to Travel Toys and Building an Airplane Busy Bag

    Comments

    1. Jen

      December 10, 2007 at 9:08 p.m.

      I LOVE your useful articles! There is one item that caught my eye in particular though... having a child with food allergies, recommending peanut butter sandwiches isn't always a good idea. Allergies can be so severe and are becoming very common. Many people with allergies can react from the smell or particles in the air or on the seats, etc. Just thought it was worth mentioning. Thanks. :-)

    2. Debbie

      December 10, 2007 at 10:03 p.m.

      Good point Jen, this hadn't occurred to me, but you are right.

      With more airports adding children's play areas and airlines considering putting all the kids in one area on a plane, the chance of exposing another child to allergens is greater than it used to be & just like I wouldn't encourage my runny-nosed toddler to kiss a stranger's baby (as someone did to us on our outbound trip to Spain) I'd feel terrible if my child's snack made someone else's child sick (or worse).

      So... I've updated the post to remove the peanut butter reference (there are lots of other options) and I'll refrain from bringing them in the future.

    3. Leslie

      April 8, 2008 at 2:21 p.m.

      I am flying to Boston in early July with my 2.5 year old son. Do you know of any places that rent car seats in that city? Or perhaps, do car rental agencies rent out car seats as well?

    4. Debbie

      April 9, 2008 at 3 p.m.

      Have a great time in Boston. What a lovely city to explore with a 2 year old.

      Here are the names of two baby gear rental companies serving Boston:

      Baby’s Away: http://www.babysawaynewengland.com/

      Basic Baby Rentals http://www.basicbabyrentals.com/

      Car Rental companies also rent car seats (usually for about $10 per day), and you should call ahead to make sure that they will have seats available for your arrival.

      Whenever you rent a car seat, you need to inspect it thoroughly to make sure it is safe (and you are always taking a leap of faith because you don't know whether it has been in an accident or not). Check out our tips for renting a car seat at: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/...

      Have a great trip! I hope this information is helpful.

      Debbie

    5. Charity

      April 24, 2008 at 2:03 p.m.

      In July 2007 I went through security in Seattle without a problem with a grocery bag filled with 10 or so jarred baby foods. Also no problem on the way back home from Hawaii - the same trip. I wonder if I happened to get the nice security guys, or maybe it was because it was just a domestic flight?

    6. Debbie

      April 24, 2008 at 2:05 p.m.

      The problem is that there is no set restriction on the amount of baby food that you are allowed, it is left to the TSA agent's discretion. The best you can do is to pack what you think you need, be prepared to justify it (politely) and be a little bit scrappy about bringing things like bananas and dry cereal that are not restricted.

    7. soraya

      May 22, 2008 at 6:26 p.m.

      Hi Debbie
      My husband and I will be traveling w/a toddler(22 months) and a new born (40 days app.) by the end of August, from Tallahassee to Beirut. We want to use CARES for the td, but we find it very expensive as we will be using it just for one trip. Do you know of any place/person that sales an used CARES at a more affordable price? Do you have any other suggestion that does not include the car seat?. Thanks in advance.

    8. Debbie

      May 27, 2008 at 3:53 p.m.

      The CARES is the only FAA approved harness that is not a car seat. I'm not aware of a discounter for CARES, but if there is a baby gear rental company in Tallahassee, you could contact them and see whether they will rent you one.

      It is unfortunate that the airlines haven't been willing to purchase CARES for use by their customers (they've had approval to do it for years). It puts parents like you in the position of having to either spend lots of money on a harness you'll only need once, or travel with your child not safely secured. Now that folks in DC are taking a hard look at airline safety, I'm planning to write a letter to my state senator about this issue, and I hope you will consider doing the same.

      Hope you have a great trip!

    9. Sophia

      May 28, 2008 at 9:28 p.m.

      As a mom of a child with life threatening peanut allergies, I'd warn other mommies that in the bulkhead area where we always try to sit, I find that nuts rolling on the floor always end up here. I make sure to inspect the floor before allowing my 2 yar old to play on the floor there...

    10. Shannon

      June 15, 2008 at 8:51 a.m.

      I just read the comment about the Cares Harness. They are expensive especially if you do not fly a lot. Just as an FYI there are several people on Ebay that rent them for as little as $15.00 a trip (if less than 30 days) I am renting 2 of them since I am traveling with my twins by myself in July.

    11. Jessica

      July 1, 2008 at 6:03 p.m.

      Hi Debbie!

      My sister just emailed me your website and I'm enternally thankful. I'm a new mom that has only taken one flight so far with my infant son, but my husband and I are flying out to San Francisco in August to visit my sister and her husband. My son is 8.5 months, and will be 10 months at the time of the trip. Any suggestions of where we can rent a car seat would be greatly appreaciated.

      Thanks again for all your tips and advice. This is great!

      Sincerely,
      Jessica

    12. Debbie

      July 1, 2008 at 11:17 p.m.

      I'm delighted to hear that you liked my website. In San Francisco you can rent a car seat with a rental car at the airport (all the major agencies have them) or from a baby rental company.

      http://www.littleluggage.com/
      and
      http://www.babysaway.com

      are two local baby gear rental companies.

      Unfortunately, I'm hearing such terrible reports from parents renting cars with child safety seats this summer that I am no longer recommending that parents rent car seats at all. If at all possible, you should bring your car seat with you or find out whether your sister can borrow one from a trusted friend. If not, it might actually be cheaper to buy an inexpensive seat than to rent one

      If you absolutely have to rent, please check out my safety tips at:
      http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/...

      I wish I had more positive advice to give. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

      Debbie Dubrow
      http://www.deliciousbaby.com

    13. Ayshea

      July 11, 2008 at 8:37 p.m.

      In November myself,eight yr old daughter and 21 month old son will be traveling back to the UK. Which i am so looking forward too.

      Although my son will be sharing a seat with me for the duration and he also has nut,egg and soy allergies. Which i am sure you can imagine is rather difficult. I have to prepare his food and be very careful as to what i feed him. Given this problem he will be unable to eat anything from the Airline. Therefore i need to take everything in my hand luggage which i am concerned this will cause a problem.

      My little boy i s a joy although he doesn't stop. He is very head strong and i am concerned this is going to annoy a lot of passengers.

      I am already beginning to have nightmares about this journey so if you have any advice i would greatly appreciate it.

      We are traveling with Etihad.

      Kind regards

      Ayshea

    14. Debbie

      July 13, 2008 at 3:11 p.m.

      First of all, have a great trip!

      I wrote a comprehensive article about a month ago about traveling with food allergies, and I hope you will check it out
      http://www.deliciousbaby.com/travel/f...

      With respect to his food, make sure that you bring a doctor's note saying that you need to bring all his food with you, and that should help if there are any questions at the security checkpoint. Try to avoid bringing liquid or gel based foods.

      Try to tire your son out before you get on the plane so that you have a better chance of getting him to sleep once you are on board. If you anticipate him annoying other passengers, try bringing some sort of a treat onboard the flight for them... scrip for a free drink, packets of cookies, or something else that is small and would be welcome on a long flight. Have your son give it to his neighbors on the plane. It's harder for people to be annoyed once they have seen him at his cutest.

      Hope this helps,
      Debbie

    15. Amy

      November 15, 2008 at 7:07 p.m.

      Our 26 hour journey to South Africa with a 19 month old doesn't seem quite so daunting now, thanks for your great ideas; the blue tape and pipe-cleaners might very well save our sanity!

    16. Mark

      December 15, 2008 at 4:12 a.m.

      Great advise here! I'm traveling from ORD to RSW this week and as a father, we don't always no what's best for our little ones while flying. Since it'll be three of of us on a 3 hour hmm hmm journey, I'm sure I'll use all tricks and tips here in your Q&A as well as forums. Wish me luck, and provide some more last minute tricks, thanks!

    17. Bridget

      January 3, 2009 at 9:41 a.m.

      Thanks for an awesome website. We are travelling from South Africa to New Zealand in a month and my biggest stress so far has been how my 2 yr old will behave on the plane. I was amazed at some of the simple ideas (such as playing with pipe cleaners!) that I found on your site. I will definitely be taking your advice.
      Thanks again,
      Bridget

    18. Trish Borg

      May 17, 2009 at 5:08 a.m.

      I have travled to Australia and back to the USA a majority of times with my now 3 year old son. It can be a bit of a hassle, but I feel like an old pro now. I highly recommend their own carseat, because it is something they are familar with, and a cheap small fold-up stroller that your carseat can also fit into and be secured, so you don't have to cart it through the airport, but in a pinch you can pull the straps through the back and wear the carseat like a backpack. I have found that the small hooded towels are wonderful, they act as a jacket with a hood, a blanket, and if your little one is shy, a cozy place for them to hide and peek out. An armstrap I think is a must in an airport, and comfy clothing for both parents and children, On a long flight portable DVD players, and pipe cleaners, crayons, small washable markers, paper baking cups to doodle on, along with paper bags for making puppets, sticker books or the clingy books, and small mini toys or games, choose accordingly by your child's interests. Healthy low sugar snacks are wonderful, and something that entertained my son for hours was stringing cheerios or frootloops onto twine, an edible activity. 4-5 yr.old children are occupied with small plastic child scissors and a magazine, or lace up cards. The best part is everything fits easily into his small backpack which he carries or hangs on the stroller handle. My biggest problem has been him kicking the seat in front of him, if the flight isn't full I usually try to be moved to an empty area of the plane or just try to keep him busy or play this lil piggy. I've found when I focus my attention on my son and his needs, instead of worrying about everyone else, things go so much smoother and everyone is happier:) I also have a packet of ballons for soft ball play at the airports, gives him a chance to run and play without having to worry about him hurting anyone. I also advise letting them walk through the airport if you aren't pressed for time, since they will be sitting for so long.

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